Hi {name},

Oh dear this is not where we wanted to be ~ back in lockdown. If we all do the right thing we’ll be back together again very soon. With so many events postponed, we thought there wasn't a lot to report this month but we were wrong ~ there's lots happening!

If you’re eligible to get the jab, please do so ASAP.  I can attest to the friendly and efficient service provided by Barwon Health’s Community Vaccination Centre at the old Ford building.  They do take walk-ins but prefer people to call ahead on 1800 675 398 or make a booking online here.

Over the last week, I’ve had the pleasure of attending six of the seven community solar information sessions to share why GS is coordinating the region’s biggest ever solar and battery bulk buy program. We’ve been delighted by the positive response from people attending sessions in Torquay, Drysdale, Geelong and Bannockburn.  We’re particularly grateful to the Councillors attending from these respective councils. Special thanks to Cr Maloney who stepped in at short notice when Mayor Asher was stuck in a Melbourne traffic jam.

We’ll reschedule the sessions in Ocean Grove, Queenscliff and Anglesea ASAP. However in the meantime you may like to attend an online webinar this Wednesday at 4.30pm. 

Earlier this month, the Victorian Government released its interim emission reduction targets to guide them to reach net zero emissions by 2050. They're aiming to reduce emissions by 28-33% by 2025 and 45-50% by 2030. Even though the science advises net zero by 2035, these interim targets will set the agenda for future decisions. 

It's a big concern to GS that emissions in Greater Geelong are not declining. They've been stagnant at 3.2m tonnes per annum for the last 3 years. So we’re eagerly awaiting CoGG’s proposed community-wide targets to be released within their Climate Change Response Plan.  Mayor Asher thinks we’ll be pleasantly surprised. We certainly hope so! 

Regards
Vicki Perrett, President

Geelong+ Community Solar ~ in-person events

If the lockdown is only one week, then we’ll resume our currently scheduled face-to-face events and set up replacements for those cancelled.  
Residential events:

• Mon 7 June @ 2:00pm or 6:30pm at Waurn Ponds - Book 
• Wed 9 June @ 2:00pm or 6:30pm at North Geelong - Book 
• Wed 16 June @ 2:00pm or 6:30pm at Colac - Book 

Business event:
We’re collaborating with the Geelong Chamber of Commerce to host a Corporate Partner Breakfast at RACV Torquay Resort.

• Thurs 8 June, 7am - Beyond Solar: The future of energy for business - Book

MP Engagement Group

Date: Wed 16 June, 3pm
Where: online in our Zoom room
RSVP: Email Karen Lamb for more info or the link
Learn how to engage with politicians at this monthly beginner’s session. Turn your climate concerns into effective action. Check out the resources on Climate for Change's website.

Launch: Geelong EV Community Bulk Buy

When: Thurs 24 June, 6:00-8:00 pm
Where: The Gordon, Geelong City Campus Auditorium, Cnr. Latrobe & Gordon Ave  View map 
More info / book

In 2019, transport emissions made up 18% of Geelong’s carbon emissions. GS wants to rapidly boost EV ownership and public charging infrastructure.  Come along to the Launch of the Geelong Electric Vehicle Community Bulk Buy program. Our partner, The Good Car Company has pioneered electric vehicle bulk-buying in Australia. They'll explain how the program works and showcase the EVs.  They're disrupting the market by creating a second hand (hence affordable) electric vehicle supply chain from the ground up, by importing vehicles into Australia.  Vehicles will vary in range from 100-350 km and include the Nissan Leaf and eNV200 Electric Vans. 

The 7-day lockdown has led to many scheduled events being cancelled or postponed.

National Reconciliation Week

Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. 
The 2021 theme: More than a word - Reconciliation takes action - urges the reconciliation movement towards braver and more impactful action. Explore the website’s many resources. More info   Geelong's popular local event ~ Rec in the Park ~ held in Johnstone Park has been rescheduled to Friday 11 July.

North west communities for climate action online conference

When: Fri 4 Jun - Sat 5 Jun 
Register / more information
The conference brings together community organisations, school groups, emergency service workers and traditional owners to share strategies and actions for reducing emissions and keeping our communities safe in the face of climate change. It will feature a special keynote address by Bruce Pascoe. 

