Green Action News - Autumn 2008 by Environment Victoria

WO R K I N G T O G E T H E R P R O T E C T I N G V I C T O R I A ’ S E N V I R O N M E N T

GO YARRA FLOW Melburnians urged to fight for a better Yarra

NO TIME TO WASTE Metropolitan waste plan city’s best chance

SUSTAINABILITY IN ACTION EV’s award-winning program more than a philosophy

ISSUE 3 Z AUTUMN 2008

THIS ISSUE Green Action News Issue 3, Autumn 2008 Design 2Fish Productions Print PrintBound Contributing writers Juliet Le Feuvre, Leonie Duncan, Mark Doggett, Annette Salkeld, Charlie Davie, Victoria McKenzieMcHarg, Daniel Clarke, Vicki Kyriakakis Editor Vicki Kyriakakis (03) 9341 8215 editor@envict.org.au Advertising sales enquiries (03) 9341 8215 vicki.kyriakakis@envict.org.au Membership enquiries (03) 9341 8100 admin@envict.org.au Green Action News is an Environment Victoria publication. For more information, visit www.environmentvictoria.org.au Environment Victoria would like to thank PrintBound for its in-kind support.

Go Yarra Flow

Taking Victoria’s Environmental Pulse

Our Rivers Our Future

Sustainability: More than a Philosophy

2008 Sustainable Living Festival

Committed to Conservation

Waste Plan a City Affair

Sustainable Transport Crucial to State’s Future

Decline of the Moorabool

Multicultural Youth EcoChallenge Finishes on High Note

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Dump winners fall to the bottom of the pile THE RESULTS OF THE 2007 DUMP AWARDS ARE IN AND WE HAVE OUR WINNERS IN THE RACE TO THE BOTTOM OF AUSTRALIA’S PACKAGING PILE. Golden DUMP Award: Gillette Fusion razor (Proctor and Gamble) Excessive Use of Material: Gillette Fusion razor (Proctor and Gamble) Poorly Designed for Recycling: Equal Café Sticks 60g (Merisant Manufacturing Australia) Going Backwards: Woolworths Apple Snacks (Woolworths Australia) Poorly Labelled for Waste Management: Woolworths Homebrand Mousse (Woolworths Australia) Likely to be Littered: Heinz Little Kids Mini Meals (Heinz Australia) Judges’ Special Mention: Nescafé Short Black (Nescafé) These are worthy winners but we’re not done with them yet. They are the subject of a complaint EV is making to the National Packaging Covenant Council: the industry and government group that is tasked with overseeing a voluntary agreement between the government and the packaging industry to improve packaging sustainability. The original packaging covenant was passed nearly ten years ago. The complaint to the council will test whether the industry is willing and able to self-regulate – and will help build pressure for change inside the ‘winning’ companies. You can read the full DUMP report on the Environment Victoria website at www.environmentvictoria.org.au. Go to the Zero Waste page, and choose ‘DUMP Awards’ from the left hand column. We’ll keep you posted on the results of the complaint.

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Tell the winners what you think of their terrible packaging practices: Proctor and Gamble: The Manager, Technical & External Relations P&G Australia Pty. Ltd Level 4, 1 Innovation Road Macquarie Park, North Ryde NSW 2113. Merisant Manufacturing Australia: The Marketing Director Merisant Manufacturing Australia, Ground Floor, 37 -41 Oxford St, Epping NSW 2121. Woolworths Australia: Ms Armineh Mardirossian, Woolworths Group Sustainability Manager 1 Woolworths Way Bella Vista NSW 2153. Heinz Australia: Consumer Support Team Locked Bag 19057, Southbank VIC 3006. Nescafé: Consumer Services Department GPO Box 4320 Sydney NSW 2001

healthy rivers

GO YARRA FLOW:

Melbourne’s famous river under threat

> Leonie Duncan, Acting Director, Healthy Rivers Campaign

ENVIRONMENT VICTORIA’S GO YARRA FLOW CAMPAIGN PLANS TO SEND THE VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT A MESSAGE: MELBURNIAN’S VALUE A HEALTHY YARRA RIVER. IN MARCH 2006 the world’s eyes were on the Yarra River, a central feature of Melbourne’s Commonwealth Games opening ceremony. Fireworks shot colour across a twilight sky from the corrugated metal fins of 72 amazing fish sculptures that floated on the water by Federation Square. Each fish symbolised a country competing in the games and Australia’s was the shortfinned eel. You’d be forgiven for not knowing much about this native fish species – very few of its Melburnian co-habitants do – but the short-finned eel is a fascinating creature. It called the Yarra River home well before John Batman ever came to town and can still be found swimming about today, anywhere from Yarra Bend Park to Healesville Sanctuary. When the female short-finned eels are ready to lay eggs they swim downstream, past the tourists drinking coffee at Southbank and through the

mouth of the Yarra into Port Phillip Bay. From there, they travel to the warm waters of the Coral Sea: a mighty 4000 km north. Their young – the little ‘elvers’ – ﬁnd their way back home alone, travelling along the east coast of Australia on the current made famous by the Pixar-animated Nemo. Home to the Yarra. Our city’s river is rich with life and history like the short-ﬁnned eel’s tale. Many people who live in or visit Melbourne know little of the Yarra’s wonders. Some may have only experienced the lower reaches – where the river is swollen with the tidal waters of Port Phillip Bay – upon a tourist boat or beneath Princes Bridge. Plenty of people paddle on the river with their rowing club or cycle and walk by its banks. Others have favourite spots to swim or bushwalk further upstream.

