Take a bird’s eye view of Brookvale and help us with an exciting new project.
Brookvale is home to the largest commercial area within the Northern Beaches and it’s also a powerhouse for renewable energy. Large and small, owner operated or rented, retail, service and light industrial; businesses of all shapes and sizes are taking advantage of low interest rates and high returns to go green and boost their bottom line at the same time.
We all know about regional solar farms but can it be done in a city? This article suggests yes. Who knows, maybe we can build a solar farm right here on the Northern Beaches!
Brookvale currently has nearly 7000 solar panels covering around 5% of suitable roof spaces. The Northern Beaches Council’s 2030 target of covering 50% of suitable roof space would see Brookvale become a virtual power station, producing 20MWp. That’s equivalent to the Royalla Solar Farm, Australia’s biggest solar farm, which can generate clean energy equivalent to the consumption of around 4,500 homes in the area.
How do we know this? Because Zero volunteer Chris Lee has spent hours counting them.
Now he’s onto the next phase of the study. It can all be done from your computer, so if you can navigate a spreadsheet and use Six Maps, we would love your help. You can do as much or as little as you like. Just get in touch with Chris and he will send you instructions on how to take a bird’s eye view.
Students and teachers from Beauty Point Public School played host for the third meeting of the Zero Emissions Schools Network (Mosman) on August 4rd. With greater Sydney in lockdown, it had to be online but, thanks to some video magic, we still got a tour around the school’s environmental trail.
The trail takes you past the vegetable gardens, with built-in watering systems, the cosy home for stingless native bees, the worm farm and the birds and bees highway.
The BPPS Green Team was launched in 2020. They have many ideas for improving sustainability around the school. The school has a water tank and it installed solar panels in October 2020 with assistance from Solar My School. Some of the students’ favourite activities are tree planting and biodiversity initiatives such as the birds and bees highway. Last year grants from Greening Australia and Sustainable Schools have funded planting including 6 large trees and 150 small tubestock trees.
The most colourful sustainability initiative is their rainbow lorikeet mural, which brightens up the playground while reducing UV reflection.
You have all achieved so much. I love what the schools are doing and proposing. Our schools and children are key to getting our community onboard and meeting our net zero target.
Mayor Corrigan
All Mosman Schools were represented at the meeting. It was a great opportunity to exchange ideas and cheer each other on. Thank you, Beauty Point Public School, for hosting, and for giving us a wonderful virtual tour. We look forward to our next meeting on 27 October at Sacred Heart, Mosman.
For more information on family friendly sustainability tips check out Zero Emissions Schools on our website or contact Jenni Hagland, Program Leader. Interested in a school network in your area? Get in touch!
Learning outside is much more fun
Back to zoom!
Planting trees and tube stock
Love your work. Do something meaningful. Boost your wellbeing.
It’s no secret that having a sense of purpose is one of the best ways to enhance your overall wellbeing* and, if you have the time and the energy, volunteering can contribute greatly. But what to do, and where to start?
Inspired by NBC’s environmental awards last month, we’re listing some local volunteer jobs which you might LOVE. (Spoiler alert – some of them would really help us!)
Beach clean ups. Look at all that rubbish. So rubbish. So satisfying.
Strata Data. Put your research skills to work and help us put together a series of case studies on strata buildings in the area which have installed solar panels onsite. Full support provided, contact us here. A bit of detective work may be needed!
Save our local wildlife. Train up to become a WIRES volunteer rescuer and learn about the care of native animals such as koalas, possums, snakes and bats.
Photography and videography – if you are a student film-maker or building a show reel, we need your help making short documentary videos and taking fabulous images.
Get into the garden. Mosman Community Gardeners are growing yummy things. This is volunteering with edible outcomes!
The last six months have been our busiest so far. This is a quick run down of just some of the things we’ve been up to.
19 May: Kirsty & Anna from ZESN’s Advisory Group and Ursula attended the breakfast panel with Matt Kean MP, NSW Minister for Energy and Environment and Chris Bowen MP, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy: Climate risks and opportunities ahead. NSW has announced the ‘Energy Infrastructure Roadmap’ for renewable energy and recently announced EV initiatives.
19 May: Second Zero Emissions Schools Network Mosman event, hosted by Mosman Public School, chaired by ZESN, supported by Mosman Council.
21 May: Ann-Charlott, Ursula and local climate group friends joined the School Strike for Climate in Sydney, and tens of thousands of Australians joined in capital cities and towns across Australia, to support a net zero emissions target for Australia.