Renewable Energy

Solar uptake in the G21 region

The Victorian Renewable Energy Target (VRET) is for 25% of dwellings to have rooftop solar by 2020, 40% by 2025 and 50% by 2030. This chart shows that only Golden Plains Shire is ahead of the VRET ~ other G21 municipalities have some catching up to do!  We don't want our region left behind, which is why GS is advocating for ambitious regional targets and coordinating the community solar program. Data source: pv-map.apvi.org.au

Circular Economy

Campaign: Opposing proposed incinerator at Lara

GS is totally opposed to the proposed Prospect Hill Waste to Energy Facility at Lara. Incineration is a linear approach - the opposite of circular economy and zero waste principles. It's the worst type of waste-to-energy technology and generates more carbon emissions than a coal-fired power plant. It also emits all sorts of noxious gases including dioxin.  If built it aims to burn 400,000 tonnes of waste each year, 24 x 7 for over 25 years - ie. over 10 million tonnes!

There were 62 submissions to the Engage Vic consultation - three gave conditional approval and 59 were opposed. Consequently, the EPA has decided to hold a Section 20B Community Conference. The conference was to be held on 1 June but like everything else, it will need to be rescheduled. 

Take action:

• Learn more about the proposal, read submissions or sign up for updates at Engage Vic website here
• Learn more about our campaign and waste-to-energy here
• Join our campaign team - email Jennifer

Climate Action

Campaign update: Geelong Renewables Not Gas

Support for the campaign is growing across Geelong as awareness increases. Our campaign is seeking donations to provide us with resources to fight these two gas import terminal proposals. Can you help our volunteers by making a tax deductible donation?

Take action:

• Donate via Paypal to support our campaign
• Visit our campaign page for more info ~ sign petition

Sustainable Cities & Communities

Active travel advocacy: safe cycling infrastructure

Finally after much procrastination, a majority of CoGG councillors voted last Tuesday to approve Stage 1 of Building Better Bike Connections Project. This $2m project is funded by the TAC and will construct a separated bike lane from City Hall to the Barwon River. Many thanks to Crs Sullivan and Mansfield for their cut-through amendment.

Post-pandemic there’s been a huge uptake in cycling especially e-bikes as people discover the health and well-being benefits.  However, safety is a major consideration. Women and families need shared off-road trails and segregated on-road bike lanes.

The City’s Clever and Creative Vision aspires for the City to have a fast, reliable and connected transport network. A key performance indicator is for 50% of journeys to work to be made by public transport, walking or cycling. As the baseline 2016 data shows only 8.75% of journeys are made actively, there’s much work to do. More info

VECO, Victorian Energy Collaboration

VECO a is brilliant collaboration! It's the largest emissions reduction project ever undertaken by the local government sector in Australia. The City of Greater Geelong (CoGG) has teamed up with 45 other Victorian councils to pool their electricity needs into one huge long-term contract.  From 1 July, the VECO group will be using renewable energy generated from Victorian wind farms ~ reducing their C02 emissions by 260,000 tonnes every year! The agreement is also expected to cut CoGG’s electricity bills by 22%. More info / short video

Queenscliff’s Climate Emergency Response Plan

Congrats, to the Borough of Queenscliffe and the Queenscliff Climate Action Group for collaborating on the development of a climate emergency response plan (CERP).  Over 160 members of the community attended the May Council meeting where councillors approved the plan, which sets out three ambitious targets including becoming a Zero Carbon Community by 2031. The plan has 49 action items across 8 pillars:

1. Wadawurrung country, cultural heritage and values 
2. Renewable energy
3. Sustainable buildings
4. Sustainable transport
5. Mobilisation, education and collaboration
6. Adaptation and resilience
7. Consumption and waste
8. Environmental regeneration.  More info / Check out their plan

Regional Climate Adaptation Strategy for the Barwon South West

DELWP is seeking your contribution towards the Barwon South West Regional Climate Adaptation Strategy.  Their survey seeks to identify opportunities to expand collaboration and ways to better support effective community driven climate action. You can suggest projects you'd like to see happen too!  Closing date is 18 June.  More info ~ do survey 

Going Circular - new newsletter

Check out Sustainability Victoria's first edition of Going Circular, designed for those working or interested in the circular economy. More info / Subscribe

