Welcome to the September edition of the Dispatch

Let’s elect a new Council committed to strong climate action!

Darebin Council elections will take place on 7th-25th October by postal ballot. DCAN is working hard to try to ensure that our new Council is willing and able to act strongly on the climate emergency.

As in previous years, we are sending out a questionnaire to all candidates, asking about their commitment to climate action. After the difficulties that the current Council has experienced resulting in monitors being appointed at great expense to ratepayers, we are also asking about their views on good governance and involving the community in deliberations on complex issues, through processes like Citizens Assemblies.

Candidates’ responses to our questionnaire, along with their candidate statements and other public statements, will be used to create scorecards for each of the 9 wards. The scorecards will be on DCAN’s website and will be published widely.

We will be holding a Candidates Climate Forum on 3rd October at 7pm on Zoom. There will be a breakout room for each ward, so residents can ask questions of their own candidates. Register now! Please make sure you know what ward you are in before coming to the meeting so you can go to the right one. Find out which ward you are in here.

Welcome to the August edition of the DCAN Dispatch.

New Climate Emergency Plan for Darebin!

DCAN congratulates Darebin Council on the unanimous adoption of the new Climate Emergency Plan. DCAN took an active part in the community consultations and provided detailed feedback on draft versions of the plan. While it is disappointing that our request for stronger emission reduction targets was not agreed to, we are pleased to see some of the key points we advocated for included in the plan. We are very excited about the setting up of a new 'concierge' service which will offer tailored household support to help residents find their way in switching from gas to electricity and renewable energy. We are also very pleased to see the expansion of the Solar Savers Scheme and new community education programs on electrification and energy efficiency. We look forward to working with Council to help implement the plan. View the new plan and learn more here.

Commbank walks away from climate wrecking clients

Australia’s largest bank, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, made a huge announcement last week, declaring it has made the decision to no longer provide finance to oil and gas producing companies that don’t have a Paris-aligned transition plan.

This is a significant win for our climate, and starkly contrasts with ANZ, NAB and Westpac, which are gearing up to loan hundreds of millions more to one of Australia’s most notorious climate wreckers. According to Market Forces, ANZ, NAB and Westpac are days away from finalising a $750 million loan to Santos.

Click here to tell ANZ, NAB and Westpac to cut ties with Santos.

On Wednesday 21 August at 12pm, a community rally will be held outside the head offices of ANZ, NAB and Westpac in Melbourne to pressure the banks to ditch this loan to Santos. As much support as possible is needed to ensure the message gets through to the banks. For more information and to register for the rally click here.

More confrontational messaging needed for the climate crisis

In a recent article, eminent climate activists David Spratt and Ian Dunlop refer to polling in 26 countries which shows that only 60% of Australians now believe that climate change is human-caused (down 6% from 18 months earlier and 13% below the global average). Only half of Australians thought that the costs of climate disruption will be greater than the investments needed for transition to a sustainable society.

Spratt and Dunlop attribute this to the “softly, softly” approach by the Albanese government which focuses on renewable energy and avoids talking about “doom and gloom” climate impacts. They note the lack of climate leadership by the government and its 'capture' by the fossil fuel industry, reflected in the recent approval of numerous new fossil fuel projects.

Spratt and Dunlop argue that people need to be told the truth - that climate change impacts will be existential - and note that this approach has worked in Quit Smoking campaigns, the Grim Reaper AIDS advertising, and the brutal honest communications about Covid.

A great resource for this sort of emergency messaging is the booklet by Jane Morton Don't Mention the Emergency, which frames the problems and gives very helpful tips on communication. Another useful resource is DCAN's list of suggestions for taking action.

Writing to decision makers matters

There are so many topics, and so many politicians, that writing to them sometimes seems too much for an ordinary busy person. Fortunately, the team at Climate for Change has made it pretty easy to write letters on many topics.
They have recently added the topic of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), or more accurately Carbon Pollution Dumping (CPD).
Carbon Pollution Dumping is central to the Government’s Future Gas Strategy. It is also detrimental to the environment, expensive and reliant on government subsidies. Investing in CPD only delays our transition to renewable energy. Nevertheless, in the 2024 budget the government allocated $36.2m over four years to “enable industry to move carbon dioxide to geological storage sites.”
All these facts, as well as how to write a letter on 25 topics, and who to, are here.

