Zero Emissions Solutions teamed up with Take 3 for the Sea, Mosman Council and environment conservation community groups for the Balmoral Seaside Scavenge in September. Take 3 is known all over Australia for its educational programs that teach people about the problem of plastic pollution and inspire them to take action to protect the ocean.
The event showcased local waste-wise and environmentally conscious initiatives while entertaining with music, face painting and art, and nourishing us with pedal-powered smoothies! We were delighted to participate in this fun, family-friendly day to share information about how to reduce emissions and protect our beautiful local environment.
We had a great lineup of Electric Vehicles – Tesla and Hyundai – along with their enthusiastic owners who could talk till the cows come home to anyone who wanted to know about EVs. There was a lot of interest from young and old, the curious and the skeptical.
If bicycles are more your thing Lug+Carrie had a selection of eBikes available to try out. Whether it’s for your daily commute or getting the kids to school, these eBikes make cycling a breeze and are designed to carry your kids or your shopping or your laptop.
With sunshine and blue skies, Balmoral Beach was at its beautiful best. A great day made possible with our brilliant team of volunteers.
Thank you to our largest volunteer crew ever: Louise, Michael, Fay, Tony, Narween, Jenni Chris, Gill, Alan, Adrienne, Milo, Leesa, Leon, Kate, Ann-Charlott, Ursula, Daryl, with Marieken organising us, plus Neroli from Lug+Carrie doing Tern e-cargo bike test rides!
We’re glad you asked.
Subscribing to our newsletter is a great way to be involved. Sharing it with your friends and joining us on social media helps even more as we’re build a community of like-minded locals passionate about sustainability and low carbon living.
Looking for something more, something meaningful and fun? We would love you join our volunteer team! ZESN Volunteers working group has grant funding to expand our impact and we’ve launched Our Big Switch to help 100 local homes, businesses and schools make low carbon switches. Anyone interested can contact Ursula, Fay or Narween.
Electric car and Electric bike owners and displays
If you are delighted by your EV, or you are enjoying your electric bike, come and show it off at one of our regular EV show-and-tells. We hold these at least once a quarter at the Mosman Markets, and are looking at larger events. Contact Ursula, Alan or Chris and we can tell you all about it.
Zero Emissions Transport team at the Mosman MarketZero Emissions Transport: Kona, E-Bike, Tesla
Zero Emissions Info Stall market team
Our friendly volunteer team is at Mosman Markets four times this year, and plans to new areas. Would you be interested in doing a stall on the Northern Beaches or North Shore? We provide equipment, signs, training and back-up. Contact Louise or Marieken for more details.
Social media – Facebook, Twitter, Insta & LinkedIn!
Between them, Ursula and Marieken do most of Zero’s social media. It’s a great way to build community, but it takes time! If you love twitter, are nifty on instagram, or want to launch the Zero Emissions Solutions Tiktok account, we want to hear from you. Contact Marieken to find out more.
Council Reps
Working with our local councils can be a rewarding and have real impact. We have representatives working with Mosman, Northern Beaches and North Sydney but would welcome people who want to get involved with councils including Willoughby and Lane Cove. Contact Ursula to find out more.
Presentations and Events
We’ve presented over 70 free information sessions on rooftop solar, renewable energy, EVs and more. Over the last three years, thousands of households have come to our presentations. We welcome people getting involved, either in organising presentations and events, or on centre stage! Contact Ann-Charlott or Ursula to find out more.
Schools Network
Last year Jenni Hagland, working with ZESN and Mosman Council. brought all eight schools in Mosman together to form the Zero Emissions Schools Network! The program continues this year, with plans to hold an Expo and awards ceremony later in the year. There’s lots to do, and huge amounts of enthusiasm. Join the team or find out more by contacting Jenni.
Zero Emissions Schools Network Mosman: Mosman Public
Collaborations and new ZESN programs are welcome!
We have successful co-branded collaborations with SolarPro, Diamond Energy, The Good Car Company and Mosman Council. We’re happy to discuss further collaborations!
Do you have big ideas? Are you wanting to make a difference? We’d love to help YOU. If you have an idea for an action or an initiative in the Northern Beaches or North Shore, we can help, whether it’s sharing information or contacts, acting as a sounding board, or even supporting you to develop a new program under the Zero Emissions Solutions brand umbrella. Let’s talk!