One of Melbourne’s most valuable natural assets, the Yarra is under severe threat from overuse.

WHATEVER THE CONNECTION, all who know the Yarra can agree it is one of our city’s most valuable natural assets. What’s more, up to 70 per cent of Melbourne’s freshwater supplies are sourced from the Yarra’s upper reaches, allowing us to enjoy some of the best drinking water in the world. We don’t just drink the Yarra’s water though: we flush toilets and cool factory operations with vast quantities of its flow. Melbourne goes through about 500 billion litres of water each year, with residential use accounting for about 60 per cent and commercial and industrial around 30 per cent. The Yarra River is under increasing stress as more and more water is extracted. Right now the Yarra is down to just a third of average flows and this is taking a great toll on the birds, fish, frogs and platypus that rely on a healthy environment to survive. Environment Victoria, Yarra continued next page >>>>

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healthy rivers

Riverkeepers and our supporters were at the forefront of a campaign to have water returned to our struggling river. We were relieved when the Victorian Government – in a proud historymaking moment in October 2006 – listened to the concerns of scientists and the community and committed a minimum environmental flow regime for the Yarra as a key action of its Sustainable Water Strategy for greater Melbourne. For a river like the Yarra, a healthy environmental flow – changing in rhythm with the seasons – is vital; it flushes along pollutants, transports nutrients to where they’re needed and provides fish with the right conditions to breed. Sadly, almost 18 months on, we’re still waiting for that promise to be delivered. On Australia Day 2007 the Government announced the Yarra’s new environmental flows would stay on hold until water restrictions were back to Stage 1. Then, in June 2007, the Government made a dramatic departure from its Sustainable Water

Strategy with a snap decision to build an energy-intensive desalination plant in Wonthaggi and a north-south pipeline that would take – yet to be secured – water from the Goulburn River across the Great Dividing Range to Melbourne. Finally in October 2007, the Government decided to further plunder the Yarra by taking an additional 10 billion litres from the river at Warrandyte. We’re all struggling through these dry times and that includes our river. More than ever before, we need our Government to show leadership and accelerate, not depart from, it’s longterm plan to secure sustainable solutions to Melbourne’s water future. The people of Melbourne have been using water wisely at home, at school and at work. We need to ensure those savings provide real environmental outcomes to our city’s great river. Furthermore, we need our Government to help Melbourne get even wiser with water use by accelerating investment in water conservation, efﬁciency, reuse and recycling outlined in the

‘SADLY, ALMOST 18 MONTHS ON, WE’RE STILL WAITING FOR THAT PROMISE TO BE DELIVERED.’ Sustainable Water Strategy and beyond. The short-ﬁnned eel and other creatures that call the Yarra home do not have access to the range of alternatives we humans have to meet our water needs. They need the river to have a healthy ﬂow. That’s why Environment Victoria has teamed up with the Yarra River Keeper Association to form the Go Yarra Flow campaign. Our aim is to send a strong message to the Government that Victorians value a healthy Yarra River. To be successful, we need you to add your voice to the call and to encourage your friends, family and colleagues to support the campaign too. We trust in our Government to take care of our rivers for generations to come, but it is up to all of us ensure the commitments are met.

Wildlife and fauna that depend on the Yarra have to compete with the city for the river’s water. Little black cormorants are just one of the many native birds that rely on a healthy Yarra River.

Support the Go Yarra Flow campaign today: > Pledge your support online at www.environmentvictoria.org.au or complete the pledge form in this issue of Green Action News > Provide Environment Victoria with a much needed ﬁnancial boost by making a once-off or regular donation. > Get in touch with the Go Yarra Flow campaign coordinators to share your ideas: Leonie Duncan, Environment Victoria: leonie.duncan@envict.org.au or phone 9341 8120, Ian Penrose, Yarra Riverkeeper: penrose@lexicon.net or phone 0448 927 720

YES! I want to pledge my support to the Go Yarra Flow campaign today! YES! I want the Victorian Government to: > Stop withholding the Yarra River’s legal right to it’s life-giving environmental ﬂows > Reverse the recent increase in water extraction from the Yarra > Get wise with water conservation, efﬁciency, reuse and recycling rather than taking more water from our river YES! Keep me informed on how I can continue to support the Go Yarra Flow campaign full name address Email

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Please return your completed pledge form to the Go Yarra Flow campaign c/- Leonie Duncan, Environment Victoria, PO Box 12575, A’Beckett Street, MELBOURNE 8006, or Fax: 03 9341 8199

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healthy rivers

Our rivers our future > Juliet Le Feuvre, Healthy Rivers Community Campaigner

THE RIVERS OF NORTHERN VICTORIA MEAN MANY THINGS TO MANY PEOPLE, BUT ALL AGREE THAT THEY ARE FUNDAMENTAL TO SUPPORTING THE REGION’S LIFE AND PROSPERITY. WE CAN ALSO AGREE THAT THE REGION IS FACING UNPRECEDENTED CHALLENGES.