Central Geelong Framework Plan

The draft Central Geelong Framework Plan sets a vision and high-level guidance for land use and development in central Geelong over the next 30 years. The state government is concerned about a lack of building height controls around the station precinct and Mercer Street. Consultation is now open on the draft Framework Plan and the proposed planning scheme amendment. More info ~ Have your say by 7 June. 
The plan is part of the broader Revitalising Central Geelong Action Plan, which aims to turn central Geelong into a magnet for new jobs and sustainable growth. More info

CoGG Have Your Say consultations

You may like to provide your input to these consultations:

• The Heritage Advisory Committee - Expressions of Interest by 31 May - link
• The Northern Aquatic and Community Hub by 3 June - link
• The Expanded Outdoor Dining Trials in Yarra, Union and Pakington Streets by 11 June - link
• The Barwon Heads Village Park Master Plan by 11 June - link
• The Positive Ageing Strategy 2021-47 by 23 June - link

You may also like to read through the Public Questions submitted to the Council Meeting held on 25 May and Council’s responses - link

Historic victory: judge forces Shell to drastically reduce CO2 emissions

For the first time in history, a judge presiding over a court in The Hague  has held a corporation liable for causing dangerous climate change.  [photo credit: Bart Hoogveld]
"This is a turning point in history. This case is unique because it is the first time a judge has ordered a large polluting company to comply with the Paris Climate Agreement. This ruling may also have major consequences for other big polluters." Roger Cox, lawyer for Friends of the Earth Netherlands

Main points from the verdict:

1. Royal Dutch Shell must reduce its emissions by 45% net by the end of 2030.
2. Shell is also responsible for emissions from customers (scope 3) and suppliers.
3. There is a threat of human rights violations to the ‘right to life’ and ‘undisturbed family life’.
4. Shell must comply with the judgment immediately because Shell's current climate policy is not concrete enough.  More info ~ FOE press release 

Australians are world leaders in single use plastic consumption!

New research from the Minderoo Foundation shows ‘twenty companies are responsible for producing 55% of all the single-use plastic waste in the world, fuelling the climate crisis and creating an environmental catastrophe.’ 
Australia leads a list of countries for generating the most single use plastic on a per capita basis, ahead of the United States, South Korea and Britain. More info

ANZPAC Plastic Pact
In more welcome news Coles, Woolworths Group and ALDI Stores Australia have joined 60 organisations to sign the ANZPAC Plastic Pact and to commit to eliminating plastic packaging waste by making all packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025 - the initiative is led by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) More info

ACF wins court case on Adani’s water scheme

The Federal Court has reaffirmed the legitimacy of the ‘water trigger’ in Australia’s environment law and thrown into disarray Adani’s plans to take 12.5 billion litres of water a year from Queensland’s Suttor River to service the Carmichael coal mine. Great stuff ACF!  More info

School Strike for Climate

Congratulations to our youth who coordinated 50 climate strikes in small towns and big cities across the country on Friday 21 May. In the biggest post-pandemic climate mobilisation around 50,000 people gathered gathered to send a clear message to the government: #FundOurFutureNotGas!  
More and more young people around the world are rising up and they won’t stop until governments stop investing in climate wrecking fossil fuels. They’ve promised to be back on the streets soon. More info ~ Support their campaign

Pressure on NAB’s investment strategy

Market Forces is calling out the National Australia Bank. They've told NAB that they can’t have a foot in both camps: publicly supporting the Paris agreement but also loaning over $1 billion to projects expanding the dirty gas industry including unconventional gas drilling around heritage sites.  It’s well timed as NAB is currently formulating a new policy on funding for gas and oil, which is due out in September. More info / send NAB a message

Win-win support for GS and Water Aid

The local distribution of WGAC’s recycled, forest friendly toilet paper is our only ongoing fund-raising activity. Who Gives A Crap donate 50% of their profits to WaterAid to improve sanitation in developing countries. Each box contains 48 double length rolls of 3-ply paper ~ enough to keep you well stocked through any panic buying episode.
There are 2 options:

• Premium Bamboo - $56
• Standard Recycled - $47

Visit our store for more info & to order.

