Welcome to issue #33 for September 2025. There seems to be a lot happening at present, so this email is a bit longer than normal, but hopefully it is worth reading. And we would especially like to see you at our seminar on the Plant Based treaty (see below).
Our friends at the Port Phillip EcoCentre finally received the keys to their new facilities and will be moving in over coming weeks. It is very exciting for all concerned!
It is disappointing to learn that suppliers are starting to switch off their uneconomic gas networks in country towns, with little warning and support for residents. This will inevitably happen more in the future, and the process should be much better managed by the state government!
Cattle farming is a major cause of deforestation in Australia, so it is good that Coles is working to avoid selling beef associated with this practice, and bad that Woolworths is not.
It was disappointing to read how petro-states and well funded lobbyists infiltrated the recent UN global plastics treaty talks, and seem to have derailed the plans.
Who would have thought that 76% of the new cars bought in Nepal would be electric? And I found that 88% of new cars in Norway are electric. Both make Australia’s 10% take-up for EVs abysmal, and says road use taxes for EVs here would be very counterproductive.
Being a car nerd, I also need to tell you that the World Solar Car Challenge started from Darwin, and finished in Adelaide several days later (and the Hong Kong team won).
Some farmers seem to devote considerable time to resisting solar farms, but they might like to watch this excellent Landline report explaining how farming and solar panels can profitably co-exist.
I, for one, would like to see many more court cases about ensuring oil and gas companies, and other miners, have really set aside from the funds needed to clean up their own messes. Too many of them run away and leave our communities footing the cleanup bills.
This video about the Ningaloo Reef in WA by the ACF is very good – and particularly relevant given the recent and devastating bleaching event at the reef.
I do not know who this guy is, but he has made several very fascinating and informative videos about the history and evolution of Melbourne’s water supply systems. The many old photos of Melbourne and its surrounds are especially good.
You have to question the rationale behind the Victorian Fisheries Authority releasing 1,500 “ready to catch”/”family friendly” rainbow trout into Albert Park lake to encourage young fishers during school holidays. As has been stated: ““Is there any benefit in putting 1,500 non-native fish into a shallow, stagnant lake? A lake that contains stormwater runoff from Melbourne’s busiest roads and the remnants of summer and autumn’s poisonous bacteria?” A lake where swimming has not been recommended for years because of health risks.
The Guardian often has “explainer” articles that fact check statements by public figures, like this one debunking Trump’s recent statements disparaging wind power.
Finally, this excellent Blog post from Monash University researchers explains the many community benefits that come from better public green spaces.
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Since we humans have the better brain, isn’t it our responsibility to protect our fellow creatures from, oddly enough, ourselves?
Joy Adamson
Our economic system and our planetary system are now at war. Or, more accurately, our economy is at war with many forms of life on Earth, including human life. What the climate needs to avoid collapse is a contraction in humanity’s use of resources; what our economic model demands to avoid collapse is unfettered expansion. Only one of these sets of rules can be change, and it’s not the laws of nature.
Naomi A Klein
Naomi A Klein
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We are living and working on the unceded lands of the Yalukit Willam people. We pay our respects to the traditional owners of the land and their ongoing connection to land, waters, sky and culture.
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As part of PECAN’s Bi-monthly Seminar Series, this seminar introduces the Plant Based Treaty, a global campaign where people, organisations, and cities are creating bottom-up pressure on national governments to negotiate an international Plant Based Treaty as a companion to the UNFCCC’s Paris Agreement. The Treaty would put food systems at the heart of combating the climate crisis, aiming to halt the widespread degradation of critical ecosystems caused by animal agriculture, promote a shift to healthier, sustainable plant-based diets and to actively reverse damage done to planetary functions, ecosystem services and biodiversity.
This session will explore the Plant Based Treaty campaign in more detail, including its core principles – Redirect, Relinquish, Restore – and why companion treaties, like the Fossil Fuel Treaty and the Plant Based Treaty, are needed alongside the Paris Agreement to tackle major sectors driving the climate crisis that are currently overlooked. We’ll look at the growing list of city endorsements, what they mean in practice, and why food system change is essential for meeting climate, biodiversity, and health goals both in Australia and globally. There will also be time for discussion about how communities can engage with the campaign and why local action matters.
