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Screening of the film 'Albatross' at North East Artisans

29/8/2018

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​The film Albatross by Chris Jordan was screened at North East Artisans on Saturday 1st August.  A joint initiative of BSFG, Plastic Wise Benalla and NEA, the film was introduced by Wendy Baker from Plastic Wise Benalla and BSFG's Peter Maddock, with the screening followed by discussion and tea/coffee.  .
​Peter's inspiration for screening the film in Benalla is evident from the preamble he wrote prior to its screening...
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"I spoke to Tim Bowtell at NEA a few years ago about screening a film at NEA.  At the time I was influenced by seeing a recording of Art Climate Ethics: What Role for the Arts? at the Melbourne Sustainable Living Festival 2014.  This presentation featured a number of artists talking about their art and climate change and was presented by Guy Abrahams of CLIMARTE: Arts for a Safe Climate.  One of the featured artists was Chris Jordan director of Albatross who spoke about his making of the film on Midway Island, https://www.albatrossthefilm.com/

Over recent months I have looked up some of Chris Jordan’s work and have come to see how Chris wants to take us beyond the numbers used to describe our impact on the environment.  By showing us the consequences of the cultural choices we make he wants us to feel these impacts, because large numbers such as tons of carbon emissions, the number of species threatened with extinction, etc. doesn’t mean much to us.

Chris Jordan’s website presents some amazing Photographic Arts, in particular some animations titled Running the Numbers: An American Self-Portrait and Running the Numbers II: Portraits of global mass culture, visualising the numbers resulting from our personal consumption.  In his TedX talk 'Midway Journey' Chris describes his artistic work as “visualising and facing the invisible truths of our time”.
​Earlier this year I came across a video of Chris talking about the making of Albatross on Midway Island.  In particular I was taken by his comment that the tragedy unfolding on Midway from our plastic pollution in the Pacific is a bit like global warming, it is largely invisible to us.  Chris’ message is that he wants us to feel the tragedy of our times.  A wakeup call for us to make new choices.
This year Albatross was screened at the Transition Film Festival in Melbourne and has been offered by Chris Jordan as a free public screening to spread the word about the tragedy of plastic pollution in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.  So thank you to Tim and North East Artisans for providing us with the opportunity to screen Albatross at NEA.

A reminder also that Tim Bowtell has in his own way been visualising some of the tragedies of our times.  His mural at Benalla Wall Art this year was “Cornography”, a critique of our modern corporate food chain.  And most recently Tim’s entry in the inaugural Swanpool SCRAP Art Prize, the “Treadmill of Perpetual Happiness” is now situated at the entry to North East Artisans." (Peter Maddock)

People who attended the screening of Albatross at NEA were clearly very moved by it.  NEA member Pamella Francis wrote the following comment on NEA's Facebook page - 

"I attended the free ALBATROSS movie last night, Saturday 1st Sept at NEA.... I was totally aghast at what we, as humans are doing to our beautiful planet and the animals who innocently go about their lives unaware of the dangers that they ingest and pass on to their offspring. The parent bird don't know that they are slowly killing them. As humans we at least have choice and can be aware of the dangers of what we choose to eat and the lifestyles we live in. Whilst there is a minority of people who are trying to do the 'right' thing with plastic, recycling etc etc... the BIG companies need to get on board if real changes can be made! I don't usually say much on FB just "like" what other people post but I can't not say something about this movie on the Albatross. If everyone took the time to watch this move, they would be moved to change".
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Sustainable House Day - Sunday 16 September 2018.

24/8/2018

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Sustainable House Day 2018 is on Sunday 16 September 2018 https://sustainablehouseday.com/.

Two locations are listed for Benalla on the Sustainable House Day website - Sandy's Tiny House and BSFG Member Howard Bartlett's Solar Skillion Sleep Out.  You will need to register on https://sustainablehouseday.com to get details of the addresses.

If you missed it Howard's Solar Skillion Sleepout last year pop in to have a look and discuss with Howard options for Sustainable Housing.  Entry is free or a gold coin donation which Howard is directing to BSFG.

Howard is asking for assistance from a few BSFG members for his open house by collecting visitor details and gold coin donations.  If you are able to assist could you reply to this email indicating a preferred time from 10.00am to 4.00pm?  A one hour time slot would assist making up a roster.

