The Conservation Council is developing a new website to help Canberra households ‘Make the Switch’ from gas to electricity. We would love to hear and share the stories of people who have already made this switch.

We are looking for households who have switched from gas heating (wall heaters or ducted), gas hot water, gas cooking, closed your gas account, or any combination of the four. You may have replaced individual appliances, or done a renovation, full knock-down rebuild, or built a new all-electric home. Preferably, you have some data about your gas and electricity bills before and after, costs of replacing appliances, and are willing to share your reasons for and experience of switching, and to be photographed. We are looking for households with or without rooftop solar PV. We would also like to hear from people who have built new all-electric homes.

To participate, please visit our website for more details. We look forward to hearing from you!

The ACT Government has just announced the ‘Jobs for Canberrans Fund’ which is providing work opportunities for people who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19. In a win-win for people and the environment, the Government has also brought forward bushfire recovery works.

A $3 million program will plant 4000 new trees across Canberra this autumn, and refresh public spaces, undertake planting, mulching, and employ an additional ten additional people to support urban tree management and care. This is an additional commitment of 2500 trees on top of the Government's previous commitment of 17,000 trees over 4 years. Simultaneously, another million dollars will support 26 new positions doing restoration works in Namadgi National Park and planting trees in the Lower Cotter catchment area.

ParkCare encourages people who meet the employment requirements to apply for these roles via the Jobs for Canberrans website.

In excellent news for native forests, environment advocates led by Wildlife of the Central Highlands (Wotch) and Environmental Justice Australia won a court injunction to halt logging in 26 unburnt areas of Victorian native forest.

Environmentalists argued there was a risk of “serious and irreversible damage” to threatened species after last summer's bushfires. Justice Kate McMillan, Victorian Supreme Court granted the injunction to protect the habitat of species on the Victorian government's list of species under immediate threat after the summer bushfires, including the greater glider, the smoky mouse, the sooty owl and the powerful owl. 

With the Victorian Government already aiming to phase out native forest logging and assessments that show potential savings of $192 million by doing so, there is a decent chance that these forests might escape further logging. 

The story is different in NSW, however, where salvage logging is being conducted in burnt areas under new rules specially drafted by the NSW Environmental Protection Agency. This is happening despite the Australian Government's recent analysis that more than 400 plants and nearly 200 invertebrates need urgent attention after the bushfire crisis. 

It's crunch time for the Snowy Hydro 2.0 project with NSW Minister for Planning Rob Stokes poised to make his decision on the environmental approval for the main works any day now, with approval being fast-tracked under coronavirus stimulus plans.

The NSW government expects the project will generate at least $4.6 billion in new investment and create up to 2,000 new jobs, including a tunnel segment factory in Cooma to supply the 26km tunnel between dams in the Snowy Mountains. 

Environment groups say the project will devastate alpine ecosystems already under pressure from bushfires and climate change. Energy experts content that there are many alternatives that are more efficient, cheaper, quicker to construct, and incur less emissions.

Find further information on the National Parks Association of NSW website, or read Renew Economy's article.

The World Environment Day Online Auction is coming soon! Do you have items/experiences you could donate to help us raise funds for our work? Perhaps a weekend at a holiday house? O do you work for a local business that could offer an activity or a product? Perhaps you just some amazing talents of your own that someone would value?

All money raised goes to our campaigning work at the Conservation Council, so your contributions combined will make a world of difference for our local and regional environment. This event is even more important for us this year as our usual face-to-face contact and gatherings are not going ahead. 

Email Paul to donate a gift!

Future Film is the short film competition & festival that’s here to flip the switch on the climate crisis. We’re giving young people a creative platform to express their ideas to solve our most pressing environmental problems. It’s time to regenerate the planet for our generation’s future. 

The theme of Future Film is ‘Reimagining Canberra’s Future’. Young filmmakers can create awareness of sustainable solutions and technology in use now, or explore their own unique solutions for the future! The winning filmmakers will receive awesome prizes, and their will be films screened in the Canberra Short Film Festival, September 2020. 

To help with making your film, SEE-Change is offering a free mentoring program for a limited number of people. Sign up to secure your spot!

Films must be 2-7 minutes in length, but they can take any form. Documentary, animation, comedy, drama, sci-fi thriller… you name it, you can do it. Creativity and out-of-the-box thinking is encouraged!

To find out more or volunteer, email futurefilm@see-change.org.au.

Each year the National Trusts of Australia produce a themed Desk Diary featuring heritage scenes from around Australia. The National Trust (ACT) has been invited to submit 10 images for consideration for next year’s Desk Diary. 

The theme for the 2021 Diary is “Ode to the Bush” and as Canberra is the “Bush Capital”. The Trust wants striking images, either artwork or photos, that tell a story. The bush theme can be broadly interpreted to include landscapes, animals, buildings in the bush, people enjoying the bush, the bush in the city, historic photos….and many more. Each image should be accompanied by a ‘story’ of around 75 words and the person/organisation to be credited.

The photographs do not have to be of National Trust properties or even National Trust photos but they do have to be free of copyright, in high res, preferably in landscape format, and with their story.

