Sep 4, 2024 | Clean Energy, Climate Policy, Energy, Gas, Nuclear
Energy Policy: Facts and Fiction with Dr Dylan McConnell In order to be strong advocates for the energy policy Australia needs to rapidly decarbonise the Lighter Footprints community seeks information from well credentialed experts. On Wednesday 21st August we were...
Aug 29, 2024 | Boroondara Council, Electrification, Gas
Presentation of Petition to the City of Boroondara The Kew Recreation Centre is undergoing a major redevelopment, however in October 2022 a section of the steel roof structure partially collapsed. There is more detail on progress here on the Boroondara Council’s...
Jul 2, 2024 | Carbon, Clean Energy, Climate change, Coal, Gas
The Macroeconomics of Australia’s Energy Transition: Wednesday 19 June, 2024 at the Balwyn Park Centre There was a full house of over 150 attendees to hear Richard Denniss, Executive Director of the Australia Institute, in conversation with Heidi Lee CEO of...
May 1, 2024 | Clean Energy, Electric vehicle, Electrification, Energy Efficiency, EV, Gas, Lighter Footprints Events, Solar
On 17th April 2024, we held a public meeting at the Balwyn Park Centre to discuss what changes are likely between now and 2030 in our homes and our neighbourhoods. Three knowledgeable speakers addressed the issues followed by a lively Q and A session. You can watch...
Sep 10, 2023 | Electric vehicle, Electrification, Gas
Do I need to go 3-phase? And ‘do I need to upgrade my switchboard’? Many households and apartments will be well on the way to being ‘all electric’ over the next five to ten years and some owners are wondering ‘do I need to go 3-phase? And do I need to upgrade my...
Jun 14, 2023 | Clean Energy, Electrification, Gas, Lighter Footprints Events
On May 24th Lighter Footprints was delighted to welcome home energy expert Tim Forcey and public health physician Dr Genevieve Cowie to our meeting on electrification. The summary below has blue links in bold to the full video presentation chapter points. You can...
Apr 11, 2023 | Energy Efficiency, Gas, Health
Making our homes more comfortable and better for our health Replacing gas appliances with electric and making our homes more efficient and comfortable with improve our families health Too many of our homes are too cold in winter, too damp, too hot in summer and have...
Mar 14, 2023 | Clean Energy, Electric vehicle, Gas, Lighter Footprints Events, Offshore wind
Annual Energy Update 2023 with Simon Holmes à Court It’s been a momentous year in 2022. In Australia, we are close to fossils/renewables crossover, Victoria’s electricity is now 40% clean, and in the US a Tesla Model 3 is now cheaper to drive away than the...
Nov 12, 2022 | Electric vehicle, Electrification, Forests, Gas, State election
Democracy in action The two recent candidate forums organised by Lighter Footprints in the Victorian electorates of Hawthorn and Kew were fine demonstrations of democracy in action. Voter appreciation was evident in the near-capacity attendance. Candidates had their...
Oct 3, 2022 | Forests, Gas
Two major environmental concerns leading up to the November state election for friends and members of Lighter Footprints are stopping logging in Victoria’s forests and getting off gas. On Wednesday 28 September, Lighter Footprints welcomed Chris Schuringa, the...
Jul 6, 2022 | Gas, Methane, State climate policy
Summary Although the Victorian Gas Substitution Roadmap (VGSR) creates an expectation that Victoria will move away from fossil gas, the limited measures proposed fall short of what is needed to move Victoria, the heaviest gas-using state, away from gas at a speed that...
Dec 8, 2021 | Carbon, Climate Policy, Gas, No category
Victoria is due to release its Gas Substitution Roadmap by the end of the year. A number of climate focused organisations, including Lighter Footprints, have issued a Joint Statement on Victoria Getting Off Fossil Gas. The Lighter Footprints MP engagement group is...
Aug 10, 2021 | Climate Policy, Gas
Summary Analysis of AEMO gas forecasts show there are no supply-demand issues out to 2035. There will be sufficient gas for the Winter peak in 2023 with existing (‘available’) supplies and the additional supply announced from Moomba into the Victorian Northern...