Photograph by: Juliet Le Feuvre

THE WATER MINISTER is quite right: the whole community – households, farmers, industry and interest groups – needs to have a discussion about the

Water Strategy for the northern region – paints a disturbing picture of the outlook for water availability. In the last ten years, inﬂows into the Murray River have declined by 33 per cent and into the Campaspe by 67 per cent. The Discussion Paper shows that this decline has impacted more heavily on the environment than on consumptive users, with the volume of water available to the environment declining by 44 per cent in the Murray and 84 per cent in the Campaspe. If these conditions and established water use patterns continue, the impact on the already stressed ﬂoodplain forests and wetlands of northern Victoria will be devastating. Floods will become so infrequent that we are in

Failure to act will have devastating consequences on icon sites such as Hattah Lakes. future of northern Victoria. The question the Minister neglects to ask is: what sort of future do we want? As we face up to the realities of a changing climate and changing social fabric, we need to take a long, hard look at the way we use water and the effect this is having on the environment in which we all live. A Discussion Paper – released by the government as the ﬁrst step in the development of a long term Sustainable

TAKE ACTION While public submissions on the Discussion Paper close on March 17, 2008, there will be a further chance to comment when the draft strategy is released mid year. If you would like to discuss the strategy or would like some help in making a submission, please contact Juliet Le Feuvre on 9341 8106.

danger of completely losing our most loved River Murray icon sites like Barmah Forest, the largest red gum forest on earth, and the extraordinary Hattah Lakes. These sites are internationally recognised for their water bird populations, which will no longer be able to breed, and are visited by hundreds of thousands of people every year. Is this a future that we are prepared to accept, where whole ecosystems are irretrievably lost? The government’s planned irrigation modernisation projects will help save water, but this will not be enough to save the red gums or the region’s prosperity. We need to move towards a future where “The management of water will be based on an understanding that a healthy economy and society is based on a healthy environment.” This statement is not some environmentalist’s dream. It is the ﬁrst principle of water management in the government’s Our Water Our Future White Paper, the basis of the Water Act. SO WHAT MIGHT a future based on this principle look like? The Victorian Catchment Management Council (VCMC) provides a vision for 2025 in its 2007 Catchment Condition Report. They describe a future where land use is matched to capability. The mosaic of land uses includes a mix of intensive agriculture with reduced water and energy inputs and land formerly used for farming instead producing ecosystem services and carbon sequestration. This kind of approach would allow farmers to diversify their sources of income, provide opportunities for other types of economic development including tourism, and allow water to be returned to river systems. In the words of VCMC, “Water used for environmental ends is not wasted: it is an investment in the future of an aquatic ecosystem and hence an investment in the communities that depend on it.” The development of the Sustainable Water Strategy for the northern region should be laying the ground work for achieving a future that supports both regional development and the environment: a future we can all have a share in.

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future directions

Taking Victoria’s environmental pulse > Vicki Kyriakakis, Communications Officer

LATE LAST YEAR, ENVIRONMENT VICTORIA CONDUCTED THE FIRST FULL SURVEY OF GROUP AND INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS, SUPPORTERS AND DONORS IN MANY YEARS. AND WHAT YOU TOLD US HELPED US PUT OUR FINGER ON VICTORIA’S ENVIRONMENTAL PULSE AND WILL GUIDE THE ORGANISATION TOWARDS A NEW FUTURE. IT IS NO SURPRISE THAT, IN A TIME OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND WATER SCARCITY, MOST OF ENVIRONMENT VICTORIA’S MEMBERS AND DONORS WERE MORE MOTIVATED THAN EVER TO SUPPORT POSITIVE ACTIONS ON OUR ENVIRONMENT. AND MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL WAS THE DESIRE TO SECURE VICTORIA’S ENVIRONMENT FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.

