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Guest in The Sustainable Hour on 31 October 2018 is Ken Dickens, managing director of Corio Waste Management.
Paul Wittwer explains that the National Day of Inaction on 30 November 2018 is actually a day of climate action.
Australian school kids go on school strike tomorrow. We play an excerpt of a speech that Greta Thunberg gave in Helsinki, Finland, on 20 October 2018, and we listen to a youtube-clip about the UK climate emergency action group Extinction Rebellion. We also mention figures from a new WWF report.
Barista Eddie Inostroza from Roadshow Coffee has a coffee-cup moment with Lene Fogsgaard as she launches the series ‘Sustainable People’.
30 October was The Sustainable Hour’s five year birthday, and we play a short clip with one of our guests in Show no 1. Eventually, we are heard dancing out of the studio with Baba Brinkman’s ‘Party Don’t Stop’ and SolarEdge’s ‘Solar Gangnam Style’.
“Participation – that’s what’s gonna save the human race.”
~ Pete Seeger, American singer
Listen to The Sustainable Hour no. 240 on 94.7 The Pulse:
» To open or download this programme in mp3-format, right-click here (Mac: CTRL + click)
» Subscribe to ‘The Sustainable Hour’ podcast via iTunes or Stitcher
New study finds "humanity has wiped out 60% of mammals, birds, fish and reptiles since 1970." That's our legacy.https://t.co/bIhwfiHTJo
— Bill McKibben (@billmckibben) October 30, 2018
» More below
LISTENER SERVICE:
Content of this hour
Links, excerpts and more information about what we talked about in this Sustainable Hour
#CLIMATEACTION:
Paul Wittwer: National Day of Inaction
Six-minute live radio interview with Paul Wittwer in The Sustainable Hour on 31 October 2018 – about the National Day of Inaction which is on 30 November 2018.
“We are sick of the inaction on climate change.”
~ Paul Wittwer
» Find out more at www.sites.google.com/view/inaction
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Ken Dickens
“Waste Management is art, science and high risk. It is also an essential service.”
~ Ken Dickens
It’s looking like a recycling convention in the studio today, with Ken Dickens from Corio Waste Management, Jackie Matthews from Suburban Scrap Solutions and Rusty Bikesmith who is passionate about repairing, reusing and recycling – for a talk about recycling, China’s import-stop and what we should think about using waste to create energy.
Victoria’s waste and resource recovery system manages more than 12.7 million tonnes of waste each year. Although we already recover over 67 per cent of our waste, this will be exacerbated by population increase. We need solutions.
Ken Dickens is a waste services industry leader and accomplished business owner with management and senior executive experience with some of Australia’s largest transport and waste services companies.
Corio Waste Management has over 70 employees, 40 collection vehicles and operations in Geelong, Altona North and Dandenong South. The company takes pride in offering “clean, efficient and sustainable services” across the waste resource value chain.
Ken is a strong supporter of the G21 Region Opportunities for Work (GROW) initiative, which aims to lift jobs in local areas of disadvantage. He is a member of numerous industry bodies, such as VECCI, Geelong Chamber of Commerce, Geelong Manufacturing Council, Committee for Geelong and Committee for Greater Shepparton and is a member of the Victorian Waste Management Association executive.
» Ken Dickens’ Linkedin profile
Recycling in Geelong
In 2017, residents’ efforts in using the kerbside recycling bin saved 27,273 tonnes of recyclable items from going to landfill.
“Some of the most commonly used household items that can be recycled through the yellow lid bin are instead being sent to landfill in our rubbish bins. Newspapers and magazines, glass bottles and jars, plastic food containers, cardboard and aluminium cans are some of the recyclables found in rubbish bins…”
» City of Greater Geelong – 31 October 2018:
Paper and glass still going to landfill
“Recent bin audits revealed that 14% of what we’re putting in our kerbside rubbish bins can actually be recycled.”
National Recycling Week: 12-18 November 2018
» City of Greater Geelong – 19 October 2018:
National Recycling Week highlights recycling options
“Planet Ark’s National Recycling Week on 12-18 November is an opportunity to take advantage of the recycling and reuse options available throughout the region. When you recycle, you not only give material a chance to become something new, you divert it from the landfill.”