This seminar will include a 30 minute presentation, followed by a 30 minute Q & A.
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Wednesday 24 September, 5:30pm-6:30pm
Port Phillip EcoCentre (temporarily in the Cora Graves Community Centre)
38 Blessington Street, St Kilda VIC 3182
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This seminar will be presented by Sheena Chhabra, a St Kilda resident and campaigner with the Plant Based Treaty, leading the campaign and coordinating volunteers across the Oceania region. Recognising the importance of thinking globally and acting locally, Sheena encourages local Councils to take practical steps toward healthy, sustainable, plant-based food systems – following the example set by Darebin City Council, the first in Australia to endorse the Treaty, alongside global cities such as Los Angeles, Amsterdam, and Edinburgh.
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Get involved with climate action
August was another big month for PECAN when our people were involved in several submissions and other activities:
- further discussions with Council about it’s Urban Forest Strategy and coastal hazards assessment. See our submission to Council here.
- discussing climate issues with the Federal Labor member for Macnamara. See our background paper for Josh Burns here.
- participating in continuing Friday lunchtime vigils against new coal and gas projects outside the office of Josh Burns MP
Come to a meeting, or reply to this email to see how you can get involved in climate action. Also, forward this email newsletter to everybody you think it might interest.
Please try to get to the next Electrify Southside Forum to learn about heat pumps for hot water and space heating. The Forum will be held in the new EcoCentre, 6-8pm on Tuesday 4 September. Learn more and register here. Registration is essential.
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Have Your Say
The City of Port Phillip currently has open public consultations on:
- South Melbourne Structure Plan Implementation
- Bringing the Shrine to Sea Masterplan to life (Kerford Road enhancements)
- How the Have Your Say and other community engagement systems can be improved
The Shrine to the Sea project, especially, can bring major improvements to Kerford Road, if done well.
As always we recommend that you Have Your Say
St Kilda Library is hosting a workshop on planting for native birds, bees and butterflies in backyards, 6-7pm, Wednesday 10 September. Learn more and register here. (I have to say that subscribing to the libraries email newsletter is very worthwhile!)
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Now that the Port Phillip EcoCentre has the keys to their new facilities they are doing lots to move in and show the facilities to our community – it is well worth registering for a tour in early September. Also, like always, they are hosting a range of upcoming activities, as listed on their events page.
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Other environmental organizations have a variety of events and actions that you can get involved with:
- The Ocean Coastal Environment Action Network are asking people to make submissions to the Victorian Government asking for no new gas along our coastlines or in Gippsland. They have a simple guide, but submissions must be in by 9 September
- ACF have their Wild at Art threatened species art competition for kids, starting on 7 September.
- The EcoCentre is hosting a community planting event at the Yalukit Willam Nature Reserve: 10am-1pm, Saturday 7 September – register here
- For Riverfest 2025, ACF Macnamara are having a family volunteer day at Westgate Park, 9:30-12:30, Saturday 13 September – to learn more and RSVP. There seems to be lots of activities for Riverfest 2025!
- Sign the open letter by the Wilderness Society about protecting Australia’s oceans from toxic oil and gas trash.
- The Australian Marine Conservation Society has an email campaign to stop businesses harvesting coral from the Great Barrier Reef – learn more and send your email
- Join the 30 by 30 global movement to ensure that 30% of Earth’s lands and seas are protected reserves by 2030. In September, they are also launching a new report that explains how nature contributes more to Australia’s economy than mining or finance.
- Sign the petition by the Climate Council asking the government to set the strongest possible 2035 climate target.
- Lighter Footprints are hosting a Sport and Climate Evening in Balwyn on Wednesday 17 September to consider how climate change will affect sports. Learn more and RSVP
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If you are looking for some mental stimulation, Plug In! by Saul Griffith is a home electrification handbook to add to your library, and take as a plan for action. Of course, you will have already read his other best selling book – The Big Switch – which significantly shaped my views on electrification.
