The Greening of Gavin

Vote For Clean Energy

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Have you heard that many of the big Australian energy companies talking down the Renewable Energy Target in the media?  Twenty percent renewables by the year 2020 is what it is currently set at, but they want it lower!  Not on my watch!  Let make it higher.

The great news is that energy demand from the big dirty generators is falling due to Australians taking matter into their own hands and installing solar photovoltaics and solar hot water en masse.  People like me and you have installed over 1.7 GW of solar on over 750,000 of our homes.  Now that is something to be proud of.  It is estimated that the trend will continue with a capacity of 2.3 GW of solar PV by the end of the year.  Great work one and all!

But that only accounts for roughly 2.5% of Australia’s total electricity generation capacity, but if it increased, that would put a big dent in corporate profits for the fossil fuel electricity generators.  That is one of the reasons why they want the RET decreased, not increased.

100% Renewables, the ACF and others like me are helping citizens have a voice.  This is via The Peoples RET Review.  Heres the skinny;

Vote for clean energy

It’s working! Pollution in Australia is actually dropping and we’ve switched off 3,000 MW of dirty, coal-fired generation as a result of the combined impact of the Renewable Energy Target (RET) and the price on carbon pollution. But some big power companies and industry lobby groups want to slow the development of renewables in Australia. Their money and lobbying power gives them a voice, but what about ordinary citizens? 100% Renewable, ACF and our allies are running the People’s Renewable Energy Target (RET) Review. This week Australians can tell decision makers what kind of energy future we want.

Have your say in the People’s RET Review or visit www.peoplesretreview.org.au to vote.”

The voting goes from 22 – 31st of October 2012, and will be delivered to the Climate Change Authority’s Round Table consultations in November 2 (Melbourne) & 5 (Sydney).  
I believe that it will make a difference to the overall outcome, which is why I am putting my support behind it.  
Have your say today.
Thanks to Andrew Bray for bringing this to my attention.

Coal World

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Australia used to ride on the sheep’s back.  We were the biggest wool exporter in the world at one stage.  Today, we are famous for our mineral exports, and bloody big holes in the ground.

What do we dig out of the ground?  Well many minerals like iron ore, nickel, copper, bauxite for aluminium, and fossil fuels.  Fossil fuels mainly in the form of coal.  Here in Victoria, it is mainly brown coal, but it is so polluting that no one wants to buy it from us, so we burn it to make electricity instead.  How wonderful!

The other type of coal is black coal.  Now further north in New South Wales and Queensland, we have gigantic deposits of the stuff.  So much so that our coal exports are now Australia’s biggest contribution to climate change.  As the Arctic sea ice melts to record lows, our coal exports are reaching record highs.  Something is just not right in the land of Oz.

Here is the skinny from Greenpeace Australia about Coal World;


So do we really need these billionaires getting richer while our planet continues to warm up and melt?  Personally, I don’t think so.

Did you know that if Australia’s Galilee Coal Basin was a country, it would be the seventh biggest emitter of carbon dioxide pollution from fossil fuels in the world. If you want to learn a bit more, read the full report, ‘Cooking the Climate, Wrecking the Reef’.  It is eye opening.

In a burning world, there are no winners!

Coal Seam Gas Song

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You are all in for a treat today, dear readers.  I found a great, and topical little song by The Chooks, all about coal seam gas.  Have a listen, and it is free to distribute far and wide!


The Australian version of fracking is all about profit and is doing nothing to enhance the local energy mix.  The vast majority of this gas is sold overseas where the demand is very high.  

Personally, I would prefer untouched farmland, and clean drinking water over a quick buck.  Lock the Gate and don’t let them in.

Yes, I am emotional about the subject, simply because so many farmers have been stung by the lies of these companies.   The gas mining companies don’t give a flying fat frack about our future or our food security!