Launch of Hot Planet Matchmaking Service

Have you or your friends been thinking about getting more involved with climate and environmental action in our local community? Here is a fun way to find out what's on offer. Our good friends over at Neighbours United for Climate Action (NUCA) have come up with a very creative way of matching people with the local climate, sustainability or biodiversity group that suits them best. Please come along and bring your friends to the celebratory launch of the Hot Planet Matchmaking Service to learn more about what each group, including DCAN, is doing in the local community and get involved!

WHEN: Mon 2nd Sept 2024, 6:00 pm - 8:00pm
WHERE: Leinster Grove Community Hall, 99 Leinster Grove, Thornbury
RSVP here.

Five years of Chalking, Talking and Picking Up Litter

For five years, weather permitting, at 10 a.m. on Thursdays, a small group of DCANers have been meeting on the St Georges Road Bike Path somewhere between Miller Street and Merri Parade. We remind everyone that the climate emergency is ongoing and an increasing threat. We get lots of positive responses and support from the people of Northcote and Thornbury. And then we go for a chat and a coffee at a local cafe.
Over the years different folk have joined us and this nice little local action will continue to welcome all newcomers for a long time to come. Please contact Linda if you would like to join us. Cheers, Linda and Lesley

Hoddle Street Climate Mural

Yarra Climate Action Now has teamed up with a group of climate activists to create this spectacular mural on the corner of Hoddle and Perry Streets, Collingwood, just south of Johnston Street. The activist group have become experts in applying for council grants and working with numerous artists, including John Lawry who has painted many stunning murals around town. The mural can even be seen from the nearby passing trains! DCAN members are part of the maintenance crew.
If you have a wall which might be suitable for a future project, please get in touch.

Welcome to the June edition of the DCAN Dispatch.

DCAN joins snap actions against new gas approvals

DCAN and other grass roots climate groups recently took part in snap rallies outside 15 Victorian Labor MP offices to protest the Federal Labor Government's approval of a project in Queensland that will involve the construction of 151 coal seam gas wells. We are deeply alarmed at the Government’s decision to approve yet another climate wrecking project in the middle of a climate crisis. How can we believe the Government is serious about climate action when it continues to approve new projects which will run for the next 55 years? We expect the Government to keep our communities safe and deliver strong action on the climate crisis, not make it worse by approving new coal and gas projects. If you would like to join us in future snap actions, please let us know here.

The human consequences of Victoria's energy supply system

Shelter is a fundamental human need, and affordable energy is necessary to meet that need. The soaring cost of energy is frightening for so many people who live in old, draughty and poorly insulated houses. That is the story of Victoria's housing stock because, until very recently, relevant building codes were absent or inadequate.

Since price rises began, energy authorities have been investigating the social justice dimensions of energy poverty. As energy is now enmeshed in markets, where it is a commodity rather than a service designed to meet needs, the proposed solutions tend to be limited.

• Victoria's Essential Services Commission (ESC) outlines the problem in its Issues Paper on the Energy Retail Code of Practice (see pp.31-35).
• There is a focus on hardship (see pp.2-5) in the Game Changer report of the Australian Energy Regulator (AER). It draws on detailed information from a previous report on Consumer Vulnerability - the archetypes of consumers in hardship are interesting.
• There are also important reports by social justice organisations like the Brotherhood of St Laurence (e.g. its 2023 submission to the national Electricity and Energy Sector Plan).

My Efficient Electric Home Handbook

My Efficient Electric Home Handbook is an essential resource for homeowners and renters. It provides tips and strategies on how to convert your home into an efficient, healthy and comfortable space suitable for our all-electric future. Author of the handbook, Tim Forcey, is a highly regarded energy efficiency expert and has helped over 1,000 households improve their energy efficiency and reduce their emissions. Tim explains best-practice heating and cooling, hot water heat pumps, induction cooktops, draught-proofing, insulation, solar energy and much more. Tim is the founder of the My Efficient Electric Home facebook group which has over 120,000 members and is now sharing his knowledge with all of us through his new book which is available from Darebin library and all good bookshops.

