For more than a decade, Benalla Sustainable Future Group has been actively seeking to put in place facilities and plans to allow the community to better cope with the challenges of climate change.

BSFG has established action groups, enabling people to focus on their various areas of interest and expertise. The following is a brief outline of each of the groups, but if people wish to find out more about a group that is of interest, visit www. bsfg.org.au or email bsfg@gmail.com.

BSFG's Peter Holmes said that in the coming weeks the Ensign would be publishing further articles outlining future actions for its various groups. "So we encourage readers to take note of these, and hopefully act upon the information provided," he said.

Food Co-operative

Operates four sessions each month from the Uniting Church hall in Carrier St, selling non-per- ishable food products (eg grains, seeds, nuts, dried fruits, flours, sugars, legumes, rices, tea and coffee, spices, oils, honey).

The ethos of the co-operative is to reduce packaging in food sales as members bring their nity hub). own containers to fill, supporting local and Australian growers and suppliers

It stocks high-quality, mainly organic, products, giving members a choice, which is often not available elsewhere with pre-packaged goods.

Greening and Cooling Benalla

This group aims to work with council to establish more green spaces in our neighbourhoods, especially in new housing subdivisions. These can be recreational or relaxing places to meet, with the important benefits of cooling our warming climate.

This group is also concerned about streetscape plans for the city and townships.

Renewable Energy Benalla

REB has raised funds to install solar systems on two local kindergartens, run public information sessions about energy efficiency measures for homes, and investigated larger scale community energy projects.

Plasticwise Benalla
It has campaigned for reduction and abolition of single-use plastics (eg replacing supermar- ket shopping bags with attractive long-lasting handmade cloth bags, replacing plastic water bottles with drink stations).

Waste Action Group

WAG is helping to find ways of reducing the type and amount of waste that is sent to landfill. It is looking into providing specific recycling collection boxes for the "harder to recycle" items people have finished with.

Connected, Engaged Community
Organises opportunities for people to come together to discuss issues of common interest (eg Empathy Café series, establishing a community hub).

Sustainable Farming Practices

This aims to encourage farmers and land-owners to engage in regenerative farming practices through a series of forums and on-farm demonstrations.

Ecological, Sustainable Planning and Development
This has similar goals to the greening and cooling group, but also encompasses passive solar design principles for housing, something a lot of developers and builders have been reluctant to pursue.

Benalla Food Cooperative -  After a recent meeting, it was decided that the Food Coop will continue working with current covid regulations - that is, with Supervisor, Computer Operator and two assistants, two customers at a time.  Thursdays usually very busy, are currently quiet.  Saturdays are busy. Current arrangements will continue until end of year and be reviewed in October, November and December.  There is a regular mail out of news to members with the roster, however there is scope to look at social media for younger people.

Renewable Energy Benalla - Kevin provided details of the Haystack Solar Garden Project, https://haystacks.solargarden.org.au.  Haystacks Offer Summary.  Kevin provided details of the Offer, Report available from Kevin.

Greening Benalla  - Kate Holmes reported on activities of the group, which include developing gardening days with children at Waminda as a way of getting the community interested.  Waminda's upcoming wicking bed workshops were discussed.  Landscape Plans were reported to be available for public comment, but to be progressing before public comment.  If trees are removed, matching not a monoculture, is required.  The question was asked, can access to Mair Street from bridge be blocked.  Concern was expressed of subdivisions becoming heat islands.  A strategy mooted 'BSFG Plant A Tree Day'
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Connecting and Engaging Benalla - Empathy Café Discussion Groups -  Rachel DeSumma has organised three Empathy Café meetings at the Benalla Library Meeting room, Oct 19 - 5.15 - 6.45 pm, with location time details to be decided for Nov 16, and Dec 7,  Three meetings planned for next year.  Link to Shepp News article.  Lou Bird has developed templates using the Canva application which can be applied flexibly by the group for Instagram, Facebook, the website and general advertising.  

