‘We are the ones we’ve been waiting for’
Posted on 30 January 2014 by e-news
Switch on to our e-news! Switch off fossil power.
The next e-news will be published on Thursday, 13 February, so get your contributions in to us then, by 11am.
In our first newsletter of 2014, we: offer you a great deal for membership; encourage you to reclaim your curb; investigate unplugging from the grid; and offer you an extraordinary message of hope from Hopi elders.
Read on. You heard it here.
Join MASG!
Become a member, or donate to us. If everyone who read this donated we would be on a surer footing to continue our great work this year.
Join us. Last year was an action-packed one.
- We worked in community using our expertise at places such as the Hub Plot and the Community House;
- We developed new projects including a farm-scale, green-waste-to-compost trial;
- We formed a partnership with Energy for the People to pilot solar on community buildings;
- We maintained our commitment to waste reduction via the Wash Against Waste Trailer and battery and light globe recycling programs.
This year you will see more great work in our shire and beyond, as the green waste trial gets under way, more work on the windfarm and other renewable energy projects, and we join the steering committee for the new mountain bike complex at Harcourt.
Join us – or renew your membership – and be part of the action! We depend on members for support and so we can keep up our good work. For the rest of January, there are great giveaways for joining and renewing …
Ok, we know January’s as good as over, so we’ll indulge you with some fantastic giveaways for all of February as well: draft stoppers, energy saving monitors and other sustainability giveaways, to the value of $50 for each new joiner or renewer.
Reclaim the curb
MASG is partnering with Reclaim the Curb to hold the second annual competition to create Australia’s most edible curb side.
Reclaim the Curb is a collective encouraging considerate direct action to bring about change in the public spaces around us. Working on the principle that it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission, Reclaim the Curb supports self-organising communities to make the public space around them productive.
This competition is the only one of its kind in Australia so it’s a very exciting prospect!
Competition opens Tuesday 1 April, and closes Friday, 30 May.
For more information go to http://reclaimthecurb.org/
Unplugging from the grid forum
An energy revolution could be just around the corner. Will we embrace it? What will it look like? We are organising a forum about stand alone energy systems for homes and communities. 6pm, Friday, 7 February, at the New Northern Hotel, top end of Barker Street.
Open to builders, developers, community organisations and groups, and all those interested in building the strength of communities and embracing change. Enquiries: MASG Office, info@masg.org.au or 03 5470 6978.
Hub Plot Jottings
Many of the wonderful Hub Plot volunteers have kept on keeping on … keeping the garden alive as well as can be, given the extreme heat. The wicking beds really come into their own with this hot, dry weather.
We’ve also added a couple of new wicking beds to the streetscape of Templeton Street.
Anyone interested in helping out with this year’s Growing the Harvest Festival, scheduled for the end of March, please contact Heather on 0409 327791 or heather@box311.biz
Google to go 100% renewable
Google has signed a 10-year deal with Swedish wind company Eolus Vind, to supply 59MW of power from four wind farms. Read the full story.
Roof top solar soon to be cheaper than coal
A new study has suggested that wind and solar plants are already competing with fossil fuel costs in Europe. Soon, even household rooftop solar PV systems will generate electricity cheaper than coal. And it won’t have the delivery costs.
Breaking the sod on largest solar power plant in Southern Hemisphere
Construction has started in western NSW on the biggest solar power plant in the Southern Hemisphere. Read the full story
Sustainable Living Festival 2014
8-23 February – heaps of amazing activities, lots of them free – check out the program
Buninyong’s own Smart Building & Living Expo
The first expo of its kind to be held in Buninyong, this local event will form part of the greater Sustainable Living Festival, raising awareness and providing tools for change by showcasing leading solutions to the ecological and social challenges we face.
When: Sunday, 23 February, 10am-3pm
Where: Royal Park, cnr Hedrick and Warrenheip St, Buninyong
Activities, products and services must be in keeping with the theme of the day – sustainable building and lifestyle. Your smarter lifestyle starts here!
Last word
Oraibi, Arizona, Hopi Nation
(It’s a long one, but it’s well worth the read)
A Message from the Hopi Elders
You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour.
Now you must go back and tell the people that this is The Hour.
Here are the things that must be considered:
Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relation?
Where is your water?
Know our garden.
It is time to speak your Truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for the leader.
This could be a good time!
There is a river flowing now very fast.
It is so great and swift, that there are those who will be afraid.
They will try to hold on to the shore.
They will feel they are being torn apart and will suffer greatly.
Know the river has its destination.
The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river,
keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water.
And I say, see who is in there with you and celebrate.
At this time in history, we are to take nothing personal. Least of all, ourselves.
For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.
The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves!
Banish the word ‘struggle’ from your attitude and your vocabulary.
All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.
We are the ones we have been waiting for.
Comments are closed.
