From the "Australia's Connects" column in the
Lismore Echo
COMMUNITY CONSULTATION -- THE BANGALOW WAY
by Christobel Munson
We hear a lot about community consultation. Here's an example of it in process.
Byron Shire Council has held a number of open community meetings around
the shire this year. The idea is that the concerns of the community will be
heard and recorded by Council, and reflected in planning strategies.
Thanks to the increasing appeal of rural living, the tiny village of Bangalow in
the Byron hinterland will almost double its 1996 population (of 896) in less
than 10 years. The impact of this rapid growth on the village is of great
concern to current residents, who would like to see future growth carefully
controlled.
After one of these meetings at the Bangalow Scout Hall in August, it was felt
that although Council planning staff were doing a good job in setting up the
process there were many voices with varied opinions about Bangalow¹s future
that weren't getting their points across.
So people from a wide range of community groups, including the Chamber of
Commerce, Progress Association, Historical Society, Lions Club, the monthly
paper, Heartbeat, the Pool and Parks Trusts, the Sports Association and
local farmers, got together to make sure that no voice was left unheard.
Representatives of that group then met with Council staff to advise them that a
further community-sponsored forum was planned. We wanted to make sure that the
objectives of Council planners were met, and that they understood our varied
concerns.
The Sunday before the community evening was held late in August (a particularly
momentous choice, being the day the Olympic Torch went through town), a local
real estate agent organised a bus tour of sites around the town which were of
particular community interest. These included the location of a possible
swimming pool, recent new housing developments, land currently zoned as flood
prone which was being investigated for potential housing development, and
creekside land that was being regenerated by the local landcare group.
Of great interest to most people is the way any further growth of Bangalow can
happen. It was apparent early in the series of Council-run meetings that the
town itself wanted to retain its village character, and it was necessary to
define its perimeter.
This brought to light another emerging concern: the increasing urbanisation of
rural land, and the need to preserve food producing areas, before we look up one
day and there¹s no Prime Ag land left where we can grow our food, because it¹s
all covered with little boxes.
To make sure the community night went smoothly, the organisers called on Ken
McLeod, an expert facilitator with considerable relevant community-building
experience, to help run the night in a way which was felt by all to be
inclusive, rather than divisive always a possibility when people hold diverse
and heart-felt opinions. Advertised beforehand in the Bangalow Heartbeat, the
Community Night was billed as a forum for people living in the 2479-postcode,
where all points of view within the community could be discussed in an
atmosphere of respect.
About 50 people came along, nominating 16 differing subjects for discussion.
Using a process called Open Space, the subjects were streamlined for
discussion-group purposes and people joined the group that appealed to them. One
of the hottest topics related to farming issues. That group was concerned that
the wider community properly understood the economic importance of farming,
considering that the village was originally established to support its rural
community. Issues were discussed such as the need to establish buffer zones
between housing developments and farmland, and identifying areas of farmland
around the town which were to remain untouched by development.
All outcomes from the evening were recorded and passed on to Council¹s
strategic planners for input to the Bangalow Strategic Settlement Plan, which
was presented to the town at the final public meeting on 4 September.
Now ways are being explored to create a structure and process for Bangalow to
maintain the momentum of these efforts to take control of its own future, and to
present a united front to council and other government bodies, as well as
potential developers. The next Open Forum is 30th October, 7pm, Bangalow
Catholic Hall -- (phone 66872480).
Christobel Munson email: cbel@freshfood.net.au
Ken McLeod email: workspace@co-op.com
Australia Connects website: http://www.nrg.com.au/~connect/
...................................................................................................................
MILK PRICING - - a
farmer¹s perspective (back to top)
By David Wilson, dairy farmer,
Bexhill
Just when we thought we had begun to understand the dairy deregulation thing,
out of the blue comes a "milk price war". Woolworths¹ decision
to slash the retail price of their house brand milk by up to 27 cents per
litre was soon followed by similar announcements from the other two large
supermarket chains, Coles and Franklins.
As the discounting news broke, it seemed that all our plans for managing the
new deregulated environment went down the drain like spilt milk. Our farm
budgets for the next 12 months had been built around a price drop of 10 12
cents per litre. Then the full picture began to unravel.
