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Dec. 4th, 2005 05:47 pm
Walk Against Warming
Well, yesterday's Walk Against Warming in the Sydney CBD didn't appear to catch much mainstream media attention, but from where I was trotting along, holding a Greens placard, it was a good event, well-attended and including demonstrations of both wind and solar energy (banners catch wind, to the point of being ripped out of peoples' hands, and gaffer tape melts in direct sunlight).
Things kicked off at 11.00am, the initial gathering at Town Hall being addressed by Cate Faehrmann of the Nature Conservation Council of NSW, who pointed out what a vital set of alliances had been involved in organising the event and which were represented here today: among them the Greens (MP Ian Cohen also addressed the gathering), Greenpeace and Labor (principally L.E.A.N. but MP Tanya Pliberseck was the second speaker). During his speech, Ian said that during the week he had asked, in Parliament, which Members intended to come to the event. Tony Abbot had responded he was going to come, holding a banner in support of nuclear energy. Perhaps fortunately, Mr Abbot was nowhere to be seen.
Traffic was stopped for us along George, Park and Elizabeth Streets. There seemed to be some resentment but nothing overt, and most of the captive audience seemed rather amused and entertained. The procession was headed by a massive solar-headed puppet that was wheeled along, waving its hands and scaring dogs and small children. There were banners and flags aplenty, people held up windmills and ever smaller children, and some sang. I noted that the Lane Cove Bushland & Conservation Society had quite a presence, with placards reading, "Desalination. It's a waste." Photos are here:
http://www.moz.net.nz/photo/2005/12/03-waw/index.php
At the Archibald Fountain were stalls manned by the Greens, Greenpeace, Origin Energy, who were giving away energy-efficient lightbulbs and Climate Action Network Australia, who were arranging for people to switch to green electricity (that is, a percentage of the electricity provided in NSW by Energy Australia is guaranteed to have been bought from our nascent wind farms and biomass producers, and the idea is that the more people who sign up for this option, the bigger the percentage will have to be to accomodate them). The promised petition banner urging the government to ratify the Kyoto Protocol was there, 2 x10m by my estimate, the magnificent scrolled calligraphy of the top held up on canes by volunteers rotating throughout the event. The crowd were addressed by further speakers, including representatives from Catholic Earthcare and the Institute for Sustainable Futures, with entertainment provided by Sydney band Waiting for Guinness and my favourite electric string quartet Fourplay. The crowds began to disperse at 2.00pm.
If there was an overall theme to the event, it was making global warming a major issue for the 2007 elections. And of course, it was only one of many across Australia and indeed the world this weekend. There will be follow up events, including a demonstration at Sydney University to encourage the administration to switch to Green power, and the banner is to tour, collecting more signatures, before being presented to John Howard next year.
Things kicked off at 11.00am, the initial gathering at Town Hall being addressed by Cate Faehrmann of the Nature Conservation Council of NSW, who pointed out what a vital set of alliances had been involved in organising the event and which were represented here today: among them the Greens (MP Ian Cohen also addressed the gathering), Greenpeace and Labor (principally L.E.A.N. but MP Tanya Pliberseck was the second speaker). During his speech, Ian said that during the week he had asked, in Parliament, which Members intended to come to the event. Tony Abbot had responded he was going to come, holding a banner in support of nuclear energy. Perhaps fortunately, Mr Abbot was nowhere to be seen.
Traffic was stopped for us along George, Park and Elizabeth Streets. There seemed to be some resentment but nothing overt, and most of the captive audience seemed rather amused and entertained. The procession was headed by a massive solar-headed puppet that was wheeled along, waving its hands and scaring dogs and small children. There were banners and flags aplenty, people held up windmills and ever smaller children, and some sang. I noted that the Lane Cove Bushland & Conservation Society had quite a presence, with placards reading, "Desalination. It's a waste." Photos are here:
http://www.moz.net.nz/photo/2005/12/03-waw/index.php
At the Archibald Fountain were stalls manned by the Greens, Greenpeace, Origin Energy, who were giving away energy-efficient lightbulbs and Climate Action Network Australia, who were arranging for people to switch to green electricity (that is, a percentage of the electricity provided in NSW by Energy Australia is guaranteed to have been bought from our nascent wind farms and biomass producers, and the idea is that the more people who sign up for this option, the bigger the percentage will have to be to accomodate them). The promised petition banner urging the government to ratify the Kyoto Protocol was there, 2 x10m by my estimate, the magnificent scrolled calligraphy of the top held up on canes by volunteers rotating throughout the event. The crowd were addressed by further speakers, including representatives from Catholic Earthcare and the Institute for Sustainable Futures, with entertainment provided by Sydney band Waiting for Guinness and my favourite electric string quartet Fourplay. The crowds began to disperse at 2.00pm.
If there was an overall theme to the event, it was making global warming a major issue for the 2007 elections. And of course, it was only one of many across Australia and indeed the world this weekend. There will be follow up events, including a demonstration at Sydney University to encourage the administration to switch to Green power, and the banner is to tour, collecting more signatures, before being presented to John Howard next year.