In The Sustainable Hour on 94.7 The Pulse on 16 September 2015 we report from the Second Sustainability Party at Sydenham-Hillside Primary School. We have interviews with the Climate Guardian Angels from ClimActs, who are taking kids’ letters to the UN Climate Summit in Paris in December, with Beyond Zero Emissions CEO Stephen Bygrave, and we play the first-ever attempt to make a global climate-‘We Are The World’-song. More info below.
Listen to The Sustainable Hour no. 90:
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“This is our home. Don’t ruin it! Now we need your help!”
Eva
Interviews:
► Stephanie Tannons, 12, and Jackson McMullin, 11, Sydenham-Hillside Primary School students
► Climate Guardian Angels Liz Conor, Deborah Hart and Melissa Corbett, ClimActs, who are going to the UN Climate Summit in Paris in December
► Stephen Bygrave, CEO, Beyond Zero Emissions
► Martin Brook, Aurora Solar Car Team Chairman
► Erwin Boermans, founding director of COMFORTiD, organiser of the Second Sustainability Party at Sydenham-Hillside Primary School
Music:
► ‘Love Song to the Earth’
► ‘Make A Change’
LISTENER SERVICE
Audio excerpts
Interviews in the 90th Sustainable Hour
Deborah Hart and Liz Conor
Right-click here to download the audio file
Stephen Bygrave
Right-click here to download the audio file
Report from Sydenham-Hillside Primary School’s Second Sustainability Party
Right-click here to download the audio file
Interviews with Melissa Corbett, Stephanie Tannous, Jackson McMullin, Martin Brook and Erwin Boermans.
» Read more about the Sustainability Party below
LISTENER SERVICE
More information
…in relation to the content of the 90th Sustainable Hour
Kids’ letters delivered to the COP21 UN Climate Summit
“In December world leaders will meet to decide on urgent action to address climate change at the UN COP21 talks in Paris. It has been described as ‘the most important diplomatic gathering ever’ and ‘a last chance for humanity’. None will bear the consequences of a failure to act decisively on climate more than future generations, yet the voices of children will not be heard.
That’s why we are travelling to Paris to hand-deliver thousands of letters and artworks by Australian children to UN delegates. Would you like to be involved?”
In this way begins a letter to school principals and teachers from the Climate Guardians, a protest theatre troupe using angel symbolism to portend the dangers of government inaction on climate change. For over two years they have been appearing at rallies, backdropping or intercepting politicians, and protesting at fossil fuel conglomerates’ headquarters to demand climate justice for future generations.
They were inspired by a moving letter of one of the Climate Guardian’s sons, Joseph: which can be read from their website:
www.climacts.org.au/cop21
“We’ve heard, through the climate movement grapevine, that you’ve been active in your school on climate related issues. Would you like to invite kids in your school to write their own letters, similar to Joseph’s here, or create an artwork, asking world leaders at the COP21 United Nations Climate Change Summit in Paris in December 2015 to act decisively on climate change and resist our Federal Government’s attempts to undermine the progress of these talks.”
The letter writers don’t need to argue the science, since it’s now settled, nor wade into complicated policy debates about emissions targets or carbon taxes. However, if they feel inclined two useful resources are:
The Climate Guardians encourage kids to speak from the heart, as Australian kids, and express their concerns about climate change. If they were able to speak to world leaders about climate change what would they say?
Kids might like to decorate their letters or create an artwork.
You can mail your or your students letters and artworks to:
Climate Guardians
c/o Friends of the Earth
PO BOX 222, 3065 Fitzroy VIC
» To promote the project and to explain to others what this is all about, share this 1-minute youtube video
Who are ClimActs?
ClimActs is an activist theatre troupe from Melbourne which at times appears as the Climate Guardians, and at other times as either Flat Earthers, Frackers’ Guild or Coal Diggers.
» ‘Like’ ClimActs on www.facebook.com
» ClimActs home page: www.climacts.org.au
» See more about climate and children on Pinterest
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School Sustainability Party
The ‘2nd Sustainability Party’ was organised on 16th September at the Hillside Primary School as a special and colourful way to mark the end of a journey which the school’s Grade 6 students had been on for several months, learning about energy, technology and sustainability.
The journey was kicked off with an inspirational session on 22 July 2015 by Erwin Boermans together with teacher Jo Magri. Erwin Boermans is parent of one of the Grade 6 students and a passionate entrepreneur with transformation and District Energy solutions.
The project contained three components. Each Grade 6 student had to produce a sustainable solution design with 1) a real model, 2) an advertisement poster and 3) a video.
The theme of this year’s ‘Sustainability Party’ at the school took inspiration from the LEGO movie hero Emmet – …everything is awesome!