We became aware that the milk processors played a major role in determining
the discounted price initiated by Woolworths. It¹s called competitive
tendering. There are three major milk processors in Australia and they are
fiercely competing to maintain and/or increase market share. It¹s only a
matter of time before they tell us farmers we will have to accept a lower
return because the supermarket chains have "screwed" the price down.
At our recent Bexhill Grass Walk Group meeting, all discussions about
improving farming practice were dispensed with. Our plans for the future had
evaporated into thin air, it was back to that doom and gloom stuff.
Where do we look for inspiration when even the most cost efficient farmer in
our group says he can¹t wear a further cut in milk returns?
Our farm advisers and extension officers tell us to keep examining our costs
"Cost reduction is a fundamental aspect of business survival and must
be constant". OK, costs have been going up faster than returns for all my
farming life. Nothing new. But what concerns us is this: we are
acutely aware that constant cost reduction -- producing more for less -- means
intensification. We know this approach has serious implications for our
environment and our families. It forces us to run more cows on the same area
of land, use more fertiliser and chemicals, accept the use of more non-paid
family labour, and cope with more family stress. These are not
strategies that are going to keep us in farming for much longer.
Joining other dairy farmers at the "Woolworths protests" has helped.
While we may not have changed Woolworths' attitude towards milk price
discounting, we¹ve drawn strength from our solidarity and we¹ve built new
relationships with consumers. I¹m sure there are a lot more people in Lismore
and Casino who now have a better understanding of the situation on our farms
and are more likely to pay the "real¹ price for a litre of milk.
While the protest action has given us a lift, what really bouyed us up was our
September farm walk. Again it was a talk session rather than a
"grass walk". Ann Carkey talked to us about the Dairy Regional
Assistance Program (DRAP). This is part of the Federal Dairy Restructure
Package and provides financial assistance for innovative projects of value to
the community.
So we are developing a series of workshops to help change our thinking about
our dairy farm business. We need to communicate our needs clearly if we are
going to make use of this funding, which could assist us to diversify our
activities. It¹s going to take creativity and innovation to break the mould
that has so far locked us into cost cutting and farm intensification.
email: dpwilson@optusnet.com.au
Australia Connects: www.nrg.com.au/~connect
by Martin Oliver
Recently a health newspaper chose to make global warming its cover story.
But rather than suggest positive action, it continued to present a
one-dimensional message of increasing temperatures, melting ice-caps,
environmental refugees, human short-sightedness and fatalism.
In Francis P. Hutchinson's excellent book "Educating Beyond Violent
Futures" (Routledge, 1996), the author warns about a willingness to
allow the past to colonise the future -- extending existing trends to try
to make the future a foregone conclusion. The author's message is that we
can enlarge our "vocabularies of hope" and envision the world we
really want.
To present a depressing scenario as an inevitability is to help bring it
about. The other option is to promote the alternatives; global warming can
be reversed by installing solar panels (which are available with a
generous government rebate), and solar hot water
systems.
Solutions exist to all negative news items, but we don't often hear about
them because negative news is intended as entertainment. It has been
recognised as being highly addictive, rousing anger, cynicism, fear and
insecurity. Triggering these emotions can increase both viewing levels and
susceptibility to advertising.
There is a major difference in usefulness between a detailed account of a
plane crash and a detailed account of how a neighbourhood community garden
was set up. People are empowered by being inspired and being given the
information and resources they need to take action.
The empowerment approach has been pioneered by a UK newspaper called
"Positive News", set up in 1993. Its recent coverage includes:
- plans for a community-owned wind farm on the site of a defunct coalfield
in Wales.
- 40,000 taxis in Mexico City running entirely on compressed air.
- the transformation of derelict urban land in East London into an organic
growing demonstration site.
- thousands of households in Germany queuing up to install photovoltaic
systems as new legislation pays out 80c per kilowatt hour of solar power
sold to the national grid.
- The speed of growth within the ethical investment movement.
In short, if you are looking for conclusive evidence that the human race
is hopelessly stupid and therefore doomed, stay well away!