REASONS FOR SUPPORTING EV: Most respondents said they supported EV because they believed we worked to protect the environment for the future and because of our local and statebased focus. Many also reported that their motivation to support EV had increased in the past few years, with climate change the most commonly cited reason.

quality of our information: Most respondents said they were happy with the level of information we provided but many wanted more analytical and policy based information. Many also thought that we needed to focus on getting greater exposure in the media and on forming a stronger connection to local community groups. what’s most important to you: Key issues of concern for respondents were: climate change, public transport; affordable housing; forest logging; urban sprawl; energy and sustainability; river health and water use and management. Respondents

thought that several issues might stand in the way of successful outcomes. These included a lack of political will; the need for more lobbying on our part; the need for greater leadership and vision; the risks associated with continued economic growth and consumption; the need for greater education; and a general ignorance in the community of pressing environmental concerns.

what we campaign on: Most respondents were very supportive of our current campaigns in climate change, healthy rivers, sustainable living, and zero waste. But they also thought that energy and sustainability, biodiversity, logging and public transport should be added to the mix. Many said that we should increase our advocacy role and proﬁle, especially when lobbying government for environmental protection.

our priorities: There were many things that respondents said EV should make a priority. Amongst these are Forest logging and biodiversity were important issues for many members and donors.

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A majority of respondents were concerned about climate change, citing it as a primary reason for their increased motivation to support Environment Victoria. climate change; water use and management; energy and sustainable living; biodiversity; forest protection; pollution and transport issues; education of public and politicians; and promotion of community awareness and engagement. And to achieve this, respondents said that we should focus on community education and training; forge closer links with our member groups; increase our grass roots mobilisation activities; and focus on advocacy.

the next steps: This feedback has provided EV with critical data to help shape our future directions. We understand that we need to do more to strengthen the nongovernment environment sector in Victoria, particularly through better supporting our members. And we need to do more to amplify community voices on the environment. We need to boost our efforts in training communities to live within nature’s means and we need to focus more on developing shared solutions to Victoria’s environmental problems. Finally we need to better utilise the media and other forms of communication

to advocate for a healthier Victorian environment. We will also re-examine our campaigns to ensure they are focused on what matters to you and to Victoria’s environment. EV is currently reviewing its Strategic Plan which sets key directions and priorities for our organisation. This will reﬂect the feedback you provided to us on our effectiveness. We aim to complete the review by June 2008.

> Read more about what Environment Victoria is doing now in the areas that most concern you! For more information on our Sustainable Living program, see our special feature on page 8. *********************** > For more information on our community education and training activities, see our articles on the Youth Eco-Challenge and Green Business Program on page 11. And for more information on our Public Transport campaign, see our article on page 14. *********************** > Did you miss the survey or have more feedback for us? IT’S never too late. Contact Vicki Kyriakakis on 9341 8125 or at vicki.kyriakakis@envict.org.au. The full survey report is available at www.environmentvictoria.org.au.

Did you know that Environment Victoria is part of the Victoria Naturally Alliance?

The Victoria Naturally Alliance is an alliance of eight environment groups and has been created to work towards restoring the health of Victoria’s biodiversity, which after years of land clearance and habitat fragmentation is in a state of crisis. Our vision is for Victoria’s catchments, coast and marine waters to have ﬂourishing biodiversity, healthy ecosystems and resilient ecological processes that are highly valued, securely protected, sustainably managed, and effectively restored by communities and governments. The Alliance will initially focus on raising awareness about solving Victoria’s biodiversity crises and ensuring that the Victorian Government’s Land and Biodiversity White Paper is a strong and robust document, setting the framework for biodiversity protection, enhancement and restoration in Victoria for the next 20 to 50 years. For more information go to http://vnpa.org.au.

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sustainable living

Sustainabilty:

More than a philosophy > Annette Salkeld, Sustainable Living Program Manager

WITH CLIMATE CHANGE FRONT AND CENTRE OF MAINSTREAM NEWS, THERE HAS BEEN A SURGE OF INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO REDUCE YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT. WITH EVERYTHING FROM HOW TO REDUCE YOUR CARBON EMISSIONS, RECYCLING WATER AND WASTE, TO SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT AND GREENING YOUR HOME, SOCIETY HAS BEEN INUNDATED WITH TIPS AND ADVICE ON HOW TO BECOME MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY. IT’S NO WONDER SOME FEEL OVERWHELMED. BUT, AS SUSTAINABLE LIVING PROGRAM DIRECTOR ANNETTE SALKELD EXPLAINS, CHANGING YOUR WORLD DOESN’T NEED TO BE COMPLICATED. TEN YEARS AGO, in a move that foreshadowed the rising tide of environmental interest, Environment Victoria began to develop community programs aimed at helping people become practical environmentalists. The resulting workshops and training programs have become what is now EV’s Sustainable Living program. The impetus was a rising awareness that key sectors of the community were

being left behind in the move to create a more sustainable society. Whether because of language and cultural barriers, ﬁnancial limitations, geographical location or a lack of ageappropriate information, many were missing out. The knowledge was used to shape EV’s award-winning Sustainable Living Program, which now works with sectors of the community that many

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consider too ‘hard-to-reach’. And the results speak for themselves. The evidence is in that sustainability information and programs, such as EV’s, are having a signiﬁcant impact on Victoria’s environmental footprint. Last year, Melburnians collectively used up to 69 billion litres less water than the year before. And recycling of waste has increased from 46 to 60 per cent between 2000 and 2006. There is,