Ecological, Sustainable Planning and Development The Ecological, Sustainable Planning and Development group has not met formally since the Review, however there has been some email discussion of ESD and Subdivision Development Planning. There has also been follow up with Council Environmental Officer Nathan Gasperoni re arranging a Planning Meeting with Developers to consider passive solar design principles. Nathan reported that the Council Planning people appear reluctant to pursue this, reminscent of a theme in a paper on ESD in Australia, ‘Ecologically Sustainable Development’: Success in Principle, Failure in Policy, Still in Prospect'.  Perhaps a Target for Ecologically Sustainable Development is in order, such as the Ecological Footprint.  The meeting was ralso eferred to Peter Maddock's article 'Ecological Sustainable Development and Planning' in BSFG Newsletter 33, August 2022.

Waste Action Group - The 'Waste Wise' action group, flagged at the last meeting, held its first meeting on 26 September.  Group members Karen Nankervis, Judy Schwartzman and Kay Blore considered items including - 

• Discussion with Council And Ensign.
• Repair cafe
• Green shed at Tip
• Additional options for green waste bag collection
• Council recycling trailer
• NE Water trailer
• Update list for recyclables, new labels from Cleanaway
• Join with other Councils
• Plastic forest in Albury, polystyrene collection
• Collection bins, at Council?

 
The Group has decided upon a12 month program to focus on one item per month, Ensign and corflutes, for example:  

1. Blister packs
2. Bread ties
3. Plastic numbers
4. Milk bottle tops
5. Lids on glass
6. Soft plastic
7. Light bulbs
8. Little reusable bags for F&V
9. Minimiser landfill... competition for best idea. 12 mth membership of Food Co-op.
10. Balloons, illegal
11. No single use plastic
12. Your rates pay for illegal dumping
13. Snap, send, solve app   

Sustainable Farming.  As reported at our last meeting, Charles Massy is too busy to visit.  Kerry Robson and John Murphy are assisting group.  Kerry has some funding which could be used for talking with schools and including sustainable agriculture in curriculum.  Items arising in discussions include - AG carbon capture and storage - running  Field Days for community education - Connecting with  food sovereignty cooperative and Serenity Hill.

The BSFG Review Action Group 'Widespread adoption of Sustainable farming systems' was established following the 2022 review, with the following directions the outcome of the workshop program reported on by facilitator Cath Botta: 

Initiatives/Actions

• Develop a series of forums and on-farm demonstrations to explain the changes necessary for carbon capture and storage on farm
• Engage Charles Massey to talk to local farmers

Connect and work with other like-minded groups on common goals

• Meet with other like minded groups to determine common goals
• Create a list of groups already formed and what they are doing in this space.

Peer Support Program for Regenerative Farmers

• Develop a 'Regen' farmer peer support group with field days and guest speakers
• Faciliitate DIY ecological monitoring on farms
• Find and enable local farmers who are interested in belonging to such a group/developing ecological monitoring and other regenerative farming skills

Partnerships and Links

• Explore links with Bulk Food Co-Op and local producers eg the Strathbogie Local in Euroa​​

Sandy Campbell and John Paul Murphy are the drivers of this action group, which has synchronicity with another potential action group highlighted in the review 'Ecosystem Restoration'.

​The initial task of the 'Widespread adoption of sustainable farming systems' action group reported on by Sandy at the July 28 BSFG General Meeting, involved making contact with Charles Massy to engage him to speak to local farmers.   

​Many BSFG members will have heard Charles speak at the 2018 Swanpool Environmental Film Festival, his topic 'Can Regenerative Agriculture Help Save the World', and/or read his groundbreaking work 'Call of the Reed Warbler'.

​So, it's 'Back to the Drawing Board' for Sandy and John Paul!   Fortunately there are lots of other avenues to pursue and we look forward to hearing more from Sandy in future months..

Bev Lee and Peter Maddock
​Web Team

Ecologically Sustainable Development may be a consideration in Planning Developments, however it appears not be a major factor in Planning Subdivisions.  We see this by the absence of passive orientation in Subdivisions. 

Our group has yet to have a formal meeting however we have had email contact regarding goals and actions.  One of our members with planning experience is away now and we hope to meet on his return.  Another member has alerted us to the Sustainable Subdivisions Framework which is an initiative of the Council Alliance for a Sustainable Built Environment (CASBE), https://www.casbe.org.au/what-we-do/sustainable-subdivisions/.

