Tag: water conservation

Delegates' Report: Community Houses, water conservation and upcoming conferences

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On the 24th of March I attended the Ringwood Precinct Open House, which provided an opportunity for residents living within the Ringwood Central Activities District and namely the residential area to the west of Ringwood to actively engage council and discuss any concerns they may have.

It was great to see a strong interest from the community and discussion with council around areas such as Eastland, Ringwood Station, open space and traffic. I would like to thank the many staff across all areas of council who engaged the community and took the time to hear and provide feedback.

There were three annual general meetings that I attended over the past month, including the North Ringwood Community House on the 24th of March. North Ringwood Community House is the only community house in Maroondah which is a registered training organisation and as a result they provide TAFE accredited Certificate III and IV training courses, in areas such as Aged Care, Palliative Care and Disability Services.

As I’ve reported previously, the priority for the house is to find a new location which will improve its accessibility and provide additional rooms to cater for increasing enrolments. The house recently submitted its grant application for feasibility study funding through the Department of Planning and Community Development.

The following day on the 25th of March I attended the annual general meeting for Central Ringwood Community House based in Bedford Park in Ringwood. Central Ringwood Community House provides an emphasis on computer training courses, as well as educational services to migrant communities and many other areas of interest for our community. The house is continuing to experience ongoing growth and has plans to improve accessibility and provide additional classroom facilities.

The Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau AGM was held on the 1st of April and provided an opportunity for its membership to meet their new office manager and report on the ongoing growth in their emergency food relief. The guest speaker for the meeting was from the Primary Care Partnerships who spoke about food security and the difficulties some households are experiencing in purchasing fresh and nutritious food.

On the 4th of April I attended the launch of the Ringwood Bowls Club Water Reclamation Facility. The project provides three water tanks and a water retention system collecting water from the roof, adjacent roadways, the car park and their greens resulting in a capacity of 280,000 litres. It is estimated that the facility will conserve 1.5 million litres providing significant water savings. This project was the culmination of cooperation between all levels of government, Federal, State and Local, which included a grant from Council’s Water Sustainability Fund.

Lastly, Eastern Volunteers have organised a conference for the 13th and 14th of May exploring volunteer, social inclusion and community wellbeing. For details, including registration and the conference program, please visit their website at www.easternvolunteers.org.au.

Ringwood Bowls Club – Water Reclamation Facility Launch

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The Ringwood Bowls Club began 1929 and has had a long association with Ringwood. The club has recently focused on sustainability and embarked on a water reclamation project aimed to increase its water self-sufficiency.

The Club began the project two years ago, through securing Council, State and Federal grants for the installation of three water tanks and a pumping system to collect water from its roof, car park, greens and adjoining roadways.

The system was officially launched this morning and has a capacity of 280,000 litres and is anticipated to reduce mains water usage by approximately 1,500,000 litres.

The Ringwood Bowls Club is to be commended for its strong emphasis on future sustainability and for being one of the first bowls clubs to embark on a project of this scale. In addition, the club has further plans to reduce its water usage, including the conversion of one of its grass greens to a type that uses 30 to 50% less water.

I worked closely with the club over the past few years to assist in the application of grants and was invited to speak at the launch this morning.

Alex at the launch of the Ringwood Bowls Club Water Reclamation Facility

Please continue reading to view a copy of the speech delivered at the launch.

Continue reading “Ringwood Bowls Club – Water Reclamation Facility Launch”

Rotary Club of Ringwood – Safe Water, Saves Lives

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The Rotary Club of Ringwood meets each Wednesday evening to provide guest speakers and updates on Rotary projects.

Tonight’s meeting provided an opportunity to discuss a proposal to implement a Farmers Market in Ringwood and a sub-committee has been appointed to assess the feasibility of this concept.

The sub-committee will explore potential sites within Ringwood, as well as ascertain suitable dates and stall composition. As a local councillor covering the Mullum Ward and Ringwood, I have been appointed to the sub-committee to assist in identifying a location and government requirements.

The main speaker for this evening was a fellow Ringwood Rotarian, who discussed the Safe Water, Saves Lives program. An ongoing project that involves the installation of water tanks within remote villages in Papua New Guinea.

The project, which operates at a district level and involves a number of Rotary clubs, was fortunate to receive sponsorship from Mitre 10 and Reece to assist in providing the supplies necessary to construct the water tanks.

