The Power of Every One
Country Women’s Association distributes drought relief funds through its on-ground networks
January 17, 2006Darwin makes the most of expedition cruise ships
January 19, 2006Recently, at a 91st birthday party, we had three generations all agreeing!
After the comparative frenzy of a Melbourne Christmas dinner that seats 20 plus, our extended family celebrates a January birthday with a relaxed country gathering. This year the birthday was a 91st and we lunched casually on the deck at Chateau Tahbilk’s new Wetlands Restaurant, an ‘hour and a bit’ out of Melbourne. The novacentarian lives on a farm not far away.
With two of our number working in the enviro/sustainability area and others about to move house, the conversation quite naturally drifted to Green Power. Although I have seen the Government’s big green tick ‘somewhere’ and I am certainly moderately green, I was amazed to learn you can actually opt to use renewable energy!
There was agreement around the table that ‘getting info out to the grassroots’ is very difficult. Most would like to do their bit to preserve the world as we know it for our kids BUT, short of an astronomically large marketing budget, how DO you get info out when the media is only interested in ‘sexy’ headline-grabbing stuff?
Back home when I rang to arrange the power for the new place there was no offer of the Green Power alternative. I checked around and discovered much confusion!
In brief
- A number of electricity industries worldwide have voluntary schemes so consumers can buy ‘Green Power’, typically electricity generated from renewable energy sources – solar, wind, renewable biomass, tidal. This means the retailer is obliged to buy the amount of energy you use from renewable sources. Both the amount of renewable energy and its source/s are up to you. 100 per cent power from renewable sources costs around $5 a week extra.
- 206 Australian Councils, representing 80 per cent of our population, have been involved in a program to reduce greenhouse emissions since 1998 – part of a worldwide local governments for sustainability movement, the International Council for Local Environment Initiatives (www.iclei.org.) FYI the 5 milestones for the program are listed below.
- Research has highlighted the need to educate consumers how to sign up to Green Power. 80 per cent of respondents to a 2005 Newspoll who didn’t buy Green Power didn’t know where to get it from.
- NSW started a pilot education program ‘The Power of One’ – a model for a national program – in mid 2005, aiming to create a ‘call to action’ for people to take up Green Power.
- Climate Action Network Australia (CANA)sees consumers are confused with the current Green Power marketing. Some of their recommendations:
- clear branding of Green Power products;
- integration of the percentage of new renewable energy into the logo (eg 25% Green Power; 100% Green Power);
- retailers communicate HOW new and existing renewable energy are different as the two are blended.
CANA, formed in 1998, is an alliance of over 30 regional, state and national environmental, health, community development, and research groups from throughout Australia – a branch of the global CAN network.
For more info visit: http://www.ata.org.au/?p=72
The 5 milestones of the Cities for Climate Protection:
- Develop an inventory and forecast for key sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the Council and community.
- Set an emissions reduction goal.
- Develop and adopt a Local Greenhouse Action Plan to achieve those reductions.
- Implement the Local Greenhouse Action Plan.
- Monitor and report on greenhouse gas emissions and implementation of actions and measures.
Visit www.greenpower.gov.au for more info.
4 Comments
Dear Gail
Hi for the New Year.
When I read the header Bulletin 45 Green Power – what do you think? my reaction was to look for where I could add a comment about solar power, and why the Feds cannot use some of the $billions sloshing around in Costello’s back pocket to underwrite a major boost to getting solar PVs on to 10s of 1000s of roof tops across the country? The solar industry would generate a significant boost in both R&D and employment, with grid connect feeds back into the power system to off set some of the current polluting generation options, and to help step back from launching into nuclear power generation.
I have a roof set up for solar but the up front capital cost is way too high on a ‘gain for investment’ basis.
Just a thought.
Have a great year.
Michael
I would just like to add a couple of additional benefits of greenpower. Firstly, it is not commonly known that residential houses contribute 25% of the greenhouse gas emissions that Australia contributes towards global warming ? a significant proportion ( transport at 25% and industry at 50% roughly make up the rest). By investing in greenpower, firstly you are doing a fantastic service towards your personal contribution to keeping our global climate in its current state, and secondly and equally importantly, by choosing greenpower you are sending a message to energy providers that the community wants clean energy encouraging them to further invest in clean energy generation to meet growing demand. Simultaneously this sends a message to the government that there is growing support for greenpower. There is no reason why individual and local community actions such as choosing greenpower can?t lead to policy change.
Buying Greenpower is one simple thing i do to add my little contribution to the future.
Dear Editor
I would encourage your subscribers to have a look at Tim Flannery’s new book ‘The Weather Makers’. According to Tim we clearly have the technical expertise and the manufacturing ability to switch to a non-carbon based economy very quickly (relatively speaking) What is lacking is the will of Government and Big business to meet this challenge. This is hardly surprising given the current privatisation of the power generation system, the companies owning power stations must meet the expectations of their shareholders by increasing profits ie: selling more electricity. And whilst State Govts like the Bracks Govt remain reluctant to upset their big business mates we will not get substantial progress on carbon reduction or sustainable energy production (the recent extension by the Bracks Govt for a further thirty years of the life of the hugely polluting Hazelwood Power Station illustrates this point) In the near future we will need a new base load power station that will cost the community at least a billion dollars and invariably be located in the latrobe valley, burning brown coal. Why not use this public money to provide heavily subsidised solar panels and energy efficient lights to all homes and businesses? Manufacturing of these products could be located in the latrobe valley backing on to existing coal fired power stations and utlise the excess energy they generate on site. No need for another power station, use dirty technology to create clean technology, that would be a nice green irony!
Regards
Daniel
Tim Flannery’s book ‘The Weather Makers’ has an excellent promotional website with heaps of information and resources: http://www.theweathermakers.com