Peter Maddock
0418 135 330

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BSFG General Meeting  - Solar Farm Developer, FRV Services

24/8/2018

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At the BSFG General Meeting held on August 23, our guest speaker from FRV Services, Development Manager Avantika Basu, provided an update on the 85MW AC Winton Solar Farm. 
 
The first solar farm to be approved for development in the Winton region, Winton Solar Farm will help to establish a sustainable new industry for the region.  Project Developer, FRV Services Australia, is one of the leading solar developers in the country, having now initiated six large-scale solar farms across QLD, NSW, SA and Victoria.    Avantika provided an update on the project concept, its development approval and expected social and environmental benefits and answered a range of questions from the audience.
 
Information about the Winton Solar Farm Project can be viewed at the FRV website, http://wintonsolarfarm.com/, and FRV in Australia, http://frv.com/en/tag/australia/.

This proved to be an excellent opportunity to hear more about this Solar Farm Project for which it is hoped construction will begin in 2019. Engineer Avantika and her team  stayed behind to answer questions and engage with us all about a project about which they are clearly very well informed and passionate. 
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A project you may wish to support - the Nobel Peace Ride in Benalla September 6-7  - BPACC - 6-7 pm Friday 7th September

18/8/2018

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The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (IAN) has contacted BSFG seeking support for the Nobel Peace Ride 2018.

ICAN was co-founded by Lima East resident Professor Tilman Ruff from Melbourne University.

ICAN are the current Nobel Peace laureate, who were awarded this honour last year for their work on pushing the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, making the greatest weapons of mass destruction illegal and paving the way towards full nuclear disarmament.

In September the treaty will tour from Melbourne to Canberra by bicycle in an effort to raise awareness among smaller towns and urge our government to sign the treaty as a matter of urgency.

Benalla is a major stop on the tour on Sept 6-7, where there will be an exhibition at BPACC at the request of Mayor Don Firth and MP Cathy McGowan.  All local residents are welcome to attend the exhibition for a chance to share in the campaign.  An event will be held from 6 - 7 pm on Friday 7 September from 6-7 pm (refer poster).  

For support along the way, ICAN are reaching out to community/peace groups and organisations for food and shelter.  Any food donations will go a long way in supporting an altering group of 5-20 riders.

Lavanya Pant is the Project Coordinator for the Nobel Peace Ride 2018 and is organising all the logistics for the ride.  If you are able to offer support or have suggestions please contact Lavanya on 0468490768 or email Lavanya Pant, [email protected].

More details are on the ICAN Facebook Events page,   https://www.facebook.com/events/1246449445492082/.


Peter Maddock
0418 135 330

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Free Screening of Albatross September 1st, 7.00pm @ NEA

2/8/2018

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In collaboration with North East Artisans, Benalla Sustainable Future Group and Plastic Wise Benalla presents a free screening of the film Albatross on Saturday September 1ST at 7:00PM.

On a remote atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, albatross chicks are dying, bodies filled with plastic.
ALBATROSS unflinchingly shows the horror and grief of this tragedy, but ultimately brings us to a deeply felt experience of beauty and love for life on Earth. Stepping outside of traditional documentary film style, ALBATROSS delivers a profound message of reverence and renewal.

Chris Jordan is a multi-media artist based in Seattle. His work explores contemporary mass culture from a variety of photographic and conceptual perspectives, connecting the viewer viscerally to the enormity and power of humanity’s collective unconscious. Jordan’s work edgewalks the lines between beauty and horror, abstraction and representation, and the visible and the invisible, challenging us to look both in-ward and outward at the complex landscapes of our collective choices (www.chrisjordan.com).

Jordan’s work reaches an increasingly broad international audience through his exhibitions, books, web-site, interviews on radio and television, and speaking engagements and school visits all over the world. He is currently involved in an international tour of his first feature film ALBATROSS, bringing to world the awareness and message of plastic pollution’s devastation effect on the albatrosses of Midway island (www.albatrossthefilm.com).

This film is exempt from classification and is restricted to people over 15 years.  People under 15 must be accompanied by an adult.

Running for 97 minutes there will be time for discussion afterwards.

Free screening at NEA, 122 Bridge Street East, Benalla, VIC 3672, Sat Sep 1ST, 6.30pm for 7.00pm Start.  Limited seating. Additional screenings may be possible.

RSVP By 27 August; Phone Peter 0418 135 330 or email [email protected].
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​Benalla Sustainable Future Group acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which we live, work and meet, the Taungerang, Yorta Yorta and Bpangerang people ​of North East Victoria, and pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging.
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