Brisbane Transition Hub

Transition Kurilpa will be helping out at the Paradise Street Community Garden, this Sunday, March 7th.

This is a regular social gathering on the first Sunday of the month – good local food, cob oven pizza, weeding, making new friends and supporting one of our local Community Gardens.

So come on down and welcome in the Year of the Tiger.

From 9 a.m. to noonish, this Sunday.

Paradise Street Community Gardens

33 Paradise St

West End

More information about community gardens in Brisbane here.

The Transition Town movement is gaining momentum in cities and towns around Australia as small groups of motivated individuals come together to make positive changes in their communities.

Our group of panellists are all involved with a range of projects and initiatives that demonstrate resilience and adapatability on an individual and community level.  Collectively, they are providing education, advice, support and encouragement to those keen to learn more about how to build a richer and more vital community.

Come along and hear our terrific panellists and join in the Q & A session.

Phil Heywood: Phil Heywood is currently Associate Professor of Urban & Regional Planning in QUT and a Fellow and former President of the Queensland Division of the PIA. He is the author of a number of publications including: Planning & Human Need (1974) on the social role of planning and The Emerging Social Metropolis (1997) on the future of metropolitan regional planning.  His latest book on Community Planning is being  published by Wiley-Blackwell in late 2010

Howard Nielson: Principal Consultant and co-owner NAC Consulting.  Howard Nielsen lives at Samford and conducts his family consultancy company with a focus on sustainable business, leadership and community engagementHe was previously CEO of an organization that was listed in the top five “learning organizations” in Australia.  Howard is currently working with fifty businesses in three Queensland communities to help them develop sustainable business practices and sustainable local economies.

Andrew (Wilf) Wilford: Andrew is an Associate Professor in the School of Sustainable Development at bond University.  He is passionate about leading the professionalism of project managemet and has been actively involved with introducing project management into the Climate Change arena.

Emma-Kate Rose: Emma-Kate is currently the Enterprise Development Coordinator for the Food Connect Foundation, leading projects that include the Sustainable Farmland Trust and New Farmers Pathway.  She also provides support for Food Connect’s community franchises in five cities around Australia.  In 2006, Emma founded the Ashgrove Climate Action Group, and in 2007 started Brisbane’s first commercial car-sharing operation in Brisbane.  She is a founding member of the Brisbane Transition Hub.

Event date: 1st March 2010

Venue: The Qld. Irish Association, 175 Elizabeth Street, Brisbane

Cost: $25.  Free for subscribers of The Brisbane Institute. Bookings and pre-payment required.

RSVP: 26th February by telephone to: 32202198 or email to rsvp@brisinst.org.au

Transition Town initiatives offer hope, as we meet the challenges of peak oil and climate change. Towns, cities, islands globally are following the Transition model. Hear how local communities are taking action – their strategies and how you can be part of it too! You can listen to the talk and question time by going to the Greenhouse website here.

From the Minister for Infrastructure and Planning [Media release]

Friday, September 11, 2009

More time for public comment on SEQ climate change plan

The Queensland Government has extended the period for public consultation on the Draft South East Queensland Climate Change Management Plan by one month, to 9 October 2009.

The plan aims to move the region towards a low-carbon future and help communities become more resilient to the long-term impacts of climate change.

The draft plan describes proposed actions to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from land management and future urban development in South East Queensland (SEQ).

“This plan will set the climate change policies of the newly released South East Queensland Regional Plan 2009–2031,” Minister for Infrastructure and Planning Stirling Hinchliffe said.

“Toward Q2: Tomorrow’s Queensland sets a state-wide goal of reducing our residential carbon footprint by a third.

“The new climate change plan will help the government work out how much of the state-wide target will be achieved through urban planning in the state’s most populous region.

“As nearly 70 per cent of Queenslanders live in the fast growing south east, smart planning is imperative.