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#CLIMATESTRIKE #CLIMATEACTION:
Greta Thunberg: School strike for climate action
'We can't save the world by playing by the rules'. 15 year-old Greta Thunberg's incredible call to action on #ClimateChange. https://t.co/X2eQ4J6lpa #ReasonsForHope pic.twitter.com/cYFzhSjIL7
— Greenpeace (@Greenpeace) October 25, 2018
Students in Central Victoria who are kicking off the school strike in Australia are not on social media. On 1 November 2018 they will be starting their strike in Bendigo at 9am with kids from local schools in the area. They have an opinion article running in Sydney Morning Herald in the morning. Students in Sydney will join them on Friday 2 November, and students from across the country will be striking for climate action throughout November.
» More here: www.schoolstrike4climate.com
School students aged 5-18 have organised big ‘school walk out’ events on Friday 30 November. Other kids are choosing a day to strike whenever suits them best during November.
Big Walk Out events on 30 November
Melbourne
Sydney
Brisbane
Whitsundays
» Kids or parents who have questions or need a hand can write to: schoolstrike4climate@gmail.com
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#COFFEECUPS #RECYCLING #SUSTAINABLELIVING #SUSTAINABLEPEOPLE:
Eddie Inostroza, coffee barista
Eddie Inostroza has been living, breathing and frothing coffee in his home city of Melbourne for the best part of fourteen years. He owns a mobile coffee business called Roadshow Coffee where he specialises in pop-up cafes, coffee carts and mobile coffee shops for a wide range of functions and events.
» Home page: www.roadshowcoffee.com | Instagram: @roadshowcoffee
» Eddie Inostroza’s Linkedin profile | Instagram: @eddie_the_barista
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#EXTINCTION:
WWF: 60% gone in the last 50 years
“Global populations of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles declined, on average, by 60 per cent between 1970 and 2014, the most recent year with available data. Over the same period, the human Footprint has more than doubled. It now takes 1.7 planet Earths to accommodate humanity’s Footprint.”
WWF has released the 2018 edition of the Living Planet Report – a study of what’s happening to nature and the health of the planet.
Collating contributions from 26 different institutions for almost 2 years, this year’s report provides the latest evidence and science that clearly shows that we urgently need to change our relationship with the planet.
If we are to have any hope of ensuring a future for the wildlife we love, and the ecosystems that both sustain life on Earth and simultaneously support our well-being, health and economy, we need to look after nature.
» Read the 144-page report (PDF)
» World Economic Forum – 30 October 2018:
We’ve lost 60% of wildlife in less than 50 years
Ecological footprint per person
The Ecological Footprint per person is a nation’s total Ecological Footprint divided by the total population of the nation. To live within the means of our planet’s resources, the world’s Ecological Footprint would have to equal the available biocapacity per person on our planet, which is currently 1.7 global hectares. So if a nation’s Ecological Footprint per person is 6.8 global hectares, its citizens are demanding four times the resources and wastes that our planet can regenerate and absorb in the atmosphere.
Ecological footprint per person of country’s population
www.data.footprintnetwork.org
» This time of the year, schools around the world dive into the Footprint Calculator, www.footprintcalculator.org
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#CLIMATEEMERGENCY #CLIMATEACTION:
Extinction Rebellion: “…about to cause some trouble”
A new campaign group ‘Extinction Rebellion’ starts with a roadblock at the junction of The Strand and Trafalgar Square in September 2018. Their message and call to action is urgent; “The earth’s cooling system, the arctic, will be summer-ice free in less than 10 years. Once we lose summer-ice it’s expected we have 10 years until it is completely melted, all year round, forever. This event will trigger a massive, chaotic acceleration in global warming.”
Extinction Rebellion launch in London on 31 October
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hog6-sjmpCw
More about Extinction Rebellion
United Kingdom: Civil disobedience call for emergency plan of action
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#CLIMATEEMERGENCY #FAITH:
Joint statement from Bishops
The heads of six continental bishops’ conferences have signed a rare joint statement. The bishops’ call is clear:
“We call for ambitious and immediate action to be taken in order to tackle and overcome the devastating effects of the climate crisis. These actions need to be taken by the international community at all levels: by persons, communities, cities, regions, nations.”
“We need a deep and durable shift towards sustainable lifestyles and bold political choices that could back those efforts to address overconsumption and drastically cut ecological footprints at individual and community levels.”
~ 2018 joint statement on climate justice by Bishops’ Conferences
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“The power is with the money, and the state is weak.”
~ Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, 79-year-old German biology professor, founder of the Wuppertal Institute and former co-president of the Club of Rome
#EDITORIAL:
The outcome will depend on our ability to synchronise
By Mik Aidt
The power is with the money, not with us But, eh, hasn’t the power always “been with the money”, up through history? And wasn’t that exactly the reason why we invented democracy? To ensure that it wasn’t just the richest people on this planet who would be deciding on everything, including on whether they’d like to destroy the planet’s ecosystems and cause climatic havoc in order to sustain their lifestyles and wealth – or maybe even with the deliberate genocidal intention to kill off a billion people or more?