Power up to all-electric information session

The recently reestablished State Electricity Commission (SEC) is running a series of free information sessions to help households go electric. Hear from experts and others who have made the switch to an all-electric home. Learn how to get it right from day one. Online Wednesday, July 24 · 6 - 7pm. Go here for more information and to register.

Living Democracy

Many people feel that our political system is broken, locking us into ecological and societal collapse while giving destructive industries a free pass to destroy all we hold dear.

However, worldwide there are plenty of movements building real democracies. There's the assembly-based model of Rojava, the Kurdish area inside Syria, and the struggles of the Barcelona Commons to implement a better system within the constraints of conventional politics. Tim Hollo’s book Living Democracy: an ecological manifesto for the end of the world as we know it is a treasure trove of information on deliberative and participatory democracy with lots of inspiring anecdotes. You can listen to it here.

There is a growing movement calling for citizens' assemblies. These are groups of randomly selected people deliberating on issues with the help of experts and skilled facilitators. They have been held to resolve some thorny issues. There is a campaign in the UK to replace the House of Lords with a People's House. Find out more: The Extinction Rebellion Guide to Citizens’ Assemblies and Brett Hennig - the end of politicians TED talk

Meanwhile, we are taking rear-guard action to protect the imperfect democracy we already have. In Victoria, Labor and the Coalition got together to impose the move from multi-member wards to single-member wards in council elections, against the advice of election experts, in the hope that this would make it harder for Greens and independents to win. 'Reforms' at the state government level have meant we now have no independents in the Victorian parliament and similar measures are being considered at the federal level. Here's an explanation from Juice Media: Democracy and a thoughtful discussion of the proposed changes at the federal level by Follow the Money: Democracy (Handle with Care).

Could China's greenhouse emissions have peaked?

Good news stories on climate are lamentably rare but, over the last few months, climate scientists and analysts have noticed that China’s emissions of greenhouse gases appears to have peaked even though the Chinese economy continues to grow. Reporter Nick O’Malley notes that this is likely to mean that global emissions have peaked too, and that the link between economic growth and greenhouse gas production, which has persisted from the start of the industrial revolution, may have been broken.

Under the Paris Agreement, China undertook to reach its emissions peak in 2030, but it appears to have reached this target at least six years early. If it can maintain this trajectory, analysts believe that its goal of net zero by 2060 is credible and achievable, which would give the world a chance of stabilising the climate somewhere near the Paris targets.

Analysts, such as the leading climate scientist Bill Hare of Climate Analytics, think it likely that we have peaked in emissions from fossil fuels and that this is a truly historic moment, but they want to confirm this with emissions data over the next few months. If the trend continues it will show we have reached a turning point – too late and too little but hopefully sufficient to spur even faster global action.

Using Social Media to influence policy

Can you use social media to influence the next decision a politician makes or the outcome of the next election? Here is a revised and refined method called 'Social Jamming’. It is an activity designed to amplify your message by sharing it on as many social media platforms as possible, as many times as possible.

Social Jamming involves going to the politicians' social feed and putting the message you want to get across in a comment on one of their recent posts. They, or their advisors, will see your comment and you have got into their head. Other people will see it as well.

• Keep your message clear, sharp and snappy. It shouldn’t be more than a sentence or two. Hashtags work well, such as: #ClimateAction #ClimateCrisis #NoMoreGas #auspol
• Your message should be positive. Remember, we want the Government’s support to enact new laws, so the best social jamming is firm, but stays kind and respectful - e.g. 'For a safe climate future, we need strong #ClimateAction'; 'Australia needs strong climate laws to #protectnature'.
• Be as relevant to the post as possible. Jamming works best when you comment on relevant posts and accounts, e.g. comment '#NatureLawsNow' on Tanya Plibersek’s posts about threatened wildlife.

Climate Choir Melbourne

Do you enjoy singing? Do you want to remind the public of the need for climate action in a friendly, non-confrontational manner? Climate Choir Melbourne (CCM) could be the activity for you. Come and join several other members of DCAN who sing with CCM.

