Renewables

Two fossil fuel free events in May

Friends of the Earth Adelaide are happy to support the Wilderness Society in their campaign to protect wilderness and farmland from gas fracking, and to stop oil drilling from happening in the Great Australian Bight.

1. Stand up at Santos AGM

Join us from 8:30-10:30am outside the Santos AGM at the western end of the Convention Centre on North Terrace to highlight to shareholders the dangers of gas fracking.

Facebook event here

It’s time for South Australians to support our NSW cousins. Our common asset – Australia’s largest underground water resource, the Great Artesian Basin – is under serious threat from Santos’ plans for an 850 well coal seam gasfield in the Pilliga forest.

Farmers and traditional owners of the Pilliga area in North West NSW will travel over 1,400km to have their voices heard by the Santos board and shareholders.

We need South Australians to turn up in support and show Santos some home-grown opposition to its risky plans.

Recently NSW has seen many people-powered victories against CSG. Now, Santos’ Narrabri Gas Project in the Pilliga is the last CSG proposal in the state and the NSW Gasfield Free movement is focused on this final front.

The Pilliga forest is the largest woodland left in Eastern Australia and a critical recharge zone for the Great Artesian Basin.

We must make sure that Santos’ new CEO, its board and shareholders know without a doubt that it’s not just NSW people determined to stop CSG in the Pilliga but that South Australians are also aware and opposed to these risky plans.

2. Hands Across the Sand ADELAIDE EVENT – Facebook information here
Saturday 21st May 2016, 11:00am at Glenelg Beach Foreshore, near the jetty.

It is time again to join hands at Glenelg Beach and say NO to risky deepsea drilling in our Great Australian Bight and YES to clean energy and a low carbon economy.… Read more >>

100% Renewable Energy for SA – in just 15 years! Wed August 19th

100% Renewable Energy for SA – in just 15 years!

Wed August 19th 6:30pm

Kings Head Hotel, King William St Adelaide

SA is the standout state – today getting 40% of its electricity from renewable sources – at least 3 times more than any other mainland state in Australia. Great!

Did you know we could hit 100% renewable electricity? And in just 15 years?

This is one of the findings of the Conservation SA commissioned report by energy expert Dr Mark Diesendorf of the University of NSW.

It will not only clean up our environment to do our share to halt climate change, it will continue to bring down our state’s electricity costs.

Come and hear:

1. Julia Winefield of Conservation SA speak on the report together with

2. Margaret Hender of CORENA and

3. Nicki Ison of Community Power Agency

who will all indicate how we can fast track renewable energy projects in our own communities, plus what we each of us can do to ensure Dr Diesendorf’s report becomes a reality.

Order free tickets via Eventbrite

See you there!

Check out the 100% Renewables SA Facebook page

FOE Australia tracks the Nuclear Royal Commission

In addition to our local Anti-Nuclear/Pro-Renewables campaign, you can keep an eye on Friends of the Earth Australia’s website for updates – thanks to our national Nuclear Campaigner Dr Jim Green.

http://www.foe.org.au/royal-commission

If you’d like to be on our local campaigner Nectaria Calan’spersonal nuclear email list please contact adelaide.office@foe.org.au

FoE Adelaide Annual Report 2014/15

Friends of the Earth Adelaide has two main collectives.  The Fair Food Adelaide collective works on food sovereignty issues including March Against Monsanto, and the Clean Futures Collective focuses on Mining and Energy; and is pro-renewables, anti-nuclear and anti-fracking.

Fair Food Adelaide

This financial year Fair Food Adelaide focussed on events for Fair Food Week held each October where we held two events – a bicycle community garden tour, and a forum on food poverty co-hosted with Foodbank SA. After a local food Long Table lunch and an end of year picnic, we’ve had a quieter 2015 as two of our main organisers have had to step down due to new jobs.  Our monthly Urban Orchard food swap is continuing, and instead of rallying on the anniversary of the first March Against Monsanto we wrote letters to SA’s Agriculture Minister to congratulate him on standing strong to continue SA’s GM moratorium and championing soil improvement rather than GMO crops.  We also lobbied the federal Agriculture Minister and Health Minister asking them to ban the weedkiller Roundup (glyphosate) in light of the recent announcement by the World Health Organisation that it probably causes cancer. We have received replies from Barnaby Joyce saying the approval status of glyphosate is under review.  We are also collecting signatures for a petition to Bunnings asking them to stop stocking the neonicotinoid pesticides that harm bees. We also work with the GM-Free Australia Alliance as one of its member groups. Member Kim Hill hosted workshop on The End of Agriculture at the Students of Sustainability conference in July.

We’ll continue to keep members up to date with information on our Facebook page, Facebook group, googlegroup and website.

See www.facebook.com/fairfoodadelaide and www.facebook.com/groups/MarchAgainstMonsantoAdelaide

Sign up for our fortnightly e-newsletter at the bottom left side of our home page www.adelaide.foe.org.auRead more >>

Energy Storage Opportunities for SA – Monday 17 August

People interested in renewable energy storage may like to attend this Alternative Technology Association event:

ATA Adelaide Branch Meeting – Energy Storage Opportunities for SA

When: Monday, August 17

Time: 7.30pm sharp

Where: Goodwood Community Centre (Banquet Hall), 32/34 Rosa St, Goodwood. Goodwood Community Centre is convenient to the tram, buses and train. Enter the car park via Florence St.

Cost: ATA members $2, non-members $5. Tea, coffee and biscuits provided.

Presenter: Dean Spaccavento of Reposit Power

South Australia enjoys a high penetration of solar energy but electricity consumers pay high electricity prices by world standards. We have a volatile energy market and energy companies pay very high spot prices to generators when demand is high. All of this makes solar, energy storage and intelligent control a more attractive prospect for SA than elsewhere.

Dean will speak about the GridCredits software that allows householders to trade on the energy market. Using parameters such as a home’s energy consumption habits, weather, grid demand and future energy prices, the software automatically decides whether it’s advantageous for a system to store the solar energy or sell to the grid, allowing the household to profit. GridCredits is integrated into Tesla’s Powerwall battery storage system.

Dean has considerable technical expertise in the Australian, North American and Asian-Pacific electrical supply industries.

Other events

Adelaide Cleantech Network will hold their Tonsley Tour and refreshments on August 26 at 4pm. Click herefor details and free registration. Presentations include new Siemens facility.

Adelaide Sustainable Building Network: Graeme Hopkins and Janelle Arbon will present on Connecting with Nature on August 26, 6.30-8.30pm at 87 Gibson St, Bowden. Details and registration:https://guestlistapp.com/events/338700

Q&A

ATA meetings put people with questions in touch with people who might have answers. The Q&A session is an open discussion about sustainability topics.

ATA Adelaide Branch meetings are open to ATA members and non-members.… Read more >>