An Australian edition of "Positive News" is in the pipeline, and
will be produced in the Mullumbimby area. Contact details are below.
While everyone has visions and ideas for the future, the central focus of
"Positive News" is to show where these are already being
successfully grounded, to enable them to be transplanted with adaptations
to many corners of the world.
Confrontation and conflict have been given more than their fair share of
coverage in the mainstream media. "YES!", a high-quality US
magazine coming out of Seattle, looks at confrontational situations where
the adversarial "them-and-us" mode of thinking has broken down,
to reveal the possibility of new ways of interaction. Both non-violent
communication and mediation run through the articles as regular
themes.
Both "YES!" and "Positive News" choose to replace the
dysfunctional role models of the mainstream media with non-dysfunctional
alternatives -- news about what is succeeding, and is therefore worth
taking into the 21st Century.
By accepting rather than dismissing information which challenges cynical
outlooks, it becomes possible to moderate the harsh message that
"Everything happening in the world is negative" to something
gentler, and closer to the truth.
Contact details:
"Positive News", No 5 Bicton Enterprise Centre, Clun,
Shropshire, SY7 8NF, UK Fax +44 158 640033 Email: office@positivenews.org.uk
Website: www.positivenews.org.uk
Australian Positive News Ph: (02) 6684 0086 Email: catherine@mullum.com.au
"YES!", PO Box 10818, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110-0818, USA
Fax: +1 206
842 5208 Email: yes@futurenet.org
Website: www.futurenet.org
These ideas are expanded on in a piece "The Journey Beyond
Disempowerment", which can be read on-line at: www.lis.net.au/~rtn/issue7page10
Footprints to Sustainability
(back to top)
by Alan Roberts
Sustainability and productivity – two inversely related
words. It’s interesting that the word "sustainability" is now being attached to
totally unsustainable schemes, while the word "productivity" has taken on a religious
mantle that has, so far, kept it clear of words like "exploitation", "greed"
and "exceeding environmental carrying capacity".
Let’s now look at a reversal of this situation, so that instead of a
made-up financial system ruining a sustainable future, sustainable precepts are
used to ditch the current financial system and replace it with a real one. The clearest definition of a sustainable (steady state) society is one
where there is an equal per capita right to the benefits of natural resources. At least
the basic human needs are met, irrespective of time and place of living. So whether
you’re born in Australia or Bangladesh now or in a million years from now, in a
sustainable society your quality of life would be the same (ref.1).
For this to happen at least 3 criteria need addressing:
 | 1. Renewable resources should not be used faster than they are
regenerated. |
| 2. Non renewable resources should not be used faster than a substitute
can be found. |
| 3. Pollution should not be emitted faster than the environment can cope
with it. |
Any scheme claiming sustainability should be able to show,
arithmetically, that it meets each of these 3 criteria. An arithmetic method for measuring
biological sustainability is the "ecological foot-print/person". Each of
us requires a certain amount of arable land, pasture, forest and sea to produce our
food and the goods for our consumption, and a biologically active area to process our
pollution.
Australians, on average, commandeer 9Ha/person compared with the world
average for 6 billion people who are using 2.8/Ha each. But even this last figure
is more than the available bio-capacity, which is only 2Ha/person
worldwide (ref.2). The deficit is 0.8Ha/person, which is an area 6 times the size of
Australia -- an indication of the extent to which ecosystems are degrading to meet human
demands and the extent to which we are exhausting our children’s biological
services.
According to this accounting system, there are a number of possible
solutions, including:
| 1. use our dwindling minerals and fossil-fuels to build a non-polluting
solar energy conversion network. This measurably reduces the pollution, absorbing part
of each person’s ecological footprint.
|
| 2. either hold the population at 6 billion and adjust our lifestyles to a
2Ha footprint -more affluent than a Filipino (1.5Ha) but less affluent than a Mexican
(2.5Ha), or
|
| 3. choose a footprint based on desired lifestyle, then reduce the
population until people times footprint equals the earth’s sustainable bio-capacity (in
other words, decrease the population to accommodate a more affluent lifestyle).
|
However, using money-system accounting, we get the opposite quite
farcical situation. Because interest rates demand growth to feed them, markets,
which are a combination of population size and affluence, have to grow.