Ryan Bachelor, State Labor MP for Southern Metropolitan, is hosting a community workshop to Design Your Dream Park on Monday 4pm on 1 September at the Burnett Grey Gardens. Register here
The Trust for Nature are hosting the 2025 John Paul Memorial Lecture 6-7:15pm, Thursday 18 September. Three of Victoria’s most outstanding environmental storytellers will speak at the event. Learn more, and register here to attend in person or join the livestream.
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Where are all the aircons coming from?
India alone is looking to bring over 1 billion air conditioning systems into service before 2050. Unless they can be made cheaper and more efficient the cost will be staggering and when used they will totally overload electricity grids. Luckily for us, research now shows that tweaking existing technologies can reduce aircon equipment electricity consumption by a staggering 60+%! Learn more.
New emerging technologies like solid state cooling can reduce this even further. And reshaping our cityscapes with more greenery, fewer heat-absorbing surfaces, moving underground, etc can reduce the need to have aircon at all. There are also several other passive cooling techniques for keeping homes and offices cool without aircon, if only we build better.
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Waste to energy – incineration by another name
Waste to energy systems that burn waste that would otherwise go to landfill are increasingly popular and there are 11 such plants in Australia. However, it is attracting more and more critics who are very concerned about the CO2 emissions and the throwaway lifestyle it facilitates. Others says that the methane emissions from landfill are worse than the equivalent energy from waste CO2 emissions. In Denmark, they import waste from Germany to feed a waste generation plant. Elsewhere, many urban and regional community groups are opposing putting these plants near residences because of health concerns and say the focus should be on reducing the waste produced by changing social habits and packaging. Learn more.
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Is power pole charging the future of EVs?
Pole mounted EV chargers are coming and the business model chosen will have a big impact on how good the final system is. I, for one, do not want to see them owned by electricity distribution businesses – going on past practice, I suspect that they would end up price gouging consumers. Learn more.
I also think that they are ugly and much prefer in-ground chargers – but I am baffled why we have not put all our urban power lines underground during the last 100 years! (I know it is expensive, but spreading the cost over a long implementation makes it affordable.)
And a final big issue is how to deal with vehicle to grid technologies. Using EVs as grid connected batteries can greatly reduce public spending on grid improvements – but how would it work with privately owned, for profit, pole mounted chargers?
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Why don’t we see this kind of pedestrian-only affordable housing development in Australia?
The UK’s largest co-housing project has been completed in Bridport, Dorset, creating a series of brick and timber-clad blocks lined by car-free streets and shared vegetable gardens. The development contains 53 new homes across nine timber-framed blocks, with a mixture of flats and terraced homes all sold or rented at 80 per cent of market value. It also contains two apartment blocks sitting at the southwest and southeast boundaries of the site, where they flank a central village green alongside a communal parking area. Learn more. It very much sounds like the kind of eco-friendly, community minded place that I would like to live in.
There are similar projects elsewhere in Europe,eg Houten in the Netherlands, which is well known for being people-centered and green.
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Carbon negative concrete?
As we all know, manufacturing Portland Cement, the “glue” in concrete, is very carbon intensive and accounts for around 8% of global CO2 emissions. Danish engineers have figured out a way to make concrete without cement, using marine bacteria, crushed seashells, and seawater instead. Their concrete is actually carbon negative! Learn more.
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‘Outsider’ farmer finds success raising free-range ducks for top restaurants
While I fully agree that humanity should be reducing meat consumption, I still like to learn about farmers that are adopting regenerative practices and are capturing more of the food value chain. This news story is a good example about farming ducks sustainably. Why is it that many farming innovations are led by “outsiders” that are new to agriculture?
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In the USA 1.2 Billion tonnes of biomass is now going to waste every year
As readers should realise, I have a thing about how we currently construct and operate buildings – it is responsible for far too much climate change. With some imagination and investment, the billions of tonnes of biomass now wasted every year could be turned into valuable products to make smarter, cleaner and greener homes. We have to stop using so much steel and concrete in our buildings! To learn more – the article is US focused, but the same analysis applies for Australia.
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A bit of fun…
If an architect designed your house like [the above], you’d fire them. Why, then, do we allow professionals to design our cities like this?’ — Lior Steinberg of @humankindcity
So true!
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