Archive:   The Big Switch & ACF "Consumption Atlas"

Last Updated  24/2/08

Go to the latest Big Switch message : Tell Your Politicians

Go to the Big Switch www.thebigswitch.org.au

See MRRA story about politicians in our area & how to contact them

Go to the Australian Conservation Foundation's "Consumption Atlas" www.acfonline.org.au

See MRRA story on ACF "Consumption Atlas" & how Macedon Ranges performs

The Big Switch Says How You Can Make A Difference

(10/11/07 - E)  Call to Climate Change Friends - find your action plan

Click here for details.

The Big Switch Asks:  Tell Your Politicians You Care About Climate Change

(11/10/07 - E)  A reminder from Big Switch to check out how your politician responds to climate change

Don't miss your chance to let the people who want your vote know your views on climate change. 

Click here to see The Big Switch's message.  For more information and politician contact details, click here to go to a special Big Switch / Consumption Atlas feature (includes politicians contact information).

Climate Change:  "The Big Switch" Turns The Spotlight On Federal Election Candidates

(7/8/07 - E)  A website where you can take the pledge to act on climate change, and find out where your Federal representatives stand on climate change...

"The Big Switch" is a fast-growing coalition of Australian organisations, businesses and community groups. Its goal is to raise awareness about climate change solutions, by informing Australians about simple lifestyle choices they can make to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.  TBS also aims to let you know where your political leaders stand on this crucial issue. To better inform you, TBS sent federal politicians a survey asking them whether they support key climate change solutions.

"The Big Switch" has support from various environmental organisations, including:

Greenpeace

Nature Conservation Council of NSW

Conservation Council of the South East Region and Canberra

Environment Victoria

Environment Tasmania Inc.

Queensland Conservation

GetUp!

Conservation Council of South Australia

Friends of the Earth

To learn more about The Big Switch, go to www.thebigswitch.org.au

To find out where your politicians stand on climate change, go to www.thebigswitch.org.au click on What are our politicians doing? on the home page.

You can search by the politician's name or the electorate.  The names and electorates of Federal members of parliament in Macedon Ranges Shire are:

Lower House (MHR: Member of the House of Representatives)

Fran Bailey (Lib), Federal MHR for McEwen (south and east parts of the Shire, roughly speaking)  fran.bailey.mp@aph.gov.au

Steve Gibbons (ALP), Federal MHR for Bendigo  (north and west parts of the Shire, roughly speaking)steve.gibbons.mp@aph.gov.au

Upper House (Senate)

To find out more about how political parties in the Senate perform on climate change, go to The Big Switch www.thebigswitch.org.au, go to What are our politicians doing?, then on the right you will see Democracy in Action, click on Your vote and the Senate.  

Senators for Victoria are:  (Note:  4 current senators' terms expire in July 2008 and they will be replaced by 4 new senators)

Lyn Allison (Aust. Democrats), senator.allison@aph.gov.au  (Until July 2008)

Kay Patterson (Lib), senator.kcpatterson@aph.gov.au   (Until July 2008)

Robert Ray (ALP),   senator.ray@aph.gov.au  (Until July 2008)

Rod Kemp (Lib), senator.rod.kemp@aph.gov.au   (Until July 2008)

Jacinta Collins (ALP),  (From July 2008)

David Feeney (ALP),      (From July 2008)

Helen Kroger (Lib),      (From July 2008)

Scott Ryan (Lib),       (From July 2008)

Kim Carr (ALP), senator.carr@aph.gov.au

Stephen Conroy (ALP), senator.conroy@aph.gov.au

Steve Fielding (Family First), senator.fielding@aph.gov.au

Mitch Fifield (Lib), senator.fifield@aph.gov.au

Gavin Marshall (ALP), senator.marshall@aph.gov.au

Julian McGauran (Nat), senator.mcgauran@aph.gov.au

Michael Ronaldson (Lib), senator.ronaldson@aph.gov.au

Judith Troeth (Lib), senator.troeth@aph.gov.au

Australian Conservation Foundation Serves Up "Consumption Atlas" : See How Places Perform On Water Use, Eco-Footprint and Greenhouse Pollution...

(12/7/07 - E) Macedon Ranges isn't performing as well as it should

If you go to the ACF's website (www.acfonline.org.au), you can check on how Macedon Ranges is doing on using resources wisely and treading with a light step on the environment.  The results come packaged in the same format as Australian Bureau of Statistics' census districts, with three sub-areas in the Shire: Kyneton, Romsey and Balance (Gisborne and Woodend).  The figures were prepared through the University of Sydney.  You can read more about how they were arrived at on ACF's website.  Consumption is broken down into a profile of where the biggest impacts are for each category.

MRRA did have a quick look and it seems that as a community we may need to work harder - particularly some of us!

MRRA Says:

Well done Romsey (i.e. Riddells Creek, Romsey, Cherokee, Lancefield, Monegeetta, Darraweit, Bolinda)!!   Kyneton (Kyneton, Malmsbury, Carlsruhe, Tylden, Lauriston, Baynton, Pastoria, Spring Hill) can no doubt improve more and will go further ahead, but cripes, take a look at the Balance area... 

Good grief, you aren't going to let those Romsey-types and Kyneton-types grab the prizes, are you?  A bit of sock-lifting seems in order, so go to it Balance area (Woodend, Gisborne, New Gisborne, South Gisborne, Barringo, Bullengarook, Macedon, Mt. Macedon, Newham, Hesket, and Ashbourne). 

The State of Victoria might want to pull its finger out, as well.