The Greening of Gavin

TGoG Podcast 053 – A Gen Y’s Perspective of Sustainable Living with Amy Webber

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TGOG podcast logo new 1400 v2It is great to get a different perspective from the younger generation. Today we talk to Amy Webber who last appeared in Episode 10, some four years ago.

Since finishing university, she pursued a career as a high school teacher and heads up the Humanities department of a local school and is passionate about educating kids.  I am very proud of her.

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She has a very interesting view of Gen Y and the Millennial generations with respect to climate change and energy descent.

My daughter also makes me blush during this episode when she tells me that she is very excited to see me finally present at the Sustainable Living Festival, and proud of all the things I have done.  Enough to make this old bloke tear up.

On a side note, this post is #1500.  That is quite an personal achievement, which I am quite proud of.  Who would have thought when I started it, that this blog would grow so large!

 

Amy and Ben at Armageddon

Amy and Ben at Armegeddon – Melbourne 2013

If you enjoyed the podcast, please pop over to iTunes and rate it and leave a review. You can also do the same within Stitcher Radio if you use that service.  It would help me out so much, and elevate the ratings so that others can find out about the podcast and learn about sustainable living in the ‘burbs.

You can subscribe to the show via RSS or iTunes or Stitcher for your portable device.  Just use the subscription buttons below.

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Until next time, stay green and keep keen!

 

Call To Country

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Our country will end up being just one big hole in the ground.  Grant another coal mining licence here, grant another Coal Seam Gas (CSG) well there.  When will it stop?

When our climate gets so hot that other countries will force sanctions upon us to stop the export of these fossil fuels?  When our water tables become so polluted that we cannot drink it?

Both fossil fuels are equally as polluting, and don’t let anyone try and pull the wool over your eyes and tell you that CSG is less carbon intensive than coal.  It is on par.  CSG is not the miracle transition fuel that the industry is trying to create a social licence for.

So, why are we still letting this happen? 

I don’t know the answers, but I do know that there is a failure of leadership.

Things have to change.  If our so called leaders won’t do anything, it is time for people to act strongly.

Great organisations like Lock The Gate Alliance and the Victorian Wind Alliance are doing a fantastic job of spreading the word.

To read more about this campaign, visit http://www.lockthegate.org.au/calltocountry

So I ask you to get behind these campaigns, participate where you can, or donate if you cannot, and lets make our country a better place to live in.

Help Required At The Little Black Cow

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Kim Barnes over at The Little Black Cow blog has a situation in her community that she asked me to bring to everyone’s attention so that more people can hear what is going on.  A Coal Seam Gas company is scouting around her region (Belford/Branxton) in New South Wales, which is bad news for the farms and environment.  Kim has done some research on the Lock The Gate website and she states;

“It appears that you can legally stop them coming on your land to explore, but once you have given them permission to explore…if they find gas, they have permission to mine . The other interesting fact I discovered though, was if you have stopped them coming on your property, if your neighbour gives permission for exploration…they can then mine under your neighbours land into your land .
The water I water my organic vegetables with could be affected.  We did not choose this.
Property sales of farmland will be damaged irrevocably. We did not choose this.
The tourism potential of this beautiful area could be damaged irrevocably. We did not choose this. 

These companies have an endless supply of money for advertising and making themselves look good on television and in newspapers. Farmers don’t have that kind of money ….their money is in their biggest asset, their land …..and without that they are no longer farmers.
The coal seam gas companies also have an endless supply of smooth answers that tell us nothing. Real information is not in their guide book.”

There is a local community meeting that you can go to if you are in this area, and here are the details

BELFORD/LOWER BELFORD COMMUNITY MEETING
5TH March 2012
An invitation is extended to the residents of Belford & Lower Belford to a meeting at Kirkton Public School on 5th March 2012 at 7.00pm to discuss the implications of Coal Seam Gas Exploration and extraction. Guest speakers will be present on the night to discuss their experiences with CSG and to answer questions.

MEETING WITH AGL AT KIRKTON PUBLIC SCHOOL

RECENT RESEARCH INDICATES THE FOLLOWING: UNTIL you are FULLY INFORMED and where necessary have sought the appropriate legal advice as to the implications of CSG exploration it is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that:

•      you DO NOT sign any agreement with the gas companies

•      and that you DO NOT give any verbal agreement for the gas companies to access your land

Contact: christopher.robertson03@gmail.com or ph 65747194 mob 0418427320

Now there is something that the rest of us can do if you are willing.  To help all of those farmers that constantly stand by their gates watching for ‘strangers’ and protecting their only asset, the land they live upon and the surrounding environment, The Lock The Gate Alliance recommends the following;

What can I do?
Do not allow company representatives onto your land for any reason. Meet them at your gate for any discussion, preferably with a neighbour, but never alone. Record every moment, ideally with a video camera. Tell them you are Locking The Gate and refuse them access to your property. A simple “No Trespassers” sign on all access gates will keep them away. Your have a legal right to do this that will be upheld by the courts. 

The industry will try to charm you  and persuade you that their activities will be minimal. A typical line is “We have no plan to …” .  However, experience shows that plans always change. Initial agreements and compensation may have seemed fair and reasonable, but many landholders have found that the development escalated well beyond what was agreed upon – without consultation.

If you allow access to your property you will lose of control of your life, your property and your business.  Once they are into the gas production  phase they have a legal right to enter your property with or without your permission.
Make sure you and your neighbours speak with one voice.  Remember, if you tell them to go away and they must go. Always say NO to requests for access. Do not sign anything. Seek legal advice. 

Where can I find help?
Many communities are affected. The Lock The Gate Alliance has formed to focus on the key issues, share information, provide support and mobilise broad community support through education and the media. 

We will bring about the change necessary to save Australia from a rapacious industry that will affect everyone unless we stop, think, demand change and restore balanceVisit www.lockthegate.org.au and join the Lock The Gate Alliance

Please help out where you can, and lend a helping hand to everyone in the same boat.  If you have watched the documentary Gasland, then you will appreciate that they are in for a battle.

Does anyone in the blogging community have any similar experiences or advice for Kim that they would like to share?