The project has been successful in providing remote villages with a sustainable supply of fresh water and alleviating the need for villagers to travel several kilometres for water.

The meeting also included an update on the bushfires and the devastation it is caused. Next week’s meeting will include a former Ringwood Rotarian and Marysville resident who will discuss the recovery efforts and ways for the community to assist.

In times of tragedy it is important that the community works together to provide ongoing assistance to people in need. Next week’s meeting will provide an opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge of what is required for the towns that have been hit by bushfires.

Eastern Region Climate Forum

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Mitigating climate change and improving our urban sustainability must be a priority for all levels of government. This evening, the Eastern Region Climate Network, comprising of individuals and groups within Knox, Maroondah, Whitehorse and the Yarra Ranges, organised the Eastern Region Climate Forum, to discuss climate change and the need for action.

The Forum was held in Ringwood and included presentations from Dr. David Spratt the author of Climate Code Red: the case for emergency action and Matthew Wright from Beyond Zero Emissions. Tim Forcey, a member of the Sandringham Climate Action Group served as MC for the evening.

The importance of climate change has been recognised by levels of our political system, with the Governor of Victoria Professor David de Kretser acknowleding that ‘There is no doubt in my mind that this is the greatest problem confronting mankind at this time…a state of emergency.’

Dr. Spratt spoke about the growing evidence that conclusively demonstrates that action of climate change is required now to prevent the melting of Arctic ice caps and the Himalayan glaciers, which provides 40% of Asia’s fresh water supplies. On a per capita basis, Australia is currently one of the world’s largest sources of greenhouse emissions reinforcing the need for leadership.

While Australia is now a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol, it included a unique Australian clause, which allowed the reduction of land clearing to be factored into the emissions target. In reality Australia’s emissions are actually 8% above the 1990 Kyoto targets.

Matthew Wright discussed solutions to mitigating climate change with research finding that 25% of actions that would reduce emissions would in fact be cost positive. This would be due to increasing efficiencies, such as harnessing solar and wind power, as well as reducing dependence on oil, through improving public transport. The savings produced by these initiatives would then provide a funding source for further greenhouse reductions.

Local government clearly has a role in reducing greenhouse emissions to ensure environmental, social and economic sustainability. As an example, many of the actions within council’s energy fund will become cost positive within three years. This not only reduces greenhouse emissions but will also provide a saving for ratepayers.

Given the importance of climate change it was disappointing that there so few candidates at the forum. In the Mullum Ward, only Jo-anne Taylor, Peter Feeney, Adam Pepper and myself attended the entire evening. One does need to question the sincerity and genuineness of candidates who fail to attend a forum on such an important issue.

I am committed to reducing council’s greenhouse emissions and achieving a carbon neutral target. I am also in favour of interim targets to measure council’s progress towards this goal and to ensure that council is actually reducing emissions, rather than merely offsetting and shifting the burden.

All levels of government need to act in regard to climate change and we need a council that is committed to making a difference to our sustainability.

Maroondah Sustainability Strategy Workshop

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This evening I attended a workshop to discuss Maroondah’s Sustainability Strategy which is currently available for public comment.

The Strategy serves to provide a policy framework to improve water and energy conservation, as well as reduce resource usage and to educate both council and the community on the importance of sustainability.

The Strategy will be accompanied by an annual action plan, which will include specific council activities to implement the goals within the plan. The Strategy is expected to be considered by the new council in early 2009 once community feedback has been considered.

It is critical that Maroondah becomes an environmental leader to address climate change. To provide your comments on the document please visit www.maroondah.vic.gov.au.

Maroondah Leader: Push for Maroondah to go carbon neutral

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The Maroondah Sustainability Strategy has reached draft status and was endorsed for public exhibition at the last Council meeting. Public comments and submissions can be made about the strategy up to the 1st of December, whereby this feedback will be considered when the policy is finalised at a future council meeting.

The Maroondah Sustainability Strategy will guide the council’s approach to energy, water, transport and resource usage for the next four years and it is therefore critical that the document sets proactive environmental targets.

The Maroondah Leader has reported on the Draft Strategy, including its carbon neutral target of 2020:

Cr Alex Makin, who also voted to support the draft plan, said the council should set an interim target to ensure it reached its 2020 goal.

Currently there are no interim targets to measure council’s progress towards reaching carbon neutrality. While I personally believe that the target should potentially be brought forward to 2012, it is also imperative that interim goals are established to guide council budgets and to measure progress towards becoming carbon neutral.

