Rural 'bottom up' sustainability issues.... and more

It's always interesting to discuss rural, 'bottom up' sustainability initiatives in our class.  At a recent sustainability living festival at Woodend, a $100,000 grant was announced for a solar farm at an old timber mill.  The income earned from the tenant's electricity payments will be reinvested in more solar panels, creating a perpetual fund for community energy.  Also in Central Victoria, Newstead has received a $200,000 grant to become fully powered by renewable energy.  Closer to home, Indigo Shire Council, after a community consultation process, voted unanimously to formally adopt a policy totally opposed to the coal seam gas industry.   Indigo Councillors spoke of the north east being both a prime site for renewable energy and of prime agricultural land - 'fracking and agriculture don't mix'.   Agriculture is the subject of another article based on Melbourne University's recent 'Appetite for Change' study.  It seems food production changes are a barometer of climate change.  For farm animals, heat stress during heat events is significant.  Dairy cows produce less milk, beef cattle are delayed in reaching target weights.  Warmer nights mean plants have less time to recover before the next day's growth.  Wines, especially merlot and shiraz, grown in our Mediterranean climate areas will be less suitable for growth by 2050.  Bananas will continue to feel the impact of cyclones.  Potato production could be affected by potato famine like conditions.  We also read about a South Gippsland dairy farmer who is encouraging 'her girls' to calve in April and May to mitigate summers that seem much earlier and longer and less conducive to grass growing.  Looking through a 'food miles' lens, we discussed a thought provoking article about how the concentration of ownership of food production alongside mind boggling food miles can lead to waste and insecurity in farming communities.  Land was also on our agenda in terms of the need for improved strategies to tackle the growing electronic waste stream entering landfill; and  the impact of coal seam gas exploration via fracking, seismological changes and earthquakes.  Another jam packed month!