In July 2010 a team of nine Nepali women have begin the first international leg of a tour that will see them climb seven of the highest peaks on each of the seven continents. On successfully climbing all seven summits they will be setting a world record for being the largest team to do so.
The team will be using their expedition to highlight the urgent issue of climate change, and they are currently in Australia.
Check here for extra information and itinerary.
Melbourne, 10 June, 2010. Protect Our Winters (POW), the global environmental foundation founded in 2007 by legendary pro snowboarder Jeremy Jones, is broadening their reach this winter by opening a local chapter in Australia.
Protect Our Winters (POW) is a US-based non-profit organisation dedicated to reversing the global warming crisis by uniting and mobilising the global winter sports community. Jeremy has witnessed first-hand the impact of climate change on our mountains.
“POW was founded on the idea that if we harness our collective energy and put forth a focused effort, the winter sports community can have a direct influence on minimizing the damage that’s been done and ensure that winters are here for generations behind us”, said Jones.
Full report here.
“I’ve been a few things in my life – teacher, scholar, activist, candidate and Member of Parliament – but like most people I have ended up as a consultant….”
“It might be too late to change the world, but its a way of life for me. At the broad scale, I am pessimistic about the future of our planet and the wellbeing of its creatures, including us”.
“But I am heartened to see small groups of people everywhere making a difference, taking their local futures into their own hands. Groups of people well networked, sharing fun as well as work, whether its in Transition Towns type of movements, Boobook Declarations, producers markets, organic farming or community working bees are what is going to make the difference. Politicians seem pretty disinterested and unaware of rural communities, so they are likely to leave us alone to get on with it!”
You can read the story here.
Mt Stirling, adjacent to Mt Buller, is a unique natural landscape with dramatic vistas of Victoria’s alpine area.
Popular with cross-country skiers, bushwalkers, campers and school groups, it is also home to many threatened plant and animal species.
The Victorian National Parks Association has launched a push for the Mt Stirling area to be managed as a national park by linking it to the Alpine National Park and handing its management to Parks Victoria.
It can then be managed as an integral part of Victoria’s largest national park, improving ecological management, recreation experiences and the overall integrity of our alpine region.
You can find a fact sheet and details on how to take action here.
A profile of legendary activist Charley Daniel.
The hill country of East Gippsland is probably not the place where you would expect to find an environmentally friendly printing service. But in the small township of W Tree, north of Buchan, Charley and his partner Jenny Doran have been running their specialty printing business for many years.
Charley has spent his life successfully fighting for the environment. He has a deep and passionate commitment to change through individual action. He has expressed this through his activism and his printing business for decades now.
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You can find the profile here.
“The forces of destruction grow exponentially, like compound interest. It is my hope that we can make the trends to sustainability also grow exponentially, at a higher rate. If we can do this, there may be a future.
Can we prevent disaster? No, because it has already started. The 173 Victorians killed by the Black Saturday fires were killed by climate change.
We can mitigate climate change, reduce the generation of deadly pollutants, nourish and maintain soil and water and other essentials of life. We can work to adapt life to cope with the changes that are inevitably on the way, that are here already. As I said, if the growth toward sanity can overtake the current growth toward insanity, then we have a hope of salvaging something, of creating the seed of a decent future.
But this needs a complete culture change. It means rejecting greed as the primary motive force.
We can do it in principle. In practice?”
The full interview is here.
Out beyond the Bogong High Plains, and about a 45 minute drive north of Omeo is the lovely valley of Glen Wills. This small community is increasingly gaining a reputation as a place where low impact eco tourism provides a reliable income for locals. From ski touring and walking on the High Plains to rafting on the Mitta Mitta and a range of other activities, Glen Valley is a real oasis.
We are currently working with some local land owners and tourism operators to get a number of logging coupes removed from the cutting schedule. This is partly because there will be considerable visual impacts along a section of the Alpine Walking Track (the major trail that goes from Walhalla to Canberra) and also because there are plans to harvest directly above the water supply of the Glen Wills Mountain Retreat.
Please check here for details on a letter you can send to the Minister for Climate Change and Environment, Gavin Jennings.
Many thanks.
The following is an opinion piece from snowboarding legend Jeremy Jones. This has been widely published in newspapers across the USA.
Here in Victoria, we have a promise from the state government to deliver a Climate Change Bill.
If prominent Australian skiers and boarders expressed this type of sentiment – and followed up with activism – it would bring a new dimension, perspective and sense of urgency to the climate change debate here.
Check here to read Jeremy’s letter.
The Buffalo Plateau is a wonderful granite plateau that sits out to the north west from the main ranges of the Victorian Alps.
At present there is consultation going on about plans to build a ‘skyway’ up on to the Buffalo Plateau (no definite route has yet been selected).
Check here for details and a poll on whether you think it’s a good idea.
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