Sir
While our State and Federal Governments seem bent on sending the country broke by clinging to a fossil fuel economy and making us gloomy, I've been surveying my own little world. Faced with a choice between driving the car and walking, I now often choose to walk, sometimes for a couple of hours or more each day. Friends say I've lost weight. I'm fitter. I get to see more and I've time to think. It really doesn't matter that this simple choice might have only minimal impact on the world's climate. The fact is - it's good for me and I feel better for it. That's one of main points that I hear Professor Garnaut making. Act now and prosper!
Sir
Australians all must be warming to the rising level of humour that Brumby and Rudd are introducing to climate change action. If 'clean coal' wasn't the best joke, akin to 'honest politician', then turning climate change into a lifestyle decision is not a bad effort. It would be a treat to hear Brumby explain how putting a 2kW cap on systems that can feed power into the grid is giving a leg-up to the emerging renewable industry. Northcote Plaza has a north facing supermarket roof on which it would be almost economic to install a 4 Megawatt solar array, generating over 12 megawatts of electricity a day. This would provide clean power to the plaza or about 750 houses. But as Al Gore pointed out, it's more convenient to keep subsidising the coal industry. Coal's paying for these comedians - isn't it; or is the biggest joke that, we will be paying?
Sir
Last Saturday afternoon it was cold, wet and windy - Apollo Bay in winter. Down on the Wild Dog, a small group assembled behind the estuary to plant Austral Willows in the mud. They hoped that these indigenous trees would eventually shade out some of the weeds that had taken over. The project was a small step on the much larger journey of restoring the health of the Wild Dog and the catchments of the other Southern Otway streams
Afterwards, snug around a warm fire, the conversation turned to how little was known about the flora and fauna of the Southern Otways and how much deep knowledge was being lost as the forestry workers and farmers departed.
This small group was part of one of the many Landcare Groups actively engaged in learning more about their surroundings and caring for them.
One of the best ways that you can recognise and support the contribution of these volunteers who quietly and tenaciously work away on our behalf, often unseen, and usually unacknowledged, is to join them.
There are many ways that you can contribute. Contact us and find out more...