Brissie's own TRANSITION PICNIC - Sat 9th July

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From noon, Saturday 9th July, at New Farm Park rotunda (or nearby). BYO picnic lunch. See flyer for more info.

It would be great to know who's coming, so please RSVP here.

One little detail - BCC charges for the hire of the Rotunda - so we haven't booked it! Instead we'll just turn up and try our luck; if the rotunda is in use we can shift to the alternative area nearby (marked below on the map).

Still open to offers of entertainment, and suggestions for promotion - please add comments here.
Come along, bring a friend, and spruik for 60 seconds on your particular project.

See you at the picnic!

Bellbowrie Flood Recovery Community Event this Saturday

The Bellbowrie Community Association are delighted to bring you the Lord Mayor’s Flood Recovery Community Event from 10am to 4pm on Saturday June 25th 2011 (this weekend) at Booker Park, Birkin Road, Bellbowrie.

Transition Town Kenmore District will have a stall in the Art and Environment Space. We will have some 'Backyard Farmers' produce and some homemade cleaning remedies on display as well. It would be lovely if you could come along and say hello!

More information is available here.

TTKD June Meeting - What’s happening at Sustainable Jamboree? + Permablitz update

Ngaire McGaw, convenor of Sustainable Jamboree will be speaking about what actions they have been taking and what successes they have had across the river in the Jamboree ward.

Sustainable Jamboree is a volunteer group which partners with ordinary people as well as experts to organise forums, films, programs, campaigns, and policy papers as outlined on their website. Sustainable Jamboree is once again a finalist for this year’s Premier’s ClimateSmart Sustainability Awards.
We will also continue planning our next permablitz.

When: Wednesday 15 June, 2011.
7.30pm
Where: Kenmore Library

Access via the after hours lift entrance on the ground floor. It’s under the library, right by the car park, behind the library’s main escalator entrance. Someone will let you in. If you arrive late and there is no one there please press the buzzer for meeting room 3 and someone will come down.

Garnaut releases final review - offers a prescription for a carbon price

Prof Ross Garnaut has just released his final 2011 review report, where he outlined the case for and the design of a price on carbon.

It's a hefty tome, but many of the basic details are the same as we reported on a few months ago.

1) Australia has an obligation to reduce its emissions along with other developed countries, with the proposed carbon price not committing us to more action that most other countries are taking.

2) A price on carbon is the cheapest most effective way to reduce emissions.

3) Garnaut recommends starting with a fixed price (the carbon tax) of between $20-30 a tonne before moving to a floating price (an emission trading scheme) several years later.

4) Lower and middle income earners should be compensated primarily through tax cuts by raising the tax free threshold. Other money raised by the tax will go to trade exposed industry, carbon farming and innovation.

For some expert analysis, Prof John Quiggin is blogging the chapters as he reads them and providing some commentary too. Recommended if you want more information but don't want to read the whole report or summary report.

Say Yes to action on climate change

Join organisations, communities and individuals all across Australia who are saying YES to action on climate change and a price on pollution!

Join us online, and please come to take part in the National Day to ‘Say Yes’, when events will be held around the country:

Brisbane Riverstage, City Botanic Gardens

1 pm – 2.30pm Sunday 5 June

Join the event on facebook

TTKD invites you to join us, along with organizations and individuals from all walks of life to call for a safe climate for everyone.

say YES to cutting pollution, say YES to renewable energy, say YES to a healthy environment, say YES to a sustainable future

Climate action in the UK - Conservative government announces 50% cut by 2025

With getting any sort of action on climate action in Oz such a tough challenge, you'd be forgiven for thinking that no other countries were helping show the way.
Last week however the UK conservative-lead coalition government announced they will be making a 50% cut in carbon emissions by 2025. This won't just be an aspiration either, it will be the law of the land. i.e.: legally binding.

This is the most ambitious carbon pollution reduction target of any developed country and comes at a time when the UK economy has been struggling. So why are they doing it?

Well for one thing they are acting in line with what the science says developed countries need to do to limit dangerous levels of global warming.
Also of great importance, they believe moving to a low carbon economy will create innovation, investment and jobs and so be an overall benefit to the economy.
And thirdly, as it stands the UK is highly dependant on imported fossil fuels and their north sea oil supplies are decreasing. Moving to a low carbon economy will make the UK more energy independent and so less venerable to swings in the oil price and less dependent on Russian natural gas etc.

So with the UK moving towards such major cuts, it makes you realize that the cuts proposed in Australia of 5-15% by 2020, aren't that large by international standards.

Community Spirit Alive in Christchurch

A lovely story of a community pulling together to hang on to their local area after the Christchurch earthquake. It is only a pity it often takes such a tragedy for people to realise the important role community can play in one's life.