This course was also listed on the Climate Action Calendar. This Climate Action calendar covers local events in the greater Northern and Eastern area of Melbourne, Melbourne City based events and major events elsewhere in Victoria and other places. Regular updates will be sent out as information becomes available (roughly every two weeks). If you wish to add an event, subscribe or unsubscribe to the calendar please e-mail the details to Monique Decortis at decortis @bigpond.net.au.

The Our World in Crisis course is:
For those working in business, government, the professions, education, media, trade unions and religious and community organizations;
For those interested in issues of development, environment, Climate Change, human rights, security, conflict resolution and democracy;
For anyone wishing to understand better our rapidly globalising world and Australia’s place in it.

Questions asked are: What are we to make of all this? What are credible sources of information? How do we go beyond clichés and media hype? A serious approach is called for – one that makes use of the best available expertise and resources, one that skills, informs and stimulates. This course attempts to do just that.

The course will consist of 10 consecutive weekly sessions. All participants meeting assignment and attendance requirements will be presented with a course certificate. Principal lecturer and course coordinator is Joseph Camilleri (Professor of International Relations and Director of the Centre for Dialogue, La Trobe University). Assisting him will be:
Larry Marshall (Project Coordinator, Centre for Dialogue, La Trobe Uni), and Craig Woolley (Manager, Centre for Dialogue, La Trobe University). Guest academics and practitioners will also contribute to the course.

The course covers:
• Climate of Change
• World Economy
• What is the WTO
• Poverty or Development
• National or Human Security
• Energy and Climate Change
• What are the implications of the Kyoto Protocol?
• Clash or Dialogue of Civilisations?
• Human Rights
• Race and Culture in Australia
• Does multiculturalism have a future?

Application forms must be received by Friday 18 April 2008 (Applications may be considered later, on availability).
Further info http://www.josephcamilleri.com/owic or contact Craig Woolley, owic2008 @wachy.com Mob 0400 422 022, ”Our World in Crisis?” PO Box 31, Carlton South 3053.

Tuesday evenings. Sessions will convene from 5.15pm. Course work commencing at 5.45pm sharp and concluding at 9.15pm.
Held at: Australian Volunteers International, 88 Kerr St, Fitzroy.

Participants should apply only if they have a high degree of commitment to the course.

Costs:
Institutional Rate $550
Individual Rate $450
Low Income Rate $295
Light meal served with every session

Would you like to be trained to provide talks to community groups on promoting climate justice and preventing runaway climate change?

Friends of the Earth (FoE) receives requests from a range of community groups to provide talks on climate change. These are important opportunities to increase awareness about climate justice and climate change issues, and to promote FoE’s valuable work in this area.

We are inviting applications from people who would like to provide talks to community groups about these issues on FoE’s behalf, on a voluntary basis (though travel expenses incurred through making presentations would be reimbursed). Successful applicants will be trained to prepare for their role, focusing on skill development in public speaking, presentation
techniques, understanding climate justice and climate change issues, and responding to questions from the audience. Approximately 5 hours of training will be provided.

Successful applicants would do approximately one talk per month, and we are hoping for a commitment of at least six months. Handout material and a PowerPoint presentation (for those situations in which it is needed) will be provided by FoE for presenters to use.

To be eligible, you must be either a current or former FoE member, and/or have donated time (e.g. through volunteering on a specific task or campaign) or money to FoE. You would need to understand FoE’s general principles and philosophies concerning our social justice and environmental work, and have at least a moderate understanding of climate change and climate justice issues. You don’t need to be a great public speaker, but be someone who likes to communicate with people and be willing to improve your presentation skills.

If you are interested please contact Arius, arius.tolstoshev @foe.org.au asap.

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 Conscious Cook” is a cookbook written by Giselle Wilkinson which takes us on a journey into the breadth of food-associated issues, helping to connect the issues and demonstrate the complexity of sustainability and the simplicity of many of the actions involved in achieving it. As remarked on the website, http://consciouscook.org/, Wilkinson’s recipe book “is completely different from other cookbooks. It looks at food, not only from the point of health and taste, but also through the lens of the global sustainability movement working to reduce our impact on our very stressed planet. The Conscious Cook raises awareness of the interconnections that link human health and wellbeing with that of the health of the planet”.

For more information about this book and how to buy a copy visit http://consciouscook.org/.

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 Melbourne School of Continental Philosophy (MSCP) is pleased to announce its first Evening School programme, centring on the topic of philosophy and the environment. The programme will look at climate change from four points of view - historical/ethical, scientific, economic and political - with each seminar series focusing on one of the four perspectives.

Each series will run for 12 consecutive weeks. “Images of Nature: An Introduction to an Environmental Ethics”, to be presented by Cameron Shingleton (MSCP) and “Global Warming: The Science and Its Implications”, to be presented by Philip Sutton (Greenleap Strategic Institute) using Climate ‘Code Red’ as the core text, will begin on 29 and 30 April.

