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Saturday, 28 November 2009

Samples of south coast NSW press on mobile forest climate billboard
Mood:

sharp
Topic: globalWarming

Posted by editor at 8:25 AM EADT

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Thursday, 26 November 2009

Forest climate billboard in Canberra attracts official concern
Mood:

chatty
Topic: globalWarming

We are all legal and exercising representative democratic duties with our billboard banner 23 - 26 November 2009. The objectives include national logger conference at historic Hyatt Hotel and funded by federal government, and federal parliament sitting on climate change legislation.

It was a thrill swinging through the Hyatt with the feeling our grandfather Eric McLoughlin would have hung out here with PM Bob Menzies. What would the war correspondent journo think of his grandson writing this today?

By our reckoning we have had 7 professional chats with official authorities over the past week:

1. Uniform highway patrol at Cobargo - is that your car? Nope, borrowed. License, solicitor's card, and away.

2. Uniform Australian Federal Policeman on bicycle, federal Parliament precinct, caution and direction off the Hill because no permission to protest with vehicle.

3. Uniform ACT car patrol while propped on Commonwealth Ave, caution and potential parking fine under consideration.

4. Plain clothes AFP officer Hyatt Hotel, logger industry conference, together with hotel security general liaison.

5. Tactical Response Group officer in overalls caution not to enter Hyatt or approach guests with placards or brochures.

6. Day Chief AFP security Parliamentary Security by phone, night chief AFP security in person direction to park in Federal Drive (new and old House)

7. ACT parking ranger in Civic next to Garema Place as stationwagons cannot use loading zones in the ACT (unlike NSW).

Some images follow:

Posted by editor at 2:39 PM EADT

Updated: Saturday, 28 November 2009 8:08 AM EADT

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Forest climate billboard travels south coast to Canberra for Parliament
Mood:

a-ok
Topic: globalWarming

Our banner billboard education tour has travelled from Bega to Canberra via Narooma and Batemans Bay (as per the press photo below published yesterday by Narooma News) in time for the federal govt sponsored logging and woodchip industry conference on 24 and 25 Nov 2009.

Feedback has been polite, deferential, approving and in one only case nasty.

Here are some pics from various towns raising awareness:

Merimbula:

Picture: Merimbula beachfront

Pambula:

Picture: Main street of Pambula

Bega:

Picture: Bega annual Rotary Family Fun Day, with highly popular giant slide in the background.

Moruya outside federal MP Mike Kelly's office:

Only after 4 days on the south coast at generally sympathetic tourism and service economy of Merimbula we heard some venom with a couple in a drive by verbal insult "You can stick that sign up your arse" and "You bloody idiot." Tsk Tsk.

Received from behind sun glasses and a benevolent silence as if to say have a nice day.

Posted by editor at 2:22 PM EADT

Updated: Saturday, 28 November 2009 8:41 AM EADT

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Tuesday, 24 November 2009

Canberra leg of giant forest climate billboard on big day for Parliament
Mood:

special
Topic: aust govt

Restful sleep - in the back of the stationwagon in the quiet Canberra burbs. This flyer has been drafted by the wonderful Harriet Swift convenor of Chipstop.

Taking breakfast in Manuka cafe bakery when ALP national executive committee member strolls in for his coffee at 7.20 am. Ain't democracy grand. Swiss neutrality in the bakery as he spies on my laptop images. Tsk tsk.

Hope he doesn't graffiti the billboard outside in front of the church.

Posted by editor at 7:34 AM EADT

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Monday, 23 November 2009

Bega Fest #5: Peter Andren's sister endorses forest climate billboard
Mood:

happy
Topic: globalWarming

We were honoured to meet Patricia Andren who lives in a retirement home on the South Coast. She is sister to Peter who was independent federal member of parliament for the central west of NSW seat of Calare. Peter tragically died of cancer and was widely respected and maintained a huge majority in the seat.

She has met local Liberal MP in the state parliament Andrew Constance at her residence and has written to every other state MP about protecting the wild forest landscapes of the south coast.

Go Patricia!

Over this last 3 days this writer has enjoyed positive chats with:

- farmer from Bemboka

- retired tree feller

- ex forestry dozer driver, ex mining industry indigenous family man

- self funded retiree

- local science teacher

- assorted local environmentalists

- festival organiser

- tourism hostel manager

- local journalist

- other stall holders

Day 3 was approaching fast with some minor excitement good and bad.

Posted by editor at 8:17 AM EADT

Updated: Monday, 23 November 2009 8:52 AM EADT

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Bega Fest #4: Day 2 sees great community participation
Mood:

amorous
Topic: local news

Images of festival here which doesn't do justice to the busy schedule of events in various locations including church hall, community college, outside stalls, council chambers, local library.

Here is the "High Noon" debate notable for its big attendance, ABC presenter Tim Holt as moderator and excellent diagrams presented by local Dr Matthew Nott (medicine) and convenor of local Clean Energy for Everyone group. The critic of Global Warming also had a witty style about him and local property and business identity Rob High.

We managed to note in the Q & A session the potential role of global dimming (refer abc 4 Corners doco about 5 years ago) re aerosol particulates out of China and India massive industrialisation could be playing a role in dampening temperature rise without altering the underlying forcings from green house gases.

Posted by editor at 7:55 AM EADT

Updated: Friday, 27 November 2009 2:34 PM EADT

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Saturday, 21 November 2009

Bega Fest #3: Set up first day under the heat and dust
Mood:

crushed out
Topic: local news

Some images of first day of 3 day event on the NSW South Coast. Moderate to small turnout Friday 20 Nov 2009 as NSW more broadly suffered a heat wave. However the cooler weather late same evening suggested a great day to follow, which did in fact prove the case.

