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

Recently public policy evaluation and consultancy firm URBIS contacted BSFG about a new Mokoan solar farm proposal at Lee Road Winton.  Representing Lightsource BP, Urbis has arranged a Community Information Drop-In Event to be held on Wednesday 13 June 2018 Winton Raceway 41 Fox Street, Winton. Visit the project team any time between 4pm and 7pm.
Download information about the meeting.
Lightsource BP is a global market leader in the development and long-term management of large-scale solar projects and smart energy solutions.
Download information about the Lightsource BP Mokoan Solar Farm Proposal.

​The REB Efficiency Group had the first meeting in its workshop series 'Wipe Out Your Gas and Electricity Bills' on Tuesday May 22nd at the Benalla Gliding Club.

This meeting provided a brief overview of the series with an emphasis on reading power meters and understanding power bills.  It is considered useful to establish a baseline energy use before people embark on improving the energy efficiency of their homes so that improvements in performance can be measured.

Geoff Lodge, CEO and Executive Director of GV Community Energy gave an informative talk on the Victorian Residential Efficiency Scorecard including some valuable insights on retrofitting.

There are three more sessions in the series.
Session 2 - Tuesday 26 June -  Lighting, Draft Proofing and Insulation.
Session 3 - Tuesday 24 July - Windows, Appliances & Cooking and Heating & Cooling.
Session 4 - Tuesday 21 August -  Hot Water, Energy Monitoring & Control and Solar Power.

We encourage you to analyse your power bills to establish your baseline energy use.

Full details in REB's  'Wipe Out Gas and Electricity Bills'  flyer.

A light supper will be available at the end of the evenings.

​RSVP by the Sunday before a session, Phone Peter 0418 135 330, AH Howard 0409 504 420 or Email RSVP to Peter - peter_maddock@iprimus.com.au  

'SCRAP' - Swanpool Creative Recycled Art Prize, is Swanpool’s fabulous, fearsome,  funny and frolicking art challenge to Australian artists in the use of recycled materials. Please join the Swanpool Community in August for Swanpool’s inaugural exhibition of scrap art presented by some of Australia’s artistic leaders in the use of recycled materials.’

The Swanpool Community Development Association is moving on from their successful involvement in the Bald Archy Touring Exhibition to deliver their own exhibition own exhibition and art prize in 2018 'SCRAP - Swanpool Creative Recycled Art Prize'.   

'SCRAP' The Swanpool Creative Recycled Art Prize
Saturday 4th August to Sunday 19th August 2018
Gala Opening Friday 3rd August
Swanpool Memorial Hall 2386 Midland Highway, Swanpool Vic 3673
Cost - $5 per person, Students $2
Morning and Afternoon  Teas; Light or Main Lunches; Wine, Barista Coffee and slices available 
Merchandise will be on offer, including the popular Swanpool Cookbook $15
Exhibits will be for sale, unless the artist chooses not to do so.

SCRAP's “Call for Entries” poster and entry form are now available!

Community Art Exhibitions will also be held nearby  - 
Benalla Camera Club – Swanpool Bowls Club rooms – Entry by a gold coin donation.
Benalla Broken River Painters – We have received notification that Benalla Broken River Painters have now withdrawn from this event.
For Group Bookings - contact Rob Collins  mobile 0422 370 389 or swanpoolartsfestival@gmail.com
 
www.swanpoolanddistrict.com.au

Do you have an interest you could write about and submit for publication in our Newsletter?  Perhaps you are involved in one of our action groups and could write an article about this.  Articles only need to be 200 to 300 words.  We aim to produce the Newsletter four times a year. 

We now upload the Newsletter to our website a few weeks after distribution to members.  There is an archive of Newsletters on our website at https://www.bsfg.org.au/newsletter.html.  We also publish some newsletter articles on our website News page, https://www.bsfg.org.au/news.  This News page is a great collection of articles reflecting BSFG activities.

So please consider writing a short article for our newsletter.  The deadline for our next Newsletter is June 1st.  You can submit your article to John Lloyd, andrewslloyd@iinet.net.au.  The editor will include most articles if they relate to BSFG activities, purpose and general environmental issues and solutions.

Peter Maddock
0418 135 330

Renewable Energy Benalla's Efficiency Group is conducting a series of workshops commencing Tuesday 22nd of May, from 7.00 until 9.00pm at the Benalla Gliding Club, Samaria Road, Benalla. RSVP Sunday before Session.