<<< Working with young people in regional Victoria, the Youth EcoChallenge supports participants to become role models in sustainable living practices for their communities. The Public Transport Challenge brings together secondary school students from across Melbourne in a day-long experience of Melbourne’s public transport system. The Eco-Wise program works with older people in regional Victoria, helping participants reduce their ecological footprint through affordable, practical and easy-toimplement home improvements.

however, still a long way to go. With a range of issues to deal with, EV’s work with groups such as refugees and new migrants, seniors, low-income families and non-English speaking communities has made it clear that for many environmental issues have not been a priority. And where they have, options for change have often been limited. Living in the suburbs, many of the participants in EV’s programs are simply not aware of the critical health of our waterways and the issues threatening the local environment. For those who have come from waterscarce countries or regions, unlimited water delivered directly to the home is a gift. EV’s award winning programs with

The Sustainable Living Program includes Multicultural Leaders for Sustainability, the Green Business Program, the Public Transport Challenge, the Youth EcoChallenge, Families Go Green and the Eco-Wise Action Program for Seniors. For a brochure or more information on how to get involved, contact Annette Salkeld on 9341 8118 or at annette.salkeld@envict.org.au.

Melbourne’s Vietnamese communities, for example, has demonstrated the importance of issues such as trust in delivering successful programs. As migrants from a country where government and officials were highly mistrusted, some participants were suspicious of EV’s motivations. Our staff and volunteers, recruited directly from the community, were crucial to the program’s success and had to be clear on project activities and aims. While this can take time, the effort was essential been to building and maintaining trust. And information on how to install a new water system or how to purchase energy efficient white goods is not useful to those on low incomes, pensions or those who do not own their own homes. The response has been to design custom-made programs in consultation with participants to help them make the changes that are possible for them. Working closely with community groups, service providers, and organisations linked to the community, EV tailors programs to individual community needs. We talk to communities about the issues that are important to them, the barriers and enablers to change, and what most influences their current behaviours. EV’s programs are built on this information, using the data and learning styles that will most motivate each group and encourage the maximum behaviour change. As a result, all of our programs are different and each one individually successful. Programs can include a mix of different activities, including workshops and field trips, personalised home audits, information booklets to take home and read, training in

leadership skills and even ‘sustainability bingo’, an activity that has become quite popular with some of our elderly program participants. Underpinning each of our programs is a theory of behaviour change that is practical in nature. The idea, based in psychology, recognises that people are more likely to sustain a behaviour they have opted to change for themselves and in this way seeks to implement change from the bottom up. These programs are most effective where there is a personal beneﬁt and, in EV’s case, these are many: an improved environment, reduced energy or water bills, a safer world for their children and grandchildren or just the ability to stand up and be heard. Many of our workshop participants are simply keen to learn more about their newly adopted country or be a part of a community activity. The Sustainable Living Program has an innovative and unique approach to community sustainability education that is proving an invaluable addition to mainstream sustainability programs. Through our creative and communal methodology, we have shown that our diverse programs can and do work to reduce the environmental impact of all Victorians.

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in the city

2008 Sustainable Living Festival 1

ENVIRONMENT VICTORIA was one of three organisations that headlined at Melbourne’s 2008 Sustainable Living Festival in February. The festival drew thousands of Melburnians and is Australia’s largest sustainability event. EV’s appearance included presentations on working with diverse communities, a visual DVD presentation and a performance by local Melbourne band, Direct Inﬂuence. Our stall, located in the Think Precinct featured innovative and practical activities and helped festival-goers to understand how to reduce their ecological footprint and live more sustainably. 4

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1. Visitors to Environment Victoria’s stall test for themselves the savings to be made with energy-efﬁcient light bulbs. 2. Six-piece Melbourne band, Direct Inﬂuence, capped off Environment Victoria’s presentation at the Sustainable Living Festival and set toes tapping with their soulful reggae. 3. Fashionable sustainability at the SLF Fashion Parade. 4. Melburnians of all ages had the opportunity to paint their future vision. 5. Traditional weaving. 6. There was plenty of good advice and food for thought at EV’s stall. 7. The future of transport: a solar power speed machine. 8. There was lots on offer at the Festival.

sustainable living

Multicultural Youth Eco-Challenge finishes on high note

EV’s Youth Eco-Challenge participants are spreading the word on sustainability.

FOR THE PAST THREE MONTHS ENVIRONMENT VICTORIA HAS BEEN WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF CASEY AND THE CENTRE FOR MULTICULTURAL YOUTH ISSUES TO BRING TOGETHER YOUNG MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES FROM AFGHANISTAN AND AFRICA, ALONG WITH MEMBERS OF THE CASEY YOUTH AMBASSADORS, TO LEARN ABOUT OUR CITY’S WATER CATCHMENTS.