Full details including enrolment forms and course outlines are available via the MSCP website or the following link: http://www.mscp.org.au/es08.html

Dianne Moy, VEIL, & Kathleen Turner, Architect student, SKM/ University of Melbourne spoke about their visions of “Mobility & the Extended School System 2032” at the recent Sustainable Cities Round Table, 17 March. Their topic illustrated the importance of a systems approach when considering urban sustainability, exploring the connection between transport, the environment and education. The Extended School System model is part of the Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab (VEIL) project, based at the Australian Centre for Science, Innovation and Society (ACSIS), the University of Melbourne. VEIL exists to change the landscape of expectations of a sustainable future and open-up the eco-innovation space in the Victorian economy by conducting interdisciplinary research and constructive speculation with creative engagement with university design programs to re-invent the future. To find out more about the VEIL project visit the website: http://www.ecoinnovationlab.com/. The Sustainable Cities Round Tables and SustainableMelbourne.com both represent VEIL projects.

Please find footage of Dianne and Kathleen’s presentations below.

The fifth three-minute presenter at the Sustainable Cities Round Table on Mobility was Dr Patrick Moriarty, a GAMUT Partner. According to his GAMUT profile, Patrick Moriarty taught Civil Engineering at Dar es Salaam Technical College and carried out field research on low-cost housing for the National Housing and Building Research Unit from 1971-1977. Since 1977, his research interests at Monash University have been in the areas of urban land use and transport (both in Australia and Asia), and alternative energy. An important part of this research has been the climate change implications of different fuels/energy sources for transport and electricity generation. From this experience and background, Paddy’s talk at the Sustainable Cities Round Table was titled “The wearing of the green” (as this event was held on St Patrick’s Day!).

Please find footage of his presentation below.

Saturday April 5: 11am - 7pm
Port Phillip EcoCentre, Cnr Herbert and Blessington Street, St Kilda

The urban environment presents unique challenges to planning for sustainable living, food production and transport. Hear our three panels of speakers address these themes in the local context to educate you about some of the issues and present some solutions. The event opens with an indigenous welcome, a brief from the City of Port Phillip on their local Community Pulse program and a tour of the Port Phillip EcoCentre, followed by our first panel session on local food production and food sustainability issues.

Then share a hearty Mexican lunch, browse over our free community and campaign stalls, listen to some local musicians and be part of the local launch of the new book ‘Climate Code Red’ by David Spratt and Phillip Sutton. This very timely publication is an initiative of Greenleap, CarbonEquity and Friends of the Earth.

We will then return to hear panel discussions on sustainable transport and urban planning. Then stay around after 5pm and be part of the Engage Media and Plug-in TV short documentary screenings.

Panel speakers include:
- Ben Neil (Cultivating Community);
- Bob Phelps (Gene Ethics)
- a speaker from ‘Lentil as Anything’
- Frank Fisher (Undertandascope)
- Elliot Fishman (Institute for Sensible Transport)
- Kerryn Wilmot (Public Transport Users Assoc)
- Anna Griffiths (unChain St Kilda)
- Bridget Puszka (BP Architects) and other speakers still to be confirmed. These speakers address issues and present a vision for what a sustainable urban future might look like with specific reference to local issues, policy and development.

Visit www.melbournesocialforum.org for a full program and speaker listing. Entry by gold coin donation. Want hold a free stall at our event? Email stalls @melbournesocialforum.org.

Organised by Melbourne Social Forum and supported by Port Phillip EcoCentre. For more information contact info @melbournesocialforum.org or www.melbournesocialforum.org.

Directions on how to get there: The Port Phillip EcoCentre www.ecocentre.com is located on the corner of Herbert and Blessington Sts, (Melway ref. 58 B11) on the corner of St Kilda Botanic Gardens.

Public transport: Take the 96 Tram to St Kilda. It stops at the corner of Barkley St and Acland St. At end of Acland St and walk 100 metres and you will see a 7-11 on the corner. Then turn left, up Blessington St, walk 100 metres until you come to the EcoCentre. Look for the Melbourne Social Forum banner out the front.

Dr John Grant, from JA Grant & Assoc., http://www.jagrant.com.au/, was the first presenter at the recent Sustainable Cities Round Table - Mobility, 17 March. The title of his talk was “Walking to a more sustainable future - Solvitur Ambulando”.

Dr John Grant is consultant who specialises in Walking – but there is much more to walking than just walking! The approach to his company is summarised (from their website) as: “Efforts to improve walkability include support for people who walk; or who have a disability and are required to walk; or who use mobility aids (wheelchairs, walking frames, shopping jeeps etc.); or who use prams or pushers for children”. Walking is not only a means of transport but also improves an individual’s health, is a major form of recreation for people of all ages, and is an enjoyable way of using public space.

Please find below powerpoint slides and film footage from Dr John Grant’s presentation.
Dr John Grant powerpoint slides