Launch of 100% Renewable energy campaign

29th April 2010

Hobart climate activists to take part in national launch of 100% Renewable energy campaign

An exciting campaign calling for 100% Renewable Energy will be launched on Sunday 2nd May in communities across Australia.

Hobart community members will be holding a renewable energy banner up to the Welcome to Hobart sign near the Regatta grounds on the Brooker Highway at 12 noon on Sunday 2nd May, calling on politicians to do more.

“With all our existing hydro and wind power and great wind resources, our state should be able to achieve 100% renewable electricity sooner than the other Australian states,” said Climate Action Hobart member Susan Austin. “But at the moment, we are importing large amounts of dirty coal power from Victoria. We are calling on our newly-formed state government to get serious about electricity conservation auditing, pricing measures and regulations as well as asking them to assist in funding the Musselroe Bay wind farm project.”

Climate Action Hobart launched its climate policy benchmarks for Tasmania called Ten Steps for a Safe Climate in January this year. One of these steps is for Tasmania to work towards becoming a Renewable Energy Island with 100% Renewable Electricity by 2020.

“We are pleased that this call is being echoed around the country, with more than 60 groups signing on to launch this new national campaign. We are also excited about the launch of the preview of the Beyond Zero Emissions “Zero Carbon Australia 2020 Stationary Energy Plan” (available at http://media.beyondzeroemissions.org/preview-exec-sum14.pdf ) which puts forward a well researched, technically sound way for Australia to achieve this transformation”, Austin said.

Phil Harrington from Climate Action Hobart said: “We are excited that Greens MP and leader Nick McKim has been given the climate change portfolio and call on him to push these clean energy initiatives forwards. We also want to make it clear that burning our carbon-dense native forests does not in any way constitute renewable electricity and we would like to see the government take any forest furnaces off the drawing board. Real renewable electricity, such as from the proposed Musselroe wind farm, would be a win-win for us all when it comes to jobs, the environment and the economy.”

From Brisbane to Ballarat, Cairns to Canberra community groups are taking action locally. Support for renewable energy is widespread because it makes sense.

“Right now Australia faces a choice,” said 100% Renewable spokesperson Lindsay Soutar from Sydney. “We can continue our dependence on fossil fuels, mining and burning coal, polluting our air and water, damaging our farmland and health, and making an unstable climate or we can make the switch to 100% renewable energy.”
Susan Austin