PROJECT MANAGER, CHARLIE Davie, said that an appreciation of the precious ecosystems that supply Melbourne’s water inspired the young participants to run activities to help their local communities reduce their water use. “These young people have led activities which will help residents of Casey save upwards of two megalitres of water over the next 12 months” he said. “The exciting thing about the Diversity for Sustainability project is that young people from very different backgrounds have built relationships and worked closely together to achieve these results.” Twenty-year old Shegofa Zahidi, one of the young organisers, said she had learnt a lot from visits to the Yarra River and Cardinia Reservoir. “I have lived through drought in Afghanistan and I know the value of water,’’ Shegofa said. “Saving water can mean saving lives. I think by working to save water together we can bring our communities together.” The Multicultural Youth Eco-Challenge was supported by South East Water.

Vietnamese community embraces ethical shopping > Daniel Clarke, Media Officer

FOOTSCRAY’S VIETNAMESE COMMUNITY HAS TAKEN ON A MORE ORGANIC APPROACH TO FOOD SHOPPING WITH THE HELP OF TWO UNIQUE WORKSHOPS RUN BY ENVIRONMENT VICTORIA.

ALMOST 50 PEOPLE from the community attended the EV Green Business Program workshops last month to learn how to make environmentally friendly choices when shopping in their local community. Participants gathered in a meeting room above Little Saigon Market for the second of the workshops to learn about issues such as nutrition, buying products with less packaging, the distance food travels to its selling point, buying Australian products and use of pesticides in farming. The workshops also highlighted products from companies that have a bad environmental or social record. After the presentation, participants were given a list of items to purchase in Little Saigon Market. “The idea is that people could immediately apply the lessons learned in the workshop, such as choosing items with less packaging and asking the stall holder what their sources are,’’ EV Green Business Program project manager Michelle Burton said. “We made the workshops as relevant to the community as possible. While the large food miles

for products sourced from Vietnam is always going to be an issue, we recognise that members of the Vietnamese community often want to support businesses from their home country. “The workshop is about helping them make the right decisions when it comes to buying food products that might cause unwarranted adverse affects on the environment, which is something everyone should consider when they shop.’’ After purchasing the products, the participants returned to the meeting room to cook up a seafood stir-fry with rice and vegetables, and discussed any issues they came across. The Green Business Program, launched in 2005, is part of Environment Victoria’s Sustainable Living Project. It focuses on working with Vietnamese businesses to help them become more water and energy efﬁcient. “These food workshops ensure that the program involves the whole community – both residents and businesses – with the end result being that the customers of those green businesses will be able to make green choices when shopping,’’ Ms Burton said.

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environmental champions

LES SMITH: Committed to conservation LES SMITH IS ONE OF ENVIRONMENT VICTORIA’S LONGEST SERVING MEMBERS AND HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN CONSERVATION FOR OVER 50 YEARS. HE IS STILL A REGULAR VOLUNTEER AT EV AND WORKS TIRELESSLY TO PRESERVE BUSH REMNANTS IN WHITEHORSE. IN THIS EDITION, LES TALKS TO EV ABOUT THE WAY IT ALL STARTED AND HOW CONSERVATION HAS CHANGED OVER THE LAST FEW DECADES.

When did you get ﬁrst get involved in the environment movement? My ﬁrst environmental involvement followed the closing of public rights of way during the war to make more land available for agriculture. Legally, after seven years, it stops being a right of way. In the late 40’s the Ramblers Association was very anxious to make sure that all these paths were opened up again and so groups went out at weekends cutting the fences which closed the paths. (The government weren’t) particularly worried but the farmers weren’t very enthusiastic. It was a big movement all over England to make sure that these important rights of way got opened. Which I think was successful in the long run. It was a bit different to things that happened here.

The Little Desert Campaign of 1969 was an extremely successful campaign and is considered something of a watershed in Victorian environmental politics. It also formed the basis for the formation of the Conservation Council of Victoria (now Environment Victoria). What was that like to be a part of? It was very surprising. Because there’d really been no interest in conservation and suddenly (there were) whole pages of letters in The Age about it from just ordinary people, culminating in a massive protest meeting at the St Kilda Palais. Recently, there was a

‘IF (CLIMATE CHANGE) TAKES HOLD, WE WON’T HAVE ANY OF WHAT WE’VE WORKED FOR LEFT.’ demonstration up in the hills near Marysville on logging catchments. And I wondered how we could get the general population more active in these present issues. And I thought it would be nice if we could ﬁnd out how it was that people got so wild about the Little Desert. I don’t know if anybody ever did do a study, but it’d be really interesting.

You’ve been involved in grassroots conservation for almost 50 years. How do you think people’s attitudes to conservation and the environment have changed? Many more people are positive about it and the people who were involved in the ﬁrst place have mostly got different views now to the ones they had before. I think originally (conservation) was much more related to preserving bush but not necessarily worrying about what was in it. Now it’s much more about making it what it was before

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Europeans arrived. And there’s plenty of knowledge around now as to how it was. Even government departments now work in that direction.

What do you think is the biggest issue facing us today? Probably climate change. Because if that takes hold we won’t have any of what we’ve worked for left.