So you’re interested in volunteering? In doing something meaningful and fun? In working with dynamic and inspiring people?
We’d love to have you.
Zero Emissions Solutions is an all-volunteer run community organisation working in Mosman and the Northern Beaches LGAs. We’re all about practical ways to take action on climate: things we can do that will have a real impact. No-one is going to solve the climate crisis on their own. Working together for zero emissions has to be the way forward.
Where to start?
Choose from a range of activities to match your skills and/or interests.
Solar My House is Zero Emissions Solutions flagship program. We’ve run over 30 events since 2019, reaching more than 300 households, creating guides, videos and case studies, and attending forums, local expos and online events. We’re always looking for people who are passionate about rooftop solar to get involved with organising events and taking this exciting program forward. You don’t need special skills, just enthusiasm for making a difference. If you can help, please contact Ann Charlott.
Zero Emissions Homes working group meets regularly and creates resources to save energy and emissions at home. They produce Council/LGA specific Sustainable Living Guides, the first was the Mosman Sustainable Living Guide provided to Mosman LGA’s 30,000 residents in mid 2021. They promote switching and supporting renewable energy to approx. halve household emissions. They also look at sustainable solutions including new house design, renovations, appliances, pools and policy. If you are interested in ecosmart retrofits, building trends and energy savings, please email Ursula on electric@zeroemissionssolutions.org
Out and about
The Zero Emissions Markets team launched our first market stall at Mosman in October last year. Since then, they’ve held 7 events. In 2022, their sights are set on exploring markets in the Northern Beaches. It’s a fun opportunity to meet like-minded volunteers and to have meaningful conversations with the local community. No experience required, just a big smile and an hour or two of your time! If you’re interested, please contact Lesley.
Our youngest volunteer, Theo, demonstrates how to measure household energy consumption.Mosman Markets group: Louise, Lesley, Fay
Zero Emissions Schools is run by Jenni Hagland and Liz Migliorini. They are responsible for the guides on our Schools page and they convene the Zero Emissions Schools Network (Mosman). If you’re involved in education, or if you’ve got school age children and want to get your school involved in sustainability, they would be keen to hear from you. Lots to do, from researching resources to project managing events. Please email Jenni on schools@zeroemissionssolutions.org
Worksheets to download Zero Emissions Schools Network Mosman: Mosman Public
Zoom zoom
Zero Emissions Transport is run by Ursula and the Zero Emissions Transport working group. They’ve put together great resources and guides to help electrify your transport on our Electric Vehicles and Electric Bikes pages. They’ve reached over 250 households with Zero Emissions Transport info sessions, and held 7 E-Transport Markets show and tells with electric cars, bikes, scooters and motorcycles. They’ve investigated second hand EVs, hosted a test-drive day, compiled a report on Councils installing chargers, and are creating case studies on many EVs. If you have an EV or are interested in EVs, and would like to be involved, please email Ursula on electric@zeroemissionssolutions.org
Zero Emissions Transport: E-ScooterGood storage space!
And finally…
If you’re good with words, pictures, sounds, and any other form of story-telling, Harriet wants your help. She puts together the newsletter, website, this blog, marketing materials, and tries to keep up with social media. If you’re an introvert who wants to save the world, or a wordpress genius, if you’re an instagram maven or a budding film maker, a demon proof reader or someone who just likes a yarn, just say hello to Harriet on hello@zeroemissionssolutions.org
We look forward to hearing from you!
The pictures tell the story. In just a year, Zero Emissions Solutions has held more than 20 Solar My House parties and webinars, two Electric Vehicle webinars and a Solar Open House day. Our volunteers have attended Mosman markets, delivered flyers and hosted parties. After lengthy research, we have partnered with two businesses with renewable energy at their core.
We’ve built a core group of volunteers and found friends and colleagues across local government and not-for-profit organisations. We’ve won two grants and helped people put more than $250,000 worth of solar panels on houses in the Northern region of Sydney. This is roughly equivalent to planting nearly 5000 trees, or saving of nearly 2 million kilometres of fossil-fuelled driving!
All that remains is to say thank you to all the brilliant people and organisations who have walked alongside, including:
Our Advisory Team and all the individuals and businesses who have said ‘yes, sure, what can I do?’ And last but definitely not least, a heartfelt thanks to all our amazing volunteers, many of whom star in the video.
