Beyond Zero - Community

Monday 20th Aug 2018Dr Jeyakumar DevarajDr Jeyakumar Devaraj lost his seat in the last election but he is exhilarated that the change of government in Malaysia has permitted a new optimism.Vivien Langford  asks him how a new Bandung Spirit would unleash strong climate action.  While waiting and waiting for UN green funds maybe ASEAN nations can work together for a new dispensation.He says Malaysia shouldn’t have to cut its health budget to plant trees for carbon sequestration. The funds to help developing countries tackle climate change are insufficient but he says even the developed nations are cash strapped and unable to help while their top 0 .1% of wealthy corporations  evade tax.  Malaysians are already experiencing intensified floods and heatwaves.They produce only 70% of their food so Dr Devaraj has many solutions to protect the population:  from flood mitigation to guaranteeing that land is used to produce food first.  He is hopeful that new bold laws will enable restorat

Monday 13th Aug 2018Presenter/Producer: Erin JonesTopic: Zero Emissions Noosa, NEG – Update, Save Westernport – UpdateToday Erin Jones talks the campaign for Zero Emissions in Noosa, we get an update on the National Energy Guarantee, and the latest in the Save Westernport campaignWe speak with Vivien Griffin who is the President of Zero Emissions Noosa about the community initiative to move the Noosa community to zero emissions by 2026. A series of community consultation has just been undertaken outlining a Roadmap to achieve this goal. We discuss how the project has evolved – including the progress and process that has been taken.Nicky Ison joins us to have a look at the outcome from the COAG Energy Ministers’ meeting last week and the negotiations for the governments proposed National Energy Guarantee. Nicky also penned a piece in today’s SMH about who really benefits from the NEG as it currently stands.Finally we get an update from Louise Pag

Monday 6th August 2018Presenter/Producer: Erin JonesTopic: Electric Vehicles – Commercial Vans & TrucksToday Erin Jones talks Electric Vehicles – but of the commercial – truck and van variety.We speak with Tony Fairweather from Sea Electric about the Vans and trucks they are producing using their SEA – Drive Technology for emissions free transport solutions – and hear about the cost savings that can be achieved now by transitioning fleets to EV – and not waiting. This technology can be deployed in both new and retro-fitted to existing vehicles. Be sure to hear Tony present at the BZE Electrifying Industry SummitGreg McGarvie from ACE- EV is trying to get EV manufacturing off the ground in Australia. They are looking to launch vehicles starting at under $40,000, and will be displaying the first vehicle in AEVA Expo in Brisbane in November.Guests:Tony FairweatherSEA -ElectricGroup Managing Directorhttp://www.sea-electric.com/home-page/Greg McGarvieACE-

 Monday 30th July 2018This show we are going to the Latrobe Valley in Victoria – a place that is experiencing the opportunities and issues surrounding the transition from Coal to Renewables. For more information visit the website for After the Smoke ClearsWendy FarmerWendy Farmer: Prominent community activist, Wendy Farmer rose up in the aftermath of the 2014 Hazelwood mine fire.  She has since been a tireless advocate for the community in the Latrobe Valley.  She tells us about life in Victoria’s Coal Country  Mark RichardsMark Richards: ALP candidate for Morwell – Mark rose up from a unit operator at Hazelwood power station.  He experienced firsthand the cuts from privatisation and the closure of Hazelwood.  He has a lot of experience with the production of electricity and has a firm idea about what is involved in a Just transition – not just for the environment but for communities that have historically worked with coal. Chris BarfootChris Barfoot 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download () | EmbedSubscribe: Android | Email | RSS | MoreAs large parts of Australia are in drought and some farmers are having to shoot their livestock for lack of feed,  how can regenerative agriculture help farms become more resilient?As there is a growing demand for meat and dairy products for export to Asia,  will we resist the land clearing and overstocking to protect the global climate?The BZE land use discussion paper found that great emissions reductions could be achieved if we partly reduced the national herd and the land that is constantly cleared for grazing.  This show looks at family farms in eastern Australia and the million hectare agribusinesses in the north.  What progress are we making? Charles MasseyCHARLES MASSEYCharles Massey’s book “Call of the reed warbler” reports on this century’s pioneers of regenerative farming. He describes the disasters that have jolted some farners

