Otway Ranges Climate Action

1. ORCA 2010 Annual General Meeting 30th November 2009
2. ORCA Meeting Minutes 30th September 2009
3. Apollo Bay Free Household Energy Audits
4. Run for a Safe Climate, 26th Nov Apollo Bay

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Otway Ranges Climate Action Annual General Meeting

When: Monday 30th November 7pm

Where: Marrar Woorn Community House, Pengilly Ave Apollo Bay

Everyone is Welcome. All positions will be open for election. Please forward all nominations prior to the meeting to Anna: solnanna@vicnet.net.au

Motion for AGM: That ORCA establish an annual membership fee of $5. Moved Anna, seconded Allen.

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Otway Ranges Climate Action

Steering Committee Meeting

26^th October 2009 6.30pm

Minutes

Chair: Matt Armstrong

Present: Matt Armstrong, David Webley, Pat Williamson, Allen & Trish Hokin, John Spencer, Rob Wertheimer, Magaer Lennox, Llewellyn Johns, Craig Philp, Tony Webber and Anna O’Brien.

Apologies: Simon Pockley and Rob Wertheimer.

Actions from Meeting

1. Anna to ask SOLN committee if they’re happy to combine SOLN and ORCA Xmas parties and confirm date.
2. Anna to advertise AGM 21 days before and any motions. Email/post every member AGM notification and agenda.

Motion for AGM: That ORCA establish an annual membership fee of $5. Moved Anna, seconded Allen.

1. Rob to be reimbursed Tony for cost of market place – $5 from treasury
2. Anna to pass on Run for a Safe Climate details (once received) to members who are willing to help run a BBQ (as there is a potential clash may of us are unable to)

1. Treasurer’s

What need to be done before next AGM? Rob reported that nothing needs to be done as he sends the annual treasurer’s report to VFF FTLA (who ORCA is incorporated under). Rob is also handling letter from the Tax department.

2. 350 Day of actions

Hand painting at the market went really well. Tony reported that it was harder to get older people to do it. Matt thought the involvement was very random, some were really keen and others didn’t want a bar of it. But it was a fantastic activity to do to raise ORCA’s profile in the community. Visit 350.org website for the photos from different places around the globe. 5200 actions happened around the world, making it the most wide spread environmental campaign ever.

Thanks to Peter Bourne, Tony Webber, Magaer Lennox, Anna O’Brien, Simon and Rob Wertheimer for helping organise the event.

Action: Rob to be reimbursed Tony for cost of market place – $5 from treasury

3. Otways Futures Workshop

This workshop was facilitated by RMIT on the weekend. People were invited to attend from a wide range of the community, including Matt, Simon, Tony and Anna, Rob Small (COS CEO) and Patrick Shaw (DSE rep).

Different groups brainstormed and explored future scenarios and required actions for the following 4 scenarios:

1. High impact climate change and globalisation, high response from the community
2. High impact climate change and globalisation, low community response
3. Low impact climate change and globalisaiton, high response from the community
4. Low impact climate change and globalisaiton, low response from the community

What came out of it was that each group seemed to agree on what actions were required and how to go forward.

Next the Otways Futures will meet again 26^th Nov to develop an agreed vision and then take it to the Shire and the community. Hope to start with a small action – Tony suggested the tip shop.

4. Household Energy Audits

16 people were trained. So far, no-one done any assessments other than their own. We are hoping the auditors trained will get on with it SOON!

For each audit completed, My Home My Climate gives $35 to the assessor and $5 to ORCA.

They will pay the money directly into the ORCA account at the end of each month and ORCA pays the assessor. Rob and Anna discussed how to pay assessors – the best is to direct debit into their accounts. So once they complete some audits, auditors will need to pass on their account details to Rob.

5. Light Globe exchange

Allen noted that the Bendigo Bank were about half way to reach their target. They have now included local businesses and the time has been extended to the end of November.

Tony queried whether the globes will be recycled. The organisers from the Campaign said they can be recycled however the shire have since said they can’t be.

Matt feels we should focus on the positive of these campaigns, the old lights have a 2% efficiency compared to the new ones replacing them. If people are upset that they go to landfill they’re missing the massive saving in greenhouse gas emissions.

Allen noted that according to the experts the amount of mercury in the energy saving globes is the size of a pinhead.

6. ORCA AGM

The AGM will be carried out at the November ORCA Meeting.

Action: Anna to advertise AGM 21 days before and any motions. Email/post every member AGM notification and agenda.

Motion for AGM: That ORCA establish an annual membership fee of $5. Moved Anna, seconded Allen.

7. ORCA XMAS BBQ

To join with SOLN at the Landcare Project Support Centre, Montrose Ave. Date to be advised.

Action: Anna to ask SOLN committee if they’re happy to combine SOLN and ORCA Xmas parties and confirm date.

8. Run for a Safe Climate

We need volunteers to man a BBQ. Pat offered – 5237 6203. And maybe Magaer can help. Any others?? Trish suggested the fire brigade volunteers may help. Anna to pass on the details of the day once received to other members.

