Professor Ian Plimer, a geologist at Adelaide University, has released a book “Heaven and Earth”, which claims to rip apart the accepted science of climate change. It was launched with uncritical aclaim by The Australian newspaper. This was a book I had
Family First Senator Steve Fielding has made up his mind on global warming - there's not enough evidence that it's real.
After talks with the Government and top scientists, Senator Fielding, who holds a crucial Senate vote, has released a document setting out his position.
If the Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) is to pass through the Senate, it may require the vote of Senator Steve Fielding. Fielding is back from a fact finding mission with the Heartland Institute in America. He is concerned that climate change may be controlled by the sun, and not by human greenhouse emissions. Senator Fielding says he is open-minded, but believes the science on solar activity is compelling. He wants more information about the role of the sun and its influence on climate change before he commits to an ETS. That’s a fair position.
At the moment, jobs take centre stage in the climate change debate in this country. For the Federal Government, facing a rise of unemployment over the next year, the last thing it wants to hear is that more jobs are set to go. But that's exactly what modeli
Sustain Magazine is about building sustainable communities - socially, economically and environmentally.
In this time of climate change, rising food and fuel costs we are able to look to our own communities for solutions. We are clever people and Sustain reflects what we are doing to share the practical solutions to the problems.
Sustain is our story. The world is watching.
Sustain is the local, full colour, 48 page journal for the South East region. 12,000 copies are distributed by hand to businesses and community groups throughout the region. Submit your events for the Regional Events Calendar editor@sustain.org.au
A mysterious Cooma water tank Oct 08
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The panels will go on
click to enlarge cartoon by Michael Badman
1200 households have signed up to a solar panel bulk buy deal across SE NSW. Over 30 community buildings will be fitted with solar panels. Those panels will be installed within 9 months, despite recent and unexpected changes to the ‘Solar Homes and Communities Plan’ rebates for solar panels.
THE abrupt end to the solar panel rebate has caused “extreme disappointment” in the local region.
Clean Energy for Eternity (CEFE) spokes-man Matthew Nott and Pyramid Power’s Derek Povel said the decision by Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett to end the $8000 rebate on Tuesd
5 shires in SE NSW have now adopted a 50/50 by 2020 target. This target, driven by strong community support, has had bipartisan government support at local, state and federal levels. We are the first region in Australia to set a challenging emissions reduction target, with Mike Kelly setting an aspirational 50/50 by 2020 target for the electorate of Eden-Monaro. That puts our region into a position of leadership.It hasn't always been easy for local government to support a target, but there is growing realisation that leadership on climate change presents SE NSW with enormous economic opportunity.
The 50/50 by 2020 target is achievable. A solar bulk buy deal currently in operation, will see up to 1 MegaWatt of solar panels put onto roof tops by the end of the year. That's a good start. We will have Australia's largest community solar farm built by 2010. It will power about half the houses in a town the size of Bega. It will hopefully be the first of many community owned power stations that get built across the region in the next 10 years. Community solar farms will work, because investment in renewable energy makes sense, and it makes money. They also open the door for strong rural/urban partnerships, and that is already starting to happen.
With the proposed wind farm on the Monaro, the Cooma-Monaro and Bombala councils will probably be the first shires in the southeast to produce more electricity than they use. That is an exciting concept! Snowy-Hydro contiues to pump renewable energy into the grid, year after year. These are exciting times. We are turning the threat of climate change into opportunity. We are off to a flying start with the 50/50 by 2020 target, and we haven't even began to look at wave and biomass energy. Eden-Monaro could become a net exporter of renewable energy by 2030! Matthew Nott Clean Energy For Eternity
Cooma-Monaro shire council adopts 50/50 by 2020 target April 09
At April’s council meeting, Cooma-Monaro Shire Council voted 8 for and 1 against adopting Clean Energy For Eternity’s 50/50 by 2020 target. The decision to adopt the target was made after consideration of
At 11am on Saturday, December 6 08, schools, community groups and people of all ages gathered on Mollymook Beach to create a human sign forming the words ‘PEOPLE POWER’. The event, organised by the Shoalhaven Chapter of Clean Energy for Eternity, was an opportunity for the people of the Shoalhaven to show their support for renewable energy and to urge Council and community leaders to make decisions to encourage new ‘clean’ technologies. Over 500 people gathered on the beach. On the day, Shoalhaven City Council Mayor, Paul Green, announced $8000 of funding towards the Mollymook Lifesaving Energy project. Milton & Districts Community Bank have also contributed $6000 towards the project. Local renewable energy supplier, Barker Electrical/Sunlord Solar, has donated a wind turbine and will provide the solar system at a great price. The installation will happen in 2009 in conjunction with other building works on the surf club.
How to build a human sign
Clean Energy For Eternity have been involved in the construction of over 40 human signs, and there have been many other human signs around the country calling for action on climate change. We have learnt many lessons about the construction of large scale grass roots images, and would like to share
It is the year 2020, and Eden-Monaro looks quite different to what it was in 2008.
There are some obvious big differences. There is a wind farm on the Monaro, quietly producing more than half of our regions electricity needs. With this wind farm alone, we h
We the people of the Bega Valley support the objective of meeting a target of a reduction in our energy use by 50% and generation of 50% clean energy by the year 2020 in order to tackle climate change. Further, we request that the Bega Valley Shire Council commit to working with the community to meet these targets and to establish a working group with the aim of reducing greenhouse emissions within the Shire. The working group will report back to the community within 6 months.
Clean Energy Action Plan
After six months work, the Clean Energy Action Plan - Towards 50/50 by 2020 in the Bega Valley Shire has been released to the community.
Produced by the seven member Clean Energy Working Group, it makes urgent recommendations for actions needed to turn our 50/50 by 2020 targets into reality, highlighting some exciting possibilities for Bega Valley Shire.
Initial feedback has been extremely positive, with other communities and shires keen to use the report as a model for their own action plans. Helpful criticism has also been gratefully received, highlighting areas for further work and ways of communicating better.
See the Action Plan above
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The Clean Energy for Eternity Big Swim series 2009
Click on Life Savers to find out about 2009 LifeSaving Energy Big Swim series. Cartoon by Les Brown.
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