Act for responsibility in wave of bird extinction

Australian matters, Local Geelong matters

The Sustainable Hour on 1 August 2018 with Craig Morley from Geelong Field Naturalists Club

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Our guest in The Sustainable Hour on 1 August 2018 is Craig Morley from Geelong Field Naturalists Club, who is joined on the phone by Sean Dooley, editor of Australian Birdlife, which is published by Birdlife Australia.

We talk recycling and plastic pollution with Kirsty Bishop-Fox, Zero Waste Victoria, co-organiser of the Zero Waste Festival in Brunswick on Sunday, and Colin Mockett presents a global outlook on plastic regulation in different countries.

Music: Andy Paine’s ‘Dont Just Sit Waiting’ and Missy Higgins’ ‘The Difference’.



 

“Responsibility lies with us as a community to demand our elected representatives implement better protection for nature.”
~ Act for Birds, on Birdlife Australia’s campaign website


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 LISTENER SERVICE: 

Content of this hour

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

Craig Morley

 #ACTFORBIRDS: 

Craig Morley

The Curlew Sandpiper is struggling for survival. The number of birds has seen an 80 per cent decline in the last 30 years, and is now in eminent danger of extinction. It flies for thousands of kilometres from Siberia to the Moolap Flats east of Geelong, but won’t have a home if that area is developed.

Geelong Field Naturalists Club and BirdLife Australia have called on the lack of action and the ongoing threat to vulnerable bird.

Craig Morley tells us in The Sustainable Hour that there will be further delays in the release of the state government’s final Moolap Coastal Strategic Framework plan report.

“While the government can be praised for updating and modernising the plans, regulations and legislation associated with the protection of flora and fauna, native vegetation clearing etc during its four-year term, the on ground follow up on key issues leaves a question mark on their environmental report card. Where there are commercial interests involved, their commitment to biodiversity seems to falter; Hooded Plovers / Belfast Beach, Shorebirds / Moolap and Leadbeater’s possum/logging come immediately to mind,” writes Geelong Field Naturalists Club in a newsletter.

Nature Glenelg Trust, established in 2011, campaign to restore the environmental values of Walkers Swamp gains momentum. The Trust with its partners is a success story of what dedicated people with the right organisational structure in place can do to achieve great outcomes for biodiversity at the landscape level. GFNC President Rod Lowther commented that the trust approach may be an option to explore as best practises and how those learning might be applied to the restoration of Moolap salt works. When the Moolap Coastal Strategic Framework report is released, then hopefully the focus and attention can turn to restoration of this important bird habitat area.

» Learn about Nature Glenelg Trust on www.natureglenelg.org.au


The Curlew Sandpiper is a common visitor during the Australian summer, congregating in large flocks, sometimes comprising thousands of birds, at sheltered intertidal mudflats and also at the muddy margins of terrestrial wetlands. They often mix with other species of shorebirds, pecking at invertebrates on the surface of the mud or making shallow probes below its surface, sometimes wading in belly-deep water while probing. Feeding becomes more intense as migration time approaches, with birds fuelling up for their long flight back to their breeding grounds in Siberia.

» www.birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/curlew-sandpiper

» The Herald Sun – 31 July 2018:
Scientists discover alarming collapse of king penguin population on remote island
“The world’s largest colony of king penguins has declined by nearly 90 per cent in about 35 years, alarmed researchers said.”



Sean Dooley

Community forum in Geelong
The Act for Birds Community Forum was a successful evening in Geelong with 65 attendees on a night not favoured for being out. Kim Garratt from BirdLife was the key organiser of the event. The GFNC will give briefings on the campaign at all its August meeting.

The Places You Love campaign is supported by approximately 50 key environmental organisations. At the forum it was outlined how the group will be mounting a concerted effort to have the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act strengthened when the Act is reviewed in 2019.

“Australia’s nature laws are failing to protect our unique birds and landscapes. Our birds are running out of options and running out of time.”

“Current legislation, including the national Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), remains flawed and continues to be undermined by loopholes and exemptions. Our existing nature laws are failing birds, places and people.