“The formula to success is to inspire,” said Erwin Boermans. “Teaching is good. But we must also inspire and cultivate collaborative confidence in the students. My aim was to showcase in a party atmosphere some of the exciting off-the-shelf technologies we already have available. Not just to give the students new ideas and knowledge, but to give them confidence in the simple fact that change, and transformation, is right at our doorstep. We just need to pick it up and run with it.”
Some of the ingredients on the day were:
• The Melbourne-based wind turbine company Vestas sponsored the party with a dozen miniature turbines for 12 winning students.
• Melbourne’s MBD Energy showcased its technologies to clean up and produce energy with algae. With algae products you can make many of the same things you can with oil.
• PHTR-architects supported the day with a professionally made wooden model of PEP Dandenong, Australia’s first district energy precinct that has won numerous prizes over the last three years.
• Melton Toyota’s Hybrid Prius was adored by all students as it can run on petrol and on electricity
• The outstanding Aurora Solar racing car, Melbourne’s only one of its kind, that currently resides in a lab at Swinburne University in Hawthorn and which has competed in many races such as the Australian Solar Challenge from Darwin to Adelaide.
• GPS had a real biodiesel-fired 22KVA generator running on old McDonalds cooking oil and in this way generating electricity which can charge the electric cars while at the same time utilises the heat to feed to a local District Energy network to make hot shower water and heat and cool houses, highlighting the huge potential Australia and Asia have in the waste-to-energy area.
• And the last Lego-block of the event was the Dandenong-based solar hot water tank manufacturer Earthworker Cooperative. Earthworker was represented by Melissa Corbett as gave multiple passionate presentations to the classes. She also initiated the production of students letters and artwork for the upcoming COP21 climate summit in Paris which she collected to bring to the world leaders. Melissa Corbett will attend the summit as part of a group of ‘Climate Guardian Angels’.
» A one-minute video about this was produced and can be seen on youtube.com
» Aurora Solar Car home page: www.aurorasolarcar.com
» ‘Like’ on www.facebook.com/aurorasolarcar
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‘The Love Song to the Earth’
‘The Love Song to the Earth’ is a kind of ‘We Are The World’-song to inspire climate change action. Friends of the Earth writes:
“Some of the biggest names in music have come together to record a song dedicated to keeping Earth safe. But this song is more than just a feel-good anthem, it’s a powerful tool for fighting climate change.
Here’s how: Thanks to the generosity of the song’s creators and our partners at Apple, every time this song is downloaded, streamed or shared, Friends of the Earth and the UN Foundation will receive the revenue from sales and royalties. And we’re putting our share of the proceeds directly into our plan to keep carbon in the ground and out of the atmosphere.
But we need your help to #SharetheLoveSong and make it into the biggest hit the Earth has ever had. Let’s get started!”
‘Love Song to the Earth’ features performances by Paul McCartney, Jon Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow, Fergie, Natasha Bedingfield, Sean Paul and many more artists who care about what’s happening to our planet and who set out to inspire meaningful action on climate change.
Help make ‘Love Song to the Earth’ go global. Start by checking out the video on Apple Music and downloading the song from iTunes. It cost $0.69.
» Read more: www.earthhq.foe.org
» See the video for the song and read the full lyrics on www.youtube.com
» Home page: www.lovesongtotheearth.org
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‘Make A Change’
Along with the interview with Stephen Bygrave, we played this song that features local Fijian upcoming recording artists who gave their voices to raise awareness on climate change. It was published on youtube.com on 23 September 2014.
The song was written and composed by Savuto Vakadewavosa under the direction of Eroni Dina and was made possible by Fiji School of Medicine with Professor Ian Rouse.
VARIOUS NEWS AND INFO
Quotes, excerpts and links
…in relation to what is going on at the moment
Have your say on Victoria’s renewable energy target
By Friends of the Earth Melbourne
The Andrews government’s Renewable Energy Roadmap includes a commitment to set Victorian Renewable Energy Targets for 2020 and 2025. The government is now taking submissions from the community to determine the final targets it will adopt.
We’d like to see Victorian Renewable Energy Targets that match the ambition of the ACT, South Australia, and Queensland. But we want you to have your say! Please send a submission to the Victorian government today and tell them where you think our state should be heading.
All you need to do is alter the text which is available here and insert your preferred targets for 2020 and 2025. Submissions close on 30 September 2015.
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Techquickie: ‘Solar Energy As Fast As Possible’
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Climate Change Denial Disorder
“Climate Change Denial Disorder may be effecting your parents, grandparents, or congressperson.”
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Aussie kids to world leaders: ‘Don’t ruin our home’ http://t.co/51RcfPRn0H pic.twitter.com/H4EuVNsca8
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“Participation – that’s what’s gonna save the human race.”
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