Interest rates also provide an economic imperative for the premature mining of resources.
Money thus gained "grows", resources don’t. There is no market force
that accounts for the future. Resources, including biological, are plundered to extinction at a
rate ensuring maximum monetary return on investment.
Clearly, this compounding interest money system works against us.
However, we can create a real economy that works for us, simply by observing the
natural finite world and co-opting its rules - no interest, no inflation, unchanging
values of materials and services, as the rules for our money.
Alan Roberts: e-mail -- alanrbts@fan.net.au
References: (Call #’s in SCU library)
1. Henk Mulder, Wouter Biesiot; Transition to a Sustainable Society
(333.7915Muld)
Wackernagel, M. et al Ecological Economics 29, 375-390 (1999)
(P333.705/6)
http://www.iclei.org/iclei/efcalcs.htm.
Roberts, A. Going Organic #38, 14 (1999)
******************************************************************
INVESTING IN OUR CHILDREN'S FUTURE
(back to top)
by Martin Oliver, Lismore
It is pointless to complain about the state of the world when we are
continuously shaping it through the projects and endeavours our money and
superannuation are supporting. We have the choice to determine
the activities it encourages, if necessary by moving it elsewhere.
While popular myths generally assume otherwise, ethical investment IS more
profitable than its mainstream counterpart. The success of ethical investment
points up one of the great myths of economic rationalism: that the only
meaningful kind of work is that which destroys the natural environment.
Today it IS possible to make money without damaging the environment in the
process. Revolutionary new zero-waste approaches to development are being
implemented throughout Africa and other parts of the world by the Zero
Emissions Initiative: www.zeri.org.
The two ethical share indexes in the US, the Domini 400 Social Index and
Citizens Index have continued to out-perform the main share index (S & P
500) since their inception in 1990 and 1994 respectively. In
Australia, statistics are not so readily available, but trends indicate a
gathering momentum towards regarding ethical investment as a choice area for
mainstream investors. Further information is available from Ross Knowles, who
can be reached on (02) 9440 8024, and by email at: rossknowles@bigpond.com
Closer to home, Hillross Financial Services in Murwillumbah are also
supportive of ethical investment and can be reached on 02-6672 2265.
While an opinion poll carried out about two years ago showed that 67% of
Australians opposed the building of the Jabiluka uranium mine, most people are
unaware that their superannuation fund is probably
investing in the company behind the mine, Energy Resources of Australia, and
their parent, North Ltd.
The good news is that several ethical superannuation funds exist, two of the
best choices being those run by ANA Foresters in Brisbane, who can be reached
on (07) 3260 5075, and Australian Ethical Trusts (1800 021 227), or email at: centre@austethical.com.au
The 1999 results from Australian Ethical Trusts put the performance of
the company's trusts near the top of their respective categories.
These include the Balanced Trust (1st in its category of 20), and the
Large Companies Share Trust (3rd in its category of 67).
ANA Foresters has maintained a commercial rate of return while
choosing to invest heavily in community projects, mostly in the
Brisbane area. Recent loans have been made to the Good Foods Co-op,
Cabbage Tree Housing Service, the Rape Crisis Centre and a women's
legal service.
Employers are generally willing to pay superannuation into the fund
of the employee's choice; however, if the employer refuses, the employee can
appeal. Superannuation accumulated during past employment can nearly
always be rolled over into another superannuation fund without any
problem.
In the US, a group called the Interfaith Centre on Corporate Responsibility,
which controls more than US $100 million worth of assets, is withdrawing
investment from large
food companies that continue to use unlabelled and potentially
dangerous genetically engineered ingredients.
In Australia too, there is every opportunity for Christian and other religious
organisations to withdraw financial support from activities contrary
to their core values.
****************************************************
50 Ways to Support a Sustainable Local Economy
(back to top)
by Robert Rosen, Mullumbimby
Ask your local café to serve locally grown coffee.
Avoid genetically modified foods.
Avoid nationally owned supermarket chains.
Avoid using take away containers.
Buy furniture made from camphor laurel or recycled north coast hardwood.
