Community Action - taking it to the streets

Lighter Footprints is getting out on the streets!

Together with our friends at the Kooyong Climate Change Alliance we will be holding street stalls on Saturday mornings, in shopping centres around Boroondara. 

We will be providing high quality information about making the switch to clean, safer electric appliances; asking people to sign a petition to Treasurer Frydenberg on gas, and collecting sign-ups for our upcoming Federal Vote Climate campaign Will you join us

Street work on climate

We think talking to our community is one of the most effective things we can do to bring about the change we need. Campaigning on the streets in our community serves a number of purposes.
  • It raises the visibility of our campaigns. Even people driving by who see our a-frames and tee shirts are reminded that climate change is an unresolved issue that might be deserving of a bit of their brain power. 
  • We have one on one conversations with people who may be totally unaware that, for example, gas is a fossil fuel. The lack of information in the community is disconcerting and is at least partly a consequence of the lack of political leadership on climate change. We like to think that when disengaged people wind up in a voting booth with no idea who to vote for they might remember the conversation they had with one of our volunteers.
  • People who care about climate change, but don’t know what they can do, make their first contact with the climate movement in Kooyong and some become very actively engaged. They have found us! or we have found them!
  • We collect email addresses and phone numbers so that we can continue to engage with people who express an interest in volunteering or learning more or just keeping in touch.
  • We give out useful information and advertise upcoming events.
  • We ask people to sign letters or petitions to politicians. In some campaigns we have obtained thousands of signatures from members of our community. In signing they make a statement to themselves that they care and a statement to their elected representatives that climate change is ignored at their peril.
  • We remind people that “raving inner-city greenies” look just like them and actually talk some sense.
So, does all this happen at once? Nope. Some days people just walk past and pretend you aren’t there, or say “You must be crazy” and it rains and your A-frame blows over but afterwards you can have a coffee with your fellow volunteers, share a few stories and then get on with your weekend knowing that you tried to make a difference.

 

Local climate conversations

Our current street campaign is about gas

  • We know one on one conversations are effective at shifting people’s views on climate.
  • We know that to win on climate we need to bring the community along with us.

Working together to promote climate events

Interested? Head on over to our community action page and express your interest by filling out the form at the bottom of the page.

 

lets talk about the climate emergency

Gas is looking very back to the future. Instead we should look at today’s solutions, like heat pumps used in reverse cycle air conditioners for heating and cooling, smart induction cooking, moving to clean renewables and storage, and building up renewables exports.

It doesn’t have to be this way!

If we can bring the community with us, offering positive alternative and opportunity for effective climate action it will be more difficult to just roll over for big business donors.

It’s time to start talking to our community about the dangers of a “gas led recovery” and the benefits of transitioning to an all-electric home.

This is why we need you!

So do you have a couple of hours on a Saturday mornings, or could you support with phone calls, data entry and social media?

Local climate campaigning

Everyone is needed – new volunteers will be paired with old hands, and if you would like to you can join the debrief over a cup of coffee or a juice.

Relaxed debrief with coffee after street work

Please visit our community action page here to express your interest by filling out the form at the bottom of the page.