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Different to Business As Usual

July 11, 2011 @ 23:08 By Gavin Webber 5 Comments

Finally, some action on climate change that may actually make a difference!  Certainly a difference to business as usual of inaction and shallow promises that we have experienced over the last 10 or so years.

If you believe some of the crap in the press today, which I don’t, the Carbon Tax package is a big gamble for our government.  With the numbers necessary to pass this legislation in both the Lower and Upper houses of parliament, it is essentially a done deal.  Just the detail needs to be thrashed out, but once legislated it will be very difficult to rescind by any future government.  Once legislated, it comes into effect on the 1st of July, 2012, which is ample time for households and industry to cut their emissions before it kicks in.  With the opposition party presenting no real alternative solution or policy, this is as about as good as it gets, which by the way is not that bad.

I personally think that on the face of what they have presented, it will not only reduce our countries greenhouse gas emissions over time, but it will fairly compensate or shield the average Aussie from most of the costs expected to be passed on by those 500 companies that will most probably pass on these costs.

It provides a financial buffer for pensioners and low income earners, and compensates some trade exposed industries, like steel and coal.  So much so that the Coal industry gets a $1.2 billion bonus.  Simple way over the top for this industry that already records incredulous profits.

I really like the $10 billion being allocated to Renewable energy over the next few years.  It will really give this clean energy the boost it needs, and hopefully reduce our dependence on coal power stations.

To get the gist of it in two minutes, here is a short vid produced by the ‘Say Yes’ campaign.

So over the next few weeks, as more details come to hand I will have a stab at trying to explain the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of the Clean Energy Future.  If you are after more information straight from the horses mouth, a good place to start is www.cleanenergyfuture.gov.au.  The site has a lot of information and even a household calculator to see if you are better off under the proposed scheme.  After all, we must remember why we have asked our government to take action on climate change.  It is for future generations to come that this will really make a difference.  Our culture may have finally grown up, and possibly will stop borrowing from the future and start paying back our debts to our unborn descendants.

However, all being said and done, actions speak louder than words, so if you want to see what can be really done to lower your carbon emissions and therefore the hit to your back pocket, have a read through some of the actions that our family have taken over the years.  Here is a list of posts that will help you out that I have achieved myself;

  • Low Emission Transportation – Bought a Hybrid Car
  • Water Saving Front Yard – Ripped up the lawn and landscaped the front yard
  • Electricity One and Two – Electricity efficiency and the steps I took over the first 16 weeks.
  • Natural Gas – How we reduced our natural gas bill
  • Water – rainwater harvesting and grey water reuse around the home.
  • Waste – how we reduced our landfill and began composting and worm farming
  • Reducing Food Miles One and Two – How to build a veggie patch and what we grew in the first season.
  • Solar Hot Water – Installation of our hybrid solar hot water system.
  • Solar Photovoltaic – Installation of our 2.8 kW Solar PV system
  • Making Jam – My first plum jam, one of many types I have made over the years.
  • Preserving Fruit and Vegetables – Our first preserves made with our Fowlers-Vacola kit bought on Ebay.
  • Recommenced Beer Making – The first time I made beer in many years to finally drink something that had taste.
  • Decided to get Chickens (April 2008)
  • Chateau le Poulet – Building the chicken coop over many months
  • Stockpiling Food and Essentials – What to do for food in case of natural disasters or emergencies.
  • Home made Bread One and Two – We began to make our own bread and bread rolls
  • Chicken Day, and Chicken Day – The Movie – Arrival of our first four chickens (we now have 8 feathered girl friends)
  • Very Eggsciting! – Our first egg.
  • Carbon Accounting Course – (January 2009) Started to up-skill for a low carbon economy
  • Homemade Feta Cheese – Learning how to make cheese for the first time.
  • 160 Km Diet – The family starts to eat locally
  • Soap Making – Our first attempt of making soap.  We are still using it and we haven’t looked back.
Of course there are many other ways to reduce your, and these are just some, but remember that it just takes one small step in the right direction to start you off on your sustainable living journey! 

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Filed Under: climate change, Government

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About Gavin Webber

Gavin Webber's daily goal is to live a more sustainable lifestyle, in an effort to reduce his family's environmental footprint so we can all make a difference for our children & future generations to come.

Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

Comments

  1. nellymary says

    July 11, 2011 at 23:52

    Wow Gavin…you certainly have made some great changes over time…love your post, very informative.

    Reply
  2. Jane says

    July 12, 2011 at 08:52

    Hi Gavin, I totally agree that actions speak louder than words and must congratulate you on your efforts to not only change but to also inspire others to follow suit. I certainly look to your blog regularly for inspiration and support to reduce my carbon footprint.

    I have to say though taking action of the kind you have embarked on is relatively easy for some. Not everyone has the means to even contemplate buying a hybrid car, installing solar on their roof or hooking up to rainwater tanks. You are obviously fortunate enough to have an income to enable you take the plunge. You have also been heavily subsidised by extremely generous rebates and loan scheme which I am sure you have taken full advantage of. Low income tax payers have contributed to the subsidies you have enjoyed yet they have not been able to take advantage of them by virtue of their low earning capacity. When the carbon tax comes into effect low income people will be struggling to keep afloat, especially in Victoria.

    What I want to say Gavin is that it is easy to crow about making the change when you have had every advantage possible to make the change that is needed. What I would like to see people like you, and me do, is advocate for financial support to low income earners so that they too can adopt low energy technology.

    Reply
  3. oneearthtolive says

    July 12, 2011 at 09:32

    So Australia will lead the way! This is such a fantastic day for the world, I am so excited for you guys. I really hope the dimwits in North America take pause and reflect on what you are doing.

    I am in awe of all the changes you have made. I love the solar stuff, and hope to go down that path one day too. So far, my first veggie patch is growing great. And I made my first jam this weekend! Thanks for all the inspiration and congratulations on your success in fighting for changes that will quite possibly, change the world.

    Reply
  4. farmer_liz says

    July 27, 2011 at 14:45

    Hi Gavin, while I absolutely agree that we should do something about carbon pollution, and I have no problem with Australia acting first and implementing some kind of tax or trading scheme, there is one thing that’s still confusing me about the proposed scheme. If the public is going to be compensated for the costs passed on by the polluting companies, then who actually pays anything, or is the money just going around in circles? It seems to me that the govt takes money from companies, who then charge the public more, but the public then receive money from the govt. Where is the incentive for anyone to do anything differently to before?

    Reply
  5. Gavin says

    July 27, 2011 at 15:27

    @ Liz. Have a look at this link to better answer your question.

    Pricing Explained

    also remember that the price per tonne is set to rise by 2.5% per year, and in 3 years a cap and trade with a yearly reducing carbon cap comes into effect.

    This should be a fine start to kick start a behavioural change for big polluters. The compensation for you and I is just icing on the cake. I am sure that once it hits peoples energy bills, they will try and reduce their energy usage as well.

    Hope that answers your question.

    Gav

    Reply

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About Gavin Webber

About Gavin Webber

An Ordinary Australian Man Who Has A Green Epiphany Whilst Watching A Documentary, Gets a Hybrid Car, Plants A Large Organic Vegetable Garden, Goes Totally Solar, Lowers Consumption, Feeds Composts Bins and Worms, Harvests Rainwater, Raises Chickens, Makes Cheese and Soap, and Eats Locally. All In The Effort To Reduce Our Family's Carbon Footprint So We Can Start Making A Difference For Our Children & Future Generations To Come.

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