Monday 16th July 2018Today’s guests:Mark Crossweller –  Head of the National Resilience Task ForceJo Dodds – Councillor at Bega Valley Shire CouncilRob Roggema – Professor of Sustainable Urban Environments UTSAre global climate disruptions finding us unprepared for some emergencies, even in countries with high tech warning systems?  Psychologists say it is bad to paralyse people with frightening prospects.  The antidote is to BE PREPARED.Mark CrosswellerMark Crossweller  made a raw admission  about unsuccessful emergency responses in the Canberra and 2009 Victorian bush fires.  He said that communications with the public and media need to be a lot earlier.  He was speaking at the NCCARF Climate Adaptation Conference.  As Craig Lapsley says “There will be an increase in emergency days and disaster means you have to repurpose the city. People need to know where to go”   Jo DoddsJo Dodds witnessed the Tathra Bushfire this year and challen

Monday 9th July 2018Sarah Brenan talks about the role philanthropy plays in seeding climate action.  She admires the boldness of BZE with its reports showing the way to decarbonise our society.“Rethinking Cement” was one of our projects supported by the Hamer Family Fund and we talk about how brave ideas need to be nurtured and are underpinned by a wonderful team of pro bono researchers and publicists.She was the publisher for Guarding Eden which is ideal for teachers looking for a text that will inspire action and which should be in every senior classroom.We talk about the influence of writers like George Monbiot and Tim Winton and how there needs to be a new narrative for the next generation.Will the disaster stories of Cli Fi and the dystopias on TV paralyse or push us to action?  What is the alternative?  She recommends Climate for Change with their intentional conversations and magnificent newsletter http://www.climateforchange.org.au/subscribePhilippa RowlandPhilippa Rowland&nbs

Monday 2nd July 2018Giles ParkinsonThis show is about the Energy Revolution from three points of view and what are the hurdles in its path. We chat to GILES PARKINSON about the Large-Scale Solar Industry Forum that was held in May.  Is Industry united about the National Energy Guarantee?  Does the Business Council of Australia represent industries that are already signing up for wind and solar power to reduce costs?  Is trying to resist the renewables based grid like resisting the Internet?  Adam BandtADAM BANDT is Federal member for Melbourne.Does his blood boil in parliament as there is no National Retirement Plan for our coal fired power plants?  Are the climate criminals locking us into a future dependant on coal?  How can we re-regulate electricity prices and tackle job insecurity in the coal rich valleys?  Leigh EwbankWe will also be chatting to LEIGH EWBANK about his work on the Act on Climate campaign with Friends of the E

Monday 25th June 2018Dr Bob Brown at the Sustainable Living Festival aroused the audIence to save the TARKINE.  He speaks to a young doctor perched as a protector in a tree to bring that remote forest to the city audience.  We hear from Jane Goodall about young people restoring the web of life or falling into despair and dramatic moments from the Sea Shepherd as it is nearly squashed by two whaling boats.  The audience gave him a standing ovation because he celebrates the altruistic side of us that takes a stand.In an interview with Vivien Langford later down by the Yarra,  Bob Brown urges us to believe in democracy.  Lobby hard to be heard and stop voting for people who will betray us with destructive policies.  He talks about DRAWDOWN actions outlined by his friend Paul Hawkins such as restoring forest management to indigenous people like the Orrang Asli in Malaysia.Vivien shows him some meatless meat and he discusses why he is not a vegan but that the peopl