CCM is a group of singers who are deeply concerned about climate change. We want the government, organisations, and individuals to take emergency action to combat the impending environmental disaster, and singing is our way of campaigning for this cause. We hold no political allegiance. We sing at events organised by other groups and also hold our own pop-up choir events. Events can be on any day of the week and any time - depending on the circumstances. No member is expected to be at all CCM events - sing at the ones you can manage. Our rehearsals are normally on Sunday afternoons every two months in Abbotsford (again, not compulsory, but they help!).

Our Musical Director, Jeannie Marsh, has been performing and teaching music in Melbourne for decades, and has run a number of other community choirs.

Check us out on FaceBook, or on our website, or contact Robert.

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

Register for the Cooper Climate Election Forum – Show the candidates that Cooper voters want emergency climate action in this term of government

Welcome to the May edition of the DCAN Dispatch.

RiseUp Cooper - No more gas and coal!

Over 30 Cooper residents braved the rain last week to give local MP Ged Kearney a clear message that there can be no new coal and gas if we want to live on a safe planet. The action was part of the national Move Beyond Coal campaign and came hot on the heels of the devastating Future Gas Strategy announcement by the Albanese Government.

Folk present at the rally spoke up about their despair and frustration but also their determination to keep on fighting to end fossil fuel subsidies, put a stop to any new coal and gas projects and enact strong nature laws. Following the rally DCAN Convenor Ann Sanson presented office staff with a letter of demands. Ms Kearney had been called away unexpectedly from the office and was interstate. You can read the letter of demands here.

Future Gas Strategy

Many of you will have been shocked and disappointed by the Albanese government’s recently announced Future Gas Strategy whereby, in spite of the International Energy Agency’s 2021 Roadmap to Net Zero by 2050 specifically saying there should be no new fossil fuel projects anywhere, Australia will continue to explore for and open up new gas projects. Resources Minister Madeleine King actually predicts, "Gas will remain an important source of energy through to 2050 and beyond.”

The Climate Council calls it “a maddening misstep” and says, “The Albanese Government has a choice: cut climate pollution and seize the decade by scaling up clean energy, or support new gas projects. It can’t do both."

This strategy ignores forecasts of a global oversupply of gas. It flies in the face of the Government’s own plans to develop clean industries. And it sounds more like Scott Morrison’s ‘gas led recovery’, not Anthony Albanese’s ‘renewable energy superpower’. Some DCAN members have responded by attending rallies with Rise Up (see article above) and writing letters to our local MP, Ged Kearney and newspapers.

Proposed Net Zero Authority is too narrow in scope

The Albanese Government has recently introduced two bills to establish a Net Zero Economy Authority. Although it is intended to coordinate the net zero transition, support workers in transitioning away from fossil fuels, and help reach greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets, its major focus appears to be narrower - supporting workers attached to coal and gas fired power stations. This is of course important, but ignores many other workers in emissions-intensive industries such as export gas and coal projects, as well as all those working in other areas that will be affected by climate change. The bills ignore fossil fuel subsidies and fossil fuels exports, and would still allow the use of offsets, and ineffective and costly ventures like Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).

While there is a clear need for a body to coordinate the urgent work of decarbonisation, the Australia Institute’s submission to the Senate Inquiry on these bills noted that “a genuine transition away from fossil fuels cannot begin while the fossil fuel industry is still expanding”.

If you are concerned about the shortcoming of these bills, please contact Ged Kearney MP for Cooper and let her know.

DCAN calls for higher emission targets

The Climate Change Authority's (CCA) recent Issues Paper on emission targets for 2035 has recommended a target in the range of 65%-75% below 2005 levels. The CCA describes this target as “ambitious”. DCAN has put in a submission to the CCA, arguing that this is far from ambitious, and noting that it also ignores the serious under-reporting of Australia’s fossil methane emissions. Our submission calls for a steep increase in Australia’s ambition. We noted how analyses from a number of eminent researchers and research institutes have come to very similar conclusions: that to have even a 50% chance of not exceeding 1.5 degrees of warming, we need to aim for net zero emissions by 2035, with a 75% reduction by 2030 (based on 2005 levels). We also pointed out that these need to be real targets, with real emissions reductions, that the use of offsets should be minimised and that we should not be wasting time, money and resources on expensive and unproven technologies like Carbon Capture and Storage. You can find the submission here.

Darebin’s affordable EV Hub stalled!

