Welcome to the February edition of the DCAN Dispatch.

Planning day sets DCAN off to a flying start

DCAN has kicked off the year with a highly successful planning day held at The Bridge, Preston. Twenty-five supporters came together to brainstorm key opportunities and develop creative ideas to step up the pressure on our politicians and increase community efforts to fight dangerous climate change.

A highlight of the day was a presentation from Leigh Ewbank from the Climate Solutions team at CANA (Climate Action Network Australia). Leigh outlined the critical issues we need to be aware of in the year ahead and described how DCAN, as a strong grassroots community group, can be an effective contributor to national campaigns. He talked about three key campaigns:

• The Big Ask - Campaigning for a historic investment in climate solutions
• End Fossil Fuels - Campaigning for the govt to rule out new coal and gas projects
• Climate Targets - Campaigning for a strong, science-based Emissions Reduction Target for 2035.

We also discussed local events such as the upcoming Council elections in October and the importance of reaching out to more community groups in Darebin. We generated lots of ideas for actions which will form the basis of our 2024 plan. If you would like to find out more about how you can get involved in our work please drop us an email. Many thanks to our wonderful facilitator Belinda Haydon for keeping us on track.

National Sustainability Festival 1-28 Feb

This year is the 25th National Sustainability Festival which runs over the entire month of February. The festival has a huge program of ideas and action for sustainability and is the largest sustainability festival in Australia. Fortunately for us it takes place in Melbourne and some regional centres. As the organisers say: it's "not just an event, it is a movement of change-makers. Its mission is simple: accelerate the uptake of sustainable living and address the global climate and biodiversity emergencies..... By showcasing cutting-edge solutions to ecological and social challenges, the Festival fosters and provides tools for the change we want to see and the difference we want to make in the world." Check out the program here.

EV Hub Initiative in Darebin

Darebin has an exciting opportunity to make the EV (electric vehicle) revolution affordable for everyone. Evolution Automotive, run by Craig Bishop, is pioneering the way forward by retrofitting an electric motor into a petrol car. The motor might even come from an existing hybrid vehicle.

DCAN recently formed a sub-group to work with Craig on the proposal. Firstly, his future at his current premises in the former Melbourne Innovation Centre in Alphington, which is owned by Darebin Council, needs to be secured. Help is urgently needed as a Council deadline of the end of April is looming - please contact Jim.

Revegetating Darebin Creek

The Friends of Darebin Creek hold monthly working bees on the second Sunday of each month from 9-11am at Arch Gibson Reserve, Kingsbury. This is part of the Revegetating Darebin Creek Project, where thousands of shrubs and grasses have been planted in the reserve with the intention of bringing back small woodland birds. The primary focus now is to maintain these plantings through weeding, mulching, removing guards and other activities through a monthly Maintenance Working Bee.
Afterwards, enjoy morning tea with your fellow volunteers and speak to FoDC committee members. Some months will include a special guest speaker who will talk about topics related to the creek.

When: Every second Sunday of each month
Meeting Time: 9am
Location: Arch Gibson Reserve, near Kingsbury Bowls Club
What to bring: Appropriate footwear, gloves, water, hat, sunscreen. Equipment and tools will be provided

Volunteers can just show up on the day or contact FoDC for registration.
For more information click here.

Rebel for Life

Extinction Rebellion have a number of events planned during February and March to draw attention to some topical issues: seismic blasting for new gas, the Atlas Network’s use of misinformation to undermine climate action, as well as the sitting-in-a-circle Mothers' Rebellion. For details and sign-up click here.

Summer Heat Survey - can you help?

Having just been through several days of sweltering heat and electricity blackouts now is an opportune time to register your experiences and thoughts via Australia's biggest community heat survey. The survey is a joint project between Sweltering Cities and the Healthy Homes for Renters campaign. This year the survey is focusing on cost of living pressures and how they impact on our ability to stay safe in the heat. Your stories will help form campaigns to inform real change within our communities. Fill out the short survey here.

Karla Grant Presents: Fading Sands

This award winning documentary is on SBS until the end of February. It is one of a series of documentaries presented by Karla Grant on SBS On Demand. The documentaries are from promising and established Indigenous filmmakers illustrating Indigenous peoples connection to Country. Fading Sands includes interviews with Solomon Islanders about the impacts of climate change they are already experiencing causing loss of land, crops, cultural places and internal displacement.

That's all for this month - thanks for reading! If you have any feedback on this newsletter, please let us know.