Taking direct action
Posted on 6 November 2014 by e-news
Switch on to our e-news! Switch off fossil power.
The next e-news will be published on Thursday, 20 November, so get your contributions in to us then, by 11am.
And in that 20 November edition we will have the State election candidates’ responses to our questionnaire to them on renewables and on extending the moratorium on coal seam gas. Stay tuned for that!
Congratulations to our biochar and biodiesel winners!
We held very successful demonstrations of biochar and biodiesel at the Castlemaine Show over the weekend, which included discussion and slide show on Friday night at The Hub from our two experts: Stephen Hobbs and Trevor Barrows.
The weather was against us at the Show, but we still had a good number of people coming through and entering our competitions – how much carbon does a kilo of biochar sequester, and how much oil do you get from a 25kg bag of canola seed.
Paula Steenholdt will be receiving her very own bag of gardener’s biochar, and Nicky Veal will receive her litre of biodiesel.
MASG AGM
Come along to our AGM on Thursday, 20 November, 7pm at the Ray Bradfield Room. We’ll have a movie and a speaker and you’ll have your chance to come and ask questions and find out what MASG has been up to.
Passionate about your community? Last minute reminder for tonight!
Join local writer, facilitator and community development practitioner Lucy Mayes as she shares part of her presentation at a recent interational community development gathering in Scotland, and her reflections and experiences from the conference.
Presenting coffee and buzz: community glue and forces for change
- Local film: The Castlemaine Story: Innovation towards Sustainability
- Other inspiring local stories (come and share yours)
- Lessons from around the world
Tonight, 13 November, 7.30pm at the Castlemaine Steiner School, Rilens Rd, Muckleford $5 lucy.heartworks@mayes.net.au
Special Offer to MASG members
Get $50 off a Solar Whiz and cool your home with 100% solar powered roof ventilation, which can reduce the temperature in your roof by as much as 30 degrees.
Contact Jane or Frank on 5472 4160.
Martin Green – ‘father of PV’ – says solar costs to halve by 2025
Martin Green, Australia’s world leading solar PV researcher, says the cost of solar PV technology will halve again in the next decade, meaning it will become the cheapest of all technologies and help radically transform the world’s energy systems.
Green says it seems clear that solar PV will be the cheapest form of electricity across the world by 2030, and that solar – as predicted by the International Energy Agency – will become the single biggest energy source by 2050.
Emissions soar as carbon price dumped, more coal burned
Two new studies released on Tuesday show that electricity emissions in Australia have taken a dramatic turn for the worse, just as the international climate change body and the United Nations called for a rapid decarbonisation of the world’s energy systems.
Think nothing is happening in renewable energy (Mr Abbott)?

A Dublin firestation gets a low-carbon makeover, including construction of wildlife habitats, kitchen gardens and a whole ecosystem for endangered local flora and fauna
Thank again! This wonderful site is documenting positive climate change responses around the world.
Find your favourite story and shout it from the rooftops!
Workshop with the Pachamama Alliance
We invite you to immerse yourself in a one-day experiential workshop created by the Pachamama Alliance (USA) with enrichment activities from the Jump Up Program (Australia) —The global community that’s committed to bringing forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, and socially just human presence on this planet.
- Experience deep ecology activities to enliven your connection with mother earth.
- Reconnect with our human story and the origins of our modern world views.
- Empower and expand your role in changing the story of our times
- Connect with like-minded, open hearted people and move into action.
Date: Sunday 30 November, 10am-4pm (bring food to share) Location: TBC on registration (Castlemaine local) RSVP: Rita Gyorffy 0439 937323 or email
Delivered by Helena Read
Learn more at pachamama.org.
Sleep out with Hepburn Wind
Hepburn Wind, Australia’s first community-owned wind farm just near Daylesford is inviting you to attend ‘Sleep under the stars’, a family friendly camping event on Saturday 15 November. It’s open to all and promises to be a beautiful and positive sensory evening of art, entertainment and clean energy.
From 4pm -10.30pm the event will feature:
- live painting of Gusto by Ghostpatrol and team
- local music by Zebraherd, Kavisha Mazzela, Danny Spooner, the Sweet Justice Choir, and Hayley Couper
- Bendigo and District Astronomical Society hosting a ‘great telescope muster’
- pedal powered cinema by Magrev
- gourmet food trucks
- kids’ activities, storytelling and puppets
Tickets: $50 family pack / $25 adult / $15 members or evening only attendees / $10 kids
Slactivism
Climate activism with your mouse
Hassle the Fin Review
Four weeks ago, the Australian National University announced it was selling $16 million of shares in two fossil fuel companies and five other mining companies. What happened next was odd.
The Australian Financial Review (AFR) went into overdrive, dedicating a month of breathless coverage to attacking ANU’s decision.
The AFR has now published 43 stories, 30,000 words and 12 front covers on the topic of one university divesting from a handful of companies. By contrast, the global surge in renewable energy and the growing carbon bubble barely rate a mention.
Smart people know that the world needs to leave most fossil fuels in the ground.* They know that a huge transformation is underway, disrupting old energy sources and risking hundreds of billions of dollars in stranded assets.
Last word