From Little Things, Population Growth - a Debate About Big Our Future
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Peace & Non Violence | Grassroots Democracy | Social & Economic Justice | Ecological Sustainability greenmagazine of the australian greens From Little Things, Population growth - a debate about Big our future Changing the world, one drink can at a time. Victoria’s Things container deposit Grow legislation Nuclear waste dumps and the impact on Indigenous communities Issue 28 - Winter 2009 climate rally greenmagazine of the australian greens 13•07•09 contents 2 editorial 3 letters to the editor 4 campaign updates 5 one hundred years from now senator sarah hanson-young and staff, senator christine milne, hobart david spratt, melbourne adelaide despair and defiance 6 the federal government plans to dump nuclear waste on indigenous lands in the northern territory. senator scott ludlam has visited communities affected and reports on his own bill to wind back the waste dump issue limits to growth 10 christine dann investigates the contentious issue of population growth in an era of depleting resources voluntary simplicity 12 a look at how living with less can give us more green renters 16 how renters are empowering themselves to green their homes 11 year old india jilly, melbourne senator bob brown marches down comedian and activist rod swanston street, melbourne quantock, melbourne why i am a climate activist 20 why one individual takes action on behalf of our environment guest green 23 victorian greens mlc colleen hartland outlines the benefits of proposed container deposit legislation, and how ten cents can change the world bob’s back page YEWENYI , 24 HUANG CHANG USERS senator rachel siewert, perth wa greens mps lynn mclaren, adele climate rally, sydney carles & giz watson, perth serial information: green magazine, issue twenty-eight 2009 FLICKR publisher: the australian greens | editor: lefa singleton norton | design: a new leaf media AND subeditors: travers purton, bianca durrant | contributors: bob brown, christine dann, stephen whiteside, cate & chris from greenrenters, joel dignam, samuel alexander, colleen hartland, scott ludlam, rachel siewert | front cover: tim norton | back cover: flickr user melanie defazio | comic: fiona katauskas, firstdogonthemoon PEMBERTON issn: 1443-6701 | mission statement: to provide a quality magazine presenting uplifting, up-to-date, action-oriented information vital to the australian green movement | printed by: goanna print, canberra | printed on: cover monza hi-gloss recyled chlorine-free art 150gsm, body cydus post-consumer recycled. RACHEL , disclaimer: the opinions expressed in green magazine are the views of the authors alone. they do not necessarily represent the views of the editors or of CAMPBELL the australian greens, staff, members, or sponsors. green magazine aims for its material to be accurate at the time of print but this is not always possible. green magazine is licenced under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-no derivs 2.1 australia licence. PETER the australian greens wish to acknowledge that we are on indigenous ground – this land is the spiritual and sacred place of the traditional owners and COURTESY their ancestors and continues to be a place of significance. further, we thank them for sharing this land with us and agree to respect their laws and lores. PICS climate rally, sydney climate rally, melbourne climate rally, melbourne editorial: [email protected] advertising, subscription & mailing inquiries: [email protected] postal address: gpo box 1108 canberra act 2601 contributions welcome: articles can range from 300-1200 words. brief items & letters to the editor or photographic/illustrative works also welcome. editorial letters to the editor Got something to say? Drop us a line at HAMILTON K [email protected] TIMOTHY USER FLICKR : n the face of ongoing What a marvellous the world is moving lot more debate about CREDIT climate change, we situation! More should be into a phase where offshore wind generators small steps, big impact PIC should be making a made of these affordable developed countries, particularly in the shallow Ibigger issue of domestic options, and information once the bastions of Bass Strait with its n an era where the government’s proposed Carbon Tired of discussions about 5% or 10% targets, we seek a renewable energy systems provided to householders manufacturing, will be Roaring Forties. Pollution Reduction Scheme hands all the benefits greater acknowledgement and fight a bigger fight. We such as solar and wind about using the federal devoid of such industry. At the first Greens of individuals’ hard work to large polluters, can all begin small, take action in the ways closest to technologies, and making government grants to Again whilst most meeting I went to on Iwhen subsidies and incentives for environmentally home, but in doing so we also join a greater ideological our householders aware of access