This great initiative has stalled, despite Council officers emphasizing that it aligns with the draft Climate Emergency Strategy. We, on behalf of the 1,300+ people who signed our petition, ask why innovator Craig Bishop can’t continue at 2 Wingrove Street, Alphington with his plans for fitting out old cars with EV motors while servicing the vehicles of long-standing customers?

Craig and his family are facing at least two months' lost income because Council has banned him from trading until the end of June when results of a new Expression of Interest process will be known. Craig has repeatedly expressed willingness to create a not-for-profit structure and to focus on community service.

We are deeply concerned about the stresses on Craig and his family due to Council’s actions. Fortunately Craig has the support of our DCAN sub-group and petitioners. We are helping him to write the new EOI and are also lobbying councillors and Council staff so that, in the meantime, he can earn a livelihood.

Please help Craig by calling on our councillors to take action.

DCAN Affordable EV Hub subgroup (Emily, Marion, Jim, Kay and Jude)

Climate Resilience Inquiry Submission Making Party

You are invited to a very special event - a submission-making party for the state government's Climate Resilience Inquiry into how ready communities are to handle climate related disasters.

The Darebin Neighbourhood House Network and Darebin Climate Action Now (DCAN) have joined together to host the event on May 27th from 7 to 9 pm at Span Community House, 64 Clyde Street, Thornbury.

The Inquiry is looking at the impact of climate change on buildings and natural areas, including homes, schools, parks and beaches, as well as how we use these places.

This event is a great opportunity for you to talk about your climate change experiences and suggest ways to deal with these issues.

Come and share your thoughts and ideas with our community in Darebin.

Please sign up for the event via this Eventbrite link.

Any questions? Please contact Carmen at [email protected] or 0410 904 172

Mothers' Rebellion

The Melbourne Mothers' Rebellion has turned one. As always the occasion was marked by singing, sharing knowledge and gaining strength from being together. There were lots of positive interactions with the public and the first birthday/Mother's Day party was deemed a success.

Everyone is welcome to join this on-going climate activism and the subsequent lunch and chats. The next opportunities are at 11 a.m. on Saturday 15th June and 20th July outside the Arts Centre on St Kilda Rd.

To connect with the Mothers*, email here.
Subscribe or join here.
To see what Mothers* around the world are doing click here.

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

Rise up Cooper - No more Coal and Gas - 10th May, 4pm

Across Australia, our communities have faced a summer of devastating climate impacts, from cyclones and floods to sweltering heat waves. Yet fossil fuel companies continue to fuel the flames of the crisis, pushing ahead with risky coal and gas. Despite being elected in an historic wave of support for climate action, the Albanese government is failing in the number one test of climate leadership: saying NO to more coal and gas projects.

Please join us as we gather together at our local MP's office (Ged Kearney) to give a strong, clear message to the government: No more coal and gas!

When: Friday 10th May at 4pm - 5pm
Where: 159 High Street Preston Victoria 3072
Bring: Signs calling on Labor to "Keep us safe - no more coal and gas"
RSVP: Here

With an upcoming Federal Budget deciding what gets funding, and a looming deadline for Labor to fix our environment laws so they include the impacts of climate change, right now is a crucial moment to rise up and make our demands loud and clear.

DCAN calls on Council to increase climate ambition

In our feedback to Council on the Darebin Climate Emergency Plan, we strongly supported the priority focus on helping the community get off gas. We did, however, raise strong concerns that the emissions reduction targets fall short of what is needed to create a safer climate future for our community. This is the critical decade in which we must make big reductions in fossil fuel emissions so there is no time to waste. Our targets and actions must be stronger than the conservative benchmarks contained within the plan. The Climate Council, for example, has called for a reduction in emissions of 75% by 2030 - much higher than the target used in Darebin's plan.

One of the key initiatives in the Plan that we were very happy to see is the proposal for a service offering tailored household support and financial help for residents to electrify their homes and move to renewable energy. We have called on Council to double the target number of households for this program to 2000 households as it will play a key role in reducing Darebin's reliance on gas. We have also asked Council to develop a large scale communication campaign to enlist the support of businesses and residents to make the switch from gas to electric and for adequate staffing levels to ensure the success of all proposed initiatives. Read our full submission on the Plan here.

