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Guests in The Sustainable Hour on 6 November 2019 are Geelong’s new mayor and deputy mayor, Stephanie Asher and Kylie Grzybek for an important conversation about leadership and how best to bring both Council staff, businesses and rate payers with us to help solve complex and collective problems in our community such as the current recycling crisis and the climate emergency.
Colin Mockett starts off the hour with a climate emergency declaration from 11,000 scientists, which is all over mainstream news this morning. He also tells the story about how one by one, portraits of the French president Emmanuel Macron are disappearing from town halls across France in an unusual new environmental movement that’s aiming to push the president to do more to fight climate change.
We play a clip from a new Danish tv documentary about Australia, ‘The Drought Drives me Crazy’, which was screened on the Danish equivalent to the ABC, the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, on Monday night, and which allegedly left a strong impression on the Danish viewers. Journalist and producer Jacob Crogh’s message was: “Australia is the world’s largest emitter of carbon pollution per capita. In spite of the fact that the country is already hit hard by the climate emergency, the population in general, including the drought-hit farmers and even the government is in complete denial about the problem.”
We play the song ‘The Change of Climate’, and round off the hour with Missy Higgins’ ‘The Difference’, and Jamiroquai’s ‘Emergency on Planet Earth’
“I think we need to actually really step up our game. So we will be part of trying to raise awareness, talking to people, educate people. (…) Do have patience with us, because we are actually all on the same side. We don’t want to be fighting battles to stop things happening. We are actually all heading in the same direction. It is just a matter of time. We have to bring everyone with us. We want to have as many people supporting the same action as possible, because then it gets easier.”
~ Stephanie Asher, Geelong Mayor, in The Sustainable Hour on 6 November 2019
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The Danish newspaper Ekstra-Bladet, which normally would be seen as an equivalent to for instance the Herald Tribune in Australia, stated in an editorial headline what many feel about the American president: “Climate pig”.
Ekstra-Bladet wrote: “At the same time as 11,000 scientists from 153 countries have issued a sharp warning that the world is moving rapidly towards a global climate crisis, President Trump has now officially pulled the United States out of the Paris Agreement.
The culprit at the White House puts his core voters’ interests above the planet and doesn’t give a damn that the United States as the world’s largest economy also is the largest greenhouse gas emitter.
Trump’s despise for climate agreements these days is further put in relief by the roaring forest fires that ravage California. Forest fires caused by climate change with unprecedented drought and heavy winds.
However, nothing is so bad that it is not good for something.
For example, 24 American states – with heavyweights such as California and New York at the forefront – and hundreds of large and medium-sized American cities have come together to comply with United States’ pledges to keep the Paris Agreement and implement low carbon mitigation measures.”
LISTENER SERVICE:
Content of this hour
Links, excerpts and more information about what we talked about in this Sustainable Hour
Geelong Council declaring a climate emergency:
Still an option in 2020, says mayor
Here is a transcript of what Geelong Mayor Stephanie Asher told The Sustainable Hour’s listeners on 6 November 2019:
Mayor Stephanie Asher: “For the Council, it is about a timing issue, and this is where… The irony of an emergency, to be saying “we are not ready yet,” I fully appreciate the irony around that, but also, from a future point of view, as mayor, I welcome that coming back to Council at some point. I always said that. We put a very tight timeline on the report back from the offices around the Sustainability Framework – so they have to come back to us by February – so by February next year we will have an idea of what exactly our policy position is, we will have some sustainability objectives – we can start communicating sustainability being broader than just the environment, and that gives us then the platform to say, “Right, what is our climate action?”, and if declaring a climate emergency is one of those, absolutely we will consider this as a Council. We are not anti the emergency [concept], it was a timing issue. Making sure that we’ve got our ducks in the row. We don’t want to set the offices up to fail.”
Do you think you will be able to bridge our community together on this particular issue?
Asher: “Yes. Great hopes we can do so. Absolutely. It is about awareness, it is about education. It is the context of that Danish tv piece: Australia is way behind. We are way behind with a lot of things. Because we are a distant island, we can get away with it, and I think we need to actually really step up our game. So we will be part of trying to raise awareness, talking to people, educate people. (…) Do have patience with us, because we are actually all on the same side. We don’t want to be fighting battles to stop things happening. We are actually all heading in the same direction. It is just a matter of time. We have to bring everyone with us. Because we want to have as many people supporting the same action as possible, because then it gets easier.”
→ Facebook live streaming of the hour
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First time all-female leadership team in Geelong
In October 2019, councillor Stephanie Asher became the city’s second female mayor, and councillor Kylie Grzybek was elected to the role of Deputy Mayor. This is the first time this city has an all-female leadership team, and today we welcome them in The Sustainable Hour – remembering Julian Cribb’s statement (as he was talking about climate change in ABC’s Q&A the other week:) “Women are the natural leaders of our planet in the 21st century. They have to lead in every sphere.”