Time after time, economic and social priorities are allowed to take precedence over our threatened birds and their habitat. And no one is being held to account.

It’s time for real change.

Right now, we have a unique opportunity to push for strong nature laws and independent institutions that will protect the birds and places we love.

We can all have an important part to play by adding our voice to this cause by writing to current and candidate politician. A person letter will show that we are care.”
~ Excerpt from the Act for Birds campaign website, www.actforbirds.org

» Geelong Field Naturalists Club’s website:
www.gfnc.org.au

» Birdlife Australia’s website:
www.birdlife.org.au


Eco-youth and eco-tourism: capturing two birds with one phone

Geelong-based author and columnist Trevor Pescott who presented his new book, ‘Birds and Botanists: A field naturalist’s history of Geelong’ in The Sustainable Hour no. 192.

“The world’s chicken are triple the weight of all the wild birds…”



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Kirsty Bishop-Fox

Kirsty Bishop-Fox: Zero Waste Victoria

Zero Waste Festival: “Come along and get practical ideas to fight the war on waste and find solutions that can be taken into your everyday life.

Whether you are just getting started on your zero waste journey or you’re ready to take zero waste to the next level, this is a festival that is not to be missed. It will be packed with talks, workshops, stalls and information stands AND you can participate in Zero Waste Victoria’s first clothes swap.”

» www.zerowastevictoria.org

» www.facebook.com/groups/ZeroWasteVictoria


Kirsty Bishop-Fox posted in Plastic-free Victoria Alliance:

Zero Waste Victoria has some very exciting news

An application was submitted to Pick My Project and it has progressed to the next stage, which means we need your help with your vote. Voting is now open. 

To enter you’ll need to verify your email and confirm with a mobile phone code. You have 3 votes and I suggest you choose projects that you want to support, unfortunately you can’t vote for us 3 times (but multiple grants will be awarded in this area) 

Our project is to hold “Zero Waste and Sustainable Living Community Leadership Programs” This will be various workshop series, consultations, and events including another Zero Waste Festival. This is an amazing opportunity for us to partner with some great people in the waste / sustainability space and to further support the broader community with zero waste and sustainability initiatives 

Please share this because being able to support the greater community with Zero Waste initiatives will help take it to a whole new level! 

Note: You have to have a Victorian address to vote in. They ask for street and postcode. 

Thanks for your support on https://pickmyproject.vic.gov.au/rounds/pick-my-project/ideas/zero-waste-and-sustainable-living-community-leadership-programs



Colin Mockett

 #GLOBALOUTLOOK ON #PLASTIC: 

Chile to ban the commercial use of plastic bags

Those flouting the ban will be subject to a $370 fine, in a country where the minimum wage is just $800.

» Phys.org – 3 August 2018:
Chile enacts historic ban on plastic bags
“Large businesses have six months to phase out the use of plastic bags, while smaller ones will be given two years to adapt to the new rules.”



» First Post | Agence France-Presse – 5 August 2018:
Chile becomes first country South American country to ban the commercial use of plastic bags

Dominica to ban single-use containers

» National Geographic – 7 August 2018:
This Island Nation Is Banning Plastic
“Dominica plans to become the world’s first climate resilient nation, and banning single-use containers is one step they’re taking to get there.”


Kenya: world’s toughest ban on plastic bags

» The Guardian – 25 April 2018:
Eight months on, is the world’s most drastic plastic bag ban working?
“Kenya’s ban comes with the world’s stiffest fines and some businesses are struggling to find affordable alternatives, but in Nairobi’s shanty towns the clean-up is changing lives.”

 #PLASTICFREE: 

Coles is once again giving away free plastic bags

Woolworths has been giving out an estimated 3.2 billion lightweight plastic bags annually. They banned single-use plastic bags after some prevarication and so far appears unlikely to follow Coles’ latest move to again give away free single-use plastic bags.

“The Coles plastic bag fiasco is all its own work. The triple somersault with cartwheel and pike has left customers confused and bewildered. Anti-waste groups will forever question the authenticity of Coles’ self-proclaimed green credentials.”

