Darryl’s questions

• What has been the best thing you have done in the last year to address climate change and why do you think that? If this action was something you generally already do can you also name a new action that you have done this year?

We are engaging in a once-in-a-lifetime project to build a highly energy efficient house. We have engaged Habitech to build a passive design, highly insulated new home with nearly 6kW of rooftop solar. We are even on their website 🙂

• What are the top three things you have done throughout your personal life and/or household to address climate change. Why have you included these in the list?

Energy efficiency is always high on my list. Our old and cold house we insulated the best we could, chose energy-efficient appliances and used GreenPower energy products. Living in the inner-city means my children can walk/ cycle to work and my husband is a commuter cyclist. I organise Brunswick Communities for Nature to help individuals improve their local biodiversity and combat the heat island effect (amongst other benefits).

• What is the next thing you plan to do? Why have you chosen this and when do you plan to action it?

This needs further thought, but I think that will be something to work on when we’re in the new house.

• Moreland has been making good actions to address climate change. What is the next thing to address climate change that you believe Moreland Council should action and why?

I would like to get a better sense of how Moreland is tracking against the Zero Carbon strategy. We need to know what is working, and what isn’t, and better understand the drivers and blockers for: individuals, households, business and Council itself, in reducing their impact.

Brunswick Communities for Nature

This campaign is a great way to promote the community group I am active in – Brunswick Communities for Nature.

We exist to help private householders plant more indigenous plants in their nature strip, garden or other green space.

2021 will be a big year for us, as we take advantage of the new Nature Plan to boost our efforts.

We sell plants we grow, or buy wholesale from VINC , at cost price. However, over the last few years we have succeeded in building up some reserves to allow us to:

• supply free plants to groups of locals who want to plant out a common area
• produce information materials on best using indigenous plants

Not all plants are created equal when it comes to urban cooling. There has been somewhat of a trend away from preferring indigenous plants to those with more canopy. However, indigenous plants provide habitat for indigenous insects and our remnant indigenous wildlife.

It’s an uphill battle. The main barriers we face are:

• weeds
• widespread lack of knowledge about indigenous plants
• resistance to green open space that looks wild or unkempt, in preference to a mowed lawn

Council’s policies are supportive of all our goals.

However, the widespread and ongoing misapplication of contracted maintenance works to poisoning and slashing is both a waste of resources and counter-productive.

We would like to see an overhaul of the maintenance regime to one that includes regular site preparation planting and weeding. Community tree planting (which usually involves understorey planting), shows that Council and the community can partner together to improve the beauty, biodiversity, drought tolerance and low-allergy nature of our under-utilised green open space.

We have proposed doing more targeted trials along our original corridor from Moonee Ponds to Merri Creek to address some of the barriers we’ve faced in achieving more widespread adoption of indigenous nature strips.

 

 

Energy Efficiency for Renters

50% of people in Brunswick rent.

47.9% in Brunswick West.

54.9% in Brunswick East.

While the Victorian average is 28.7%.

That means roughly half of all people have limited means to improve the energy efficiency of their homes.

Coupled with this, much of Brunswick’s housing stock is either pre-1960s or new developments (1990s onwards). Both these building types typically have poor thermal properties.

Insulation, building orientation and shading – the things that make the most difference to comfortable energy efficiency – are often expensive and not in new developments, while cheap and easy things like solar hot water or energy-efficient appliances are preferred by developers.

Almost all Victorian this year are subject to “bill shock” when their electricity, gas and water bills come in with working and learning from home.

Despite the great advice available to renters to improve their energy efficiency (and here and here), the advice is very reliant on having a supportive landlord and/or often involves the purchase of new or more expensive products.

New regulations are in the works. These make some improvements for energy efficiency and mandate that reasonable permission to make improvements should not be withheld, but more is needed.

Now, more than ever, we need minimal energy efficiency standards for rental properties. (Renew)

Council should use the quarterly ratepayer notices to: 

• encourage landlords to become more energy efficient as part of their effective use of maintenance costs 
• provide State Government advice regarding their obligations for rental standards
• refer landlords to sources of advice, granting programs, and/or buying arrangements for energy efficiency and associated products

Council should partner with relevant organisations (including https://www.aef.com.au/ https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/ https://www.tenantsvic.org.au/ ) to implement support for renters to improve their energy efficiency such as small grants, product trade-ins, and/or bulk buys. Opportunities for commercial support for such schemes should be fully explored. 

While the current Covid crisis has put landlords and tenants under extreme stress, we have seen first-hand how the poor thermal performance of our buildings costs money, wastes energy and reduces peoples’ comfort at home. Heat and cold stress can have negative impacts on human health.

 

 

 

Climate Action Moreland

Climate Action Moreland advocates for local action on climate change. The priorities they are pressing Moreland candidates on are:

• Triple bottom line accounting
• Upfield Rail Line duplication
• Tram network extension
• Shifting peoples transport to more sustainable modes
• Dealing with heat vulnerability (heat island effect)
• Waste management
• Energy-efficient and renewables
• Pollution and litter
• Environmental co-benefits in economic development
• Food system security
• Switching to plant-based diets
• Vegetation for cooling and biodiversity in planning
• Switching to low-emission cement
• Citizen’s assembly

I have asked Climate Action Moreland on their opinion of the current Council Plan and where more action is needed.

I have highlighted (bold) those initiatives that are either currently the subject or Council efforts or where additional advances could be made and that therefore have the greatest relevance. In italics are those items which are a State Government responsibility and Council needs to have strong advocacy (see my post on a Mayor for Moreland).

The interesting ones are where there is overlap between State and Local government, such as where State government legislation and funding are in play but Local council can play a role as the “last mile” in getting government programs into the hands of Moreland residents and ratepayers.

Moreland Council already has existing strategies and policies on most of these topics. My question is – to what extent are they actually delivering? 

 

 

 

 

Improving biodiversity

Moreland’s Nature Plan is great steps forward in improving amenity for residents and increasing the planting of indigenous grasses, ground covers, shrubs, and trees.

As one of the three coordinators of Brunswick Communities for Nature, we aim to make it easier for residents to turn their nature strip into an indigenous garden.

On behalf of BC4N, here is the submission I wrote on behalf of the group during the recent consultations.