Geelong’s new environment strategy

Rodney Thomas, Manager of City of Greater Geelong’s Environment & Waste Services, was guest in The Sustainable Hour on 94.7 The Pulse on 22 January 2014. He talked about Geelong’s new environment strategy, which has been published in a draft version, still open for comments from the citizens of Geelong.

“The document basically sets out a vision for the city, both for council as well as community and external partner organisations. It sets out ten clear policy directions for us where we want to practically work in. Those include land use, sustainable water, zero carbon, zero waste, sustainable transport, sustainable materials, local sustainable food, and there’s a couple other items as well, and that’s based on over 10,000 comments that we have received in the development of the document. This document is one of four main strategic documents for the organisation.”
Rodney Thomas, Manager of City of Greater Geelong’s Environment & Waste Services

Listen to The Sustainable Hour no. 9:



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Mentioned in the programme

Geelong’s Environmental Management Strategy 2013-2017
Until 28 February 2014, the City of Greater Geelong is seeking comment for its draft Environmental Management Strategy 2013-2017.

» You can access the pdf version here or the open Microsoft Word version here.

Trawling through strategic documents is not everyone’s idea of fun but this document will inform City of Greater Geelong’s response to many environmental issues over the next four years, and it is vital that concerned individuals scrutinise it carefully.

» Read more and send your feedback before 28 February 2014 on: www.geelongaustralia.com.au

Examples of response to the draft strategy paper

As inspiration to your own response before 28 February

“In failing to regulate, the Council is essentially promoting new, high-risk fossil fuel extraction in Geelong region. This is a blow for Geelong citizens, for the environment, and for the Environment Management Strategy.”
Frack Free Geelong

» Read the full 2-page collective response by the Frack Free Geelong group, submitted to the council on 28 January 2014,  here

“To the lay reader the document seems to be something of a hotchpotch with multiple authors, multiple influences and no clear pathway evident. Sadly, there is no aspirational beacon of leadership, no clear overarching vision of how much more sustainable our built and natural environments will be by 2017. It would have been great to see one major statement or theme or tag or vision to inspire and sustain the community and engender co-operation and confidence. We want to hear that Council really believes ‘things can improve by 2017’. It is hard to find that inspiration in the EMS.”
Vivienne Burke, Member of Geelong Sustainability Group, Transition East Geelong

» Read the full 2-page response by Vivienne Burke here

“While there are many important statements in the draft EMS, we believe that it falls short of providing a methodical approach. As members of an organisation reading the draft EMS for the first time, we have found it difficult to gain a clear impression of what the key principles were, and how they will translate into action – if anything we found the structure fragmented and inconsistent.”

» Read the full 6-page response by Geelong Sustainability Group here

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Sustainable Living Festival
The statewide Sustainable Living Festival is on again, and Geelong is hosting more than 50 events. Kicking off with the Sustainability Expo at GPAC and the Backyard Harvest “pop-up” Incredible Edible Garden at GPAC on Saturday 8 February.

Highlights include:

· The popular and much loved Get Growing Bellarine Garden Tour (last years favourite event!)

· Key note speaker- Australia’s favourite gardener, Costa Georgiadis from ABC Gardening

· The FPG and Innate Ecology seminar series on topics; Sustainability for Business, retrofitting or building new, Local Foods and what’s the latest in Community in Action.

· Cycling for the Terrified and Op Shop Chic tours

· Workshops for kids

· Magic Meadow’s “The Good Life” cooking classes and

· Better Blocks Geelong latest venture transforming Labuan Square

And more… There will be something for everyone.

Local schedule coming soon.

» Facebook-group: Get Growing

» For more information about the festival go to: www.slf.org.au

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Frack Free Geelong
Waurn Ponds Action: Saturday 15 February at 2pm
Annie Kia workshop in Geelong: Friday 28 February at 6pm

» Read more on the new home page: frackfreegeelong.org

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Music

These were the songs we played in The Sustainable Hour on 22 January 2014:

► Gaiaisi: ‘Change the Earth’

Gaiaisi is a Toronto-based singer, rapper, filmmaker and activist

The video for the song ‘Change the Earth’ was uploaded on YouTube on 8 October 2013.

» EcoWatch – 7 November 2013: New Music Video Raises Awareness on Climate Change

» Examiner – 6 November 2013: Toronto artist sounds musical alarm over global climate emergency

» Facebook page for the project: facebook.com/waterforthefire

» Gaiaisi’s Facebook page: facebook.com/Gaiaisi

► ‘Sing for the Climate’ was a big singing manifestation that first took place on 22 and 23 September 2012 in Belgium. More than 80,000 people in more than 180 Belgian cities and communities sang the song ‘Do it Now’, urging politicians to take more ambitious climate measures both on local, national and international level.

The organisers wrote: “The video is a synthesis of recordings that were made in all locations. The success of ‘Sing for the Climate’ proves that a mass mobilisation around climate change is still possible even after the COP15 in Copenhagen.”

Published on youtube.com on 29 November 2012.

Belgium appeals to local groups and organisations worldwide to organise their own version of ‘Sing for the Climate’. More information, tools and support for local action can be found on singfortheclimate.com

► De Clip: ‘Sing for the Climate: Do it Now’

Published on youtube.com on 20 August 2012.

» singfortheclimate.com

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You can listen to all of the radio shows in full length as well as in excerpts. Use the links below. You will also find links to more information about the topics and sites that have been mentioned during the hour.

| Social stream | Hour no 10 | No 9 | No 8 | No 7 | No 6 | No 5 | No 4 | No 3 | No 2 | No 1 |

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