First Floor, 24-26 Hope Street, Brunswick
‘Transition to a Zero Carbon Future’, is our monthly discussion group focusing on the important task of developing real solutions to climate change in the Australian context.

The first discussion group, which focussed on the Victoria’s stationary energy sector, was a great success. This group is about moving beyond generalised calls for action on climate change, to examining real solutions, that are available now and the policy settings required to implement them. Our next discussion group will be focusing on the transport sector. We are very excited to announce that Dr Patrick Moriarty has agreed to address the group at our next meeting on Monday, 5th May.

Dr Patrick Moriarty is a leading academic and researcher in the field of Civil and Mechanical Engineering. He is currently Honorary Research Associate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Monash Universty. Over a thirty six year career he has researched and published widely in leading journals in Australia and overseas. His main research interests have included urban land use, transport and energy issues. An important part of his research has been the climate change implications of different fuels/energy sources for transport and electricity generation. He is also particularly interested in the limits of technological changes and efficiencies in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector, as opposed to behavioral changes or social efficiency measures. He has been actively involved in urban environment movements particularly in relation to proposed rail closures and urban freeway building. He has made, and continues to make a major contribution to debate around our transport future.

To assist us to provide adequate seating etc, please RSVP by 30th April to Mark Ogge
Email: mark @beyondzeroemissions.org
Ph: 0421 272 884

http://www.beyondzeroemissions.org/discussiongroup/

The section below is republished with permission from the Going Solar Transport Newsletter #57, 29 April 2008, compiled by Stephen Ingrouille. Going Solar, www.goingsolar.com.au/transport. This newsletter provides an excellent commentary on local sustainable transport issues in Melbourne.

Eddington on the 3Ps
“Eddington pays lip service to greenhouse and peak oil of course. However it’s almost small print that his plan will do nothing for greenhouse. Imagine that: spending $20 billion on transport infrastructure in an era defined by climate change and admitting that your plan does nothing to address it. …And if, as is certain, that a new road tunnel would be largely paid or through a public private partnership arrangement then it will still cost. PPP’s in fact cost the community more than other means of financing such projects – they are not free money – they are the infrastructure equivalent of ‘buy now pay nothing for three years’… The community pays through the nose through tolls to use the infrastructure over the next 30 years, and the total capital cost is far more than it would be if we paid for it out of the state’s own coffers or loans. … The other thing about ‘free’ PPP’s is of course by using them you lock yourself into being driven by what is going to make money for the financiers – which as we know is as much traffic as possible thank you very much.”
Ref: Janet Rice, Metropolitan Transport Forum, 13/4/08.

Orbital Railway Proposal
“The outcome of the Eddington Report has some unexpected recommendations, such as a railway that is more north-south than east-west. At least it’s a railway - how can a plan for the oil-free future include a freeway? There is no need for an east west connection to cross Carlton from the end of the Eastern Freeway; the traffic using the Freeway has been collected from all over the north-eastern suburbs, and would be headed for all parts of the western suburbs. Its alignment should be further north. A sustainable connection would start with the Tarneit rail line and head eastwards to Ringwood, then south to Mordialloc; an Orbital railway! It would have an interchange with each radial line, and connect all the existing outer suburban stations into a ready-made outer Melbourne rail system; it would increase the utilisation of trains on the outer sections of the existing radial lines. The wider spacing of stations on the Orbital would provide faster travel and compensate for the need to change trains. It could be built mainly within or above the routes of existing arterial roads, requiring little land purchase, so shall we say a mere $2billion cost?”
Ref: Rob Spragg, 18/4/08

Road Building vs Public Transport
“Folks as much as it hurts to say this, no new road or tunnel is going to solve Melbourne’s traffic woes. It’s only going to encourage people to drive more, only delaying the problem for another few years. If, for example, we spend $10 billion on a East-West tunnel, people are only going to continue to drive and within five or ten years, we’ll be back at this stage now pleading for more roads. We cannot reduce congestion by building more roads since immediately we get more traffic to fill them up to the same speed as before. This is only prolonging the problem. The only way to reduce congestion is to introduce better public transport facilities which reduce the number of people who travel by car on the roads. Ideally, public transport should provide the sort of ‘go anywhere anytime’ convenience that currently attracts people to cars. It requires a fully-integrated, ‘seamless’ network with short waiting times and easy transfers. Currently this is not happening - just ask anyone who has to connect a bus to a train. Waiting times should be no longer than 10 minutes, day or night. “As a solution, this government needs to: Build new lines to areas such as South Morang, Point Cook, Tullamarine Airport and Doncaster; Build express lines through the busier metropolitan routes (i.e. Pakenham, Frankston, Belgrave) to improve travel times to the city for those further out; Electrify existing lines to Melton and Sunbury; Build new stations such as Coolaroo (which was promised in 1970 state election campaign but has never been built) and Caroline Springs; More rolling stock and more drivers. I recognise that this will take time, but they can start on track work now and attempt to complete it before the rolling stock and drivers become available; Ideally, a loop around the city that allows people to bypass the city when travelling from suburb to suburb; Integrated bus, tram and train timetables that facilitate easy connections between services I recognise that this will take a decade to develop, and billions of dollars, but the benefits of doing so (and starting now) will far outweigh the benefit (which will only be short term) of any road built. Roads will only prolong the problem, and rail has the potential to solve it, by taking cars off the road.”
Ref: Ryan Herb, Herald Sun, 19/2/08