» The New Daily – 2 August 2018:
How Coles just committed one of the greatest PR bungles in history



In a statement, Woolworths told The New Daily it would continue with its phasing out of single-use plastic bags:

“We’ve found the majority of our customers across Australia have embraced the move to a more sustainable way of shopping. We would like to thank them for their patience and support since we phased out single-use plastic bags.”
~ Woolworths

Single-use bags were outlawed in Tasmania in November 2013 and shoppers have been paying for reusable bags at both Coles and Woolworths since.

» The New Daily – 1 August 2018:
Coles’ on-again, off-again plastic bags are on again
Supermarket giant Coles is once again giving away free plastic bags to its customers after abandoning its environmentally friendly stance in the face of a backlash from angry customers.

» The New Daily – 2 August 2018:
Coles backflips on its reusable bag backflip
“The supermarket giant faced a barrage of criticism on Wednesday when it revealed it would abandon its environmentally friendly stance and indefinitely provide its reusable bags for free.”

» ABC News – 1 August 2018:
Coles backs down on plastic bag ban, will hand out thicker bags as customers ‘need more time’

» The Scientist – 2 August 2018:
Plastics Emit Greenhouse Gases as They Degrade
“The materials are a previously unaccounted-for source of methane and ethylene, researchers find.”




Colin Mockett’s global outlook



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 #CLIMATEEMERGENCY: 

How to Survive and Adapt to Climate Change


‘Ecosophia’ trailer 2018


 #CLIMATEEMERGENCY: 

Climate emergency: “Something has gone terribly wrong”

“Something has gone terribly wrong: A problem that is widely recognized as threatening millions of lives, perhaps even the future of human life on Earth, has not been addressed seriously and doesn’t seem likely to be.”
» The Nation – 21 June 2018:
States of Emergency
“Imagining a politics for an age of accelerated climate change.”

» The New Daily – 1 August 2018:
‘Be vigilant’: Bushfire danger season starts before winter ends
“The NSW Rural Fire Service has officially declared Wednesday as day one of the summer bushfire season in 10 local government areas across NSW – with a month of winter still to run.”

» World Economic Forum – 19 July 2018
The Arctic is burning



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 #CYCLING: 

Geelong: Belmont bike path debate

Good for your health, good for the climate – but requires safe infrastructure. Cycling in Geelong is once again up for debate in the local media and on social media:


The Geelong Council are planning a bike path along High Street in Belmont as part of a larger bicycle connections project that will link Waurn Ponds to Geelong. However, there is a campaign by a group of politicians and traders who want to protect car parking on High Street “at the expense of the safety of cyclists,” as Bicycle Users Geelong formulates it.

Survey
Get in there and fill in the survey:
www.geelongaustralia.com.au/betterbikeconnections

Survey is open until 7 September 2018.

Make a comment
How about leaving a comment about how you feel about this project on the Facebook post? There are many very negative comments flowing there. Would be good to see some more comments which are supportive of the project too!

City of Greater Geelong’s Building Better Bike Connections team explained:


“We want to work with the whole community to develop the best possible design for High Street, between Mount Pleasant Road and Roslyn Road, that caters for traders, residents, shoppers, drivers and cyclists. This is more than a cycling project, it’s also an opportunity to improve the amenity of High Street and boost its appeal as a destination for shopping, dining and services.

Video
Share the short video on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter:


https://twitter.com/GreaterGeelong/status/1024116268922744837

See the four potential design options and have your say via the community survey
The survey will inform Council on decisions of the project moving forward.
Pass onto your colleagues, friends and family of Geelong! 

» Bicycle Users Geelong:
Vote on bicycle lanes on High Street Belmont



Some emissions figures to be conscious of when we talk about transport:

Get the figures

The figures vary, of course, depending of how many passengers you travel together with, but the overall picture is worth taking note of.