Matt thought we should invite the Otway Futures members to the BBQ and encourage them to listen to the speakers. The group thought it would be best to use the BBQs that exist already if possible.

9. 2009 Green Light Report

DSE report on public opinion. Current CO2 levels is 385ppm. Good read

10. Castlemaine Behaviour Change Pilot Program

Another good read

11. Landline

Magaer spoke of a recent episode and was happy to see farmers already into no-till carbon storage techniques and using methane from manure to run electricity system on the farm. Many farmers are already forward thinking and looking at capturing their own carbon voluntary.

Next Meeting

Formal Committee Meeting & AGM

Monday 30^th November, 7pm

Marrar Woorn

Meeting closed 7.30pm

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Free Household Energy Audits

16 ORCA members are now qualified to provide free household energy audits to local residents. If you want to learn how you can save energy and money in your home contact your preferred Auditor listed below.

Anna O’Brien   03 5237 6904   solnanna@vicnet.net.au   (Marengo to Wongarra)
Simon Pockley   0418 575 525   simonpockley@gmail.com   (Marengo to Wongarra)
Peter Geekie   03 5237 7178   mirrnyong@aapt.net.au   (Wider Region, Wye River to Johanna)
Llewellyn John   03 5237 1001   johlulu@hotmail.com   (Skenes Creek to Tanybryn)
Vanessa Wrighton   03 5237 7717   di_vanessa@yahoo.com.au   (Marengo to Skenes Creek)
Dianne Inglis   03 5237 7717   di_vanessa@yahoo.com.au   (Marengo to Skenes Creek)
Janice Kennedy   03 5237 6856   whyjan@hotmail.com.au   (Marengo to Skenes Creek)
Peter Bourne   03 5237 7207   abcsignworks@gmail.com    (Marengo to Skenes Creek)
Jesse Morrow   0417 289 966   jesse.morrow@hotmail.com   (Wider Region, Wye River to Johanna)
Greg Denny   0433 822 600   altlynx@bigpond.com   (Glenaire to Skenes Creek)
Cate Cousland   03 5237 6997   catecouland@gmail.com   (Marengo to Skenes Creek)
Fern Rainbow   0425 710 380   permaculture@apollobay.org.au   (Wider Region, Wye River to Johanna)
Magaer Lennox   03 5237 9248   magaer@aussiebroadband.com.au   (Glenaire to Skenes Creek)
LeeAnne Koenig   03 5237 0257   wongarra_bb@iprimus.com.au   (Wongarra area)
David Webley   03 5237 6222   dwebley@bigpond.com   (Wild Dog Rd)

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Run for a Safe Climate, through Apollo Bay

The 2009 ‘Run for a Safe Climate’ aims to highlight the impacts and solutions to global warming in a way that captures the hearts and imaginations of all Australians. Emergency workers are in the front line of dealing with extreme weather events and global warming. Go to: http://www.runforasafeclimate.org/

This November, a group of Australian emergency service workers including serving police, firefighters, paramedics, SES and military will run 6000km from Cooktown to Melbourne. Many of these emergency services workers dealt directly with the February 2009 heatwave and Black Saturday fires. The route will see runners pass through capital cities, regional centres and rural towns, engaging with all levels of these communities. In each location where they stop to rest, they will meet with local people – farmers, business people, scientists, politicians and school children – to share experiences about the local impacts of global warming, and share their own experiences and insights into climate change.

The Run will start in Cooktown on Monday 2 November and follow the coast through Cairns, Townsville, Brisbane, Sydney, and Canberra to Albury on the Victoria/NSW border. From here it will follow the Murray River west to Mildura, then on to Adelaide and the Coorong. The final leg to Melbourne will go via Apollo Bay, Ballarat, Kilmore and the towns most affected by last summer’s devastating fires, to finish on Sunday 29 November with a family fun-run along the last two kilometers to finish at St Kilda beach.

Along their journey, the runners will draw attention to natural and agricultural assets under threat – the Daintree Rainforest, Great Barrier Reef and Murray Darling ‘food bowl’ – while also bearing witness to some of the solutions to this crisis: solar, ocean, geothermal and wind energy and biochar. The Run will enable thousands of Australians to see how they can be part of the solution to global warming.

These men and women, our firefighters, paramedics, police, military and SES workers, are donating a month of their annual leave for the Run. They have chosen to volunteer for this feat of incredible endurance because they understand, more than any of us, the urgent need for wide-scale action to secure a safe climate for Australia’s future generations.

DATE in APOLLO BAY: Thurs 26th November, runners to arrive late afternoon.

FOCUS
Wind power and potential for wind to contribute to Australia’s clean energy future.
Vulnerability assessment and global warming impacts for Apollo Bay, the Otways and the Great Ocean Road.
Local climate solutions for the Apollo bay and Great Ocean Road region

SCIENTIST/SPOKESPERSON
Lane Crockett, Pacific Hydro (at Codrington)
Prof John Sherwood Deakin University – impact of climate change on the Otways and Great Ocean Road communities. (At Apollo Bay)
Climate solutions – to be announced (At Apollo Bay)