As the collective members of that democracy, it appears we have increasingly let power slip out of our hands in recent decades. All statistics document this. And then, in August 2018, a Swedish student – Greta Thunberg – steps in on the global scene and suggests that a way to reclaim our influence on the way things are going is, simply, to use the old-fashioned disruption tool that is: to go on strike.
Throughout history, striking has been a very powerful and efficient way to change an unfair system. It was the only way people on the streets could have any say against those who held the power and the money: go on strike until you have been heard.
Striking is a well-tested method, and it could most likely do the trick again on the climate matters, if only enough people would join the strike, or enough people would understand that we have to syncronise and be very public about the things we each do to reduce our carbon footprint.
In that respect, the codeword that could break humanity’s current ‘carbon spell’ is syncronisity: As individuals we all need to get better at syncronising with one another now.
For instance, Greta starts out in Sweden with a powerful youth idea: a climate strike – Fridays for Future – she soon inspired hundreds, and then thousands more – young people across Europe who now sit every Friday in front of parliaments and city halls in a joint call to politicians to change.
In Denmark, a group of climate activists has been doing something similar every Thursday for a while. Just as an example. In Australia, there’s a ‘Climate Code Red Monday’ movement. They ask you to “wear red on Mondays to start conversations around limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees.”
Syncronism would be if we all were able to figure out that to gain momentum and strength as a movement, we need to do this on the same day.
‘School strike for climate’
While the kids are on school strike, on 30 November, adults will be taking a ‘National Day of Inaction’ – closing their businesses or calling in sick because of the climate inaction. There are also church people going on ‘Climate fast’.
The Extinction Rebellion group in England organises non-violent civil disobedience protest in the hope that they’ll get arrested. They already have more than 300 people who are ready to go to prison in order to make a statement about the ‘crime against humanity’ that our governments’ climate inaction really is.
In Germany, 6,500 people crowded together in the Rhineland coalfield in the biggest Ende Gelände action ever where 4,000 people are blocking the tracks that supply the power plant there with coal.
Another group saying ‘Stay On The Ground’ and committing to not stepping into any airplanes in 2019: A year without flying. Another type of strike, in a way.
There’s the woman who makes a cap that says ‘I support Greta’ and wears it with pride when she walks in the streets.
There’s people who sell their car and start cycling and walking.
Others who only buy local food and goes to the Farmers Markets every weekend.
As Baba Brinkman sings, we can make waves in so many ways.
There are a hundred different ways we can support Greta’s youth movement of school kids who are on strike for the climate. Or the Extinction Rebels. But if we do it quietly and unsyncronised, on our own, we miss out on creating the change we’d like to see in society. We have to become part of a larger group. As individuals we must make sure we sign up and become part of something bigger.
If it is just you and a friend with an idea, your partner will be the first one to think you are an idiot. But if you are joining and helping a group of thousands, and you clearly feel proud of what you do, being absolutely public and outspoken about it – then you’ll begin to see the change happening around you, you’ll be approached by likeminded souls, and its is likely that it will even come to that point where your partner doesn’t think you’re an idiot any longer.
We have to be public about it, and to synchronise with one another other across all the various borders and barriers.
To achieve anything and be heard when the media won’t listen requires using different channels of communication. Finding “ambassadors” and getting endorsements from people of influence can open new channels to communicate messages to new people, who are not part of the ‘echo chambers’ in the climate movement.
My suggestion would be to start with the royals – the princesses in particular. Would they endorse – or simply send a little message to Greta? Secondly, Bishops and faith leaders at top level, including Pope Francis.
These leaders represent society’s leadership of the past, and they enjoy a great deal of respect among both the rich people and the average citizens, the so-called ‘man/woman on the street’.
Artists can also make a huge difference, because they are valued for their integrity and their ability to speak straight from the heart. When we talk, we should be talking about the kind of stuff that speaks to the heart – which climate science does not.
One such artist is Peter Garrett. “The time has come to pay our share…” he sings in Midnight Oil’s song ‘Beds Are Burning’. The old generation that has burned a trillion ton of climate-wrecking pollution up in the atmosphere… and benefitted from it. Now, yes indeed, the time has come to pay our share, and clean up the mess. A new WHO study has found that over 90 per cent of children breathe toxic air every day. Why is that a price we accept we should be paying, when better, cheaper and cleaner ways to provide us with energy have been invented? Why do we think it is okay that our kids have to grow up with a risk of living with asthma and cancer and the rest of it, and with the risk of a climate catastrophe hanging over their heads?
