"Cathy McGowan tells parliament it's time for the government to do its bit supporting community energy, supporting communities to be self reliant and self-sufficient in their energy use". (You Tube, Aug 15, '17)
Cathy incorporates BSFG and Benalla Council in her speech.  Thank you, Cathy! ​

The Renewable Energy for Benalla (REB) Action Group is currently planning a workshop on reducing energy costs for business. REB has been working closely with Benalla Business Network, Catherine Macmillan, Business Development Coordinator for Benalla council, and Sustainability Victoria to plan this workshop.

REB has developed a questionnaire to survey energy use by business that will be distributed through the
Business Network. This will provide some base line data on energy use in the business/industry sector and will help with planning of the workshop.

​REB members have started to make some preliminary investigations about a suitable community energy
project.

Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE) Involvement

At the recent EcoCity World Summit in Melbourne, BZE launched the Zero Carbon Communities Guide in which REB features, as do the other two communities BZE is working with, Baw Baw and Nillimbuk. attended the launch as did representatives from the other two communities.

REB has recently received the first draft of a ten year transition strategy to 100% renewable energy. There is much work to be done on this document before it is finalised.

​John Lloyd

The next meeting of Benalla Sustainable Future Group will be held on Thursday 24th August at 7:30pm in the meeting room at the Uniting Church, Carrier Street, Benalla.

The guest speaker will be Michael Staindl from Beyond Zero Emissions whose topic will be ‘Climate Change: the Bad the Good and You.’ Michael, who has degrees in Nuclear Physics, Computing and Biomedical Instrumentation, considers himself a 'tech-head', and when he had his OMG moment about climate change some years ago he initially thought the problem could be solved through exciting new technologies. However he quickly realised that while we had the technical technologies to solve the problem we didn't have the 'soft' technologies - the attitudes and thinking capability.

Michael's presentation will cover the reality of where we are with Climate Change, touch on some of the positive efforts to address it, then introduce concepts such as cognitive dissonance and wicked problems to try to understand why we are not facing this existential crisis.

​Michael now works full time on climate action and is a producer of the Beyond Zero Emissions community radio program. 

Ways to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle Your Plastic Containers

​This article was recommended to us through the contacts page on our website by some young girls in California! Amanda, their Girl Scout Leader, writing on their behalf, wrote "thank you for your page, http://www.bsfg.org.au/links.html My troop found your resources to be so helpful while they are working very hard on earning their Go Green badges! The girls would like to suggest another page, as a thank you for being such a big help: http://www.bottlestore.com/ways-to-reduce-reuse-recycle-plastic-containers They thought that other people (and possibly other Girl Scout Troops) would find it as helpful as they did!"   We'd like to thank them for their recommendation which comes from a different lens - ideas for children and families.  
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"How much of an impact can you have on the environment? Isn't recycling and saving energy something that only adults can do? You might be surprised to learn that you can play a huge role in making a real difference. There are things that you can do at home, at school, or even while spending time in the backyard that can help conserve energy, reduce waste, and ensure that we take good care of the environment. One of the easiest ways for kids to help is learning how to recycle. A lot of the items that you use every day can be turned into something useful when recycled. From the milk cartons or jugs in the fridge to papers from school, you can collect these items and turn them in to a recycling center to go green! Plastic bottles can be made into lawn furniture. Some milk jugs can get a new life by being made into things to play on at a local playground. But there is more to do than just recycling. Turning off the lights when you leave the house can reduce energy costs (which makes Mom and Dad happy, too). Some families start composting. This means they take things like grass clippings and leftover food and turn them into mulch to keep plants thriving. There are lots of resources available to help you learn more about green energy, how to recycle, and what to do with a used plastic bottle. You can make a real difference in your environment!

• Recycling Plastics Is as Easy as 1, 2, 3 (PDF): The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation explains all of the different types of plastics that can be recycled and gives examples of where they can be found in the average home.
• How Do I Recycle? Common Recyclables: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers information on the various items that can be recycled. It also explains how and where some of these items can be recycled.
• Saving Energy With Professor Questor: How Many Ways Can You Save Energy Around Your Home? Follow Professor Questor as she explains how a California energy problem caused many people in the state to learn more about using energy efficiently.
• Energy-Saver Guide: Tips on Saving Money and Energy at Home: Check out these tips for creating an energy-efficient home, including low-cost and no-cost options that any family can handle.
• TVA Kids: How You Can Save Energy: Learn more about what families can do to save energy and find out how TVA makes electricity.
• Energy Star Kids: This interactive site allows users to click on various energy vocabulary words, find out more about how the planet needs help, and see tips for changes that even kids can make to conserve energy.
• Kids Energy Zone: Lights Out Game: Take some time to change out the light bulbs and turn off the lights to see if you can save electricity!
• Garbology: An Experiment by Joshua and Sean (video): Check out how these kids investigated the amount of waste their school was producing and how they were able to reduce it.
• Kids Be Green: 3R's Most Extreme Challenge: Take some time to play the game and learn more about the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling.
• 17 Simple Ways to Prevent Air Pollution in Your Home: From removing your shoes at the door to minimizing air fresheners, this site explains what every family can do to reduce pollution indoors.
• Reducing Light Pollution: Did you know that light pollution is something that many homes create each and every day? Learn more about the topic along with practical tips for reducing light pollution in the home.
• Start Composting in Your Backyard: Food, much like energy, can be wasted. One of the ways to reduce the waste is to start composting. Check out this site to learn more about what composting is and how you can set it up in your yard.
• Composting for Kids! (PDF): Read an explanation of composting as well as step-by-step guides to creating a composting bin and how to use the compost as mulch.
• What Can Plastics Become? What happens to plastic bottles once they are recycled? This site offers insight into how things like milk containers can be transformed into playground equipment.
• Buy Recycled: Some items in the store are already made from recycled materials. This site explains how to recognize items like this at the store.
• Recycling Facts and Fun (PDF): Read this guide and discover lots of information on recycling, including games, word searches, and recycled craft ideas.
• Kids Harness Plastic Waste for Water Filtration in African Slum: Check out how kids took their plastic bottles that were being thrown away and turned them into something amazing.
• Make Seed Paper: Turning Paper Into Something That Grows: Learn how to turn used paper into seed paper. This takes the idea of recycling to a whole new level.
• I Want to Be Recycled: Plastic bottles and containers are the focus of this page, with an explanation of why they should be recycled and what they can become.

Article By : Jonathan @ BottleStore accessed on 18 August 2017 at 
http://www.bottlestore.com/ways-to-reduce-reuse-recycle-plastic-containers

We are making some progress with our Plastic Sub-committee.   We recently had our first 'bag making session' where we are upcycling scrap/waste material into very trendy bags.  We are not calling them boomerang bags but obviously a similar type of thing.  We intend to sell them at various outlets and to our friends for $2 to $3. Haven't decided on the price yet.

We are investigating how to promote this on social media.  Ideas include linking "Plastic Wise Benalla' on the BSFG website and setting up our own facebook page.  BSFG will be the overarching body for our Group, Plastic Wise Benalla.  We have our own logo which is based around that used in by the Indigo Shire Groups.

Jason, Fabio Industries, has screen printed our first batch of pockets for free.  And the Council have provided us with a room at the Drill Hall for free for bag making sessions each fortnight for the next 2 months.

It is great that we are creating some community action about this issue and some wonderful helpers have been recruited.  We have started off small just to get ourselves organised.  We have several people who are very willing to sew at home which is great.

Any donations of heavy duty fabric, curtains/tablecloths, and not so heavy duty (for a contrast), and calico will be gratefully accepted.

Wendy Bacon