The BSFG Committee had its first meeting for the year last Wednesday and there are a couple of resolutions to advise you about.

Leading up to Christmas, December is a difficult time for people to attend General Meetings.  January is also a time when people are often away.  The Committee therefore resolved to have only five General Meetings per year.  General Meetings will now be on the 4th Thursday of March, May, July, September and November.

The Committee will continue to meet six times a year on the second Tuesday of February, April, June, August, October and December.

The Committee has been discussing the replies we had to the Newsletter Survey and felt it was time to indicate a deadline for submission of articles for the next newsletter.  Articles of about 200 words about an environmentally themed topic would be suitable for the Newsletter.  Perhaps something you are personally interested in including actions you are taking to live more sustainably.  Your thoughts about major environmental issues which are important to you.  Are we dealing with these issues adequately?  Politics gives plenty of scope for commentary on environmental issues.

The deadline for the next Newsletter is Sunday February 17th.  You can submit articles to Peter Maddock via email peter_maddock@iprimus.com.au  Thank you to members who completed the Newsletter Survey.  There is certainly interest from members in continuing with the Newsletter.

Peter Maddock
Secretary
peter_maddock@iprimus.com.au

The Annual General Meeting of Benalla Sustainable Future Group will be held at 7.30pm on Thursday 28th June at the Benalla Uniting Church, Carrier Street Benalla, opposite the Coles car park.

After accepting the minutes of the previous AGM and presentation of reports all elected positions will be declared open and there will be an election of President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary plus a minimum of four committee members and a nominated member from the Food Co-Op.

This year John Lloyd will not be accepting nominations for President nor the Committee as his work with Renewable Energy Benalla is occupying him fully.  So please give consideration to nominating for an Office Bearer or Committee position.  Contact me if you require further information about standing for a position.

Our guest speaker for the meeting is Leigh Ewbank who is the current Act on Climate coordinator for Friends of the Earth. He has also worked on the Yes 2 Renewables campaign and was very much involved with campaigning against the anti-wind farm lobby. Yes 2 Renewables was the driving force behind the campaign to restore fair wind farm laws in Victoria, and spearheaded the case for a Victorian Renewable Energy Target. Leigh has a Bachelor of Social Science (Honours) from RMIT University, Melbourne. He has been engaged in climate and energy debates for years and more recently has lectured in the Urban Planning and Energy and Energy Policy and Management courses at RMIT University.

We look forward to seeing you at our 2018 AGM. 
Regards,
Peter Maddock
Secretary
0418 135 330

​Our next General Meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Thursday 22 February in the Meeting Room, Benalla Uniting Church, opposite the Coles car park.

​Our guest speaker is Bertram Lobert from the Strathbogie Sustainable Forest Group.  Bertram will speak about the activities and achievements of the group and has sent us a synopsis.

​This is a good opportunity to hear firsthand about the activities and advocacy work of the Strathbogie Sustainable Forest Group.

A light supper will be served after Bertram’s presentation.

​
Peter Maddock
Secretary
0418 135 330

The next General Meeting of BSFG is on Thursday the 26th of October at 7.30pm in the Meeting room, The Benalla Uniting Church, Carrier Street Benalla, opposite the Coles carpark.

Our guest speaker is Carole Hammond who is the Team Leader Sustainable Development at Strathbogie Shire.  Carole is engaged in building the smart growth of a 21st century economy and environment for the Shire of Strathbogie. This includes programs across native vegetation and biodiversity, regional stewardship projects, working with Landcare, as well as a range of sustainability, and climate change adaptation projects, such as the ‘Bogie Bulk Buy’, that will contribute to a strong, resilient Shire of the future.

Carole is also the creator of Coolth Sustainability, a multidisciplinary sustainability practice. The consultancy offers accredited thermal performance assessments under the National Housing Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS), and specialist input into environmentally sustainable residential design.

We look forward to hearing from Carole who will speak after the business of the meeting.  A light supper will be served at the end of the meeting.

Peter Maddock
Secretary
0418 135 330

The next General meeting of the Benalla Sustainable Future Group will be held on Thursday December 8, at 7.30 pm in the Meeting Room, The Uniting Church, Carrier Street Benalla, opposite the Coles car park.

The guest speaker will be Jeff Austen, Systems and Environment Coordinator from D&R Henderson.  You may be aware that Henderson’s were the winners of the Environmentally Sustainable Business Award that was jointly sponsored by BSFG and Sun Real.

Jeff’s presentation will cover the site operations at the Henderson factory and will highlight the range of initiatives Henderson’s have taken to reduce their impact on the environment, which led to them being the winners of the award.
​
Peter Maddock
Secretary.
0418 135 330