Congestion in Melbourne
“Melbourne traffic will grow by 21 per cent over the next 12 years, potentially bringing the city to a grinding halt. … The annual ‘social costs’ of this congestion will hit $6.1 billion, or more than $1400 per Melburnian. Social costs include increased petrol and car expenses, and medical bills from illnesses caused by traffic-generated pollution.”
Ref: Peter Jean, Herald Sun, 19/2/08

Bike Lane Flak
“Melbourne City Council’s plan for new separated bicycle lanes on a major East Melbourne road must be overturned, the Master Builders Association says. …The bike lanes, similar to lanes already installed in Swanston Street, Carlton, separate cyclists and car traffic with a parking lane. Under the council’s $500,000 plan for the East Melbourne bike lanes, Albert Street will be reduced from a twolane road all day to a single-lane road at all times, except during peak hours. Parking will till be available on the street, except during peak hours. … Master Builders Association executive director Brian Welch said … ‘it’s an unwarranted expense (on behalf of) cyclists who probably don’t pay rates at all in this area,’ he said.”
Ref: Clay Lucas, The Age, 19/2/08

Comment: The Master Builders Association may pay rates but that doesn’t mean that they ‘own’ the road space.

Find below the latest newsletter from eVillage Melbourne. To see more details visit the website at http://evillagemelbourne.com.au/.

Hello to all eVillage Melbourne members,

Future Melbourne draft plan
The final stages of the Future Melbourne project are fast approaching, as the City of Melbourne puts the finishing touches to the Future Melbourne draft plan. This document will reflect the contributions of eVillage members and the wider Melbourne community. And these contributions will become even more evident shortly, with the official opening of the Future Melbourne draft plan wiki.

From Saturday, 17 May to Saturday, 14 June, you will be able to log into, read and edit the Future Melbourne draft plan wiki via www.futuremelbourne.com.au. This is an exciting development for the City of Melbourne and the Future Melbourne project and we’re sure you’ll enjoy this final opportunity to help shape Melbourne’s future.

Archived options and talking points
The Future Melbourne’s ‘Considering the options’ phase is now over, and the project is moving into final phases. We have archived all options-related posts, so you can still see and read what was said but you won’t be able to reply to any posts. As all discussion and ideas under each ‘talking point’ have now been absorbed into comprehensive goals and directions within the Future Melbourne draft plan, the talking points have now served their purpose and will be ‘retired’.

Key themes for discussion and action
Out of all the discussion about the future of Melbourne on the eVillage, 17 issues and themes have emerged as the most important and pressing for our members. Here are some of these.
- Spending on major events brings people to our doorstep. These people come back, and they are ambassadors for our city when they go home.
- Melbourne should continue to develop its standing as an education-focused and design-oriented city.
- Melbourne should place a far greater emphasis on green spaces and appropriate development.
- Violence on the streets must be reduced, and better liquor licensing laws are needed to help manage the problem.
- Businesses and residents have competing interests.
- The city needs to shift its transport planning from motor traffic to bicycles and feet.
- The city should develop programs that better integrate its constituents into ‘one’ community (business, residents, students, employees and so on.)

You can view and comment on these and more at Discussion HQ.

Thank you for your continuing contributions and interest, your efforts are making a difference to the future of our city.
The eVillage Melbourne Team.

The Victorian Sustainable Development Conference 2008 will bring together key Victorian Government ministers, industry leaders, local government, scientists, conservationists and others to discuss the current and future directions and frameworks for sustainability in Victoria, and will review how it will affect Victorian local government, business and the community.

It will provide an opportunity to examine progress towards sustainable objectives in a range of key areas such as:
Water
Energy efficiency
Climate change response
Waste and resource recovery
Planning and urban design, including a review of the Melbourne 2030 strategy.

The Conference will also feature best practice case studies in sustainable development, including creating a sustainable workplace, addressing challenges of sustainability, and provide advice for how state and local government and business can achieve their sustainable development goals in a cost-effective manner.

