ATA South Australia branch meeting – Tuesday 14th April
Time: 7.00 to 9pm – Please note the new earlier time
Where: Function Room, Tower Hotel, 621 Magill Rd (corner of Magill and St Bernards Roads), Magill
Read the minutes from the March meeting here and the agenda for the April meeting here.
To those who haven’t attended ATA meetings – they’re in the Function Room of the Tower Hotel on the corner of St Bernard’s and Magill Roads and visitors are welcome. A $1 contribution towards a bottle of wine to presenter is invited. There’s a main presenter at every meeting and a segment called Who Can Help Me which is a chance to pose questions such as: Where can I buy it? How do I do it? Does anybody know about?
Please note that we use the Function Room free of charge and by purchasing meals or drinks, we reciprocate some of this goodwill extended by the Hotel.
Writer, lecturer and broadcaster Pam Gurner-Hall will speak about home food production for SA climate and water. Home food production – how to grow fruit and vegetables for quality, sustainability and water efficiency. Reduce food miles. Eat in season. Recycle and compost. What you can do on a large or small block.
Future ATA meeting topics to be held at the new Enfield venue
May 12th: Emissions trading, carbon taxation, renewable energy certificates. Demystifying the policies and practice of the national approach. How can these reduce greenhouse gases and how do they encourage renewable energy.
June 9th: Running a retail sustainability business – sustainably. Observations by Ian and Liddy Dolman after two years running Ecolateral. What do customers want? What interests them? How knowledgeable are they? What concerns them?
July 14th: Green roofs and living walls. What are they? How do gardens on roofs and growing vertically on walls regulate internal temperature? How are they used in an urban landscape?
Clean Coal: This used to be on the to-do list as a planned presentation. Until clean coal becomes a reality you may be interested in watching an advert by the Coen Brothers here: www.thisisreality.org/blog/littlebird/get-clean-coal-clean
Other events and news
New Venue for ATA meetings
The committee has been looking for a larger venue. The Tower Hotel Function Room has served us well but is now too small for numbers attending and we realise that many people are uncomfortable - sitting on the floor or standing for two hours.
We’ve booked Enfield Community Hall from May onward for the second Tuesday of the month from 7-00 pm to 10-00 pm. Meetings will probably revert to starting at 7-30 and we’ll have plenty of time for informal discussion in comfort after close of business. Some details are: 540 Regency Road, Enfield (north side, about 700 m east of Main North Rd intersection, next to pedestrian lights and a Circle Line bus stop. The Civic Hall seats around 180 and was formerly part of Nailsworth High School. We’ll miss the dining facilities at the Tower Hotel but Regency Plaza is close by and there’s a kitchen at the hall.
There is a hire fee to pay and a gold coin donation will be requested to cover this.
April’s meeting will still be at the Tower so check the email for May to confirm the new venue.
ATA stand at Sunday Mail Home Show
The ATA will host an information and book sales stall at the Sunday Mail Home Show on April 24 (Fri), 25 & 26 and organised by Seamus Balkin of ATA head office. Seamus is seeking volunteers that can assist with the event and especially someone who can take lead responsibility for a few hours on the Friday and Sunday. A payment would be made for this lead position. Please contact Seamus at seamus.balkin@ata.org.au for details.
ATA and Sustainable House Day
Sustainable House Day will take place on Sunday September 13th and the national organisers, Judy Celmins and Pia Vogrin are inviting expressions of interest to manage the event in SA. It is envisaged that a committee of around four people will run SHD and the group will receive a fee for service. Management involves selecting houses, liaising with homeowners, coordinating sponsor displays and ensuring the event runs smoothly. The organisation of SHD has been greatly simplified (free entry) and streamlined with considerable support available to assist the local group. This event is now in its eighth year and many ATA members and supporters have helped with its organisation and operation over this time. They’ve found it a fulfilling and worthwhile experience. Will anyone who is interested in forming a management group please contact me for further details.
Other items
City of Tea Tree Gully Free Energy-Smart Home community seminar: Wednesday 8 April, 6:00pm for 6:15pm start. Come and learn about the benefits of using air-conditioning additives, solar hot water systems, the newly available Federal and State Government rebates, ‘Green Loans’, free energy audits and much more. Tea Tree Gully Civic Centre, 571 Montague Rd, Modbury. Please telephone 8397 7444 to book as seats are limited.
ANZSES tours – ATA members welcome:
Resource Co and Adelaide Brighton Cement: Saturday May 16th 9.30am to 11.00am.
Resource Co recycles just about everything including wood and plastic waste. ABC use the waste wood in their kilns for producing process heat for the cement making process. See how the waste is sorted, separated and prepared for ABC then see how waste is used by ABC.
For more information see: www.resourceco.com.au.
Wind farm tour. Venue and date TBA, probably a Sunday. Get up close to the generators and hear from the experts how they work and what they contribute to SA’s electricity supply.
For either tour contact Stewart Martin at: stewart.martin@unisa.edu.au or 8302 3048.
Climate Futures lecture series explores how society can adapt to climate change. Wednesdays at 5-7pm in the Horace Lamb Lecture Theatre, University of Adelaide North Terrace. Dates and topic are:
* 8 April Options for carbon capture and storage Convenor: Professor John Kaldi
* 29 April Living on the edge – Human responses to climate change Convenor: Emeritus Professor Martin Williams
* 6 May People, culture and religion Convenor: Dr Paul Babie
* 13 May Impacts of climate change – Challenges for rural communities Convenor: Dr Peter Hayman
* 20 May The carbon economy Convenor: Professor Christopher Findlay
* 27 May Emergency response – Can we cope? Convenor: Dr Peng Bi
* 2 June Climate futures (Tuesday, 6-8 pm) Convenor: Dr Steven Cork
Email: environment@adelaide.edu.au.
Archicentre free seminars. Archicentre has a large and diverse program of free seminars about building design and renovation for energy/water efficiency and other aspects of home ownership throughout 2009 at various locations. For topics, presenters, venues, dates and times check their website www.archicentre.com.au.
Salisbury Wetlands and the Watershed are now open reguarly for tours of this remarkable stormwater capture, treatment and recycling/reinjection project that has attracted world-wide attention. Check the Salisbury Council website for open times.
The feed-in-tariff petition developed by Energy Matters seeks to lobby the Federal Government for a national FIT based on gross power generation paying renewable energy generators 80 cents per kWh. To check details and sign the petition see: www.feedintariff.com.au.
Mark Parnell of The Greens has introduced a bill to improve the FIT and this is being voted on in the Lower House this Wednesday. Mark asks anyone who wishes to support this initiative to contact their state MP see: www.parliament.sa.gov.au.
Regards
Alan Strickland
ATA SA Branch Convenor
alanmarg@cobweb.com.au
ph 0419 813 965