Another study finds that humans are now ingesting microplastics. Why is that not something we’d get mad and rebellious about, demanding answers from our elected leaders? Who allowed microplastics to be put in the products we buy? Why? Why would they allow this knowingly that it causes all sorts of damage to living creatures, including ourselves? Why do consumers just blindly keep buying those products that contain microplastics?
I agree with Greta and the Extinction Rebels: the time has come for an awareness revolution – a non-violent citizen-driven rebellion which aims to protect ourselves and all other lifeforms on the planet from these destructive industry executives who feel no responsibility for the damage their products are causing.
» World Economic Forum – 29 October 2018:
More than 90% of the world’s children are breathing toxic air
“400,000 premature deaths a year.”
Victoria's energy system fails the community and the climate. A publicly-owned, non-profit, renewable energy retailer would help lower bills, cut emissions & bring our energy system into the 21st century. Read our blog on the idea here > https://t.co/Bo9hB4rodW#SpringSt pic.twitter.com/atfZFvTTlr
— Friends of the Earth (@FoEAustralia) November 1, 2018
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
Reject Adani’s water plan
The Queensland Government are about to sign off on Adani’s water plans without knowing the mine’s full impacts on water. Federal Government scientists have discovered a massive gap in Adani’s water plans. The mining giant have failed to conduct crucial research to properly assess their coal mine’s impact on the ancient Doongmabulla Springs.[1]
The million-year old Doongmabulla Springs are one of the last pristine desert oases in the world. These 160 wetlands provide permanent water and sustain life in times of drought. They are the most important cultural site for the Wangan and Jagalingou Traditional Owners. Adani’s coal mine could permanently drain them. But Adani and the Queensland Government don’t even understand what the full extent of the damage will be. Because so far they’ve failed to do the proper research. And we’ve only got a small window of opportunity to demand action from the Queensland Government before they sign off on Adani’s water plans.
Adani should not be allowed to cut corners when it comes to water. Queensland is struggling through one of the worst droughts in recorded history and the mining giant have just been caught red-handed putting groundwater at risk by illegally drilling into aquifers of the Great Artesian Basin.
It would be completely reckless for the Queensland Government to fast-track Adani’s water plans while the mining giant are under state and federal investigation for illegal drilling, and drought-stricken farmers are struggling to grow food.
There’s no second chances with our water. It’s time to stand up and defend it.
Moira, for #Stop Adani
Reference:
[1] Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation. 2016. Lake Eyre Basin Springs Assessment Project: Hydrogeology, Cultural History and Biological Values of Springs in the Barcaldine, Springvale and Flinders River supergroups, Galilee Basin and Tertiary Springs of western Queensland
Authorised by C. Walker, Friends of the Earth Australia, 312 Smith St, Collingwood VIC 3065
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Failure to fight climate change is a crime against humanity
“President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, and others who oppose action to address human-induced climate change should be held accountable for climate crimes against humanity. They are the authors and agents of systematic policies that deny basic human rights to their own citizens and people around the world, including the rights to life, health, and property. These politicians have blood on their hands, and the death toll continues to rise.”
~ Jeffrey Sachs, professor of economics and director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University.
» CNN – 18 October 2018:
Trump’s failure to fight climate change is a crime against humanity
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“The industry is gaslighting you”
“Whether we admit it or not, we’re all in the middle of one big, giant mourning process. We’re mourning our futures. We’re mourning the children we’re afraid to have. Our bucket lists. Our travel plans. Some of us are mourning homes already lost to fires or flood, or savings accounts wiped out helping relatives recover from hurricanes. Some of us are mourning our todays, even our yesterdays.
Denial is part of the traditional mourning process, but we have collectively spent way too long there. It’s time to snap out of it.
Given the sheer enormity of climate change, it’s okay to be depressed, to grieve. But please, don’t stay there too long. Join me in pure, unadulterated, righteous anger.
The dominant narrative around climate change tells us that it’s our fault. We left the lights on too long, didn’t close the refrigerator door, and didn’t recycle our paper. I’m here to tell you that is bullshit. If the light switch was connected to clean energy, who the hell cares if you left it on? The problem is not consumption — it’s the supply. And your scrap paper did not hasten the end of the world.
Don’t give in to that shame. It’s not yours. The oil and gas industry is gaslighting you.