Keynote Speakers include:
Hon. Gavin Jennings MLC, Minister for Environment and Climate Change
Hon. Peter Batchelor MP, Minister for Energy and Resources
Dr Ian McPhail, Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability
Timothy Piper, Director, AiGroup
Kelly O’Shanassy, Chief Executive Officer, Environment Victoria
Rob Hogarth, Partner, KPMG
Dr Wendy Craik, Director, Murray-Darling Basin Commission

Confirmed Speakers include:
Andrew Allan, President, Stormwater Industry Association - Victorian Branch
Michael Ambrose, Construction Systems Scientist, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems
Linda Bradburn, Education Officer, Melton Shire Council
Larissa Brown, Executive Director, Centre for Sustainability Leadership
David Buntine, Chief Executive, Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority (PPWCMA)
Colin Dimitroff, Principal, Corporate Sustainable Solutions, URS Asia Pacific
Robert Easson, Manager Alliance Partners, Prima Consulting
Andrew Fennessey, Principal Adviser Industry and Economics, Department of Sustainability and Environment
Paul Holper, Manager, Australian Climate Change Science Program, CSIRO Marine & Atmospheric Research
Chloe Munro, Commissioner, National Water Commission
Robert Kerr, Commissioner, Victorian Competition and Efficiency
Robert Powell, Industrial Resource Efficiency Officer, City of Frankston
Cathy Ronalds, Policy Officer - Climate Change Adaption, Department of Sustainability and Environment
Maria Simonelli, Executive Manager, ICLEI Australia/New Zealand
Brian Peadon, CEO, Waterexchange
Thinh Tran, Project Manager, Sustainability Victoria
Jon Ward, General Manager, Business, Innovation & Technology, Sustainability Victoria
Tony Wood Executive General Manager, Corporate Communications & Government Relations Origin Energy.

A conference agenda is available at www.halledit.com.au/conferences/sustainability/2008 or by contacting Denise McQueen on (03) 8534 5021 or denise.mcqueen @halledit.com.au.

The Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab has just released its first policy research report and it’s all about food!

The report, “Sustainable and Secure Food Systems for Victoria: What do we know? What do we need to know?” discusses the environmental challenges relating to the food system, examining:
- how the production and consumption of food impacts on the environment; and
- the risks and vulnerabilities of the food system to environmental change and social responses (such as policy aiming to reduce environmental impacts)

The report considers: direct impacts of climate change; energy, greenhouse emissions and responses to these; resource constraints such as water, land, oil and agricultural inputs and depleted stocks (eg. fish); biodiversity (ecological and agricultural); waste; and health and nutrition.

The report also discusses strategies and innovations that are being employed to manage environmental risks and reduce impacts (including low-input production methods, changing distribution systems such as farmers’ markets, and consumer food choices). It considers the extent of their potential contribution and identifies opportunities for further investigation or support.

The report finds that there are significant and urgent challenges to the security and sustainability of the food system. It also identifies many opportunities for technological and social innovation to reduce exposure to environmental risks and resource constraints.

The full report, and a summary document (containing just the main points and recommendations), can be downloaded from www.ecoinnovationlab.com/pages/library.php.

The section below is republished with permission from the Going Solar Transport Newsletter #55, 15 April 2008, compiled by Stephen Ingrouille. Going Solar, www.goingsolar.com.au/transport. This newsletter provides an excellent commentary on local sustainable transport issues in Melbourne.

Hovercraft on Port Phillip Bay
“A fleet of 10 custom-built hovercraft could be transporting thousands of commuters between Geelong and Melbourne daily. The air-cushioned boats could be built and tested locally, with a Victorian manufacturer said to be considering moving to Geelong. The move would bring millions of dollars to the region and create hundreds of jobs, city leaders say. Sustainable transport consultant Stephen Ingrouille has almost finished a feasibility study to run the ferries between Geelong, Port Melbourne, Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula. ‘Hovercraft are perfect for the bay because it’s shallow,’ Mr Ingrouille said. ‘I’d be keen to see hovercraft built in the city because it’s an excellent way of replacing some of the manufacturing industry jobs.’ He said the newgeneration hovercraft would be efficient, relatively cheap to build and have minimal impact on the environment. They would hold 80-100 passengers and cross Port Phillip Bay at peak times. ‘I’ve been looking at this for some years now,’ he said. ‘I have looked at ferry services up and down the west coast of the US and other states of Australia.’ An efficient ferry system would ease congestion on the West Gate Bridge, and reduce reliance on trains and trams. Mr Ingrouille said the manufacturer was building a hovercraft to be used as a rescue vessel at Changi International Airport, Singapore. Councillor Tom O’Connor is pushing the hovercraft bid. ‘It can’t happen soon enough,’ he said.”
Ref: Kerri-Ann Hobbs, Geelong Advertiser, 9/4/08

http://feedback.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/

METLINK is responsible for functions that cover the whole public transport network. They distribute complaints to the relevant transport operator, tracking the number and type of complaint received over time. The more complaints they receive the more likely it is that something will be done quickly to improve Melbourne’s public transport system.

