Welcome to Friends of the Earth Melbourne June news. Wish Friends of the Earth Melbourne a very happy 50th birthday and donate, Power On film launch, members AGM online, nuke free art auction, forests win, koalas update, activists training, better buses campaigns, and more!
Happy 50th Friends of the Earth!
Wish Friends of the Earth Melbourne a very happy 50th birthday and donate to our annual fundraiser here.
Only with your generous suport have we achieved some amazing wins. Check out our 50 year history here.
Members please join us online for our AGM RSVP here.
Read the latest Chain Reaction Magazine on Housing, pdf here.
Gippsland Premiere: Power On film launch at Festival for Big Ideas 17 June
Nuke free art auction 30 June
Celebrate 25 years since the Jabiluka blockade and join us 30 June for our Nuke free art auction. RSVP here.
NO to nuclear submarines rally, 6pm Friday 23 June, Trades Hall, Naarm. Join Dr Margie Beavis, Arthur Rorris South Coast Labour Council, Peter Garrett and Dave Sweeney to hear how we can stop Australia's acquisition of nuclear submarines and invest in health, education, jobs and our environment instead! Free, but ticket required book here.
Huge win for protection for Vic Native Forests from 2024
MEDIA RELEASE - An end to native forest logging a huge win for climate action, clean air, clean water and biodiversity.
The Andrews government has announced that native forest logging will cease by the end of the year. After decades of community campaigning, finally native forests will be safe from woodchipping and clear felling.
“This is a huge moment for everyone who has worked tirelessly to end logging and bring forward this transition date,” said Friends of the Earth forest campaigner Alana Mountain. It's what we have needed for decades; to protect remaining carbon sinks, biodiversity, water catchments and First Nations culture. This is a sensible move to wind up the timber industry and transition affected workers. This is justice for climate, forests, and humanity.” Read more.
Sign up for our Activists Organising training series June-Aug
The Organising training series is for anyone interested in building their activist skill. It aims to build capacity in our collectives and broader movement. Sign up to the series for updates and resources after each session. Whether you're able to attend or not, you can recieve the content from the workshops and stay in touch with any changes and communications on the topics of upskilling.
The workshops will run every second Tuesday 6pm-8pm with dinner provided. Read more & sign up.
Community action to defend Alpine regions
The Friends of the Earth Melbourne Forest Collective has launched a campaign working closely with regional communities to protect Victoria’s high country in the Alpine regions. Read more.
Extreme logging in the Upper Ovens
In March, Friends of the Earth (FoE) campaigners visited north eastern Victoria as part of a longer trip highlighting threats to the landscapes of the high country. While we were focused on the threat posed to native forests by logging, locals in the Upper Ovens wanted to show us some of the current harvesting of pine plantations in the area. Read more.
Forest protectors oppose anti-protest laws
On Saturday May 20, people from all across the state headed out to the forest and entered areas scheduled for harvesting by VicForests in defiance of new anti-protest laws aimed at cracking down on peaceful protestors in forests. The anti-protest laws were contested through a state-wide survey action for threatened flora and fauna. Read more.
Mass meeting endorses state-wide action for forests
Across Australia, new anti-protest laws are being passed in order to silence dissent on rapid action for climate and the environment. In Victoria peaceful forest protectors are facing up to 12 months of jail time come May 2023. Any stripping away of the democratic right to protest affects all communities, and will eventually be used to further limit workplace action and increase the criminalisation of First Nations people standing up for country. Read more.
Protecting Vic native forests for a safe climate
Victoria’s native forests are wonderful places with an incredible array of plants, animals and fungi seen nowhere else on earth. These forests are not only important for biodiversity and the wildlife that relies on them, but are vital for water security, carbon storage and are of great cultural significance to First Nations peoples. Read more.
Koala action team update
SKAT has started surveying again in the Mullungdung/Stratford region of Gippsland. Recent surveys have found scats between Stradbroke and Giffard. A koala was also observed at Stradbroke on the edge of a pine plantation in an area with scant native vegetation. It would appear that several hectares of native vegetation has also recently been removed within this plantation, making the life of koalas in the area even more precarious. Read more.
Our second Bus Marathon for Better Buses in Mt. Atkinson (Truganina)
On 21 May 2023, we met with local residents in Mt. Atkinson for the Bus Marathon to campaign for Better Buses for the West! Together we took a solidarity walk on a footpath at the estate, that ends at a 70km/h highway... and not even halfway to the bus stop! We did this to show politicians that it is impossible for Mt. Atkinson residents to access any form of public transportation. Read more.
No more gas news
Catch up on what's been happening as the No More Gas collective keeps kicking gas! Read more.
Volunteer with Friends of the Earth Melb
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