What would you say to people who haven’t been involved in conservation and protecting the environment but who might be concerned about the future? I’ve been retired for a long time now and people who are working seem to be much busier than I used to be and don’t seem to have time for other activities. But you really need to make time for these things. I think that climate change is starting to change people – it’s getting younger people more involved. I have eight grandchildren – three of them are 18. And before the last state election, one of them… said to me, are you going to any demonstrations soon. And I said, well there’s the walk on warming. And she said, can I come? She bought a dozen friends along and they are continuing to be involved. There is more and more compelling evidence that climate change could mean disaster for the world. The message to push is that this disaster can be avoided if we act now.

zero waste

Waste plan a city affair > Mark Doggett, Director Zero Waste Campaign

The new plan has the potential to signiﬁcantly reduce the amount of waste sent to landﬁll by city dwellers.

THE NAME MAY BE A TONGUE TWISTER, BUT THE “METROPOLITAN RESOURCE RECOVERY AND WASTE STRATEGIC PLAN” HIDES A STRATEGY THAT IS SET TO PLAY A FUNDAMENTAL ROLE IN HOW WELL MELBOURNE REDUCES ITS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OVER THE NEXT THIRTY YEARS.

THE NEW PLAN will be the first opportunity Melburnians have had to influence the environmental credentials of Melbourne’s waste recycling and recovery system. Starting this month, Melburnians will be able to comment on a draft of the plan, which aims to minimise waste generation and maximise the amount of resources recovered for reuse. The plan will also identify the infrastructure and systems needed to do this and create a schedule for the closing and opening of old and new landfills. If done correctly the plan can give Melburnians a system that reuses and recycles up to 40 per cent more of their waste than it does currently. The wrong plan will mean mediocre improvements or, worse still, business-as-usual. Melbourne desperately needs to reduce its environmental impact. While most people are aware of the enormous quantities of water and energy the city ingests, far fewer realise how much other material Melbourne draws into its boundaries. Matierals such as plastic, glass, aluminium and steel containers, paper and food are consumed by the tonne

loads. In fact, the CSIRO estimates that Melburnians currently consume over 630 million tonnes of natural resources, not including energy and water, per year. Melbourne has a long way to go to reduce its impact on the planet but Environment Victoria believes that the new waste plan has the potential to be a positive start. To do this, Environment Victoria believes the plan needs to: 1 Increase the amount of reusable and recyclable material recovered from our city’s garbage; 2 Vastly reduce or eliminate the amount of green waste we send to landﬁll; and 3 Increase Melburnians’ willingness to reduce, re-use and recycle their waste TO GET THAT PLAN WE NEED YOUR HELP! The plan is currently open for public comment. Details are listed on the The Zero Waste page of the EV website (www.environmentvictoria.org.au). If you don’t have access to the internet, you can contribute by contacting Mark Doggett on 9341 8103 for help in making your own submission or to support our efforts.

take action now and help environment victoria reduce Melbourne’s impact on our environment. g r e e n a c t i o n n e w s | i s s u e 3 | a u t u m n 2 0 0 8 | w w w. e n v i r o n m e n t v i c t o r i a . o r g . a u

transport

Sustainable transport crucial to State’s future > Victoria McKenzie-McHarg, Climate Change and Sustainable Transport Campaigner

THE FUTURE OF VICTORIA’S TRANSPORT SYSTEM LIES IN ITS ABILITY TO MEET THE CHALLENGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE, WRITES EV SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT CAMPAIGNER VICTORIA MCKENZIE-MCHARG.

WHEN THINKING OF what a desirable future for transport would be, several qualities come to mind: accessibility, reliability, speed, connectivity, safety and comfort among them. But to be truly sustainable, Victoria must have a transport system that can deal with the changing nature and consequences of climate change and peak oil. Over the past year, the Victorian community has come to realise for the ﬁrst time just how serious the threat of climate change is. Greenhouse gas emissions are a byproduct of almost everything our society and economy currently create. The result has been the steady but sure warming of the planet. Over the last 20 years, Victoria has doubled its energy use, and emissions from energy production have grown by nearly 30 per cent since 1990. Victoria needs to cut its greenhouse gas emissions dramatically – and fast. The Victorian government has set a target to reduce the state’s emissions by at least 60 per cent based on 2000 levels. While current science tells us that emission reductions will have to go much further than this (think at least 90 per cent reductions), even reaching these lower targets will be difﬁcult for

Victoria’s transport sector unless immediate action is taken. The second issue that will create havoc for Victoria’s current transport system is peak oil. Peak oil refers to the peak in global oil production. Once the peak has been reached, oil production worldwide will decline. While demand for oil supplies continues to grow, this gap between demand and supply will lead to even higher petrol prices. Peak oil, and higher petrol prices, will have a significant effect on all Victorians. A key problem is the reliance of Victoria’s transport system on individual private car use. This dominance has meant that our city has grown largely to accommodate cars. Public transport alternatives are lacking in the outer suburbs and rural Victoria, making it difficult for people living in these areas to travel without a car. The result is a type of enforced car ownership – a system where the majority of Victorians cannot access services, employment, education, or participate in the community without owning a car. As petrol prices continue to increase, more and more people are finding it difficult to afford to fill the petrol tank.

