There will be a School Strike for Climate event in Wangaratta, at the King George Gardens, at 12 noon on Friday.
 
The King George Gardens are in the centre of Wangaratta opposite the CoStore and Cinema. .

The Age reports that the state government is allowing public servants to take time out to attend climate rallies and is also supportive of students attending rallies. 

John Lloyd
​Renewable Energy Benalla Action Group Convenor

​The next General Meeting of the Benalla Sustainable Future Group will be held on Thursday September 26th, 7.30pm until 9.30pm at the Benalla Uniting Church, Carrier Street Benalla.

Our guest speaker is Fiona Roberts, a member of the Hume Renewable Energy Roadmap project team and a program officer in Community and Partnerships, DELWP, based in Benalla.  Fiona will be speaking about the Hume Renewable Energy Roadmap.

The Hume Renewable Energy Roadmap has engaged thousands of people from communities, business and government to hear their views and vision for the future of renewable energy in the region.

The Roadmap identifies regional opportunities for renewable energy in Hume which includes a coalition of community energy groups working to deliver localised energy generation and distribution for community benefit.

Hume also has significant pumped hydro energy storage development potential as well as quality solar resources which have been attracting investment interest. Bioenergy resources are also abundant in Hume with a number of biogas generators operating in the region.

Fiona Roberts has previously worked in the Commonwealth government as a senior policy analyst on a variety of projects including ecological sustainable development and natural resource management for the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Fiona says, "The Hume Renewable Energy Roadmap report brings together what we heard and uncovered and tells our region’s renewable energy story – the past, the exciting things happening now and what the future might hold."

Hear about this Renewable Energy Roadmap and learn about the possibilities for a renewable energy future for our region.

Following the presentation about the Renewable Energy Roadmap there will be a short presentation from John Lloyd about the activities of Renewable Energy Benalla and the role it could play in the energy future for Benalla.

The minutes of our previous meeting held on Thursday July 25th 2019 are attached below.

Supper will be available after the meeting.

Peter Maddock
Secretary
0418 135 330

Long term Benalla Local Food Network Action Group members Kathryn McQualter, Peter Maddock and Callum Morrison shared lots of news and discussed many ideas relating to local food networks at their meeting on September 4th.  

Kathryn reported on the launch of the North East Local Food Strategy 2018-2022. It is available at  http://beechworthhealthservice.com.au/wp-content/uploads/NE-Local-Food-Strategy_2018_2022_Final.pdf 

Kathryn was very positive about both the process involved in creating the report and the final product and highlighted its great potential as a resource for community members and groups applying for funding to introduce or expand innovative local food strategies in the North East.

Next meeting Kathryn will report back on a meeting she is attending at Gateway Health on September 17th with Serenity Hill from Open Food Network. Serenity has funding through the Open Food Network to host an event in Wangaratta before July 2020 to ‘connect food producers and eaters, strengthen networks that help connect producers with consumers.’ Other BSFG members are welcome to attend.

Other topics discussed included Kathryn's bountiful garden beds at Benalla Health and the continuing popularity of the Grow Free cart where people can swap their home grown fruit, vegetables and seedlings. The cart is located at the Ray Sweeney Centre 45 Coster St Benalla.  The innovative and highly valued 'wicking bed' project was also discussed - Kathryn mentioned that it will soon be time for the annual sharing of seeds and celebration of the wicking garden project at Waminda,

Kathryn is a member of the Benalla Health and Wellbeing group.  Kathryn is concerned to ensure that the role a healthy diet,  fresh foods and  the activity of gardening can have on both physical and mental health, is incorporated in their discussions.

Local good news stories were shared.  Kathryn shared information about Good Vibes Wholefoods Benalla's 'Fruit and Veggie Box'.  The box, which costs $35, will contain seasonal fresh produce every week.  The list will be posted on Facebook @goodvibesbenalla and orders can be confirmed on 0426828788,  Main Street Cafe was commended on publishing a list of its local and regional suppliers - not only demonstrating support for local businesses, but a great way to reduce food miles travelled.