In today’s program, we learn about what Asher’s and Grzybek’s plans are for 2020 – and how ambitious they are – for moving the city forward in ways which will reduce emissions and implement sustainable practices and solutions not only in the municipal organisation itself, but across the business and residential community as well.
Asher in The Hour
Stephanie Asher was guest in The Sustainable Hour no 3 on 13 November 2013 where she talked about making Geelong a cleantech capital of Australia.
Asher visited us again in The Sustainable Hour no 202 in February 2018. And in no 254 on 13 February 2018 where we talked about what happened to the ‘Clever and Creative’ 30-year future vision’ for Geelong.
. . .
MINUTES from the ordinary meeting of Council on Tuesday 24 September 2019
Media release on 25 September 2019:
Greater Geelong to make Sustainability Framework an ‘immediate priority’
The City of Greater Geelong Council Plan 2018-2022
Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2017-2020
“The City of Greater Geelong is committed to achieving zero carbon emissions for council operations.” The City of Greater Geelong will be a Zero Carbon Council. Emissions reduction: 50% by 2020, 75% by 2035, 100% by 2050
May 2019: The Community Zero Carbon Action Plan
The City’s goal for a carbon neutral city-region by 2047 was endorsed in September 2018. The Community Zero Carbon Action Plan follows the creation of a target to reduce the City’s operational emissions by 50 per cent by 2020, based on 2014–15 levels.
May 2019: Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy – Council and community actions
This Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy seeks to consolidate Council’s emission reduction actions to date and prioritise ongoing efforts to the most cost-effective reduction opportunities.
24 June 2016: Our Coast project strengthens community response to climate change
“The scenarios suggest sea level rises of 0.5m by 2070 and 0.8m by 2100.”
One Planet Living – Health and happiness
Council has a long-standing commitment to community health and wellbeing. A broad variety of plans, strategies and projects have been progressed over the last two years, building on the already excellent foundation noted in the 2015 assessment endorsed by Bioregional Australia.
City of Greater Geelong Emergency Management Three Year Strategic Plan 2014-2016
The City of Greater Geelong Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 2011
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#CLIMATEEMERGENCY:
Scientists speak up about the climate emergency
“The declaration is based on analysis of 40 years of scientific data. From the data we have, it is clear we are facing a climate emergency.”
Thomas Newsome from University of Sydney, one of the lead authors on the paper.
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Design with Nature
Clever And Creative 2019 Deakin Lecture Series
Deakin University and the City of Greater Geelong invite you to the third lecture in the Clever and Creative Lecture Series for 2019: Design with Nature
This lecture investigates integrating Biophilia, our innate connection with nature, into the design and planning of our environments and how challenging our conventional design knowledge and practice can play a fundamental role in our physiological and psychological health and wellbeing.
Dr Phillip Roös
Associate Head of School (Industry Engagement), Deakin University
Dr Phillip Roös investigates the concept of Biophilia, our innate connection and love for nature – the fundamentals of our human species physiological and psychological health and wellbeing, and how these can be integrated into the design and planning of our environments. Dr Roös is the Director of the Live+Smart Research Laboratory, and the Associate Head of School – Industry Engagement at the School of Architecture and Built Environment, Deakin University. He is known internationally as a leader in Environmental Design and has been working as a design professional and architect for 30 years on an extensive range of large-scale projects in Europe, Africa and Australasia.
Mr Chris Buntine
Sustainability Leader, Victoria, Aurecon
Mr Chris Buntine will explore the application of biophilic design principles used in Aurecon’s recent engineering projects and the role of biophilic connection in the overall design process. Successful outcomes are only achievable if the conventional design knowledge and practice gets challenged. Mr Buntine is the Sustainability Leader, Victoria for Aurecon. He has a long track record as a leader in sustainable design within the built environment, with experience in the development of residential, institutional and commercial building and precinct projects in Australia and the United States. He brings an interdisciplinary perspective to sustainable design with degrees in Civil Engineering, Urban Planning, Business Administration and Building Science.
THURSDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2019
5.30pm – 7.00pm
VENUE
Deakin University
Geelong Waterfront Campus
1 Gheringhap Street, Geelong
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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
This includes the Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders, a global network of business leaders from various industries developing cost-effective solutions to transitioning to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy. CEOs use their position and influence with policy-makers and corporate partners to accelerate the transition and realize the economic benefits of delivering a safer climate.
The one essential element needed to accelerate action on climate change
“The Climate Project is using the World Economic Forum platform and network to spur greater action against climate change, and ensure that business, governments and civil society work together to meet existing commitments.”
www.weforum.org
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→ Podcasts and posts on this website about climate emergency
→ Latest news on BBC 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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