Fight For Planet A

Feeling inspired by Fight for Planet A and sad that the series has ended? We’re feeling the same way and together we can make a difference! 

We encourage all Darebin households to develop an action plan with the top five actions you can take to reduce your carbon footprint. To assist with this we’ve compiled a great range of resources to assist with your Energy, Transport and Food actions. If you have any questions, or you want to share your top five actions with us please get in touch at climateemergency@darebin.vic.gov.au.

Tips and Resources 

Below is a list of suggestions for how you can take action here in Darebin, grouped under the three themes.

You can also check out these awesome resources developed by the ABC: create your own personalised Community Solutions Plan and use their new Carbon Counter to calculate how many greenhouse gases you can save by making some simple and changes.

And this great Good for the Hood Action Toolkit will ensure that you make the most impact in your community – whatever that might be.

Learn

• Check out the Darebin Climate Challenge electronic resource list, available in Darebin Libraries

• Go to ABC Your Planet for climate-related stories and resources 

• Get all your Climate Change 101 questions answered with the Climate Council’s explainer

• Watch our video series about how Darebin businesses are saving energy

• Check out the climate emergency action page of our website for more tips and suggestions

• Subscribe to our enewsletter for all our events, workshops and tips

Do

• Review your household energy providers to ensure you're purchasing renewable energy, and consider investing in solar panels if you own your own home

• Make your home as energy efficient as possible

• Review where you have your money invested (banking and superannuation) to ensure they are not supporting fossil fuels

• Contact your local member of Parliament to let them know how strongly you feel about the climate emergency. Here are some great tips

Connect

• Join local climate groups or support campaigns to advocate for investment in renewable energy

  • Darebin Climate Action Now

  •  Neighbours United for Climate Action (NUCA) who run a fortnightly Community Climate Action Series with Newlands Parents for Climate Action and have a great monthly newsletter with all sorts of ways you can get involved in local action

  • Australian Parents For Climate Action

  • Beyond Zero Emissions

  • Friends of the Earth Act for Climate

• Consider hosting a Climate for Change conversation

Learn

• Check out the Darebin Climate Challenge electronic resource list, available in Darebin Libraries

• The Darebin Snapshot shows where emissions are coming from in Darebin

• Go to ABC Your Planet for climate-related stories and resources 

• Check out the transport page on our website for all our sustainable transport tips and info

• For more detailed info, the local Institute for Sensible Transport has some great modelling and information 

• Subscribe to our enewsletter Darebin Loves Bikes for tips and support 

Do

• Review ways you could use your car less often – for example, by riding a bike, walking, using public transport

  • Use Darebin’s Travel Smart maps to plan your routes 

• Look at car share options or ebikes as alternatives to car ownership (and check out the real cost of owning a car)

• Consider purchasing an electric vehicle if you need to buy a car

• Talk to your school about supporting active travel to school

• If you need to fly, consider offsetting your emissions

• Write to your local state MP to support investment in sustainable transport

Connect

• Support campaigns around investment in sustainable transport – for example, Friends of the Earth’s Sustainable Cities campaign

• Consider joining local groups such as Darebin Bicycle Users Group

Learn

• Check out these great resources:

  • Darebin Climate Challenge electronic resource list, available in Darebin Libraries

  • Darebin Council Sustainable Food page featuring Backyard Harvest Stories videos

  • Kat Lavers' Gardening in Hard Times video series  

  • Good Life Permaculture Crisis Gardening video series

  • Sustainable Gardening Australia resources and workshops

  • ABC Your Planet for climate-related stories and resources

• Subscribe to our enewsletter for all our events, workshops and tips

Do

• Grow your own organic food!

  • Check out the gardening section of our website featuring our newly revised Sustainable Gardening Guide and Sow What When Guide

     

• Buy local seasonal produce and support your local farmers where possible

  • Alphington Farmers Market

  • Grow Source Eat veggie boxes

  • CERES Fair Food veggie boxes

  • Open Food Network

     

• Reduce your food waste and make sure any food scraps are composted, either:

  • At home

  • Via your council green bin

  • Via Sharewaste or community compost hubs

• Think about the carbon-footprint of the foods you eat and try to reduce carbon-intensive options/support sustainable options
  • Check out our food fact sheet
  • Check out Sustainable Table’s sustainable shopping guides
  • Try Meat-free Monday to cut back on red meat

Connect

Please note the following suggestions are subject to COVID-19 restrictions.

• Swap your homegrown produce at food swaps

   

• Save and swap seed, get involved in the Darebin Seed Library, host a seed library or attend our seed saving workshop on 29 August, and become a Seed Saver Champion!

   

• Join a community garden. Check out Darebin Food Harvest Network’s community garden map to find the garden closest to you.

• Volunteer:

• DIVRS Urban Food Program
• Alphington Urban Farm
• 3000acres
• Lentil as Anything Thornbury

General

Darebin Snapshot to show where emissions are coming from in Darebin

Climate Change Empowerment Handbook, Australian Psychological Society

A Guide for parents about climate change, Australian Psychological society

How to talk about climate change in a way that makes a difference, Rebecca Huntley

Retrosuburbia: the Downshifter’s Guide to a Resilient Future, David Holmgren

Podcasts:

Outrage and Optimism - Since launching in April 2019, Outrage + Optimism has become the most widely listened to climate change podcast, with an audience stretching from San Francisco to Sydney. Now in its second season, each weekly show highlights how we can channel the outrage we see on the streets (and online) about incremental actions in the face of the climate crisis, toward the stubborn optimism needed to forge ahead with ambition. Each week’s discussion aims to inform, inspire and help listeners realise that this is both the most challenging, but also the most exciting time in history to be alive.

Mothers of Invention is a podcast on feminist climate change solutions from (mostly) women around the world. Co-hosted by former Irish President Mary Robinson and comedian Maeve Higgins, this podcast gives voice to black, brown and indigenous women and girls who have been innovating on the frontlines of climate justice for generations. Guaranteed to inspire, inform and make you laugh. Season three started on August 5 – but the back catalog is great listening too.  

Energy

Superpower: Australia’s Low Carbon Opportunity, Ross Garnaut https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45420493-superpower

The Million Jobs Plan, Beyond Zero Emissions

 Transport

Climate Council report on transport and emissions: https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/resources/transport-climate-change/

Cities for People, Jan Gehl  https://islandpress.org/books/cities-people

A Very Public Solution, Paul Mees https://www.mup.com.au/books/a-very-public-solution-paperback-softback

Streetfight, Janette Sadik-Khan https://www.penguin.com.au/books/streetfight-9780143128977

Food

Call of the Reed Warbler : a new agriculture : a new earth Massy, Charles

Get in touch 

Need more information, or have some ideas for how we can support you to take action? Contact us here.