The group enjoys catching up and sharing news and views on a bimonthly basis at the Farmers Basket Cafe.  They are looking for more action group members particularly in agriculture or environment sector - Kathryn will link with anyone who is unable to attend in person.

The next Benalla Local Food Network meeting will be the Wed 6th Nov 5:15 at Farmers Basket Café Benalla--all welcome

Contact Person: 
Kathryn McQualter
​Coordinator Benalla Local Food Network Action Group
Dietitian Benalla Health  0357612219  
[email protected]


Beverley Lee
BSFG Member/Web Team 

"​Greetings to all from Broome, and probably by the time you read this newsletter, the AWC property, Mornington, off the Gibb River road, NE of Derby.

After having travelled nearly 4,000 km to get here, I am now starting to feel a bit guilty about burning all that diesel to power our trip! (Just as well we planted lots of trees before we left!) After being (blissfully) out of mobile reception for several days,

I was brought back to earth with a jolt by the plethora of emails from all the various conservation and activist organisations we subscribe to - headlines screaming at me that the ‘Arctic is Burning’, our Pacific neighbours are drowning as seawaters rise, large-scale solar investment is about to ‘fall off the cliff’ because of government policies, etc.

In the past few days, I have learned of two stories, which left me shocked and somewhat angered, by the ignorance and greed displayed in each case. Firstly, at Geikie Gorge, near Fitzroy Crossing, we were told by the Park Ranger that cattle from the neighbouring station had been allowed to invade the National Park to drink from the river, and in the process destroyed the habitat of the critically endangered Purple-crowned Fairy-wren, virtually wiping out the entire local population.

Secondly, we heard that Gina Reinhardt, and other wealthy landholders, were proposing a scheme to use water from the Fitzroy River basin for a large-scale irrigation project - this, in spite of the fact that water levels in this basin are at their lowest in living memory, having endured two very dry ‘wet’ seasons in a row (last year, Fitzroy Crossing had 60mm of rain over the ‘wet’ months instead of the average 600mm). Vast areas of this region are suffering through reduced water table levels, so schemes such as this proposal will further weaken the resilience of the local flora and fauna.

On a positive note, I read, with awe and admiration, the email relating the story of the people of the Negros Occidental province of the Philippines, and their struggles to keep their province coal-mine and coalpower free. I was also encouraged by the plan that Holley and Fin have to encourage people to plant as many trees as possible to absorb atmospheric CO2.

There are many organisations within Australia which are devoting considerable energy to overcome political brick walls (or, more bluntly, plain stupidity and greed) in the fight to counter climate change, and if we support them, vocally and/or financially, they will succeed, because politicians will respond to public pressure.

We need to all start writing letters to newspapers, expressing our frustration with the unwillingness of governments to take the necessary urgent steps to counter climate change, or telephone your local member and record your displeasure with their party's policies. We cannot continue to expect that someone else will do this on our behalf.

I live in hope that common sense will prevail over greed and stupidity!

​Peter Holmes

​Source: ​ BSFG Newsletter #25 - September 2015

BSFG's September Newsletter (#25)  is now available on the website. . 

Peter Holmes, in a passionate' President's Message, emphasises the urgent and continuing need for both individual advocacy/lobbying and support for the organisations devoting considerable energy to overcome political brick walls (or, more bluntly, plain stupidity and greed) in the fight to counter climate change.  Also included - Callum Morrison's  'Fifty Years of Playing with Pipes' about his interest in hydrology; a thought provoking article on 'Emissions Levels' by Ian Herbert; a range of stimulating contributions by Peter Maddock - 'Legacy', 'Low Carbon and Loving It', 'Carbon Footprint', '2040, MiniGrids and RedGrid', and 'Another Long Walk for Climate Action' - and a report from Kathryn McQualter from BSFG's Local Food Network Action Group.

Thank you to Ian Herbert for his efforts in putting our Newsletter together.  Ian is quite busy yet manages to fit this job into a very full schedule.

The deadline for the December Newsletter is Sunday November 24th.  Plenty of time to put pen to paper.  E-mail your articles to [email protected]. 

​For information, please contact Peter Maddock on 0418 135 330.