Join GS ~ Become a financial member

GS runs on people power.  You can help support our campaigns, events and projects by becoming a financial member. There are 5 membership types: Full-time student ($10), Individual ($30), Family ($40), Community Partner ($30) and Business ($100).  Join online here

Here's a further reading list of some recent important reports and stories. 

Climate change & emissions reduction

Victoria's Climate Change Strategy - link
The strategy is a roadmap to net-zero emissions and a climate-resilient Victoria by 2050. It builds on the Climate Change Act 2017, which cements our net-zero emissions goal in law, establishes a comprehensive framework for action, and plans for adapting to our changing climate.

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, SMH ~The bell has tolled for the fossil age: Why net zero makes us all richer - link
The economics of responding proactively to climate change are now so obvious that even the International Energy Agency has swapped sides!  In a landmark new report, they claim net zero does not cost jobs: it replaces 5 million lost in oil, gas and coal with eight times as many jobs for engineers, electrical experts, offshore operators, solar technicians or lithium miners, whether directly or indirectly. The report is crystal clear that we need to urgently transition away from fossil fuels and not just to reduce climate risks but because the opportunities are enormous too. The IEA claims it would lift global GDP growth by 0.4% per annum over this decade ie. 4% higher by 2030.

Lynne Gallagher, The Age ~There’s a key element missing from the debate about Australia’s journey to net-zero emissions - link
There is urgency about the threat of climate change and we have a long way to travel but net zero is a destination (not a target) and we need to arrive there together.

Giles Parkinson, Renew Economy ~ AEMO says Australia “well ahead” of 90 per cent renewables scenario for 2040 - link
The Australian Energy Market Operator’s next Integrated System Plan – despite pressure from the federal government – is likely to include an even faster change scenario, bringing forward the potential decarbonisation of the country’s main grid to the mid-2030s, which would align with the Paris climate treaty goal of capping average global warming at 1.5°C.

The environment

Emma Young, Age Explainer ~ It stores pollution 30 times faster than forest. What is blue carbon? - link
Australian blue carbon ecosystems sequester 20 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. That’s like taking 4 million cars off the road.  [photo credit: Dr Serranno]

Renew Economy ~New Australian Climate Service to coordinate responses to climate disasters - link

The Australian Climate Service will bring together expertise across a range of Commonwealth agencies including: the Bureau of Meteorology, Geoscience Australia, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and the CSIRO. [photo credit: AAP Image/Darren Pateman]

Technological solutions

Mostafa Rachwani, The Guardian ~ Swap and go: electric trucks to run between Sydney and Brisbane using exchangeable batteries - link
An Australian company is planning to trial electric trucks with swappable batteries allowing almost non-stop travel for heavy vehicles between Sydney and Brisbane. The batteries can be swapped in just three minutes, removing the need for trucks to plug in and charge for up to 12 hours. Now that’s a great idea!

The East African News ~ Uganda deploys drones to fight poaching, wildlife trafficking - link
Uganda Wildlife Authority is turning to technology to fight poachers and wildlife trafficking with funding from the UN.

Misplaced government priorities

Adam Morton, The Guardian ~ Why is Australia building a $600m gas power plant as world experts warn against fossil fuels? - link
Does this stand up to scrutiny? No, according to many energy analysts, there are a long list of arguments against the government investing in new gas.

James Fernyhough, Renew Economy ~ Australia spends more propping up fossil fuels than it does on the Army - link
Research by the Australia Institute has found that federal and state governments are spending more than $10 billion a year propping up the fossil fuel industry through tax breaks and cash handouts. The federal government returns $7.84 billion to businesses through its fuel tax credit scheme ~ that’s more than the $7.82 billion for the Army in the 2020-21 budget. It’s time for these subsidies to go!!

Adam Morton, The Guardian ~ Coalition government spent just 16 cents on climate crisis out of every $100, analysis finds - link
The proportion of federal budget spending on environment and climate programs has fallen by nearly a third since the Coalition was elected eight years ago, according to a new conservation group analysis. The Australian Conservation Foundation found that for every $100 spent in last year’s budget just 37 cents was spent protecting the environment and 16 cents on addressing the climate crisis.

Eric Sannerud, TedX talk ~ Without farmers, you’d be hungry, naked & sober - link
AND finally, a humourous but insightful Ted Talk by a young American farmer that’s equally relevant in Australia.