Professor Tim Flannery will speak to a capacity crowd of over 400 people at Castlemaine Town Hall this Saturday night. Flannery, former Australian of the Year and now Chief Councillor of the Climate Council, will speak on the subject ‘Moving Towards a Safer Climate: What We Can Do’.
I am very happy to be talking in Castlemaine, one of the leading communities for climate change in Australia, says Flannery.
The MASH2 community solar bulk-buy which started in Castlemaine last year is a great example of grassroots response to climate change. With over 300 new solar rooftops installed in just 12 months, it shows how powerful communities can be when they take action into their own hands.
Initiatives like this give me hope for the future. This is the message I will be bringing to Castlemaine on Saturday. Activism, community projects and building new green businesses are going to be vital if we are to address the serious challenges of climate change.
It is now clear that the tools required to avoid a climate disaster already exist, even if some of them require more research and development. Between deep, rapid emission cuts, third-way technologies and community action, we can do it, said Flannery.
Jo Kaptein from the Hub Foundation says, “We’ve been overwhelmed with the amount of interest Tim’s visit has created. Even the balcony is full to capacity and there’s a long waiting list in case of cancellations”.
“Dinner will be provided for 320 people by the Growing Abundance Project and later in the evening the nine piece Seducaphones will serve up lively Balkan funk music for dancing and listening. It promises to be a great night.
“A giant 10m x 1m petition to the Andrews government will be available for signing during the night. It calls on the government to introduce its own Renewable Energy Target and greater incentives for saving energy, to close the dirty Hazelwood power station by 2017 and to raise the solar feed-in tariff.”
“For those who’s missed out, Tim’s Book Atmosphere of Hope: Searching for Solutions to the Climate Crisis is available at Stoneman’s bookroom”. said Kaptein.