It is Sustainable House Day in Geelong region on Sunday 16 October 2016, and that is what The Sustainable Hour on 94.7 The Pulse focuses on this Wednesday: Vicki Perrett, Sustainable House Day organiser, with home owners Susan Weymouth, Dan Cowdell and Dierijk Drent tell their stories.

We also talk with Claire Danaher about the special action she did on Divestment Day, and Melissa Waggoner from Direct Action Melbourne about why she took part in an international protest event at Citibank in Melbourne.

Listen to The Sustainable Hour no. 143 on 94.7 The Pulse:

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Content of this hour

Links, excerpts and more information about what we talked about in this Sustainable Hour

» Read all the details on www.geelongsustainability.org.au/shd

» Powerpoint slides about the houses

Sustainable House Day guests — Clockwise from left to right: Dan Cowdell, Dierijk Drent, Vicki Perrett and Susan Weymouth.

Financial Review wrote that the market for homes with an average energy efficiency rating of 8 stars has moved into the mainstream. An 8-star home consumes half the energy of a 6 star-rated home.

Developer Brendan Condon is putting 220 new homes on the market in regional Victoria and there’s one key difference between his and the many other housing estates: the houses will cost less than $500 a year to operate. That, he says, is $2,500 saved every year – between 15 per cent and 25 per cent of the average running cost of homes in Victoria.

“It costs money to save money,” writes Financial Review. These 220 houses cost $11,000 more than an equivalent house built to standard energy efficiency ratings. But Condon estimates the annual saving of about $2,500 per year means a four to five-year payback time to recoup the extra outlay.

» Geelong Indy – 12 October 2016:
Green homes opening up

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Divestment Day 2016

Friday 7 October was Divestment Day, and a ‘bank action’ took place in Geelong as well.

Claire Danaher explains why she and her son participated in this year’s Divestment Day and closed their accounts with NAB. See more photos on Facebook

» Read more

Standing up for Indigenous lands and rights

Phone interview with Melissa Waggoner

“Direct Action Melbourne stands in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux who are peacefully resisting the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline on their sacred lands.”

» www.facebook.com/directactionmelbourne

Citigold executive Carlo receiving an open letter from Melissa Waggoner, Dine Omaha and Pawnee woman. » Share on Facebook

#NoDAPL #StandWithStandingRock

ADDITIONAL:

In other news

From our notes of the week: news stories and coming events we think you should also know about

Oil pipeline protesters arrested

Hollywood star Shailene Woodley was arrested while peacefully protesting Dakota Access pipeline in North Dakota, reported Los Angeles Times. She has been charged, along with 26 others, with criminal trespassing. Protesters are targeting the planned 1,172-mile pipeline that would carry 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day from production regions in North Dakota through South Dakota and Iowa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAdtJKuTl00

“You are making waves, Shailene, and we are honored to be on the same team! Thank you for standing up for Indigenous lands and Indigenous rights!”
Earth Guardians

Community Engagement Meeting in Geelong

It is really important that you let our Administrators know what you think could be done to improve Geelong – for instance in regard to cycling infrastructure or waste management – or if you think they should step up ambitions to make the city run on 100% renewables – and also that you let them know if there are areas where you think the Administrators are making the right decisions. They need to hear this!

The Community Engagement Meeting in Norlane takes place at Centenary Hall, 1-15 Cox Road (on corner of Melbourne Road), Norlane on Tuesday 18 October 2016. Start time: 5:30pm.

» Source: www.geelongaustralia.com.au/meetings

» Mental Health Week in-depth blogpost:
Benefits from understanding the connection between climate and mental health

Podcasts and posts about climate change

Acknowledgement

We at The Sustainable Hour would like to pay our respect to the traditional custodians of the land on which we are broadcasting, the Wathaurong People, and pay our respect to their elders, past, present and future.

The traditional owners lived in harmony with the environment and with the climate for hundreds of generations. It is not clear – yet – that as European settlers we have demonstrated that we can live in harmony for hundreds of generations, but it is clear that we can learn from the indigenous, traditional owners of this land.

When we talk about the future, it means extending our respect to those children not yet born, the generations of the future – remembering the old saying that…

The decisions currently being made around Australia to ignore climate change are being made by those who won’t be around by the time the worst effects hit home. How utterly disgusting, disrespectful and unfair is that?

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