Buy goods in bulk.
Buy locally grown produce.
Buy locally made clothes or clothes from 'op-shops'.
Buy organic fruit and vegetables.
Buy our (nearly) local NORCO dairy products.
Buy second-hand goods whenever possible.
Change your multinational toothpaste for the local Thursday Is. brand.
Close your bank account and open an account with your local credit union.
Consume locally baked breads rather than your usual national brand.
Don't buy a new house, retrofit your existing one.
Don't buy goods on-line when you can buy them locally.
Don't use bottled water; install a water tank or water filter instead.
Don't use credit cards when purchasing good and services locally.
Encourage your restaurant to use locally grown food.
Find creative uses for all that wild bamboo out there.
Fit gas appliances in preference to electrical.
Forget the stock market; invest your money locally.
Have a garage sale and give what you don't sell to Vinnies.
If local prices seem too high, haggle first before buying elsewhere.
Install water saving devices.
Invest in local residential rental housing.
Involve yourself in local community organisations.
Join LETS and then actually trade in them.
Jump out of the Bigpond and use a local Internet service provider.
Make your own peanut butter at your health food store.
Next year, start drying your firewood well before winter.
Put curtains on your windows this winter and save on heating bills.
Recycle wherever you can.
Ride your bike, take a bus, walk there or at least pick up hitchhikers.
Save shopkeepers money by refusing their plastic bags.
Shop locally. Is it really worth it going further to save a few dollars?
Start a compost heap.
Start your own vegetable and herb garden.
Support businesses that sponsor local community organisations.
Support the local library
Support local markets.
Support locally owned newspapers.
Take advantage of the rebates on photovoltaic systems.
Try and repair it first before you buy a new one.
Try the local tea, coffee, honey, and our wide range of condiments.
Try the locally made hommos, pesto, tempeh, tofu, and peanut sauce.
Try the locally made washable sanitary pads.
Use a solar dryer (clothesline) rather than a clothes dryer.
Use washing powder without phosphorus and optical brighteners.
Use Email in preference to STD, mobile, fax or snail mail.
Robert Rosen
PO Box 25
Mullumbimby NSW 2482
Ph 02.66843834
Fax 02.66841834
rrosen@mullum.com.au
*******************************************************
ZERO EMISSIONS - A NEW DEVELOPMENT PARADIGM
(back to top)
by Martin Oliver, Lismore
The Zero Emissions Research Initiative (ZERI) is a new and innovative
approach to the design of systems, which within only four years has
introduced a new form of development into Africa and South America
that works in harmony with nature.
ZERI works on the basis of zero waste; the message is that if nothing
is wasted in nature, the same can be achieved by humankind. Pollution
is regarded as a missed opportunity to make a profit.
In practice, this involves going beyond the view that industrial
processes have to be separate units, each with its own imported raw
materials and waste products. Diverse industries are brought together
intelligently in a network or cluster of processes which resemble a
natural ecosystem.
All waste products from one process are turned into useful inputs for
others within the network. As well as eliminating waste, this also
adds value to economic activities, some of which may be economically
marginal, and creates new jobs and wealth.
Perhaps the most ingenious and complex system so far worked out by
ZERI is centred around a brewery at Tsumeb, Namibia, which produces
waste mash (spent grains) and water through the brewing process.
Spare heat-generating capacity within the pasteurising plant is used
to dry the mash to the point where it can be used as a growing medium
for mushrooms (a complete protein food). In turn, mushrooms make the
spent grains more digestible to livestock, while the grains' protein
content is also increased. Being rich in both fibre and protein they
can also be used in making bread.
The waste water, together with livestock waste, is used to run a
biogas digester which provides some of the power for the brewery. A
nutrient solution left over from the biogas process flows into basins,
where it is digested by algae through photosynthesis. The algae grow
and multiply, and flow into a fish pond, where they become feed for
fish. Waste from the fish goes into the biogas digester, and nothing
is wasted.
Another ZERI project is running at La Gaviotas in Colombia. 11,000
hectares of deforested land was purchased for 2 dollars a hectare, as
the soil was considered too acid to grow anything.