Monday 18th June 2018Today Erin Jones talks Sustainable Transport. Starting with the potential of powering Melbourne’s trains with renewable energy with campaigners Pat Simons – Yes 2 Renewables Community Coordinator and Rachel Lynskey, Friends of the Earth’s Sustainable Cities Campaigner.We chat with Richard McNeall a volunteer with the Tesla Owners Club of Australia (TOCA) who coordinated the Round Australia Electric Highway, a joint initiative between the Tesla Owners Club of Australia and the Australian Electric Vehicle Association.  The Round Australia Electric Highway https://www.teslaowners.org.au/round-australia allows drivers of EVs – of any brand – to circumnavigate the whole country, including going through the Red Centre.  The average distance between charge points is 200km, with only a few outliers at 400 km. The TOCA is issuing certificates to the first 100 vehicles to complete the fully circuit around the country.  Finally we speak with&nbs

Subscribe: Android | Email | RSS | MoreMonday 4th June 2018Tina FawcettTina Fawcett speaks to Vivien Langford from Oxford. She was involved in a UK Government report into the feasibility of Personal carbon rations. She wrote Suicidal Planet and thinks that by focusing on our personal carbon budget more people would engage realistically with the problem of global warming. The British decided that this was an idea before its time but Australians with a carbon footprint of 23 tonnes compared to the average European with 8 should not shy away from this detailed and sensible discussion. It is NOT easy listening. George MonbiotGeorge Monbiot talks about his struggle to get the media to take climate change seriously. He feels piecemeal solutions like carbon rations will not work until we have a less reactive,more propositional approach. He says our policies are grown hydroponically and are not embedded in the soil of real values. We are listening out for a restorativ

Port Augusta  Podcast of 28 May 2018BZE played a major part in this story of Port Augusta which is turning from being a coal fired powerhouse to becoming a Renewable Energy Hub.BE radio presenter Vivien Langford took the bus from Adelaide passing hills resplendent with wind turbines and talks to people involved in this transformation.Dan Van Holst Pelikaan DAN VAN HOLST PELIKAAN,  the Minster for Energy in the South Australian parliament,  is an old friend of this programme.  His electorate stretches far into the desert and he has been behind the responsible transition of its workforce into the clean tech industry for years.  He paid tribute to the staunch Port Augusta community,  Doctors for the Environment Australia  and Beyond Zero Emissions  for galvanising  the REPOWER PORT AUGUSTA project.   Brett Prentis  BRETT PRENTIS  worked for 29 years at the power station.  Now he is campaigning for the correct

Monday 14th May 2018 Amanda CahillAmanda Cahill is the founding director of the Centre for Social Change.  She has worked extensively in developing countries and worries that climate change will force us to trust people who are just perpetuating a colonialist system.  The impact is falling on people who already do not have access to water and electricity and unless we phase out fossil fuels fast, life will get rapidly worse for them.  It is a thoughtful and wide ranging conversation about how climate denialism can so easily turn into climate nihilism as if there is NOTHING WE CAN DO! She spoke to Vivien Langford at the EcoCities Summit in Melbourne.   The leaders from KIRIBAS, who we hear in the second item, talk about the coherence of their communities.  No room for nihilism there.  Vivien met them at a Pacific Leadership training day. Schoolteacher Morisio tells us how children are falling behind as their school books are washed away or damaged by king tides

Monday 7th May 20187th May 2018 BZE Community Radio Show with Andy, Kurt, Viv and RogerGiles ParkinsonGiles Parkinson, Founder and Editor of REneweconomy tells Vivien about new developments on the desert road to transition.Sanjeev Gupta’s Green Steel investments will boost the need for renewable energy at Whyalla and elsewhere.. He thinks that energy intensive industry is set to expand in Australia because of renewable energy potential. But can the grid cope? Giles talks about AEMO and his hopes for Audrey Zibelman. Meanwhile the share holders’ revolt mobilised by ACCR has got big companies pledging to consider climate change and others getting out of coal altogether. Is there momentum behind this?Peter HannamPeter Hannam, Senior Environment Editor at Fairfax News wrote the foreword for The town that said NO to AGL.He tells Vivien the inside story and his admiration for the people. Is it hard reporting on global warming in a media landscape so dominated by vested interests? And Why is so little