At the Council Office on Wednesday July 27, I met Bronwyn Chapman and the Environmental Sustainability Officer Nathan Gasperoni.  We discussed the new BSFG Review groups.  As for our group Bronwyn thought the current Planning Scheme enabled developers to consider and incorporate passive design in new subdivisions.  She also felt there may be an opportunity to have a Briefing for Developers about sustainable subdivisions.  This could be a joint briefing with BSFG and with Council funding.  We also briefly discussed Retrofits and Council may have looked at retrofitting buildings and have a tool, Combat which might be of interest to us. The Benalla Planning Scheme is available at
https://planning-schemes.app.planning.vic.gov.au/Benalla/ordinance
​
I mentioned my interest in Council emissions following the BSFG Climate Emergency Petition presentation to Council on Wednesday September 29th, 2021.  At the meeting Council was to have available an emissions report ready for the review of the Climate Adaptation Strategy which is now due.  I recently found that Council have been involved in evaluating Emissions Assessment tools with Strathbogie, Indigo and Towong Shire Councils, https://www.gmca.org.au/carbon-crunching-councils.html.  Bronwyn suggested I write to the Council asking for a Council emissions report.

Bronwyn suggested a way for BSFG to work with Council could be to have regular meetings with her and Nathan.  Council funding could also be available for BSFG projects however these could only be considered for the 2023 Council Budget.  There are also the annual Community Grants and the monthly Sponsorship Grants to support BSFG activities, https://www.benalla.vic.gov.au/Your-Community/Annual-Grants-Program.
​
Bronwyn also suggested BSFG report to Council regularly about BSFG activities, such as the recent well attended Landlords Solar Forum.
​
Peter Maddock

'100% renewable and community owned energy'
Renewable Energy Benalla (REB)
 
REB had a meeting in early July to try to identify potential community organisations which might benefit from solar installations with similar loan/repayment schemes to that already in place for the 2 kindergartens.

Benalla Men’s Shed was one possible organisation, so a meeting was held on Wednesday 27th July at the Men’s Shed, in order to try to ascertain their power usage (and pattern of power usage) and determine the feasibility of a project there.

The reality is that they operate 3 days per week with not a large amount of power consumption (there is no heating/cooling or hot water system in the building), so the payback period for the loan based on quarterly savings would be far too long to make this a feasible project for us under our current donation-based model for the rotating fund. They also have issues to sort out related to the metering of power on the site in Waller St, as the Lions and Rotary Clubs also have sheds there (both with very minimal power usage).

We may need to broaden our enquiries to look at commercial enterprises, but that has some potential risks around the long-term viability of a business.

Peter Maddock has come across an investigative tool called "Sunulator" which evaluates power use in relation to solar system size and can assess the appropriate size for the situation under consideration. The ATA has developed the Sunulator, and it has been used by the Geelong Sustainability Group to coordinate community renewable energy projects in Geelong (eg 149 kW solar installation at the Multicultural Aged Care building).

Interestingly, GSG uses a community solar investment model.

​
Peter Holmes

Greening Benalla Focus Group (GBFG)
 
Arising out of the 2022 BSFG Review, our group consists of Karen Nankervis, Judy Schwarzman, Sue Campbell, Kate Holmes and Christine Holmes.
 
At our first meeting on Tuesday 12th July, we decided on a name - Greening Benalla Focus Group BSFG.
 
We discussed our interest and purpose as follows –

• Greening of the Benalla landscape by preserving existing vegetation and creating new green spaces and corridors.
• Our focus is health and wellbeing of the community and environment through involvement and education.

 
At this meeting Kate brought the BRC Health and Wellbeing Annual Action Plan 2022-2023 to our attention.  We felt we could make a contribution to many of the intended actions and outcomes contained within the document.

• We read through the document and from our notes Christine wrote a submission to the Plan, sent on 13th July.

• Of the ten Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing priorities, tackling climate change, increasing healthy and active living were specific areas of interest to our group.
• We have not had feedback or acknowledgement from the BRC Health and Wellbeing Steering committee.

 
Our second meeting, on the 26th July, was called abruptly as we found out through the Ensign funding was available for councils and community groups to apply for grants from The Living Local fund, to improve public spaces and streetscapes, due by 14th August.
​
We made the following decisions as an action plan in preparation to apply for funding.