If you have any images you think would be suitable, please send them, and the story to accompany them, to me at events@nationaltrustact.org.au by Friday 22nd May. If you would like to discuss, please email Mary Johnston or call her on 0427 381 380.

In line with the current limits on public gatherings and advice to cancel or postpone non-essential travel, including trips within New South Wales, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service are making the following changes until further notice in response to the COVID-19 emergency:

No camping is permitted in national parks from 26 March 2020, including wild and backcountry camping.

Most visitor centres and historic sites are closed (exceptions are in place for permanent residents living within historic sites).

Some high-visitation areas (beaches, picnic facilities, popular lookouts, etc) are closed, and this will continue to change following assessments on a case-by-case basis.

ACT Parks and Reserves have similar restrictions. Find the latest ACT information here.

Each year, Australian Ethical give away 10% of their yearly after-tax profits to charitable organisations and social impact initiatives through the Australian Ethical Foundation. Grants of $10,000 and $20,000 enable organisations to make a bigger impact within the communities they work.

Grassroots organisations (with annual revenue less than $1.5 million) that contribute to humanitarian, environmental and animal welfare efforts in Australia and abroad are encouraged to apply by 22nd May.

We may not be allowed to gather in groups, but you can still head out for a walk with your family or your dog.

The Conservation Council has a wonderful collection of booklets to help you get out and explore the natural and heritage treasures of your region of Canberra. With contributions from teams of local-knowledge experts, these full-colour booklets contain maps, Aboriginal and European cultural heritage sites and history, field guides to local wildlife and flora, profiles of local environmental groups, and more.

Order yours today and get outside!

Please abide by distancing measures and check park closures before you go.

Join us for this special trivia night for the ACT environment community. You can join as an individual, a house team or an e-team!

Nature and general themed questions, with a variety of easier and harder questions for all ages. No need to leave your house and you can even bring a glass of wine and your dinner!

7-8:30pm Friday 8th May
Online via Zoom

Register to receive the Zoom link. You can also donate to support the Conservation Council's work to protect our environment when you register.

ACT Parks and the Molonglo Conservation Group want people to check their gardens, suburbs and reserves for invasive plants and help stop them spreading into nature reserves and waterways where they will disrupt our native plant communities and ecosystems. A $50 native plant gift voucher will be given to people who spot new infestations of these invasive plants on public land (a ‘spotter’s fee’). Residents who spot them in their garden and remove them, will receive a $100 native plant gift voucher.

Get stuck into weeding with benefits!

April – October 2020

Want a chance to win sweet prizes? Looking for something to do with all this at home time over the next couple months?

Enter UC's first ever art competition, open to all artists: painting, drawing, photography or sculpting this one is for you!

Each week there will be a different theme, including Canberra Icons, Flora and Fauna, Elements, Aussie Icons, Out of this World, Stress Less, with a $50 Eckersley's Art and Craft shop gift card up for grabs, redeemable online.

To enter
1. Create your masterpiece to the current theme of the week.
2. Email @uclife@canberra.edu.au with your submission
3. If you have Instagram, share it to your story tagging @uclife and #ucartcompetition.

Submissions need to be in by 5pm Friday each week. Winner announced Monday of the following week!

Create some art calling on Rio Tinto to cut all ties with the Minerals Council. Or simply join the virtual rally at Rio Tinto's online AGM.

Every year Rio Tinto pays the Minerals Council $3.3million, and with it they undermine action on climate change.

If Rio is serious about their commitment to sustainability and going carbon neutral, they must cancel their membership. They are facing increasing pressure on this issue, so together we can turn up the heat and make sure Rio knows that we're watching.

Join a virtual rally on the morning of Rio’s AGM! Bring your protest sign, log on and together we’ll present the petition signatures of tens of thousands of people who want Rio to #CutAllTies with the Minerals Council.

8:30 am (6:30 am in WA, 8am in SA & NT) Thursday 7th May

The Woodlands & Wetlands Trust free iphone/ipad app guides you through the predator-proof Sanctuary with audio story-telling and visual map cues.

Follow three walks through woodlands, wetlands and aerial views. 

Find out where to look for wildlife and hear about the ways we are reinvigorating a critically endangered environment.

Let the guide Shoshana lead you through the landscape at your own pace.

The ANU's energy change experts will explore the exciting developments in community-based battery storage that are occurring in the ACT and beyond.
Dr Marnie Shaw and Dr Hedda Ransan-Cooper will be joined by panellists who work in different aspects of battery storage.

Chair: Professor Ken Baldwin, Director, ANU Energy Change Institute.

Attendees will be able to ask questions of our speakers via the online Q&A.

12 noon – 1pm
Wednesday 13th May
Online

With most of us spending these current months inside our homes, it can make it harder to stay connected to nature and to each other.

The Conservation Council team have put together an ongoing list of our favourite activities that allow us to stay connected. With a focus on sustainability, mindfulness and environmental and activist education, this list is full of excellent activities for everyone, young and old.

Have fun and get involved!

Conservation Council ACT & Region