​Titled “Wipe Out your Gas and Electricity Bills - Come and Find Out How” the series looks at options to improve energy efficiency in our homes.  These improvements can increase the comfort of our homes and reduce energy costs. 

The series commences with an overview of how energy efficiency supports the Renewable Energy Benalla goal of Benalla becoming a Net Zero Stationary Energy City by 2028.

Session 1 - Tuesday 22 May:  Overview of project. Hear about the new Victorian Residential Efficiency Scorecard.  Major emphasis on reading your meter to establish baseline energy use. Please bring in your power bills.

Session 2 - Tuesday 26 June -  Lighting, Draft Proofing and Insulation.

Session 3 - Tuesday 24 July - Windows, Appliances & Cooking and Heating & Cooling.

Session 4 - Tuesday 21 August -  Hot Water, Energy Monitoring & Control and Solar Power. 

We encourage you to bring in your power bills to establish your baseline energy use.

Full details in REB's  'Wipe Out Gas and Electricity Bills'  flyer.

A light supper will be available at the end of the evenings.

RSVP below by the Sunday before a session, if necessary adding information about additional participants in the Comments Box, OR phone Peter 0418 135 330, AH Howard 0409 504 420

​Find out more and keep up dated via the Strathbogie Sustainable Forest Group website and FB page.

​BSFG partners with Swanpool Landcare and the Gecko CLaN ​in running the annual Swanpool Environmental Film Festival at the Swanpool Cinema.

Concert at the 'Under the Sun' Cafe, Strathbogie ... 3 to 6 pm

Shaking the Tree directed by Bronwyn Calcutt plays songs by Joni Mitchell, Led Zeppelin, Hozier, Sting, Tim Minchin, The Cure, Pink Floyd and Leonard Cohen. The group is backed by accordion, guitars, mandolin, ukelele and percussion.

Milkwood play original music and re-crafted covers with cheeky story-telling lyrics, folk style roots and blissful harmonies.

Tom Yates, poet and folk singer

Plus local singer-songwriters Andy Guerin and Indigo

Tickets $20 through www.trybooking.com/VGOR
.

​​A new BSFG action group has recently been initiated by Kathryn McQualter who is a Dietitian at Benalla Health.  We welcome Kathryn as a new BSFG member and wish her well with the Benalla Local Food Network.

Background
 
The Benalla Food Security Network has been running since 2012. It was started to coordinate ways to improve access to healthy foods in Benalla. Due to declining attendance, a review was undertaken in 2017. The group  will now continue as an “Action Group” as part of the Benalla Sustainable Future Group!  
 
A Local Food Network is a group where local food growers, retailers, organisations and community members come together to supply the town with healthy food. 
 
It is envisioned that the Benalla Local Food Network action group will:

• Support community led local food activities e.g. sourcing grants, linking to other organisations
• Promote “Farm to Plate”, linking local producers to community and retail e.g. promote Benalla Food Coop, Open Food Network maps
• Advocate for local food (local government, state government, policies etc.).

The following draft document provides a starting point for development of the group:

​A new BSFG action group has recently been initiated by Kathryn McQualter who is a Dietitian at Benalla Health.  We welcome Kathryn as a new BSFG member and wish her well with the Benalla Local Food Network.

BSFG members and interested community members are invited to attend  a meeting to look at the future of the group.
 
When:           Tuesday 1st May 2018
Time:             5:15 -6 pm
Where:          Ray Sweeney Community Health Centre, 45 Coster St Benalla.
Snacks will be provided.
 
For more information on the work that the Benalla Food Security Network has completed (2012-2017) please visit http://www.benallahealth.org.au/CommunityHealth/HealthPromotion-479/BenallaFoodSecurityNetwork-481/
 

Kathryn McQualter
Food Security Action Group ​

Two information sessions held in April brought approximately 150 residents and business owners to BPACC keen to find out more about the Renewable Energy Benalla and Mondo Power battery ready solar bulk buy offer.   The sessions were most informative, there were many thought provoking questions from the floor and some misconceptions cleared up - for example, to be part of a microgrid, it's not necessary to be in a grid organised by/with/for neighbours', a micro grid can apply to diverse participants located in Benalla and surrounds.  

REB's partnership with Mondo Power to provide a battery ready solar bulk buy offer for residents and businesses is now open.  With a closing date of July 31st there is still time to consider the options and express your interest. A good starting point is  Mondo Power's 'Benalla Community Energy Project' webpage.   You might find this video - 'TRY & the Yack Mini Grid' helpful, as it describes a similar project.  

