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Dear {usertag:name}
Report on Transition The Grove Energy Subgroup meeting 10 March 2011 at the Ferny Grove State High School library.
A transcript of the meeting is available (only) to registered logged-in Energy subgroup members here.
Fourteen attended the meeting which started with each attendee briefly introducing themselves to the group. A wide range of viewpoints was represented.
To ‘set the scene’ details were presented from some current campaigns which may have the potential to inform discussions about what we can do in The Grove to reduce our individual and community carbon footprints.
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100% Renewables is a campaign aimed at gaining public support for government policy change to 100% renewable energy. One primary strategy adopted by this group is a door-to-door community survey. It would be possible for Transition the Grove to conduct a 100% Renewable survey in The Grove or to develop our own along the same lines. Chris Wright advised that on 30th March Luke Read of the 100% Renewables Campaign is coming to talk at Transition The Gap. Interested members from The Grove can attend to learn more about this campaign.
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Beyond Zero Emissions is a campaign aimed at addressing the technical and engineering issues with the goal of achieving 100% Renewables by 2020. John Tennock and Charles Neville recently attended a BZE training course and will be preparing to present talks on this subject in future. The recently published Stationary Energy Plan can be downloaded for free or a printed copy purchased from the BZE web-site. Work continues on further plans for transport (in progress) land use buildings industrial processes and replacing coal export revenue. We viewed a 6 minute introductory video that was used at the Queensland launch of this plan.
Some free ranging discussion followed including suggestions and ideas about things we can do locally. Peter Leith-Wybrow has a business www.appliedsolarwindsolutions.com.au that provides him with considerable experience and insight into ways to reduce energy consumption and ways to implement some innovative alternative (wind and solar) energy solutions.
The GreenStreet http://www.greenstreet.net.au/ project was discussed. This is a Pine Rivers Climate Action Network initiative to encourage residents to share ideas knowledge and achievements in reducing their personal carbon footprint. These results are consolidated into a progress report by Coutry State Suburb and Street. It might be possible for Energy Group members to explore this by signing up on the Green Street web-site with a view to promoting it to residents in The Grove.
The potential was discussed for participating with Ferny Grove State High School in a community partnership to help implement the School Environment Management Plan (SEMP). John Tennock is to attend a meeting of the FGSHS SEMP committee on 11 April.
One idea being considered is the possibility of Transition The Grove organising an Energy Mini-Expo at the school which could include expert speakers and displays by product vendors. This could be a valuable community outreach to families with children in the school and possibly families of feeder schools as well.
There followed some discussion summarised below around prompting questions:
1. How do we reach and connect with residents who are already concerned about their carbon footprint?
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Use exiting networks (like schools churches community groups)
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small posters in centres (shops libraries
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Facebook
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The Hills Echo
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Get a photo of the group on the cover page.
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Put it in North West News frequently. (Quest. They will put in any article that you pre-write especially with illustration.)
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Philippa of The Western Echo regards their role as supporting non-profit groups. She’s more than willing to have ads put in and she rejigs for the paper. Send in Word format. They ran 2 for Transition The Gap on facing pages.
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Keep an eye on the deadlines for the papers. Write 2 or 3 in advance.
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Radio YYY 87.6 FM
2. How do we convince those who are not concerned that they should be?
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To start with by adjacency – i.e. Convince their neighbors and let the message leak across.
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Make information understandable to laymen; make connections between events and results.
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Car stickers. Hand them out as well. Clare would be happy to design something. I care about No Carbon. Have available for sale in markets too.
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Sharon knows someone who prints tee-shirts. Charles knows someone with a tee-shirt press in Enoggera. He works for Reverse Garbage.
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Flyer targeting homes with panels on their roofs. Or water tanks. Or vege gardens.
3. What programs can we develop that local residents can apply to create actual reductions in carbon emissions?
4. What meaningful goals should we aim for to reduce energy consumption?
5. What meaningful goals should we aim for to convert to renewable energy sources?
6. How can we promote programs to achieve these goals?
It was agreed to set a monthly meeting date of the 2nd Thursday each month to develop plans further. Noted that we have a video night In Transition 1.0 planned at the Arana Library and promoted through the Hills Echo on 14 April so the Energy Group will not be able to meet separately on that night. However it will be a good opportunity to learn more about Transition Towns.
Meantime the discussion can continue on the Transition the Grove – Energy and Fuel discussion forum. Action has already started on some of the above items.
Thanks to all who attended. I look forward to seeing everyone at the Arana Library on 14 April and joining in the discussion form where hopefully we can continue and expand the above topics.
Regards
John Tennock
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