Safer conditions for cycling encourages cycling in cities

“Change begins with a bike ride: More bicycle traffic makes roads safer”

A new study – ‘Living. Moving. Breathing. Ranking of European Cities in Sustainable Transport’ – shows that more cyclists and pedestrians can make cities safer. And when safe, attractive and comfortable bicycle facilities are developed, we will leap onto the bike saddle more often – all over the world.

The researchers from The Wuppertal Institute also found that Oslo, Copenhagen, and Zurich have some of the cleanest air in Europe.

Copenhagen ranked first with low emissions, low congestion, shared mobility, smartphone apps for public transport and, more importantly, a high cost of parking.

“Cities all over Europe acknowledge the need for more sustainable urban transport and create people friendly mobility by developing new approaches to urban mobility planning and by stimulating a shift towards cleaner and more sustainable transport modes. Yet, how clean and safe are our cities in Europe?

The report ‘Living. Moving. Breathing. Ranking of European Cities in Sustainable Transport’ on urban mobility performance measurement enables European city stakeholders and the public to understand their current urban mobility situation through a point-based results framework, developed by the Wuppertal Institute.

The report is a comparison of 13 European metropolises, in terms of public transport, road safety, air quality, mobility management, and active mobility (walking and cycling).

The result: Amsterdam and Copenhagen, residents travel about a third of their trips by bicycle, and these cities have the fewest bicycle accidents. Therefore, more cyclists and pedestrians can make cities safer for cycling and pedestrians.

“The infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists is well developed in Copenhagen and Amsterdam. Bicycle comfort and safety is a priority while designing streets and it can be seen in the physically segregated infrastructure for cycling in Amsterdam and Copenhagen.

The study highlights that public transport, walking and cycling are the three pillars of sustainable transport and they need to be firmly embedded in urban planning and efficiently integrated for bigger results.

“Our study shows that there is a close connection between poorly developed public transport network and air quality,” says Santhosh Kodukula, Project Co-ordinator in the Research Unit Mobility and International Cooperation at the Wuppertal Institute’s Division Energy, Transport and Climate Policy.

The magazines Intelligent Transport and alphr reported on the European City Ranking, that London is one of the most polluted and dangerous cities in Europe. The Travel Breaking News focused on Oslo and that the city is praised for its car-free city centre.



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Missy Higgins: ‘The Difference’




 ADDITIONALLY: 

In other news

From our notes of this week: news stories and events we didn’t have time to mention but which we think you should know about

WWF newsletter: The Australian Senate wants to hear from you

From Darren Grover, Head of Living Ecosystems, WWF-Australia, on 1 August 2018

Stop Australia’s extinction crisis today

I’m sad to say that Australia is in the midst of a mass extinction crisis. Did you know we’re at risk of losing over 450 of our native animal species? And one of these species is the iconic koala!

The current laws are failing our native wildlife, but right now we’ve got the opportunity to turn this around. The Australian Senate has launched an inquiry into this extinction crisis, and they want to hear from you!

SEND A MESSAGE TODAY

This is a rare chance to have our say on future government policy – with the right laws we can stop the extinction crisis.

We have until 13 August 2018 to send a message to the senate inquiry and tell them that the government’s laws aren’t working and that our unique wildlife and landscapes are worth protecting.

Australia has become a world leader in extinction and it’s a heartbreaking title to bear.

Let’s not say goodbye to our precious wildlife. Together, we can end this extinction crisis. Please don’t miss your chance to be a voice for nature.

Darren Grover
Head of Living Ecosystems
WWF-Australia

WWF is Australia’s most trusted conservation organisation. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians, whose land we work upon and we pay our respects to their elders past and present. At WWF, we work in Australia and in our Asia-Pacific backyard to protect endangered species and habitats, meet the challenge of climate change, and build a world where people live in harmony with nature. This would not be possible without financial support from our community. Thank you! If you would like to help us please make a donation

 

» Source

[ENDS]



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“it’s the first week of august.
• bushfires rage in both hemispheres(!)
• the barrier reef is dying
• NSW is gripped by drought
…and our federal environment minister tries to ram through a climate policy designed to achieve *nothing*?”
~ Simon Holmes à Court on Twitter on 3 August 2018







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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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