Some images of our experience follow: Including press catchup in the directors chair next to the billboard display, with a distinctly biblical environmental theme in the Big Media:

Posted by editor at 12:07 PM EADT

Updated: Friday, 27 November 2009 2:26 PM EADT

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Bega Fest #2: Provocative climate forest billboard pitch
Mood:

a-ok
Topic: globalWarming

Picture: From left Cr Keith Hughes, Bega Valley Shire, his partner Harriet Swift convenor of local ChipStop group, John Kaye MP (Greens), Dr Bronte Somerset (Phd in Education) web builder for SERCA, Dr Prue Acton (OBE, hon doctor Arts) also of SERCA. SERCA is South East Region Conservation Alliance.

Hot afternoon had the good array of stalls in the Bega CBD Friday 20th November 2009 sweltering. A big wind change at 3pm had most of us winding down.

There was a moderate turn out of the public on this weekday start of a 3 day event for the inaugural Bega Festival with the theme of community in transition.

The local college band was hip and cool with quality jam, especially keyboard and lead guitar.

Public reception to the billboard message was good with only one silent head shake. Interesting given the hot weather and the diabolical issue of bushfire safety well understood in every rural region. SERCA funded the billboard, this writer and another colleague funded and built the mobile billboard.

Posted by editor at 7:41 AM EADT

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Bega 'in transition' Festival #1: Price of solar panels have fallen 40% in 2 months
Mood:

special

Interesting to talk with industry veteran Dennis Pont on the BP Solar Panel stall yesterday regarding the point of fact above.

It seems the near parity of the Australian dollar greater buying power and the slashing of the Federal Govt subsidy to consumers have both acted to slash prices. Solar panels are now 40% cheaper. Incredible.

Perhaps this helps explain the decisiveness of NSW Premier Rees in agreeing to a gross feed in tariff effectively promoting power stations on peoples rooves. We can predict a new real estate boom in north facing roof space as in the German scenario.

Posted by editor at 7:04 AM EADT

Updated: Saturday, 21 November 2009 7:09 AM EADT

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Thursday, 19 November 2009

Free speech for tree chippers but not green activists in South East NSW?
Mood:

hug me
Topic: independent media

Quite a disjunction in these two stories over the cultural values around democratic free speech in lead up to inaugural Bega Festival:

#1 of 2

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/16/2744117.htm

Back flip on wood chip festival ban

Posted Mon Nov 16, 2009 3:05pm AEDT

A festival committee on the New South Wales far south coast has backed down over a decision to ban the region's big timber processing company from attending a Clean Energy Expo.

Last week, the Bega Festival Committee barred Eden's South East Fibre Exports company from distributing information about its proposed biomass electricity generator that will use wood waste as fuel.

The decision brought a community backlash, including the Bega Chamber of Commerce and the anti-logging group Chip-Stop, saying the move was stifling free speech.

But the Founder of the Clean Energy for Eternity movement, Matthew Nott, says the chip mill has taken up a new invitation to be part of the community celebration.

"I am quite keen to get South East Fire Exports to the Clean Energy Expo," he said.

"I have had a couple of chats with Vince Phillips from South East Fibre Exports over the weekend.

"He and I are both happy to get South East Fibre Exports to the Clean Energy Expo.

"I think it is a good opportunity for Fibre Exports to present their case."

#2 of 2

Anti-woodchip signs go

Conservationists are annoyed that the Bega Valley Shire Council has used ratepayer funded resources to remove anti-woodchipping signs from the Bermagui Tathra road at Wapengo.
The signs have hung for over a year from trees high above the approaches to each side of the Wapengo Bridge.
They highlighted the threat of logging koala habitat in Mumbulla forest, part of the Wapengo catchment.
Greens Councillor, Keith Hughes is seeking details of the costs born by ratepayers from the Council.
“These signs were securely and safely erected and carried an important message for visitors,” he said.
Chipstop convener, Ms Harriett Swift, who raised the matter of the signs at a public forum of Council this afternoon (Tuesday), said that censorship is no way to win an argument.
“Residents and visitors to the area have a right to know what is going on in the region’s forests,” she said.
Forests NSW have indicated that logging of Mumbulla Forest is likely to start early in the New Year.

Photo caption: one of the signs from Wapengo bridge removed by Council

Contact:
Keith Hughes, Harriett Swift 0414908997, 64923267

19 November 2009

SAY "NO" TO WOODCHIP POWER. Sign the on line petition at: http://www.gopetition.com.au/petitions/say-no-to-woodchip-power.html

............

abc reportage here

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/19/2747149.htm?site=southeastnsw

The Bega Valley Shire Council on the New South Wales far south coast has removed illegal anti-logging signs near Bermagui, prompting a back-lash from conservationists.

Two signs placed by anti-chip campaigners in trees a year ago on the Bermagui to Tathra Road, at Wapengo, were designed to draw the attention of tourists to logging in native forests and its effects on the region's bio-diversity.

Greens Councillor Keith Hughes concedes the signs were erected without a development application but says other groups have been allowed to keep their signs.

"Some forests have prescriptions where they try and make the logging less visible from the road but apart from that narrow visual protection strip, people aren't aware of the intensity of the logging that's just out of sight," he said.

"People drive along that road and it's a beautiful stretch of road.

"It's good to inform them about what's happening out of site but not far away."

Posted by editor at 10:48 AM EADT

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