them. people are now saying climate change the responsible power or water alternatives are weak to battle. It is our job, each and every one of us, to protect what a great deal they are Surely this is imperative that climate change is our opinion of many was non-existent and when stimulus spending barely offers this planet we inhabit. From our small contributions, a for consumers. keeping in mind the dire biggest problem, where that we should be careful any credible acknowledgement of the very real need for bigger change is growing. Being a very situation in which we is the basic action? For not to scare people with environmentally considerate options, many of us feel This edition is an anathema to the government’s apathy. cynical octogenarian, find our planet, which is some time I have pushed any gloomy facts. Now frustrated with our current situation. It explores the ways in which people from all walks of I have always regarded getting worse every year the debate on biochar, but some years later we are Fortunately, even while the government and big life are starting small and having big impacts. From our consumers as mere pawns due to our continued use there seems to be little still skirting around the business turn a blind eye to the need for action, there Guest Green, Colleen Hartland, showing us how 10c can in the economic systems of fossil fuels, coal, oil and support from our Greens edges. If climate change is are individuals all over Australia making real changes. change the world to Samuel Alexander exploring how of most countries and of course clear felling of leaders. I would like to our biggest worry, then it From the resurgence of backyard vegie patches and living simply makes a big impact on the world around us, over centuries we have our old growth forests. know why! should be our main target. chicken coops to the return of reduce, re-use, recycle this magazine is full of stories which show that from little been subjected to many JAMES J Shaw Surely the soil is our Again, what is our techniques our parents and grandparents honed during things, big things grow. Certainly this is true of the current and varied ‘isms’. Ryde - Epping Greens most important asset, and policy on biofuels? If we wartime eras, the action of the individual forges on debate over population growth and natural limitations, as Tribalism, federalism, we need to be discussing have passed peak oil, how ahead even without government support. discussed by Christine Dunn on pg 10, or in the beautiful reformationism, what we will do after the will we power our big The age old saying, from little things big things grow, poem of Stephen Whiteside (pg 5). industralism, capitalism, end of cheap oil-based machinery? Our maxim has particular resonance for us in Australia. Paul Kelly Lastly, a reminder that Green magazine is always Nazism, fascism, I enjoyed the article fertilisers. Our soils are is to think globally but and Kev Carmody used it to illustrate the strength of happy to receive your input. Our readership survey may communism, socialism, by Jamie Parker in the deficient in charcoal, and act locally. There is a one man, Vincent Lingiari, in his battle to win back be completed (see pg 5 for winners) but we continue to consumerism. Of all last edition of Green biochar production on a need to cut out much of the land rights of the Gurindji people. Peacefully, with welcome your letters, emails and contributions. If you these, the one that is magazine. massive scale is perhaps the peripheral talk, and steady resolve, he and his fellow campaigners turned would like to submit any articles, local Greens news responsible for the Please would you the only answer to carbon really get back to basics what had begun as a small pay dispute into a much items, letters or feedback we would love to hear from you. greatest rate of rape publish more insights sequestration which and show how our rural bigger call for action. It seems that this, too, is the path Lefa Singleton Norton - Editor of Earth without a into the swag of Greens will really work to fight communities will function that many Australians currently find themselves on. [email protected] doubt is Homo Sapiens’ politicians of all ranks climate change. No rocket and survive in the future. consumerism. across the country. In science is involved in the NYE evans Now with solar energy particular I’d like to know production of biochar and Lyons Greens and wind turbines what are the issues where. Australia does have the readily available for And especially insight manufacturing capability domestic situations a into what makes a Greens to get on with it. ED: Thank you to all Western Australian, Mr constituency. Many quick growing our letter writers. We’re Graeme Attey had his BRYAN Kilgallin weeds and native species interested to hear what wind turbine on the Via email which are fuel for wild all members think about ABC The New Inventors fires should be converted this resource, and we program last year.