We are a not-for-profit association of volunteers working across the Northern Beaches and the North Shore. We operate as part of the national Beyond Zero Emissions network. Our focus is on practical projects that will accelerate our transition to net zero emissions.
“What happens if my electric car runs out of electricity?”
It’s a question Anton Vikstrom, sustainability champion, electric vehicle expert and co-founder of the Good Car Company, has answered many times. He doesn’t hesitate.
“You pull over and call roadside assistance,” he says with a wry grin.
That’s before he explains that it’s quite hard to run out. The car gives realtime updates on your remaining mileage, and you can use various apps to plan your route. Australia has a growing network of fast chargers. Plus in an emergency, unlike a petrol car, you can recharge at any standard powerpoint.
Electric cars aren’t going to fix climate change on their own but they are an important part of a zero emissions future. They’re also really smart pieces of technology. There’s something very exciting about a car which is virtually silent, needs little maintenance and runs on sunshine. If you join our community bulk-buy you could be driving one sooner than you think.
Please contact Ursula Hogben with any questions: electric@zeroemissionssolutions.org
It’s going to be a fun journey.
A guest post from Robert Gavin and Di Elliffe, owners of Evie the Nissan Leaf, who recently took them all the way from Hobart to the Northern Beaches. Rob and Di participated in the Good Car Company‘s first community bulk buy.
We are not frequent car drivers. Our preference is for active transport – riding our electric bicycles and walking – around our hometown (Hobart) and when we are in Curl Curl we use our Brompton folding bicycles, and public transport for longer trips.
But, like most families, we occasionally find a car convenient … so when our existing fuel sipping car was due for a trade-in we took advantage of The Good Car Co bulk electric vehicle purchase of second hand imported Nissan Leaf sedans – and so Evie joined our household in May 2020.
The Good Car Co is a Tasmanian-based initiative giving Australians access to reliable, affordable second hand electric cars. Register here to find out how you could be part of their next bulk buy, or join us at ‘Accelerate your transition’,our free webinar on electric transport.
Introducing Evie
Evie is a 2017 Nissan Leaf with a 30kWh battery. When we bought her she had done 13,000 kilometres, and she cost $30,000 … effectively, almost a new car at just over half the price of a current model. Inside and out, she was in perfect condition, and The Good Car Co ensure the battery is at least 85% useable prior to purchase. The cost included purchase, shipping to Australia, conversion to Australian standards, and insurance while in transit – all handled by The Good Car Co.
Removal truck
Her first job was to help us move all our household goods into storage. The back seats fold down to provide a good volume of space (though a little odd in shape). Evie excelled at this task, quietly running to and from our store with countless loads of boxes. Around Hobart she averaged 7.2 kms per kilowatt hour (30 kWh battery, so a notional range of 210 kilometres, though in practice this was closer to 170 kms for us). We charged her at home where we had off street parking and access to a household power point and our own solar panels.
Road trip
Her second job was to take us to Sydney in June. Being a city girl, a road trip was a bit of a stretch for a Nissan Leaf like Evie, but we quickly found that, as long as we were prepared to take it easy and enjoy the trip, the journey with Evie was a treat.
A cold morning in Campbelltown, Tasmania
We stayed in a small B&B in Campbelltown, Tasmania, to break our journey to Devonport where we caught the ferry. This was because the distance between Hobart and Launceston was greater than Evie’s range, so she needed a slow (overnight) charge somewhere along the way. On our return, this will not be a problem because Campbelltown now has its own fast charger.
Making friends with a Tesla, Devonport, Tasmania
A fast charger will recharge a Nissan Leaf from low to full in 20-30 minutes. An overnight charge on a domestic power point (10 amp) will take about 12 hours.
Leisurely overnight charge at a guesthouse in Tasmania
In Melbourne we charged up in Coburg and headed North. Like Tasmania, Victoria does not have a well developed fast charging network yet. It was very frustrating driving past countless petrol stations along the way to the next fast charger. … When are we going to grasp the future?.
How to charge
Using the app “Plugshare”, we plotted our trip based on available charging stations. In Victoria we stopped at Seymour Park and then at a fast charger in Euroa. The Seymour Park stop was for three hours, and we had a great walk along the Goulburn river while waiting. An EV gets you fit as well!