26 May: Tina from ZESN’s Advisory Group and Ursula supported the North Sydney Conversations launch event: The Climate Crisis: Hard Truths and Reasons for Hope, with author Sarah Wilson, Prof Lesley Hughes, climate scientist and MC Dan Illic. Recording here: https://northsydneyconversations.com.au/2021/04/21/truthsandhope/
1 June: The fourth Mosman Council Climate Action Community Consultative Committee Meeting met to discuss Council’s draft Climate Action Plan – Resilience and Adaptation Strategy, with Mayor Corrigan, Cr Sherlock, Mosman Council team, and community members including Ursula from ZESN. The plan will be presented to Council in July 2021, then released for public consultation.
1 June: Ursula hosted a Climate for Change Conversation with facilitator C4C Carly Robertson leading on effective communications and positive climate action. ZESN volunteers discussed volunteer events and training, with training experts Fay Redmond and Narween Otto helping organise the next events. All welcome to join the Volunteer Events and Training working group.
3 June: Solar My House LIVE in Avalon, in collaboration with Our Blue Dot, hosted by Felix Williamson with Solarpro’s David Veal as our handy solar expert. A sell out, with people turned away at the door.
5 June: Mosman Markets: Lesley, Louise, Fay and the team ran the regular stall at Mosman Markets
5 June: Northern Beaches Simplifying Solar Expo: Ann-Charlott, Harriet and Chris manned a stall at NBC’s first Simplifying Solar Expo. 350 attendees came to sessions on solar and renewable energy, and then came by to chat with us and a range of businesses and organisations involved in sustainability, including SunSpot, the Australian Energy Foundation and the University of NSW School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering.
10 June: The launch of a new rooftop solar system at Pioneer Clubhouse, Balgowlah, attended by 30 guests including Michael Regan, Candy Bingham and Zali Steggall’s chief of staff.
If you’d like to work with us, or if you’d like us to visit your workplace or community group to talk about our activities, please get in touch. And if you’d like to be part of this vibrant community, come on in!
Schools working together is inspiring, as a group of 30 teachers, administrators and students discovered on May 19. Mosman Public School was host for the second meeting of the Zero Emissions Schools Network — Mosman. It was a lively and productive discussion.
Year 5/6 teacher, Kate Leary, and four members of Mosman Public School’s Sustainability Club, presented on their sustainability initiatives. These include rooftop solar and vegetable beds. Then students from the other schools working together gave updates on their own initiatives.
The range of ideas is inspiring: native bee hives, waste-free lunch days, vertical wall gardens, and auditing electricity usage with the Climate Clever app are just a few of the actions students are taking to reduce emissions.
Loani Tierney (Mosman Council) & Kate Leary(Mosman Public School) gave a presentation on worm farms and composting.
Beauty Point Public School will host the third meeting on August 4.
The Zero Emissions Schools Network – Mosman involves all eight schools in Mosman local government area, plus Cammeray Public School in North Sydney. If you are interested in creating a sustainability group at your school or a Zero Emissions Network in your LGA, the Zero Emissions Solutions Schools page has a great range of resources to get you started. Jenni is also available for one-on-one consultations and you can contact her via schools@zeroemissionssolutions.org.au.
Volunteers warmly welcomed.
Passionate about taking action on climate change?
As more people in our communities want to lower their emissions and our work expands, we are very keen to hear from you and your friends.
Drop us an email! Give Lesley, Markets program leader, a call on 0410 621756 about our Markets. Email Ursula, co-founder and Transport program leader, if you’re interested in Transport show & tells/mini-expos. We can also connect you with Fay for volunteer training.
We can talk with you about your interests and skills, our needs and what we could do together. Rest assured, we will support you with training/mentoring for a specific job. Online, face-to-face at a market, or even letterboxing while you’re exercising.
Dogs welcome but not essential!
It’s been a week of winning prizes and kicking goals.
North of the Spit Bridge, a range of local heroes in environmentalism on the Northern Beaches gathered last week for the Council’s annual Eco Awards. Legends such as Phil Colman, who has dedicated his life to protecting Long Reef, and Brendan Donohoe, dogged campaigner for better care of our coast and ocean. As Brendan says, “Use science and tell the truth”. Words to live by.
Other winners included: Rosalynd Gooding, who successfully fought for the purchase and preservation of Hillside Road Littoral Rainforest; 17 year old Stephanie Jackson, founder of ‘Seas of Change’; and Joan Reid, who has been a volunteer with Sydney Wildlife Rescue for over 14 years.
Ann-Charlott Paduch and Harriet Cunningham were thrilled to accept the award for Sustainability and Climate Change on behalf of Zero Emissions Solutions, and equally thrilled for Anyo Geddes & Sophie Scamps, our friends from Our Blue Dot, highly commended.