Does Japan really need Australian gas?

Australians elected the Albanese Government to take strong action on climate and it has made many welcome announcements to put Australia on the right track. The Government's insistence, however, on guaranteeing continued exports to Japan will result in the opening of new projects such as the Barossa and Scarborough Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) projects, completely undermining any positive actions. But how much does Japan really need Australian gas?

A 2024 report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) shows that Japan doesn't need our gas for its domestic consumption, but its companies do want it – so they can export it on to other countries! IEEFA has found that the big four Japanese companies are selling abroad “nearly 50% of the volumes consumed domestically”. The powerful Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry wants Japanese companies to handle 100 million tonnes of LNG annually by 2030. The Ministry and the big four companies are actively working with other Asian countries to expand imports of LNG. Read more about how backroom deals with Japan have locked Australia into decades of gas and why we should be raising this issue with our MPs.

Help create Victoria's next national park

Only 60 kilometres north east of Melbourne, the Central Highlands of Victoria is home to the world's tallest flowering plant, the Mountain Ash, and one of Australia's most endangered mammals, the Leadbeater's Possum. Despite an end to native forest logging in Victoria, both are threatened by ongoing clearfell logging, 'ecological thinning' and wildfires - which are exacerbated by logging!

The creation of the Great Forest National Park would not only safeguard the habitats of endangered species and protect these critical forests, but also protect carbon stocks, water supplies, and lower the risk of bushfires. Adding a proposed 355,000 hectares to the existing protected forests will combine a number of individual national parks to form the Great Forest National Park.

HAVE YOUR SAY: The Great Forest National Park proposal offers a chance to safeguard this natural wonder for generations to come. Submissions close Monday 29 April. Your voice matters! The Engage Victoria consultation is now open for your feedback.
It’s up to all of us to call for the park, but the people at #GFNP have prepared this handy submission guide to help us.

High Life Expo - Let’s talk about life in apartments and units!

If you live in or own an apartment or unit, the High Life Expo is for you. Learn how to make apartments, units, and apartment buildings more efficient, healthy, and lovely to live in:
· Hear from sustainability and strata experts;
· Learn from other owners corporations, apartment owners, and residents;
· Meet quality suppliers and installers of energy efficiency and sustainable products;
· Find out about government rebates.

Choose the topics that matter most to you: EVs and charging • Electrification • Energy efficiency • Solar and renewable energy • Apartment living for renters • Thermal comfort at home • Better recycling and waste management • Double glazing • Planting for cooling • Building community • Decision making in strata • And more!

High Life Expo | Saturday 1 June 2024 | RACV City Club, 501 Bourke St, Melbourne | A free event | Bookings essential

For details and free tickets click here.

DCAN and Social Media

🌍✊ We all know how powerful social media can be in shaping voting decisions, for better or for worse. Help us to harness that power for positive action on climate change. We are still looking for volunteers to join a DCAN action group who will use social media to spread awareness about climate action and to combat misinformation. If you're passionate about acting for a safe climate and enjoy working with social media, reach out to David Tomkins or Karen Large to get involved! 📢💚
#ClimateAction #SocialMediaForGood #JoinTheMovement

Have your Say! Climate Emergency Plan 2024- 2030

Do you have a great idea about how we, as a community, can reduce emissions? Now's your chance to have a say by commenting on the draft Darebin Council Climate Emergency Plan, open for comment until 7th April.

DCAN is excited to see the Plan offering tailored support to households on how to get off gas and go all electric (See Pillar 2, item 2.2.1). We have had lots of feedback from people saying they just don't know where to start to make the switch from gas to electric or how to go about accessing the financial supports available through various Government initiatives. Now's the chance to tell Council how welcome this advisory service would be to help residents transition to all electric homes.

Please have a read of the plan and provide your comments on the Your Say Darebin website. This is also a great opportunity to suggest important actions that may be missing. Note: you will need to register if you have not used the Your Say site before.