Our next General Meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Thursday 26 April in the Meeting Room, Benalla Uniting Church, opposite the Coles car park.

The guest speaker for our April General Meeting is Wangaratta resident Andy Kimber.  Andy will be talking about the work of three Timor-Leste Friendship Groups from Indi. Many of their projects have been about sustainability. They have been involved in helping the Alternative Technology Association install a large number of small solar systems in very isolated villages. They have also helped to finance a big model community garden and school gardens using permaculture principles.

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

Peter Maddock
Secretary
0418 135 330

BSFG members may be  be interested in this information about a battery storage workshop to be held at Beechworth on Saturday 21st April.

Presenters include:

• Prof Kate Auty – Kate will speak from her experience with rural communities in the changing energy sector; celebrate achievement and community as a driver for change 
• Damien Moyse, (Alternative Technology Association (ATA – and Renew Magazine), presenting on Battery Basics and alternative storage options. 
• Tom Brown (Sustainability Victoria) talking about Community Power Hubs 
• Matt Charles Jones - Totally Renewable Yackandandah – local community mini grid pilot projects 
• Local grid and off grid residential case studies.

A Drop In Marketplace will also be held at the event showcasing; Industry professional, local energy advocates, literature, Mondo Power projects, EV’s, E bikes  for example. 

A reminder to those who could not get to the Mondo Bulk Buy presentation last week - the second information session will be held this Sunday, 22nd, at BPACC, starting at 2:30pm.

John Lloyd
​BSFG President

If you are considering the Renewable Energy Benalla and Mondo Power's Bulk Buy offer, you may be interested in watching this video, which backgrounds a similar scheme in Yackandandah. 

Mondo Power worked alongside Totally Renewable Yackandandah to develop Yackandandah's Mini Grid. ​

Founding member of Strathbogie Sustainable Forest group Bertram Lobert gave a compelling presentation relating to threats to the Greater Glider in the Strathbogies recently.  A number of concerned BSFG members have been actively monitoring the situation for the Barjarg flat coupe.

​A post for Benalla Sustainable Future Group members and friends from BSFT president, John Lloyd.

There have been lots of developments around energy retailers of late but DC Power is a little different. For example it is aiming to be crowd funded and hopes to become a dedicated solar company.

REB Report to BSFG Meeting, 22nd February, 2018
 
The BZE-Benalla Transition Strategy document details three major strategies that need to be implemented to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve zero net energy. These strategies are:
                                 i) Energy efficiency measures to reduce energy use,
                                ii) Promote and install local roof top solar,
                                iii) Investigate utility scale renewables, battery storage and micro grids.
 
Mondo Power Bulk Buy Offer

Mondo Power will be presenting their proposal for a bulk buy of panels, monitoring systems and eventually batteries, and the establishment of microgrids, to the Benalla community in early April. This proposal, if accepted by community members, will lead to increased numbers of PV panels on roofs and has the potential to see the establishment of microgrids in Benalla at a future date.
 
Action Plans

Small working groups have started to prepare plans to start on the implementation of the three major strategies mentioned above:

1. Improving energy efficiency of buildings to reduce energy demand and energy bills. This group is planning to conduct a number of sessions based on the Beyond Zero Emissions publication, 'The Energy Freedom    Home'.
2. Investigating suitable roofs for a behind the meter community energy project. Initial focus will be on council owned buildings.
3. Utility scale - investigating the possibility of a waste to energy project.

 
Offer of assistance from solar farm developer

FRV Services Australia, a Solar Farm Developer, has approached BSFG/REB to offer assistance.
This is part of the community engagement and benefit sharing by renewable energy project developers required by the Victorian government if they wish to be involved in the VRET.
Financial support is certainly part of this assistance being offered and there may be other forms of assistance as well.
 
Indi Energy Action Group

Cathy McGowan, Federal Member for Indi, has established an Indi Energy Action Group to promote and support community energy groups across the electorate of Indi.
 
Community Energy Retailer

Work is being done to investigate the possibility of establishing a community energy retailer in north-east Victoria. The proposed community energy retailer would be a decentralised energy retailer providing a platform for local communities to achieve community energy goals and access locally generated renewable energy.
 
