There is a lot of wind energy being expended on the topic of climate change at the moment, but while our Federal and State governments slug it out, hundreds of communities around Australia have taken the problem into their own hands and are tackling sustainability from the grassroots up.
Josh Meadows from the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) said the interest is phenomenal with ever increasing calls for ACF memberships, information, "tips and advice".
"Communities are really getting behind 'ride to work day', 'walk to work day' and seniors week where they have a solar cooker workshop," Mr Meadows told The Epoch Times.
An ACF Green Home programme which helps people lighten their environmental impact has been hugely popular, he said, and the ACF is in demand to run sustainability workshops.
"Hundreds of groups are springing up all through major cities around Australia of people who are wanting to change things at the local level but also to pressure politicians to improve their policies, particularly on climate change."
One of these is the Mount Alexandra Sustainability Group (MASG) in Victoria, which, according to its website, is working with local businesses, community groups and local council to "reduce carbon emissions through improving energy efficiency and increasing the supply of renewable energy".
MASG has over 400 members and a three year strategic plan which will see solar farms on schools and public buildings, a donated home – locally built to showcase sustainable domestic environments, and "a two to five megawatt locally owned renewable energy infrastructure in place by 2010",
Another group, the Parramatta Climate Change Action Group (ParraCAN) has also declared its commitment to reducing energy consumption in the Parramatta region of Western Sydney. Supported in part by the ACF and celebrities like Rosso from comedy duo, Merrick and Ross, ParraCAN was launched last month with a presentation featuring Al Gore trained climate change speaker, Dr Timothy Tse .
The number of extreme fire danger days is going to increase to 25 per cent Dr Tse informed the community gathering, but, on a more positive note, 92 per cent of Australians want action on climate change.
While informing is one of ParraCAN's roles – the website has a comprehensive list of 43 other websites on climate action and related topics – it is significant that, in its initial stages, the climate action group was more interested in listening. The first meeting involved questioning community members on how they planned to reduce their personal energy consumption and what they wanted from ParraCAN.
Listening to the community has proved to be a crucial ingredient for the success of grassroots movements.
Caps on development
Frank Wilkie, shire councillor for the popular Queensland tourist destination, Noosa, says listening through their "unique participatory governance model" has enabled the shire to implement a range of sustainable initiatives that have set it apart from other tourist regions
Cr Wilkie says the council has sector boards which draw on expertise within the community. These sector boards, which include economics, the arts and the environment, then help set council agenda in those areas.
The Noosa Council has already reduced its daily greenhouse emissions by 336 tons, and, along with nearby Caboolture, has become the first shire in Queensland to set up a sustainability reward programme for local residents. Householders sign up and gain accreditation for reducing their transport emissions, energy and water use, and for garbage recycling.
"The idea is that it becomes a talking point amongst neighbours," Cr Wilkie said. "A lot of people signed up immediately."
Mindful of tourism but also quality of life, the Noosa Shire community has chosen to set a cap on development which has limited and matched population growth to available water supplies and the council's ability to provide infrastructure, keep building low rise and preserve large tracts of remnant vegetation as national park, parkland and nature reserves.
The Noosa Council's "grassroots driven" approach to sustainability was recognised by UNESCO in Paris last month as Queensland's first biosphere reserve. Cr Wilkie said this "means Noosa will be recognised and studied internationally as an exemplary model of built and natural environment."
Despite the shire's success, the Queensland Government recently announced that Noosa, as part of the State's council amalgamation program, would be combined with "high growth" Caloundra and Maroochy shires to form a super shire metropolis, 2.3 times the size of the Gold Coast.
Cr Wilkie said the amalgamation undermined the very values the council had worked so hard to establish and the community was doing everything it could to have Noosa excised from the amalgamation process.
"It is just ironic that it takes an international body to recognise Noosa's values where the State Government seems not to," he said.
Feeds