In the words of Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan, the Eco Awards awards “celebrate ordinary people, the unsung heroes, doing extraordinary things for the conservation of our environment and recognise community members who have volunteered their time and effort to enhance the region’s diverse and valuable, natural habitat.”
In the words of Harriet Cunningham: “Prizes are nice, but that’s not what we’re in it for. The best thing is being in the same room as all these inspiring people and knowing with people like this in the world, we can make a difference.”
Awards night at Glen Street TheatreLesley Treleaven, Ann-Charlott Paduch, Linda Williamson
Sunny and share is go! It only took two days for a team of three Solarpro solar installers to add a 13.3 kW system to the roof of local charity Pioneer Clubhouse.
“We’re all thrilled to see the solar panels going on the roof,” says Megan Robert, recovery support worker at Pioneer Clubhouse. “It’s not just the financial benefit. Having up to $5000 extra a year will make a huge difference but we also love that we’re using clean, renewable energy to power our programs.”
Ann-Charlott Paduch of Zero Emissions Solutions says, “the Community Giving Fund has always been an integral part of the Zero Emissions Solutions mission, and it’s wonderful to be making our first installation after only 18 months of operation.
“Of course, we couldn’t have done this without the support of our hard-working management team, volunteers, donors, supporters and commercial partners. In particular, David Veal of Solarpro has been with us from the start, answering countless questions, giving us the benefit of his solar nerdiness, and pledging a percentage of every sale he makes through us to the Community Giving Fund.”
“The sun does it again,” says David Veal. “We’re proud to work with Zero Emissions Solutions, helping people get on board with the renewable energy revolution. Our goal is to bring people’s energy bills as near to zero as possible.”
Zali Steggall MP will formally launch Pioneer Clubhouse’s new solar system at 1.30pm on Thursday June 10. Media are welcome: please get in touch via hello@zeroemissionssolutions.org.
The project is funded by our Community Giving Fund which receives contributions from our Solar My House partner, Solarpro, and our electricity retailer of choice, Diamond. You can also contribute to the project at Pioneer Clubhouse’s GoFundMe page.
The team
An electric car may be more affordable than you think. Two events in April offer the chance to find out more about affordable electric vehicles.
EV Me Now!, a free webinar presented by renew.org next Monday 12 April at 7pm, organised by Clive Attwater, Vice-President of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association, giving an update on EVs in Australia, Anthony Broese van Groenou, co-founder of the Good Car Co discussing affordable electric vehicles and bulk buys, and Ursula Hogben, co-founder of Zero Emissions Solutions discussing climate groups and Councils helping communities to decarbonise,
Second, we’ve organised an exclusive event with Tesla Chatswood for members and friends of Zero Emissions Solutions on Tuesday 20 April, from 6 pm to 7 pm. The Tesla is one of the world’s favourite electric vehicles. Attend the info session then book your test drive one one of the reserved Zero Emissions Solutions member test drive days. Contact Ursula Hogben with any questions.
Read more about electric cars, bikes and other clean alternatives here. The Zero Emissions Transport group includes many EV owners and they are always happy to show off their vehicles. You can meet them at Mosman Markets on the first Saturday of the month. Have a crawl around a Nissan Leaf, a Tesla and a Hyundai Kona, plus check out the latest in affordable electric transport, the scooter! If you have a motorbike licence you can take it for a test drive. Otherwise, you can test ride the electric bikes on display. See you soon!
Feed-in charges?! No way! The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) today released a draft determination on how to integrate more small-scale solar into the electricity grid. The paper addresses the problem of ‘traffic jams’ on the network, caused by small-scale solar feeding into a grid infrastructure which was designed when power only needed to flow one way.
The draft determination suggests rooftop solar owners might be charged to export the solar power they generate in excess of what they use to the grid. In other words, instead of a feed-in tariff, a feed-in charge. The Sydney Morning Herald calls the proposal ‘controversial’.
What does this mean for rooftop solar owners? Ann-Charlott, team leader of our Solar My House program (well-informed but, she notes, ‘not an expert’), has been following the developments. Here are her thoughts:
This issue is most relevant for states like SA that have a high penetration of solar. It is less relevant to NSW and especially our Ausgrid area. As we know, the rate of rooftop solar installation for Mosman is 5 to 6% of houses, and around 14% on Northern Beaches, well below the national average and much below SA.
In the meantime, Ann-Charlott says, networks are exploring other ways to address the problem.
Meanwhile, the transition to renewable energy in Australia is happening, so the existing infrastructure – the poles and wires – will need to adapt to accommodate new technologies. The feed-in tariff is always liable to change — up, down, different pricings at different times — but the savings you get from all that free solar power from your roof remain.