John Lloyd,
​Renewable Energy Benalla 

Recently watching NTIV on SBS I was fortunate to see the film Fractured Land, which is about a young
indigenous leader and lawyer in British Columbia confronting the fractures within his community and himself as he struggles to reconcile traditional teachings with the law and protect the land from fracking.

Fractured Land is still available On Demand on SBS:
https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/ video/668019267941/fractured-land.

In the film Caleb visits the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers. An association representative
comments that it is our choice as humans, a very difficult choice of how we are going to use the
resource gifts we have been given, for good or potentially for evil. The answer she believes is balance. She thinks that to some degree we are all fractured within ourselves trying to balance the choices we make with our concerns for the environment.

Caleb’s response to the observation that deep down we are all fractured is to question how we deal with
two different world views in value systems and ideas existing in our behaviour. This troubles Caleb a great deal and he has a profound difficulty in remaining true to himself knowing his education in law is in part funded from the petroleum industry as he hopes to use this education to curtail the activities of this industry.

As someone concerned about climate change along with many other pressing environmental issues, largely related to our overuse of resources I am also somewhat fractured in the consumption choices I
make each day. The fractures run deep, and despite my concerns I am unable to make all the logical
consumption choices which reflect my concerns about the environmental impact of my activities.

Our environmental impacts seem far off in daily life.The Australian Conservation Foundation some time ago showed that only about 25 to 30% of our emissions are direct or generated at home. The balance of our emissions arise from our consumption expenditure. For most of us everything we consume relies on oil and coal to mine harvest and make, and then to get it inside our homes. Modern agriculture uses 10 calories of oil to produce one calorie of food.

​But then again, listening to Tom Switzer interview Johan Nordberg on Radio National perhaps I have no
need to feel fractured in trying to reduce my environmental impact.

The segment was titled A Prosperous World? Johan says we are living in a golden age.

Peter Maddock

Dear BSFG members and supporters,

Most of you will be aware that early last year, Vicforests carried out logging at the Parlours Creek coupe in the Lima East area of the Strathbogie State forest. The so-called single tree selection logging resulted in the destruction of around 80% of the coupe, resulting in the loss of habitat for large numbers of the critically endangered Greater Gliders, as well as numerous other forest dwelling animals and birds.
Now, Vicforests are at it again, but this time the situation is even more desperate!

The Barjarg Flat coupe on the corner of Barjarg and Tallangalook Rds is twice the size (around 60 hectares) of Parlours Creek coupe, but more importantly, independent surveys carried out late last year by the Arthur Rylah Institute, included the highest ever recorded density in Victoria of Greater Gliders, and in addition, a Powerful Owl has been detected in the same area.

These facts should trigger a red flag alarm for the Environment Minister to intervene and stop the logging, at least until an extensive assessment of the area has been completed. Powerful Owl Management Areas (POMA) were established over 20 years ago in Victoria, based on information then available, but now out of date. A POMA requires an automatic logging exclusion zone of 500 hectares, and for this to happen at Barjarg Flat, we need to get the minister to listen and act.

The problem is – she is just not listening!

We, and the Gliders and Owls need your help.

Please phone and/or email the minister’s office over the next few days to express your URGENT concerns – logging was supposed to have commenced 2 days ago, but thankfully, no equipment is on site yet.

The contact details are listed below, and also for Jaclyn Symes, the Labor member for Northern Victoria in the Legislative Council.

Lily D’Ambrosio (Environment Minister) Ph:  96379504 Email:  lily.d’ambrosio@parliament.vic.gov.au
Jaclyn Symes (MLC Northern Victoria) Ph:  57832000   Email:  Jaclyn.Symes@parliament.vic.gov.au

Thank you, in anticipation of your support.

Yours sincerely,
​
Peter Holmes   Ph:  0438625638   Email:  chrispeth@bigpond.com

The Benalla Uniting Church and the Benalla Sustainable Future Group are collaborating to develop a Community Vegetable Garden on the Uniting Church site near Coles. 
 
Initiated by Tanya Walker, BSFG and Benalla Food Coop member, a gathering is being held to enthuse people with the idea of a Community Vegetable Garden on the grounds of the Uniting Church; to share information and ideas and to form a Committee to organise and set up the garden.

The gathering will start at 6.00 pm on Thursday February 22nd, the night of BSFG's next General Meeting, which commences at 7.30 pm, Come a little earlier to hear about Tanya’s enthusiastic initiative to commence a Community Vegetable Garden at the Uniting Church.

Email Tanya Walker on  tanyanwalker@yahoo.com.au if you would like further information.