“The Australian Government’s proposed carbon pollution reduction scheme and renewable energy target will be critical national tools for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“However, smart urban and regional planning will also be important, with its potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ensure communities are resilient to climate change only now being recognised.”

The Draft South East Queensland Climate Change Management Plan identifies 32 potential climate change planning actions for SEQ.

These actions range from improving transport and settlement patterns to planting more trees to store carbon, increasing renewable energy and building community awareness of climate change impacts.

Last month, members of the public, professional organisations and local governments attended eight public information forums on the draft plan in Brisbane, Strathpine, Maroochy, Nerang, Ipswich, Cleveland and Kilcoy.

“People attending these forums have already raised issues that will help the government prepare the final climate change plan,” Mr Hinchliffe said.

Among the issues raised to date are:

·feasible regional emission targets that are tied in with other sustainability indicators and population impacts

·alignment of government policies on sea-level rise and storm surge that affect coastal communities—including natural disaster plans

·identification of implementation timelines and outputs that are useful to local governments

·research and justification of actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and climate change risks

·greater recognition of actions to improve water supply security, rural production and the management of natural resources.

“Climate change is a complex issue and people need time to understand it and put together their comments on this very important draft plan—hence the reason we extended the public consultation period.

“I encourage all residents of SEQ to read this draft plan and have their say on what they believe are the region’s highest-priority climate change actions.

“By working with other levels of government, the development industry, councils and residents of SEQ, we will find practical and cost-effective ways to address the challenges of climate change.”

Responses to the draft plan can be made at www.dip.qld.gov.au/climatechange

Published in the Courier Mail Tuesday, 8 September 2009 by Graham Readfearn

THE year 1938 should have a significant place in the lives of two of the world’s largest groups of addicts – two collectives which whether we like it or not, we’re more than likely a fully signed-up member to at least one of them.

1938 is the year when the founders of the Alcoholics Anonymous movement first established their very godly 12 steps to unravelling lives from the demon drink. That same year – within just a few weeks of a key meeting in the life the AA movement – US geologists struck oil in Saudi Arabia, a country which more than any other has fed the world’s addiction to cheap fuel. While one group work on a cure, another finds a wholly more substantial and pervasive substance to get addicted to. More

In the past, solar power generation has been largely limited to niche applications (space satellite, telephone repeater stations and remote homesteads) and applications by dedicated enthusiasts, but the technology is now increasingly being adopted by mainstream grid-connected households and businesses.  As solar power gains wider application and costs are reduced, will the technology reach the stage where it can compete head-to-head with grid electricity from coal and gas-fired power stations?

Russ Holmes and Rob Farago will discuss their vision for solar energy to reach Grid Parity in Australia.  Russ and Rob are co-founders of the company Local Power, which has supplied 250 residential photovoltaic power systems, with over 350 kilowatts capacity, to Brisbane households.  They are convinced that leaders of the PV industry realise that the industry cannot rely indefinitely on government subsidies or rebates, mandatory renewable targets and feed-in-tariffs.  They envisage that the cost of electricity generated over the life of a PV system will be less than the retail cost of electricity from the grid.  This, they will argue, could be achieved as soon as 2012 in many markets, based on price trends in PV panels, the supply chain, and the cost of grid electricity.

When:        Tuesday 11th August 2009
5.15 for 5.30 pm    Committee Meeting
6.00 pm        Presentation
The meeting is expected to conclude at 7.00 pm.

Where:    Queensland University of Technology, O Block, Ground floor, Room 303A
For map, see: http://www.qut.edu.au/about/location/pdf/gardenspoint_map_colour.pdf

Public        QUT is a 10-15 minute walk from the King George Square, Queen Street (Myer Centre)
Transport:    or Cultural Centre busway stations (for schedules, see: http://jp.transinfo.qld.gov.au/ ).

Parking:    The nearest parking is across the river at the Cultural Centre or Southbank, with
walking access via the Victoria or Goodwill bridge.

There is no charge for attendance, and no requirement to RSVP.