Let's show support for Anjali's bid to protect young people

This remarkable young leader, nineteen year old Anjali Sharma, was recently featured on ABC Australian Story. Anjali has marshalled young people, lawyers and the community to lobby Federal Parliament to change the laws around climate change. Her goal is to establish a law that would compel politicians to consider their duty of care to the health and well-being of future generations when considering coal, gas and oil projects. ACT Senator David Pocock is supporting the campaign to amend the Climate Change Act 2022 and will move to introduce a legal amendment to Parliament which will help safeguard the climate future of younger generations. Over 12,000 people have already expressed their support for this amendment. Please join us in supporting this important campaign.

Say NO to the Woollert incinerator!

DCAN is supporting the campaign to stop Cleanaway from building a massive, toxic, waste to energy incinerator in Wollert. Waste to energy technology is not a sustainable technology. By burning plastic, which is made from petroleum, this incinerator is effectively burning oil for energy and creating more greenhouse gases. DCAN also has serious concerns about the threats to neighbouring residents who will be subjected to air pollution from toxins that can cause cancer and birth defects. Tributaries of the Merri Creek in close proximity to the proposed site will also be at risk. Burning waste completely undermines prevention, reduction, reuse, repair and recycling initiatives. For more information, see this article from our friends at Climate Action Merri-Bek. Find out about upcoming information sessions and register your opposition here. Join the No Northern Incinerators for Woollert Facebook page.

Replace gas appliances with electric ones

5 million homes in Australia have gas cooking, heating or hot water appliances - 2 million of those are in Victoria! Gas appliances have a 5 to 10 year life span so, in order to achieve our net zero targets, we only have a limited time span to get all households off gas. When a gas appliance fails it needs to be replaced with an electric one. There is some great research by the Grattan Institute “Getting off Gas: why, how and who should pay?”. The Institute states that “We could get all homes off the gas network by 2050 if every household upgraded its gas appliances to electric ones at the end of the appliances’ lives.” We need to get to net zero before 2050 so planning now for the shift away from gas makes sense.

DCAN and Social Media

🌍✊ The Voice Referendum showed how powerful social media can be in shaping voting decisions. But what if we harnessed that power for positive change? Join us in a DCAN action group using social media to spread awareness about climate action and combat misinformation. If you're passionate about acting for a safe climate and ready to make a difference online, reach out to David Tomkins or Karen Large to get involved! 📢💚
#ClimateAction #SocialMediaForGood #JoinTheMovement

Electrification Masterclass a great success!

Twenty-one Darebin residents have received exclusive 1:1 consultations from dedicated home electrification experts through a joint project between DCAN and local business Energy Freedom Homes. Each participant in the masterclass was able to discuss their specific needs and challenges in detail and receive advice tailored to their situation. Topics covered included options for replacing gas heating and hot water systems, installing induction cooktops, upgrading solar systems, insulation and much more.

Feedback from participants was very positive; one of the participants, Tobias, said that the “well-prepared and personalised session with an industry expert helped with the decision-making on how to get off gas, taking the existing constraints into account."

A report on the learnings from the project will be submitted to Council and will inform the design of future projects. The project was proudly supported by a community grant from the City of Darebin.

For more information on how you can be part of the growing movement to Go Electric in your home, check out our Council's website.

Rising Tide Victoria - Short Film Screening and Q & A

In Nov 2023 thousands of Australians gathered in Newcastle to blockade coal ships at the world's biggest coal port. For 36 hours the community put their boats on the water and their bodies on the line in a festival atmosphere. The blockade made headlines across the globe. There are plans for an even bigger and better blockade in 2024.

Join Rising Tide for a short film screening and Q & A on this inspiring people's movement that is set to change the landscape of civil resistance.

Friends of the Earth (FOE) 312 Smith St Collingwood. Thursday 18th April, 6.30 - 8pm.
Nibbles will be provided.
Please book via Humantix

Music for a Warming World

Music for a Warming World is a unique eco-art fusion of music, visual imagery, science and culture performed by professional musicians who have inspired and delighted audiences around Australia. It will make you laugh and perhaps even cry. It fosters understanding of climate change, promotes preparedness, and cultivates a sense of solidarity, strength and hope within our global community. For more information: Music For A Warming World.

To be held at Manningham Uniting Church & Community Centre, 109 Wood Street, Templestowe.

Saturday 20 April 2024 at 7.30pm

Book your tickets here for this reflective, confronting, inspiring and exciting experience.

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.