Travelling at speed is a big drain on the battery, and we found our optimum cruising speed with Evie turns out to be between 85 to 95 kph. At that speed we could achieve a theoretical 150 km range comfortably. Given the slower travel speed, if an alternative route was available we would always choose it over the freeway. Fortunately, the old Melbourne to Sydney road is still running close by for much of the trip. It winds its way through the countryside and it is a pleasant, quiet and comfortable alternative road to use.
After spending the night in Wangaratta we headed off into NSW via Albury. Once in New South Wales we were pleased to find that the NRMA has a network of fast chargers to compliment commercial chargers already available. Plotting a route for an electric vehicle of a Nissan Leaf range all the way to Sydney is easily done. We stopped at Yass, ready to head into our destination the next day after an overnight slow charge.
The NRMA thinking about the future and installing fast chargers across the country
On average we were charging Evie up three times a day to allow for contingencies. Just as well, actually, because we had a minor drama at Tarcutta where a fast charger was not working properly and we could not charge up at all … so we had to drive relatively slowly to the dog on the tuckerbox (Gundagai) for our next charge.
Slowly does it
While frequent fast charges are not a problem, doing four of them in one day sent the temperature of our batteries into the red zone. I learned to enjoy the slower pace the car is more comfortable with.
Entering Sydney, Evie came into her own and it was a pleasant drive from the South up to Curl Curl. By the time we reached our destination she had reached 6.9 kms per kWh, nearly the same result as suburban driving around Hobart. It cost us just over $20 for energy for the entire trip. Charging overnight at motels was included in the tariff, and NRMA fast chargers are free at the moment.
Living and driving around Curl Curl for three months, we have enjoyed having Evie there when we need her. In suburban Sydney she is achieving 7.6 km per kWh. We charge her up during the day, at home, taking advantage of home solar to get free energy from the sun. We charge up about once a fortnight. Best of all, it is really satisfying to know we are travelling in a Nissan Leaf without contributing anything towards global warming.
Job done, Evie gets back to her normal routine, shopping at the local market.
Our shopping centre has six priority spaces for electric vehicles (Stocklands, Balgowlah), so it is always easy to get a park. If we are going over 100km there is always a fast charger somewhere along the way.
Nissan Leaf: the verdict
In summary, a 30kWh Leaf is an ideal runabout for everyday suburban driving. It is easy to drive and has more than enough energy for a full day of commuting. Being 100% electric, the mechanics are simple and reliable. Nissan also produce a small electric van which can come configured with five or seven “fold away” seats. These are also imported by The Good Car Co at a good price. Although second hand, these cars look and feel like new. They will easily pay for themselves in fuel savings over their life.
The Good Car Co are a pleasure to deal with. Anthony, Anton and Sam are passionate about transitioning away from carbon based transport and they have worked out a successful business model that everyone (including the planet) benefits from.
Robert and Di are leaders in climate activism in Tasmania. They volunteer with Bicycle Network Tasmania and Coast Watchers. Their next big project is setting up Australia’s first community owned electric vehicle carshare for an apartment block in Hobart.
The Good Car Co is a Tasmanian-based initiative giving Australians access to reliable, affordable second hand electric cars. Register here to find out how you could be part of their next bulk buy.Or join us at our next EV webinar, where Anthony and Anton will be our guest speakers.
It was one of those lightbulb moments. Ursula Hogben, founding member of Zero Emissions Solutions was filling up her car at the local petrol station when, chatting to her kids, she said, ‘it’ll seem really strange to you in the future that we all put petrol in our cars and all drove around burning fossil fuels.’ Her son’s reply pulled her up short.
“Mummy, it seems really strange now. Why wouldn’t you just have a battery and fill the battery up from the sun?”
Yes. Of course. Why wouldn’t you? It was the starting point for the next Zero Emissions Solutions program, Zero Emissions Vehicles.
Video conference + Q&A, Wednesday 11 November 7 pm to 8 pm, EV Essentials + Affordable EVs. Special guests: Anton and Anthony from the Good Car Co. Book your free ticket here: https://events.humanitix.com/accelerate-wed-11-nov
“If you’re trying to make a difference it feels really incongruous to then be filling your car up with fossil fuels each week and emitting greenhouse gases as you drive around,’ says Ursula. “We want to help people move away from fossil fuels and be part of industry level change. Supporting active transport, E bikes and EVs gives everyone low emissions choices.”