Aug 1, 2021 | Climate change and health, Gas, Lighter Footprints Events, Taking Action
July’s meeting looked at Australia’s relationship with fossil gas at two scales, firstly, at a mega scale, looking at national and Victorian gas expansion plans with Friends of the Earth legendary campaigner Cam Walker, and secondly in our own backyard...
Jul 9, 2021 | Environmental protection, fossil fuel subsidies, Gas, National campaigns
The case against Australia’s gas expansion 1) The Australian government is banking on a tax payer funded ‘gas-fired recovery’ The government has put its 5 Basin gas-fired recovery plan as central to its economic vision for exports, ignoring industry...
Jul 9, 2021 | Climate Damage, Climate Emergency, Gas, Taking Action
Cam Walker is the Campaigns Coordinator for Friends of the Earth. He was a stand-out leader in Victoria’s successful VIcGasBan campaign in 2014, and will be speaking at our meeting on July 28th – RSVP here. On July 1 2021, the moratorium on onshore gas...
Jun 26, 2021 | Climate change and health, Climate Damage, Climate Policy, Climate psychology, Communicating climate change, Gas
Woodside’s intent to develop its Scarborough gas reservoir is deeply at odds with its commitment to net-zero by 2050 and the company’s stated imperative to act on climate change. Contrary to comments made by Woodside’s acting chief executive Meg O’Neill recently on...
Jun 23, 2021 | Climate Emergency, Economics, fossil fuel subsidies, fossil fuel tax receipts, Gas
There is a perception that the Australian people benefit greatly from the oil, gas and petroleum industries. Yet, our government gives substantially more to Big Oil and Big Gas by way of grants and subsidies than it collects in taxes. Little wonder it is difficult to...
May 30, 2021 | Climate Damage, Gas, Greenhouse gas, Methane, Video/Audio link included
Natural gas is not a clean option The 29 May episode of the Science Show on Radio National features Peter Newman, Professor of Sustainability at Curtin University. “Natural gas has been touted as a clean transition fuel as we move away from coal towards...
May 22, 2021 | Climate Damage, Climate Emergency, Gas, School Strikers
Tens of thousands of school kids and their supporters gathered at Treasury Gardens yesterday, Friday 21st and in 47 other places around the country, demanding a future that is liveable, not one ruined by climate damage. This was the first strike after the pandemic...
May 9, 2021 | Climate Emergency, Climate Policy, Communicating climate change, Denial, Environmental law, Gas, Lighter Footprints Events, Paris commitment
At our April 28 meeting, we were pleased and privileged to have Glen Klatovsky from Climate Action Network Australia (CANA) and Richie Merzian from The Australia Institute (TAI) addressing climate targets and tariffs shortly after the Biden Climate summit. Check out...
Apr 16, 2021 | Gas, Lighter Footprints Events, Taking Action
An event wrap-up:- for further info, please contact Mick Nolan or David Strang (‘Energy Transition Group’) At our March 25 meeting, we were pleased and privileged to have Tony Wood from the Grattan Institute and Bruce Mountain from the Victorian...
Mar 27, 2021 | Climate Policy, Forests, Gas, Lighter Footprints Events, Meeting with MPs
“Reflections and Hopes: Getting to know our local State MPs” Thank you to everyone who came along to our State MP forum event last November. And special thanks to John Kennedy MP (Hawthorn), Paul Hamer MP (Box Hill), and Will Fowles MP (Burwood) for making themselves...
Mar 12, 2021 | Gas
Open Letter to The Hon Richard Wynne, MLA for Richmond, Victoria. Minister for Planning. AGL’s proposed gas import terminal is completely at odds with jobs, the Victorian Government’s emissions reduction targets, and a clean energy future. Dear Mr Wynne, There has...
Nov 28, 2020 | Gas
Gas Speedo: What the Gas Industry claims vs the whole gas picture Gas, Firming, Heating and Manufacturing Gas, Tax Royalties and Employment . Gas, Emissions and Transition
