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Darebin’s Climate Emergency Conference
Tuesday 11 & Wednesday 12 September, Northcote Town Hall
Darebin City Council is convening a Climate Emergency Conference in order to demonstrate leadership in climate emergency action and work to engage, empower and mobilise other levels of government and our community to take meaningful action on this issue.
The broad purpose of the conference is to bring together other councils, levels of government, organisations and the community to identify opportunities for strategic and collaborative action to address the climate emergency.
The conference emphasises the current state of climate emergency and the consequent need for large-scale and prompt mobilisation. It will also draw upon experts who will share with the audience lessons in whole-of government and community responses to crises, best practice in communicating and engaging in order to mobilise, and solutions that can be deployed now to produce genuine results in reducing the impacts of climate change.
For more information and to register for the two day conference, click here.
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Jeremy Heimans, founder of GetUp!, is coming to Darebin.
6.30pm to 8.00pm, Tuesday 11 September. Northcote Town Hall
Do you want to know how to create a social movement?
A world renowned writer, speaker and leader of social movements, Jeremy Heimans will address a community audience in a special evening session during Darebin City Council’s Climate Emergency Conference this September.
Jeremy has spent a lifetime thinking about and creating social movements through which ordinary people can create real change in their societies. He has co-founded several online campaign groups and citizen activism initiatives in Australia, including GetUp!. He is currently CEO of Purpose, an organisation headquartered in New York that builds and supports social movements around the world.
For the conference, Jeremy will be talking about building a movement around the climate emergency; however, his work is relevant to many issues and causes for which we may want to gather support and momentum. A particular theme in Jeremy’s work is technology and its centrality to modern social movements. He calls this ‘digital activism’. The #metoo movement is but one of many such examples.
You can read more in his recent book, New Power: How Power Works in Our Hyperconnected World--and How to Make It Work for You (co-authored with Henry Tims, 2018).
This event is ticketed separately to the two-day conference and, while free, bookings are essential.
To register and for more information about Jeremy Heimans’ presentation, click here.
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Solar Saver - next round is nearly here
Darebin City Council has now declared a new Special Charge Scheme, and that means nearly 480 Darebin households will be installing a solar system before Christmas. The Solar Saver Program will enable households to install solar systems through a Council-appointed provider, at no up-front cost. Households then pay Council back for their systems over ten years out of the savings they make on their electricity bills.
While the program has in the past been open only to pensioners and low income households, it is now open to all Darebin residents – while continuing to prioritise those who face the most barriers to accessing the benefits of solar. Businesses and organisations will also be included in this round, so if you think your business or your workplace would benefit, sign them up!
This program is part of Council’s commitment to double solar in Darebin by 2022 under the Darebin Climate Emergency Plan.
The next round of Solar Saver will begin soon so now is the perfect time to get onto our waiting list if you aren’t already – it’s not too late!
You can read all about the program and register your interest here.
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Keep Australia Beautiful Week: 20-26 August
Keep Australia Beautiful Week is coming soon and this year we’re raising awareness on the impact of marine litter. While we may not be a coastal community, what we do here in Darebin can have a significant effect on our oceans. Litter on our streets and in our parks washes into local creeks and ends up in Port Phillip Bay, causing pollution and threatening our wildlife.
By tackling the source and saying no to single-use plastic in the first instance, Council is taking action to reduce the harm, waste and pollution caused by litter. We’ve been working hard throughout Plastic Free July to avoid disposable items, and now, starting for one week in August, we’re asking you to help Keep Australia Beautiful too!
Reducing litter requires everybody’s involvement – adults, kids, shops, cafes, businesses, Darebin residents, and visitors – we all have a role to play. You can help by getting your family, friends, neighbours, school or sports team involved in a Neighbourhood Litter Count, running a Tidy Up in your local area or entering the Keep our Waterways Beautiful competition.
If you'd like to find out more, or join a clean-up group in your local area, visit the Keep Australia Beautiful website.
Working towards a litter free sustainable environment is everyone's responsibility!
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Detox Your Home: Upcoming Event
9.00am to 3.00pm, Saturday 8 September
Do you have chemicals at home that you no longer use? Some household chemicals could harm you, your children and your pets. Spring clean them out of your life safely by dropping unwanted household chemicals at our upcoming Detox your Home event!
Detox your Home is a safe, free and easy to-use service to dispose of common household chemicals without harming your health or the environment.
It can be dangerous to throw chemicals out with your regular rubbish collection: the products could explode, ignite, leak or mix with other chemicals. Pouring them down the drain can also pollute our waterways, harm plants and animals, contaminate our drinking water supply, and make rivers and beaches unsafe for swimming.
Do the right thing for your loved ones and your environment and Detox your Home!
Simply register online, turn up on the day with your unwanted items and the trained Detox your Home team will do the rest.
Register here to choose your preferred time slot or call 1300 363 744.
The site address will be provided upon registration.
For more information and a full list of accepted items, click here.
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Bike Skills Workshops
Want to build confidence riding a bike? We are delivering a series of bike skills workshops to help you make your way around our neighbourhood using bike paths and quieter local streets. A variety of workshops are offered to suit a range of abilities – from new riders to more confident individuals wanting to enhance their skills, along with bike maintenance courses to help you keep your bike in good running order.
The workshops are held on various dates, times and locations throughout September, October and November.
Cost: $15 full fee and $10 concession
For more information or to register for a workshop, click here or call 8470 8683.
Do you want to be the first to know about upcoming bike workshops, community events and rides? Send an email to: Green.Travel@darebin.vic.gov.au and ask to be added to our eNewsletter mailing list.
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Octopus Schools Program Round Two!
Did you know that children who walk, cycle or scoot to school are learning healthy habits from a young age, and are closer to achieving the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity per day? Having more students walking, cycling or scooting to school also helps to reduce traffic congestion and parking problems, and ultimately contributes to a cleaner environment for all.
Darebin City Council is offering one local primary school the chance to participate in the second round of the new Octopus Schools Program. The selected school will receive support and funding of up to $120,000 (pending future budget) to implement active travel programs at their school.
Last year's Octopus School pilot school, Reservoir West Primary, are now running Bike Ed for all Grade 3 to 6 students, with a brand new fleet of bikes and bike shed to store them in. The School has also identified active travel routes and produced a map for families with matching footpath decals, and students even designed images that were put on the road to highlight the school zone to drivers (see image). Adding to that, the school will have two new raised zebra crossings built later this year.
Information on how to apply will be sent to all schools in August and is available on the Darebin website. For more information, contact safetravel@darebin.vic.gov.au.
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