In December news, end of year party, state forests survey, Wombat forest trips, Snow Gums summit tix and new project, Better Buses protest and petition, nuclear power inquiry and Nukes-free gathering, Act on Climate fair and hearings, PFAS detection, Chain Reaction Magazine, plus more!
Members and supporters join us at our end of year party Thursday 12 Dec from 6pm at FoE. All welcome! Info & RSVP. Thanks for your wonderful support this year, and have a restful break. Please note, FoE Melb HQ office will be closed 25 December 2024 until 5 January 2025.
Get onboard Better Buses Tarneit station protest Wed 11 Dec at 5pm RSVP. Check out the moment Better Buses parliamentary petition was debated on 27 Nov as reported in the Star Weekly Post. Also, the first Transport trivia fundraiser was awesome, here are some snaps.
Zoom into an update on the nuclear power inquiry and a look back on COP29 and the role of the nuclear industry and its impacts, Thursday 12 December from 6-7 pm VIC/NSW/ACT 5.30 SA/ 5.00 pm QLD / 4.30 pm NT/ 3.00 pm WA RSVP.
Chain Reaction magazine on Anti-Militarism soft copy to download.
Survey on the future for forests
Calling all FoE supporters to influence the way Victoria’s state forests are cared for into the future, online survey and our guide here, closing 12 Jan 2025.
Dja Dja Wurrung are reasserting their right to manage Country in Wombat Forest
In central Victoria, traditional owners the Dja Dja Wurrung (also known as DJAARA - their representative body) are reasserting their right to manage Country. As part of this process, they are rolling out their interconnected land management programs of Djandak Wi (Country Fire) and Galk-galk Dhelkunya (Forest Gardening). Parts of the Wombat Forest exist on Djaara land. Storm clearing activities in the Wombat in 2022 caused considerable alarm within the forest activist community because of a connection with the (thankfully now defunct) state logging agency VicForests. Read more & join a work trip.
New Snow Gums citizen science project
At the invitation of Wollangarra outdoor education centre, we are now investigating the possibility of developing a series of long term monitoring sites in the southern Alps in Gippsland (from the Mt Howitt region through Arbuckle Junction to the Wellington Plains). The sites will be developed in consultation with John Morgan from Latrobe University and will be designed in a way that data which is generated will feed into the existing long term monitoring that has been done for decades in places like the Bogong High Plains. Wollangarra is a long established and much loved institution which has offered many thousands of young people incredible experiences in the outdoors, based on the Macalister River in the foothills on the southern side of the Victorian high country, just south of the township of Licola. Read more.
Snow Gum Summit 2025
Tickets are available and selling fast! There are 31 places left, so get one soon if you’re planning to attend, tix here.
Response to Victoria’s first publicly owned solar farm
Victoria's Allan government made a significant announcement on Tuesday 20th November - it will build Victoria's first publicly owned solar and battery project in Horsham in the state's north-west. Dubbed the SEC Renewable Energy Park, the $370 million project is the second major public move into publicly owned energy since the government announced the revival of the State Electricity Commission, following the government's investment in a utility scale battery storage project near Melton.
According to the government, the project will come online in 2027 & will generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 51,000 homes. The state government says the project will be used to provide cheap, 100 per cent renewable electricity to public schools, hospitals & offices. As the first publicly-owned energy generator in decades, the announcement marks a turn against the years of privatisation, and shows a pathway for how governments can rebuild public control of essential infrastructure and services. Read more.
Nukes-free gathering 1-2 Feb 2025
Put it in your calendar. Knowledge exchange & movement building weekend crash course on all things nuclear, to get ready for the fight ahead leading up to the elections. RSVP.
Act on Climate Adaptation Fair 8 Feb 2025
The Adaptation Fair is coming to town! Save the date 8 February 2025 at Borderlands Co-op in Footscray. Come along for all things climate adaptation: stalls, workshops, talks. Keen to be involved in some way? Let us know! We're open to collaborations and want a wide range of stalls and speakers. Reach out to [email protected] with your ideas. More info to come & RSVP.
Support our Community Climate Adaptation Fund for Victoria, please add your name here.
Climate Resilience Inquiry hearings Melbourne
Climate Resilience Inquiry hearings Macedon
Climate Resilience Inquiry hearings Wangaratta
PFAS detection at six reservoirs
Six drinking water supplies located to the west and north west of Melbourne have had PFAS chemicals detected in them over the past 16 months according to a Freedom of Information request from Greater Western Water. All detections were recorded in raw water, however treatment methods at water treatment plants often have limited success in removing PFAS and apparently no testing was conducted on the drinking water itself. It appears that Greater Western Water only started testing for PFAS chemicals in drinking water supplies in July 2023.
The impacted reservoirs include Djerriwarrh Reservoir and Merrimu Reservoir (located north of Melton), Wright Reservoir and Brock Reservoir located south east and east of Woodend and Garden Hut Reservoir located west of Lancefield, as well as the Lancefield Service Basin. The August 2023 event at Djerriwarrh represents the highest PFAS loads in any Victorian water supply. Read more.
Volunteer with Friends of the Earth Melb