Monday 30th April 2018Accelerating Climate Action: Taking on the giantsBill Mc Kibben is in Australia. President Macron is also visiting and he calls for a removal of all obstacles as we scale up.(1)As new coal mines and gas wells open up in NSW ,Qld and NT, not to mention the Adani Project we need to accelerate climate action. You can invite people to livestream Bill Mc Kibben’s talk in Melbourne (2) and lend your support to 350.ORG. They are determined to make climate action front and centre in every election coming up.(1)http://www.climateactionprogramme.org/news/macron-pledges-700-million-euros-to-fund-solar-projects-worldwide(2)https://350.org.au/accelerate-climate-action-livestream-viewing-party/John Grimes is CEO of the Smart Energy Council. He called a crisis meeting to challenge our government’s weak climate policies and we will ask him what his battle plan is. As Oliver Yates told the Smart Energy Industry, Climate Change is disruptive. The transition will be abrupt, so feel free to be dis

BZE Community Radio Show podcast 23 April 2018 covering:The Local Government Climate Review,Bill McKibben’s Accelerate Speaking Tour,Sustainability Victoria on Victorians’ Perception of Climate Change.We talk to authors of the 2018 Local Government Climate Review, which will be launched at the Resilient Cities Conference in Bonn, Germany this week. The review is a joint initiative between BZE, Ironbark Sustainability and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability.Australian Local Government Climate Review (2018)Guests:Imogen JubbBeyond Zero EmissionsZero Carbon Communities Manager Alexi LynchIronbark SustainabilityBusiness Manager  We interview Glen Klatovsky, Deputy CEO of 350.org Australia, about the upcoming Bill McKibben Accelerate Speaking Tourhttps://350.org.au/accelerate-climate-action-bill-mckibben-tour/Glen Klatovsky350.orgAustralia Deputy CEO Rollingstone: 17 July 2012: Bill McKibbenhttps://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/global-warmings-terrifying-new-math-20

Monday 16th April 2018Although climate change seems to be an alarming new problem without precedent in pre-industrial civilization, maybe historians can help us.  What can we learn from them?Sunburnt CountryDr Joelle Gergis talks to Vivien Langford about her new book “Sunburnt Country”. It is subtitled “The History and Future of Climate change in Australia” and won the Eureka prize for interdisciplinary research. She is a climate scientist but has delved into the diaries and weather records of early settlers as well as the ice cores and tree rings of thousands of years ago to tell us where we are going. It is like an episode of “Who do you think you are?” With Australia’s climate as the subject.    The ReefProfessor Iain Mc Calman’s “The Reef “ takes us through 12 historical tales of centred around the Great Barrier Reef, we learn how the reef has become transformed in the popular consciousness from nautical obstacle, to location of refuge, to subject of art and study.

Monday 9th April 2018

LOW CARBON WITH LOVE  from W.A, Canada  and India Monday 26th March 2018Three inspiring stories about lowering our carbon footprint.Frances Jones and her partner manage half a million hectares in W.A.Destocking gave them a chance to slowly  restore the land and sequester carbon. Wetlands came to life, perennial grasses came back and feral numbers went down. They featured on AUSTRALIAN STORY TV and came to SLF to join the growing number of regenerative farmers on the front foot with climate change.Michael Ableman sat down by the Yarra  with Vivien to talk about growing tonnes of food in Vancouver’s Skid Row. He said it was crazy that so few people are involved in growing our food.”We’re suffering a crisis of participation not a food crisis”.He thinks the farmers of the future will be first skilled in sequestering carbon and sponging up rain fall as the climate becomes more unpredictable. His book is called STREET FARM, GROWING FOOD, JOBS AND HOPE ON THE URBAN F

Monday 19th March 2018Erin Jones discusses future Industrial energy needs with Michael Lord