So spread the word and let them know your transport troubles.

Regards,
Matthew Trigg
Sustainable Design Officer
City of Port Phillip

FREE PUBLIC LECTURE WITH PETER HARPER FROM CENTRE FOR ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGY (CAT), UNITED KINGDOM

Responding to the threat of climate change, governments have set targets for reducing greenhouse gas by 60-80% over the next 40 years. Recent climate science suggests this is nowhere near enough. A 100% reduction in 20 years might be necessary. Is this remotely possible? How might it be done? What technologies would we need? How would we design a zero-carbon – modern - economy? What impact would it have on lifestyles – on food, travel, housing, infrastructure, employment, leisure? Would it be a nightmare? Does it offer opportunities for a revitalisation of society?

30 years of living investigation at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) in Wales may provide the answers the world urgently needs. (www.cat.org.uk)

Peter Harper has been part of a team working on these questions at CAT. He can bring an unusual lifetime of experience to illuminating the vigorous debate around a new vision for ‘Zero Carbon Britain’ 2020. Peter Harper is Head of Research and Innovation at the Centre for Alternative Technology, where he has worked for 25 years, with periodic secondments to overseas universities. He was a pioneer of the alternative technology movement and has always tried to relate technological ‘hardware’ with social and personal ‘software’. His main interests have been in horticulture and low-carbon lifestyles. He runs his own home as an experimental ‘lifestyle lab’. He is mildly obsessed by compost.

6-8pm, 21 April 2008 at the Prince Philip Theatre, University of Melbourne. Please RSVP your attendance to Ferne Edwards at fedwards @unimelb.edu.au. More information will be published shortly.

Map of the campus

The section below is republished with permission from the Going Solar Transport Newsletter #52, 25 March 2008, compiled by Stephen Ingrouille. Going Solar, www.goingsolar.com.au/transport. This newsletter provides an excellent commentary on local sustainable transport issues in Melbourne.

Reshaping Our Cities
“If the long term vision existed, we could rezone our ever-evolving cities and accrue some fantastic oil-saving benefits quickly. Let us look at the example of steering suburban home building in the right direction. Folke Günther — a Swedish author — writes that the natural attrition rate of old suburban homes is about 1.6% per year. (This is based on a 60 year home lifespan, so is a safe enough figure to work with. I don’t see Australian suburban homes lasting longer than that, do you?) That is, 1.6% of Swedish homes are demolished and rebuilt each year. Demolition means the potential for change, because when a home has reached the end of its lifespan, it does not have to be replaced with a similar building and a similar function on the same old real estate space. That space can be rezoned and used for other purposes, but I’ll describe the shape of this change below. Right now I am discussing the speed of the change that normal home demolition rates could allow. If we took charge of city change in the right direction, 1.6% per year means that we could reshape the city by 16% in a decade, or 32% in 20 years, or even 64% over 40 years. In other words, if we made the appropriate zoning law changes, we could reduce suburbia’s need for oil transport by 64% in just 4 decades at the rate of change cities are already experiencing anyway! All it requires is the vision and political will to grab the reigns of this beast and steer it in the right direction.”
Ref: ‘Eclipse’, ABC TV Difference of Opinion: Are We Running On Empty? 27/7/07
http://www2b.abc.net.au/tmb/Client/Message.aspx?b=70&m=10
561&ps=20&dm=1&pd=3

The section below is republished with permission from the Going Solar Transport Newsletter #52, 25 March 2008, compiled by Stephen Ingrouille. Going Solar, www.goingsolar.com.au/transport. This newsletter provides an excellent commentary on local sustainable transport issues in Melbourne.

The Cars That Ate Cities
“When you’re in traffic these days, four-wheel drives are everywhere. Most of them are registered in the cities and rarely leave the bitumen. They can be deadly urban assault vehicles. Many of them guzzle fuel at a rate that makes the big Falcons and Commodores look like petrol misers. And the toxic emissions that many four-wheel drives spew from their exhaust pipes can rate up there with small trucks. Four wheel drive sales have boomed over the past decade; they now make up about a quarter of all new passenger vehicles sales in this country. In contrast, regulation by the federal and state governments is going at a snail’s pace. It’s been a similar situation in the United States, where four-wheel drives now rule the roads. New Australian safety research you’ll hear about on today’s program adds to the concern. …Actually here they’re now officially called Sports Utility Vehicles, or SUVs, as they’re called in America.”
Ref: Stephen Skinner, Background Briefing, The Cars That Ate Cities, Radio National 15/6/03
Read the full transcript: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/bbing/stories/s881845.htm

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