Six steps to a sustainable energy future

1. Buy clean power
2. Reduce your energy use
3. Influence politics
4. Persuade your friends and family to act
5. Publicly support initiatives that help combat climate change
6. Support the Zero Emissions Campaign

1. Buy clean power

The first step we ask you to take is to pick up a phone, ring your electricity provider, and ask to go on 100% Green Power from a wind or solar source. By taking this small step, you directly support clean power production and your home electricity use no longer produces greenhouse gasses.

If your electricity provider doesn't have a green energy option, contact one of the companies listed below and talk to them about it.

Futureenergy.org recommends 100% Wind or 100% Solar contracts, as the electricity is sourced on your behalf from the cleanest possible generating sources, at the same time stimulating investment in new renewables ahead of coal and gas.

2. Reduce your energy use

If we're going achieve a sustainable energy future, people must begin to use less energy.

Our Energy Efficient House pages offer ideas on reducing energy use at home.

Transport is another big energy user. Options here include walking, cycling or using public transport. If you need a car, consider the Toyota Prius or Honda Civic, new hybrid petrol electric cars that consume much less fuel than a normal car. If you're more adventurous, consider converting a diesel engine to biodiesel.

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3. Influence politics

One reason that our environment is in such poor shape is that both major parties have chosen to ignore it as an issue.

Not until the Greens primary vote approached 6% in the 2001 federal election did Liberal and Labor once again take notice of the environment.

As it will most likely be at the political level where the changes are implemented to mitigate the climate crisis on a global scale, it's vital that this trend continues.

To help keep the environment on the agenda, you can contribute your voice to the debate by visiting or writing to your local politician Better still, change the way you vote. Learn to vote for the environment.

Visit your local pollie
Pollies love visits from real people, so book meetings now. Tell them you wish to discuss climate change. Consider bringing up the following points.

• Take a look at the climate crisis pages and pick a few of the adverse climate trends that worry you. Suggest a visit to the United nations environment program web site www.grida.no, so they can find out for themselves (they probably doesn't know too much about the issue - but we'll change that).
• Tell them about some of the ways to generate clean power and support energy use reduction (see our house and transport pages for information on cutting energy use).
• Tell them that their political party is not doing enough. Make it clear that unless the party improves its climate change policy, at the next election you'll vote green and preference the other party ahead of them.
• Tell them that if we're going to help mitigate climate change, we will ultimately need to move to a zero greenhouse gas emission economy and establish large carbon sinks for atmospheric carbon, and we'll need to act as fast as possible.

Click here for links to Australian political parties' energy policies. A list of plusses and minuses of their policies is under development.

Write to your local pollie
If face-to-face isn't for you, write your local politician a letter or send an email. Letters and emails can also be sent to ministers, shadow ministers, premiers and (especially) the Prime Minister. Express your concerns using the above guide. Try our list of pollie email addresses.

Change the way you vote
Only when 6% of Australians switched to voiting Green did the environment rebound onto the political agenda. If we want climate change and other environmental issues to stay on the agenda, we need to modify the way we vote! Learn how to vote for the environment.

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4. Persuade your friends and family to act

We will only stop global warming and save the environment if we can get a critical mass of people to start doing what we've described above.

By persuading your family and friends to change over to clean power, to use less energy, and to vote for the environment, we can reach this critical mass sooner.

For example, if enough people demand energy-efficient products, the market will respond by producing more, better and cheaper products.

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5. Publicly support initiatives that help to combat climate change

Stickers
We have a variety of stickers that are available for pick up at our office. Suite 10, Kindness House, 288 Brunswick St, Fitzroy 3065.

Media
It's important for people who wish to support clean energy and help stop climate change to voice their opinions as strongly as possible in the media. Whenever climate change or energy issues surface, ring the talkback radio station you listen to, or write a letter to a newspaper.

The Herald Sun: hsletters@heraldsun.com.au
The Sunday Herald Sun: sundayhs@heraldsun.com.au
The Age: letters@theage.com.au

All letters must be inline and not sent as attachments.

6. Support the Zero Emissions Campaign

The bottom line is that there is already too much carbon and green house gases in the atmosphere, and if we are to have a reasonable chance of avoid a runway climate change event we must reduce levels of atmospheric Greenhouse gases. You can support this campaign directly by supporting the Beyond Zero Emissions "Zero Minus" campaign.

There are lots of ways you can support Beyond Zero Emissions;

1. Volunteer.
2. Donate
3. Organise a talk for you local area/school/business etc
4. Set up a local Zero Minus group in your area


If you belong to a group they can consider joining the Zero Emissions Network

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