Beechworth Sustainability

By Charlie Robinson

I’m tiring of the word “sustainability”.  It must be one of the most over-used words in our lexicon and every politician and company executive must be on a mission to include this word in at least every second sentence or press release.

I watch “lifestyle” shows that describe the construction of so-called sustainable homes where the owners have gone into crippling bank debt, family borrowings and maxed-out credit cards to pay for it.  Sustainable? Hardly. Sustainability should include financial factors as well as other impacts when describing an entity, whether it be a building or a way of life.

When accepting two recent awards on behalf of Beechworth Sustainability, I mentioned that even our title is purely aspirational and bears no resemblance to the lifestyles of its members or those who we seek to motivate and inspire. All of us waste too much water, use too much power, and drive cars as if our oil supplies were as abundant  as our coal reserves.  On the other hand, we do very little to store and conserve our water, few of us grow our own fruit and vegetables, and we are only just beginning to realise the benefits of solar and other alternative energies.

Since my article on food shortages in our region (June 2009), the big dry has claimed the bulk of this year’s wheat and canola crops in western Victoria and NSW (for some farmers, the tenth consecutive failure), and the Victorian dairy industry is on the brink of collapse following poor rainfalls and crippling commodity prices.  A local politician recently speculated that we may soon be importing our whole milk from New Zealand.

Where is the investment in renewable energy?  ABC’s Four Corners program of 14 September revealed the futility of the government’s investment in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology and the very next day the largest solar power array in Australia went into receivership – what an unfortunate juxtaposition of events.  Sustainable energy?  Phooey!!
Despite the bleeding obvious evidence of our demise into potential chaos, I see very little corresponding evidence that people are “joining the dots” and taking the hard decisions necessary for their future survival. I continue to see overseas holidays, new cars, and plasma TVs taking precedence over water tanks, solar power systems, and fruit and vegetable gardens.  The only ray of hope I’ve witnessed lately is the news that chickens have doubled in price on the back of increased demand for backyard chook runs, even in Melbourne.  And Yates announced a few months ago that the sale of their vegetable seeds had risen 35% - pity they’re now owned by Monsanto!

If you’re taking the high moral ground because you’ve converted to low wattage light bulbs or low flow shower heads, you may be smoking hemp rather than wearing it – the changes we are all required to make to survive will need real sacrifice (even foregoing the third car) and commitment.  This means setting financial priorities which may require keeping the old banger for one more year and buying a water tank instead, or (heaven forbid) delaying the holiday in Acapulco and using the savings to purchase a solar hot water system.  It amazes me that people will incur debts of $30,000 or more to buy the latest Commodore but flinch at purchasing a grid-connect PV system because the Government rebate has reduced.

Finances are hardly an issue with growing your own food – next month our group will be conducting its annual seed swapping day. Keep an eye on our calendar for more details.  Our tomato seedlings are doing well and should be ready to plant outside once the danger of frosts has passed.  These seeds were saved from last year’s plantings of heritage tomatoes and we can continue this practise in perpetuity.  You can do the same with peas, beans, capsicums, carrots, brassicas and corn.  Once you can grow your own food, and swap seeds with your friends and neighbours, you are well on the way to real sustainability.