Scientists managed to locate a tree which would fulfil a number of
criteria - able to grow under these adverse conditions, not invasive,
and which would eventually give way to indigenous species. The chosen
tree, the Caribbean Pine, also produces a resin with a commercial
value called colofonia.
Local workers were recruited to tend and farm the trees, a factory
built to refine the resin, and low environmental impact packaging
designed. The conclusion of this success story is that the soil pH
rose and native trees started to colonise the area. The water in the
subsoil is now purified by the forest and drinkable.
In the education arena, the University of Namibia has created a
Faculty of Zero Emissions. Advanced science courses are now organised
around a multi-disciplinary framework that teaches students to
co-operate and look for synergy, rather than compete and specialise
more deeply. Working to reduce environmental impacts gives students a
greater self-esteem as they can clearly see the positive impact of
their work. Now over 100 of the world's universities teach the ZERI
concept.
ZERI has been adopted by the United Nations Development Program as its
primary development tool in Africa, while ZERI Link promotes
understanding of the process in schools.
Contact: ZERI Foundation, International Environment House, 11-13
Chemin des Anemomes, CH-1219 Geneva, Switzerland Email: info@zeri.org
Website: www.zeri.org
*******************************************************
DAIRY DEREGULATION -- A FARMER'S
PERSPECTIVE (back
to top)
By David Wilson, dairy farmer, Bexhill
Well, the day has come. As of 1st July, the government no longer sets the price dairy farmers are paid for their "drinking
milk". It is "the market" that now determines what we will receive. As producers of a highly perishable
product that is harvested twice daily and that must be processed and sold fresh, we find
that we are now at the mercy of the global market. How has this affected us, the farmers?
I belong to a dairy farmers’ group, the "Bexhill Grass-Walk
Group", first formed in the late 1980s and made up of 23 members of dairy farming families from 10
farms situated along the valleys and red soil ridges adjacent to the
Lismore–Bangalow road. From the outset we have had a common bond unusual among dairy
farmers, who are traditionally fiercely independent –- we believe that we can learn
from each other.
We also feel that there is more to farming than just the technical approach. All of us are passionate about
the welfare of our cows, about caring for the environment, about making a living from our
family farms and maintaining our social cohesion. We spend one day a month walking
over one of our members’ farms, under the guidance of dairy officer Col
Griffiths and agronomist Kerry Moore. We look at grasses and clovers, fertiliser
management, soil types, irrigation, and grazing management, learning things
to take home and apply on our own farms.
We’re called the "Bexhill Grass-Walk Group". The logical prefix
would have been "Clunes", the birthplace of Norco and geographically central to the group members’
farms. But although we are loyal to the overall aims of our dairy cooperative, we
don’t always agree with Norco’s dairy farming philosophy as it related to intensive farming
– "more irrigation, more fertiliser, more grass, more cows, more milk." We have learned to
question the experts.
Since the mid-1990s we’ve broadened our "learning from each
other" focus to a "learning by doing" approach. Participation in group activities
and new experiences on and off the farm is now helping individuals and the group to learn about
adapting to a changing environment.
And so to deregulation. What is our group doing to adapt to this huge
change in our business environment? A 30% reduction in income would normally suggest
either an immediate clearance sale, or bankruptcy. Our farms work on slim margins
even in the best of seasons. At first we went into a kind of denial, then anger. But around
the beginning of this year our group discussions began to exhibit a general acceptance of
the whole deregulation issue – "It’s going to happen on July 1st,
so we had better start making some plans."
At recent "farm walks" it has become quite evident that in
sharing our plans for the future a strong sense of hope has begun to pervade the group. Our discussions have
shifted in emphasis, away from grass and things of a straight dairy farming nature to
what other activities can we engage in to stay afloat. There have been plans
shared on a cottage cheese venture, and herbs and trees.
I think our strength as a group has been in our ability to be open with
each other and share our feelings and hopes. It’s helped us get through the negative stuff to
the point where we can look to the future with some hope.
In future articles I would like to look at how we are dealing with other
issues connected with globalisation, such as the impact of farming losses on our
families and communities; the pressures to introduce more intensified farming; and
the responsibility of farmers as stewards of the land.
|