Back in the year 2000 the then council set a target of reducing energy consumption by 20% by the year 2010. Unfortunately due to the lack of interim targets this was largely forgotten until public pressure along with myself, Jo-anne Taylor and Maureen forced the council to recommit to this goal.

It is therefore essential that any carbon neutral target includes appropriate interim goals to measure progress and keep council accountable for its performance in meeting this objective.

Ringwood Bowls Club 2008/09 Season Launch

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Tonight I attended the Ringwood Bowls Club 2008/09 season launch, held in the club function room at Loughnan Road in Ringwood.

The Ringwood Bowls Club has a long and proud history within Ringwood and was founded in 1929, originally at Miles Avenue in Ringwood. The club moved to its current site in 1997, which currently consists of a clubhouse, two grass greens and one artificial green.

The club is committed to a sustainable future and I assisted the club in applying for grants to Federal, State and local Government to assist in funding water tanks and retention systems to water the two grass greens.

The cooperation between Federal, State and Local governments has been encouraging and each application was approved. The club has commenced work on the installation of the water tanks and it will mean that the Ringwood Bowls Club will be able to utilise rainwater to maintain its greens.

The Ringwood Bowls Club must be congratulated for committing itself to a sustainable future and being the first lawn bowls club to retrofit water saving initiatives.

I wish the club the very best for the 2008/09 season. For further details on the Ringwood Bowls Club please visit www.ringwoodbowls.asn.au

or attend their next Try Bowls Day on Sunday the 26th of October.

Solar Smart Information Workshop

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Maroondah Council and EcoSmart Programs will be holding a free Solar Smart Information Workshop from 7pm on Tuesday the 30th of September at Maroondah Federation Estate.

The workshop will explain how photo voltaic solar panels work, how much power they feed into the grid and the many benefits to households and the environment. EcoSmart will also assist in the process of applying for solar rebates.
 
If you are interested in becoming part of the solution to Climate Change, come along to find out more, and slash the cost of your power bills while helping the planet. EcoSmart can also provide a free Home Energy and Water Assessment to assist households in becoming more efficient with water and electricity consumption.

For further details contact Rebecca Lee on 9725 5010 or email rebecca.lee@ecosmart.net.au.

Maroondah Journal: City cool on climate change

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Maroondah Council is currently considering its budget for the 2008 to 2009 financial year with expectations that the council will commit to reducing greenhouse emissions. Unfortunately much to the dissatisfaction of the community, council’s draft budget fails to provide funding to reduce greenhouse emissions.

The Maroondah Journal has reported on my attempts to further refine the budget prior to it being considered by council.

Cr Alex Makin opposed the release of the draft budget, saying it was incomplete.

While the proposed council budget has solid foundations it is currently incomplete since it does not allocate any new funds to improving our environmental sustainability and reducing greenhouse emissions. Council’s emissions are continuing to increase despite pledging to reduce emissions by 20% before the year 2010.

He said the council should release funding similar to the $1.05 million allocated to environmental sustainability in its 2007-08 budget.

Maroondah Council demonstrated leadership when it allocated over a million dollars to water sustainability and reducing its water usage. Similar measures are required in regard to energy usage to provide economic, social and environmental sustainability for future generations.

I call on my colleagues to not forget the need to honour our greenhouse reduction targets and to demonstrate ongoing leadership in the issue of environmental sustainability.

The proposed Council Budget is currently available for public comment. I urge the community to submit its thoughts and to demand that council meets and exceeds its greenhouse reduction commitments.

For further information please visit www.maroondah.vic.gov.au.

Maroondah Journal: 'No logging' call takes root

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The Maroondah Journal has reported community concerns over the logging of water catchments and requests for Maroondah to join neighbouring councils, such as Knox, Yarra Range and Whitehorse in calling on the State Government to stop this practice.

Cr Alex Makin said logging was a major issue and there was sufficient evidence to backup residents’ concerns.

“Logging erodes the water ability of our water catchment to retain water. It is my intent to secure a motion whereby Maroondah would call on the State Government to stop logging our catchment areas.”

A report on this issue will be produced for the May council meeting, where if successful Maroondah would join the growing list of councils raising their voice on this issue. The logging of water catchments is environmentally and economically unsound, since it reduces Melbourne’s supply of water.

I trust that councillors within Maroondah will recognise the importance of this issue.