Next meeting: Monday 1st September 6:30pm at the Community House.

1. Human Sign on Climate Change succeeds in bad weather
2. Meeting Minutes 18th August 2008

Coming events:

1. August 21st 2008 3:00-4:00pm Darren Cheeseman (Federal member for Corangamite) speaking on Gobal warming and its impact on Corangamite. Venue Collingwood St/Great Ocean Rd.
2. September 13th – 14th Sustainable House Day
3. October 4th 2008 Changing the Dream Symposium – Aireys Inlet
4. October 17th Friday – Otway Ranges Climate Change Action Forum (planned)
5. January 20th to February 20th 2009 CO-EDAPT

Perhaps of interest:

1. Major discovery from MIT primed to unleash solar revolution Scientists mimic essence of plants’ energy storage system. By Anne Trafton, MIT News Office July 31, 2008
2. ‘Middle of the road…towards a cliff’ by David Spratt …A final hurdle concerns targets. Garnaut has already said that the climate science demands emissions reduction rates much faster than the Government seems willing to contemplate…
3. Guy Pearce in The Monthly, July 2008 “Throughout this period, while most Australians gave Rudd the benefit of the doubt, many environmentalists were suspicious. However, the green leadership was complacent, compliant and worryingly quiet on many of the issues that mattered most…”
4. Environment Victoria submission to the Victorian Government’s “A Climate of Opportunity” Summit Paper [PDF 440KB]
5. Climate Action Groups at Environment Victoria Meeting Minutes This meeting was held at Ross House on 26th July 2008.
6. Transition Towns: This website is a WIKI for use by all the communities that have adopted the Transition Model for responding to the twin challenges of Peak Oil and Climate Change. [link provided by Fern]
7. Transition Towns in N.S.W Assorted links to interviews etc [link provided by Fern]
8. Future Scenarios around Peak Oil This site is arranged as an essay in Peak Oil broken into micro-chapters. [link provided by Fern]

Grants available

1. Australia Post Community Development Grant – closing sept 19th Community groups can now apply for yearly grants of up to $3,300 (including GST) to help improve their local community and environment, through the Australia Post/Landcare Community Development Grants Program.
2. Renewable Energy Support Fund The Renewable Energy Support Fund is a key initiative of the Victorian Climate Change Program and aims to facilitate and demonstrate innovative renewable energy projects that contribute to reducing Victoria’s greenhouse gas emissions.
3. Ecoliving Grant The EcoLiving Grant has been allocated by the Victorian Government from the Sustainability Fund, as an initiative of Our Environment Our Future Sustainability Action Statement 2006, to help Victorians reduce their impact on the environment. Through the EcoLiving Centre Grants program $3 million will be invested over four years for the establishment of EcoLiving Centres – a community building that demonstrates sustainability in action and provides learning and change programs for local communities.
4. Mercy Foundation Environmental Grants for Schools – Closes September 1st The Foundation can be contacted at office@mercyfoundation.com.au or by phone on 61 02 9699 8726.
5. Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR) The Helping Hands Program is available to not-for-profit organisations for projects and activities that offer clear public benefit for communities living in small rural and remote locations in Australia, contributing to their development in social and community welfare, economic, environmental, health, education or cultural areas. Remaining grants have closing date of 27 October. To date FRRR has allocated $13 million to communities across the nation and has leveraged many millions more supporting projects that stimulate the renewal of whole communities.