Our meeting on 17 August 2018 included a discussion of the difficulty of achieving political action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The latest policy proposal, the National Energy Guarantee, has been discarded since our discussion, and that was just the start of the tumult that ended Malcolm Turnbull’s Prime Ministership.

On a positive note it is encouraging that the Coles and Woolworths supermarkets in Benalla both now have REDcycle bins in their foyers to collect soft plastic items for recycling. A Melbourne-based company RedPlas has been collecting and recycling soft plastics for a number of years now, and turning them into products such as benches, signs, boardwalks and bollards. They collect plastics that cannot be recycled in our yellow bins, and that would otherwise end up in landfill.

Items they want include bread bags, silver lined chip packets, clean cling wrap, frozen food and fresh produce bags, bubble wrap, plastic Australia Post satchels and zip lock bags to name just a few. But they DON’T WANT plastic bottles or containers, drinking straws, glass, polystyrene, paper or cardboard. The REDcycle website shows what plastics can be recycled through the REDcycle bins at Coles and Woolies. Basically if it is soft plastic that can be scrunched up into a ball, it can go in the REDcycle bin. A detailed list of what and what NOT to REDcycle is attached below.

Kathy Costello

John is unable to be at class on Friday 17 August but has sent us the following articles to consider--the first three recommendations relate to the NEG:

Baldwin, Ken (2018) 'The renewable energy train is unstoppable.  The NEG needs to get on board' 15 August 2018 Ken Baldwin is the Director of the Energy Change Institute, Australian National University.

Murphy, Katherine (2018)'Claimed power price cuts from energy guarantee are 'virtually meaningless' The Guardian 15 August 2018

John also recommended that we watch Renew Economy's video of the day for August 14th the video link on the Renew Economy article 'Counting Frydenbergs NEG Lies' by Sophie Vorrath:

https://reneweconomy.com.au/video-of-the-day-counting-frydenbergs-neg-lies-32798/

Foden, Blake (2018) 'Many parts of the earth could become uninhabitable--Study's grim warning' Sydney Morning Herald 7 September 2018

If we have time, we will listen to a lecture Frank saw presented and highly recommends,The Changing Face of Agriculture and Food System into the 21st Century a lecture by  Professor Mark Howden, tracking the accompanying slide show as we do.  

This is the lecture in audio - you can listen and scroll down the slide show as you go.  

As we follow current developments in relation to a sustainable future we pick up many new ideas and concepts related to sustainability. The concept of the circular economy was used in an article read in July titled ‘Rethinking recycling: could a circular economy solve the problem?’.  (Naaman Zhou, The Guardian, 15 July 2018). 

A circular economy is one in which everything used in an economy is recycled within it, an economy in which everything which enters recycling is ‘reincarnated’.  A particular example cited is that of glass, which can almost be entirely reused if crushed back into sand.  We read that the circular economy is job creating, with the chief executive of the Waste Management Association of Australia stating “Studies have found repeatedly that, for every one job in landfill and 10,0000 tons of waste, over four are created by resource recovery”.  The article also considered the concept of ‘end of life product stewardship’ important, with onus being put back on the manufacturer, and included the need for government procurement to be made from recycled materials.

John has often suggested that our sessions could be produced as an ‘episode of ‘Grumpy Old People’!  However, we do look out for good news and were pleased to read in July’s edition of ‘Council News’ that Benalla is doing well in terms of reducing landfill; that our organics composting has saved more than 3 million kilograms of carbon dioxide (the equivalent of 27,210 tanks of petrol); and that Benalla Rural City has received a grant for $440,000 as part of a $900,000 upgrade for the construction of a Transfer  Station and improvement to the internal road structure. 

The role of community energy in Benalla is continuing to be discussed, with a Community Energy Forum to be held at BPACC on Friday 3 August at 7.30 pm.  All welcome.
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Bev Lee