• Identify potential spaces for greening. We came up with two potential spaces, both in Goodwin St. Benalla. We visited those spaces.
• Contact the appropriate people from BRC to determine who is responsible for those spaces.  (Judy sent an email 28th July)
• We intend to make an appointment to discuss our ideas with the BRC Planning/ Landscaping staff as well as Councillor Gail O'Brien in the coming week, as soon as we have above information.  

 
Christine Holmes, on behalf of the group.

The new 'Connecting and engaging the community' action group's purpose is to connect and engage the Benalla and surrounding communities through facilitating sustainability and connection skills workshops. The workshops will run in partnership with local groups. For example, building home food share boxes with the Men's shed, crocheting reusable/washable dish clothes with the knitting group, propagating seeds with the Permaculture group, nature bathing with wellbeing groups.
 
Building sustainability skills supports our community to be strong and independent, and prepare for the impacts of climate change, like bushfires and floods impacting our food on farms, and the flow on impacts, stress, rising cost of living, feeding families, mental health.
 
Growing connection skills are vital for our community to enable the sharing of skills (repairing, building, growing, sewing), tools, knowledge and great memories. Connecting with our community also helps to reduce loneliness, isolation, and depression and brings our diverse communities together.
 
Proposed Workshops: 

WORKSHOP 1 - Build a food share box for your home and community (PROPOSED)
Do you have excess zucchinis & cucumbers in summer, heaps of lemons and too many pumpkins for the winter? A food share box out front of your house is a great way to share food and give back to your community.
​
In this proposed workshop, participants will be welcome to come build their own food share box!  
 
When: TBC
Who: Local men's shed
Where: TBC
 
WORKSHOP 2 -  Empathy cafe
An empathy café is an active listening process in which everyone takes turns to speak, listen, and offer reflections, in a small group with others, in response to a prompting question. The prompting question can be in relation to climate change, an issue within the community or anything that serves the purpose of the group. Empathy cafes can be particularly supportive when there are two groups with different opinions or perspectives on an issue. 
 
Who is it for? 
An Empathy café is suited to adults who want to transform their ways of relating with others. People who are generally curious and willing to try new things, as well as practice reflective listening. 

How do you do it?
At the start of the event, we will introduce the Empathy café concept and how to do it and then we will break into small groups of 4 or 5 and practice taking turns responding to a prompting question. Each person has 4 or 5 minutes to speak, and one person reflects what they are saying. The others listen. Each group has a facilitator that keeps the time and participates in the group as well. The facilitator offers gentle prompts and reminders to participants to support the active listening and reflection process. We end the session with a chance for people to reflect and share how the experience was for them.
​
We will share a meal at the end of the session and people may choose to contribute something to dinner.

​When: TBC
Who: Local community groups
Where: TBC
 
Contact: 
Rachel DeSumma
0417 720 984
Forest Immersion walks facilitator
forestwalks.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/Forest-Immersion-Walks-Victoria-220277508724668/

​We invite BSFG members, supporters and workshop attendees during the recent review process  to attend our BSFG General Meeting at 7:30pm on Thursday 28th July at the Benalla Uniting Church meeting room.

The film shown will be 'Together We Grow' from Happen Films. 'Common Unity' is the organisation featured in the film which runs for 39 minutes. Jordan and Antoinette, who are Happen Films, attended the SEFF in 2018 for the screening of their feature film Living the Change.

At this meeting, we may have some updates from the new action groups from our review. Brief information about the new action groups can be found in the BSFG Newsletter article,  https://www.bsfg.org.au/bsfg-review-2022.html

A light supper will be served at the conclusion of the evening.

Please RSVP your attendance to bsfginc@gmail.com

We hope to see you there,

Judy Schwarzman
Secretary, BSFG

In March/April/May this year, BSFG reviewed its past achievements, opportunities for the future and plans for the next 5 - 10 years.  New action groups have been formed and are keen to take on new members!  Please consider participating in one of these groups.  
​
1. Widespread Adoption of Sustainable Farming Systems
2. Connected and Engaged Community
3. 100% Renewable and Community Owned Energy
4. Ecological, Sustainable Planning and Development and Retro fits
5. Greening and Cooling for Our Urban Spaces - 'Greening Benalla'

​For all of us concerned about the future for our descendants, we need to be strong, viable and active!