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And with further increases predicted, there will come a point where this level of reliance on private cars becomes almost impossible. Rising petrol prices will also affect business and the freight industry, with both of these sectors having developed upon the assumption of cheap and available petrol. Daily commuters and road-based freight will need alternatives. But any proposed solution to the threat of peak oil and rising petrol prices, must also be a solution to climate change. We cannot afford the uptake of ‘solutions’ that will cause an increase in emissions. Through land-clearing for bio-fuels, or the use of coal-to-liquid technology, many suggested alternative fuels will actually increase our emissions. Achieving a sustainable transport system is an essential part of dealing with the dual problems of climate change and peak oil. The transport system of the future must provide real choices that operate on near zero emissions. Public transport, including heavy rail, light rail and buses, and active transport such as cycling and walking combined can provide almost all of the answers. Environment Victoria believes that a sustainable transport system will help Victorians reduce reliance on depleting oil supplies and reduce our emissions. A sustainable transport system is not a technological issue, nor an engineering issue. Through immediate Government investment in pubic transport, active transport and rail freight, we have the opportunity to ensure that all Victorians can access a system that will serve them well into the future.

TAKE ACTION Help us push for a truly sustainable transport system for Victoria. Become a Green Action Partner or contact Climate Change and Sustainable Transport Campaigner Victoria McKenzie-McHarg on 9341 8112 or at victoria.mckenziemcharg@envict.org.au for more information on how to get involved.

update

JANUARY 2007

JANUARY 2008

Decline of the Moorabool When local EV representative Cameron Steele, took a photo of the Moorabool River at Hunts Bridge in January 2007 (left), he didn’t expect the river to decline so rapidly. Exactly a year later, the Moorabool is just a shadow of its former self (right). Recent decisions on water ﬂow allocations, aided by the minister’s decision to allow all passing ﬂows to be stopped at both Lal Lal and Moorabool reservoirs, have turned this section of the Moorabool into nothing more than a series of disconnected pools. The smaller of these are now exhibiting signs of heavy algae growth, while the larger pools have dropped by at least half a metre. “I feel (the photographs) provide a graphic representation of the damage being wrought,” Cameron said. “They are a stark reminder that those decisions made in our boardrooms often have very real impacts on the ground.”

Help EV fight for a healthier future for our rivers. b e c o m e a G r e e n A c t i o n P a r t n e r t o d a y. BECOME A GREEN PARTNER NOW! Green Action Partners are monthly donors to EV, whose regular commitment allows EV to plan and run priority campaigns to protect Victoria’s environment. More than this though, regular monthly donations reduce administration costs for EV – so a Green Action Partner’s dollar stretches further!

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notice this

Concerned about the environment? Want to do something about it? Multicultural Leaders in Sustainability is a training program, run by EV and the Centre for Youth Multicultural Issues, that will give you the skills and knowledge to help educate communities about environmental and sustainability challenges.

sdsfdsfsf Open to anyone aged 18-25 years from migrant and refugee backgrounds living in Melbourne’s south and south-eastern suburbs. Training runs from April to October 2008. Training is FREE and travel costs are reimbursed.

sdsfdsfsf For more information, contact the CMYI on 9340 3700 or info@cmyi.net.au.

Mullum Mullum Festival come along to the mullum mullum festival. includes walks by experts in their fi f elds through the beautiful mullum mullum valley. Opening: April 27, 2008 • Festival: May 3-4, 2008 Where: Mullum Mullum Valley, Victoria For a full program, contact Les Smith on 9874 2641 or at lwsmith@alphalink.com.au

WHO’S WHO AT ENVIRONMENT VICTORIA Chief Executive Officer Kelly O’Shanassy OPERATIONS Organisational Services Manager Ivan Kolker Administration Helen Vine Communications Officer Vicki Kyriakakis Media Officer Daniel Clarke Finance Officer

Despina Giannakis CLIMATE CHANGE & SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT Campaigner Victoria McKenzieMcHarg HEALTHY RIVERS CAMPAIGN Acting Manager, Healthy Rivers Leonie Duncan Community Campaigner Juliet Le Feuvre

SUSTAINABLE LIVING PROGRAM Director Annette Salkeld Program Manager (Green Business Program; Eco-Wise Action) Michelle Burton Project Ofﬁcer, Families Go Green Murray Irwin Multicultural Leaders Program Manager Charlie Davie Public Transport Challenge Project Ofﬁcer Michael Chew

Sustainable Living Project Ofﬁcer Katelyn Fryer ZERO WASTE CAMPAIGN Director Mark Doggett Contact Us (03) 9341 8100 or admin@envict.org.au. Level 2, 60L Green Building 60 Leicester Street Carlton VIC 3053