That same IPCC report revealed that a mere 100 companies are responsible for 71 percent of global climate emissions. These people are locking you and everything you love into a tomb. You have every right to be pissed all the way off. And we have to make them hear about it.”
~ Mary Annaise Heglar, senior policy publications editor at a prominent environmental advocacy organisation in New York, USA
» Vox – 30 October 2018:
The big lie we’re told about climate change is that it’s our own fault
“How to deal with despair over climate change.”
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Climate crisis demands border adjustments
Think Piece by John S. Odell from University of Southern California; Centre for International Governance Innovation:
‘Our Alarming Climate Crisis Demands Border Adjustments Now’
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“This book is a fiercely urgent and profoundly spiritual journey into the climate-justice movement at a critical moment—in search of what climate justice, at this late hour, might yet mean.”
‘What We’re Fighting for Now Is Each Other – Dispatches from the front lines of climate justice’
~ Wen Stephenson, environmental journalist
» The Guardian – 30 October 2018:
Clean energy is cheap, surging – and headed for a fall
“Solar and wind projects are transforming Australia’s power grid, but unclear policies will slow new investments.”
» CarbonBrief – 5 March 2018:
New scenarios show how the world could limit warming to 1.5C in 2100
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Circular economy
“A successful transition to a circular economy requires leadership. Therefore, Denmark and the World Economic Forum have committed to a new partnership to help accelerate the transition.”
There’s more to the story, though, and a LOT more leadership required in the Danish parliament. But this one is a good step in the right direction. Can’t happen fast enough!
» Read more on www.stateofgreen.com
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The next federal election “is a once-in-a-generation chance to wrestle back the power from the coal-lobby and climate deniers.”
~ Sam R, GetUp
Liberal MP Dean Smith has warned his Party could “lose the support of the next generation” without urgent action:
» The Australian – 24 October 2018:
Young will abandon us for climate inaction, Liberal Dean Smith warns
The University of NSW study says the likely closure of Australia’s 23 coal-fired power stations by 2050 will be a disaster for workers unless the government creates an independent Energy Transition Authority to manage the closures and help them find new jobs.
The report said 8,000 workers were directly employed in Australia’s coal-fired power industry, with an estimated 18,000 jobs depending on the sector.
Victoria’s Hazelwood power station was the latest to close in March last year, one of 10 coal-fired stations to have closed since 2012. Although it may take until 2050 for all existing coal stations to shut, the report said, most would likely be gone by 2035.
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Clean economy of the future delivering new jobs for the valley
Media release from Environment Victoria on 30 october 2018
Today’s announcement of a new electric vehicle manufacturing plant in the Latrobe Valley will position the region as a big player as we shift our economy to clean industries of the future, says Environment Victoria.
Victorian Labor has announced that it will support SEA Electric to build a new electric vehicle factory in the Latrobe Valley, which would produce thousands of electric delivery vans and minibuses every year.
“Today’s announcement shows that the real hope for the Latrobe Valley is in the clean economy of the future – not looking backwards to dirty coal,” said Mark Wakeham, CEO of Environment Victoria.
“The new SEA plant will create 500 new manufacturing jobs, making it one of the largest private employers in the region.
”The SEA plant will provide more than the 450 jobs that Hazelwood mine and power station directly employed, which highlights the scale of the new investment. The electric vehicle factory gives young people a real chance to stay in the local area and apply their skills.
“The demand for electric vehicles is only going to grow, meaning these jobs should be around for decades to come.
“As well as investing in electric vehicles, we need the next state government to have an ambitious, long-term plan to rapidly build more renewable energy to make sure that cars charged on the Victorian grid are as climate-friendly as possible,” said Mr Wakeham.
Today’s announcement coincides with the release of a new report from the University of NSW & the CFMMEU that shows the vital role that planning will play in ensuring that the transition from coal to clean energy goes smoothly.
“The key to a successful transition away from coal and towards clean industries of the future is actively planning for power station closure and economic diversification,” said Mr Wakeham.
“The Latrobe Valley Authority has played a vital role in supporting the Valley throughout the closure of Hazelwood. That’s why we’re calling on all parties at the state election to make it a permanent statutory authority that can continue to attract investment and support new businesses.
“Today’s commitment to creating jobs in industries of the future in the Valley stands in stark contrast to the false hope being pedalled by a range of candidates in the electorate of Morwell, who have spruiked vague plans to build a new coal-fired power station in the region.
“The simple truth is that the future of jobs and manufacturing is in clean energy – not dirty coal. We need to find opportunities to invest in real clean energy solutions, rather than desperately look for ways to prolong the transition from coal,” said Mr Wakeham.
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