Electric cars in Australia
Electric cars — EVs, as they’re known in the business — are the exception in Australia, but that’s changing as manufacturers and consumers rush to catch-up with the worldwide shift to low-emissions transport. Elon Musk’s high performance Tesla has made electric cars desirable, and now other manufacturers, along with government incentives in some countries, are making them affordable. But what’s available? How do they work? Where do you get them? What do they cost?
ZESN’s Electric Transport working group has been doing the research and finding out answers to these and many more questions. Next week, Ursula will host the first of ZESN’s regular events to share what they have learnt. Accelerating your transition covers why people are buying EVs, how EVs perform, the financial savings (and the environmental benefits), and features guest speakers who will be more than happy to answer questions.
“We want to help make EVs more accessible. We looked at options and we’re glad to partner with Good Car Co a Tasmanian-based company pioneering the import of low mileage, reasonably priced (from $19,000!) second hand electric cars with a guarantee and user support. We’ve also done a research review of Councils installing EV chargers to help people who can’t charge at home. We’re very excited that Mosman Council is installing an ultra-fast charger soon!”
Webinar coming up
If you’re even slightly curious affordable about electric cars, don’t miss Accelerating your transition. Our events are informal with plenty of time for questions, and Covid-safe online for the moment, so you can join the conversation from home. EV owners will be there to share their stories, and we’ll be taking registrations from interested parties so we can make a Good Car Company bulk buy a reality.
Maybe you’ll be driving an electric car sooner than you think.
My first car was an electric blue Citroen Dyane. I called her Hermione. She had a 602cc engine and, with a following wind, could almost get up to the speed limit on the motorway. She sipped petrol but struggled with hills. Hermione went to the great scrapyard in the sky many years ago and now, like so many of us, I drive a big wagon which guzzles the gas and gets the family from A to B. I’d love to switch to a renewable energy option. I’ve looked enviously at my friend’s shiny new Tesla, but I always thought that an electric vehicle was out of my price range.
Turns out there might be another way.
The Good Car Company is a start-up founded by three sustainability entrepreneurs, Anthony Broese van Groenou, Anton Vikstrom and Sam Whitehead, who are passionate about decarbonising transport.
You don’t see many electric cars around Australia, but there are probably more than you realise. Luxury models, such as the Tesla and the Rivian, get most of the attention here. Outside Australia, however, many of the big manufacturers — Hyundai, Daihatsu, BMW, Nissan, Mini, –are offering electric and hybrid models. Better still, there is a growing market for second hand electric cars. The great thing about buying second hand electric is that there are very few parts to go wrong: compared to a petrol engine, an electric car is cheap and easy to maintain and ages with grace. Which is why the Good Car Company is collaborating with communities around Australia to deliver Electric Vehicle – aka ‘EV’ – Bulk-Buy’s.
Why go electric?
If you’ve never considered an EV, here are some of the benefits:
Lower fuel costs, less maintenance and lower cost of life
Zero particulates and no fumes on cold mornings
Avoid service stations, holiday price gouging & oil wars
Great driving experience, fully automatic with hill start assist.
They are now offering 2017-19 40kWh Nissan Leaf, 2015-17 30kWh Nissan Leaf and 2014-17 24kWh Nissan Leaf. The Good Car Company offers all vehicles below normal rates, with savings in shipping and compliance, passed onto to you. And they also pass through any savings achieved at auction to make getting an EV that much easier. This offer includes standard upgrades including Japanese to English head-unit (stereo and controls), dash instruments and an Australian charging cable. Plus, of course, full support and warranty.
The bulk-buy of affordable electric cars will help the transformation of transport to a low carbon emission future.
Electric vehicles. They’re expensive and we don’t have the infrastructure. Right?
Wrong.
Electric vehicles (EVs) are coming down in price, and they’re much cheaper to run than petrol cars. They don’t need special equipment to charge and, as a bi-directional mobile battery, they could play a key role in the renewable energy revolution. Which is why Zero Emissions Solutions has formed a working group to research EVs, looking at the pros and cons, the market, and affordable options for going electric.
In the first in a series of posts about electric vehicles, Ursula Hogben, one of the founding members of Zero Emissions Solutions, gives us the highlights of a webinar held by the Coalition For Conservation Electric Vehicles and Sustainable Mobility panel on 12 May 2020.
