Earth Hour and People's Blockade this weekend

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Two of the local environmental groups, Transition Towns and Rising Tide have exciting events this weekend, details below.

 

Be a light in the darkness this Earth Hour, Saturday 27th March

 

 

Earth Hour 2010

Bring a picnic, family and friends and join us to celebrate Earth Hour on top of Braye Park, Waratah and watch to see if the people of Newcastle switch off their lights.

The BYO picnic is planned from 5.30pm in the playground area, where all manner of activities for kids and big kids will take place: facepainting, puppet making and flag making, and lots of music.

Of particular interest to all the permies, tinnies, HOG, CANners and general greenies out there will be the speakers corner kicking off at about 6.30pm, when we’ll hear inspiring stories from our own local eco heroes:

  • Kate Beveridge will describe a day in the life of Purple Pear Biodynamic Farm including the Community Supported Agriculture box scheme, and how the simple life can be something to celebrate;
  • Climate Action Newcastle’s bulk solar king, Ian Wilcox, will show us what a difference a small group of people can have when they commit to change more than their own behaviour
  • Craig Manhood, the man behind the fabulous Fig Tree Community Garden will tell us their wonderful story.
  • We are also hoping that Brett Cooper will be there to recount his amazing journey in urban food growing.
  • Also that someone from Newcastle Astonomical Society will be there to inform us of the wonders of the clear night sky!

Just before Earth Hour a Pied Piper will lead the procession to the top of the hill where we can fly our flags of resolution and sing our hearts out as the lights around Newcastle are switched off. And remember, if you'd like to be a wandering minstrel or perform on the night, we'd love to hear from you.

Bring along lanterns, candles or solar powered lights as well as any interesting recycled bits and pieces for the puppet-making. Oh and the Aeroguard of course.

The top road will be closed to traffic. Parking is available in the streets around the park and the bottom carpark at the top of Platt Street, near the mater Hospital.

For more information visit www.transitionnewcastle.org.au or email transitionnc@optusnet.com.au

In the event of bad weather please check out website for announcement.

 

 

 

People's Blockade of the World's Biggest Coal Port

 

What's happening?

Hundreds of people will peacefully occupy Newcastle Harbour, and prevent the passage of coal ships. This will be the fifth action of its kind in Newcastle. No one has ever been arrested. At the last, in March 2009, we successfully stopped all ship movements in the harbour for the day. 

 

The blockade will begin at 10 and go for the rest of the day. If you can't make it for the whole event, come down for as long as can manage. 

As well as the action on the water, there'll be plenty happening on the shore. Good food will be available by donation. There will be music, and a small number of speakers including Richard Denniss from the Australia Institute, and Greens parliamentarian Lee Rhiannon.

There'll also be a ceremony of home made rafts! Check out the funky floating masterpieces, and enter your own creation.


What about boats?

Bring your canoe, kayak, tinnie, surfboard, whatever pleasure craft you like. Don't have your own boat, and don't fancy yourself a raft-maker? That's fine. Rising Tide is organising as many kayaks as we can, and making them available for general use. If you have access to a multitude of kayaks, please get in touch!

Among the participants in this year's blockade will be a 71 foot yacht.

What about safety?

There will be fast rescue boats, generously provided and operated by Greenpeace. If you get into trouble, someone will save you. We will also have a first aid tent on shore.

So, where is it, exactly?

Horseshoe Beach is behind Nobbys Beach, facing into the harbour. When travelling east along Scott Street, turn left at Newcastle Station, into Watt Street. Then right at the roundabout, onto Wharf Road. Travel along there for about half a kilometre before turning left onto Horseshoe Beach Road, also known as Pasha Way. Then a quick left again, follow that road to the end and then you are there. Here it is on google maps.


Why should we blockade the coal port?

Now, more than ever, we need to be turning up the heat on the coal industry, and their friends in government. The export coal industry is Australia's single biggest, and fastest growing contribution to the global climate crisis. 

Newcastle, already the world's biggest coal port, is opening a major new coal export terminal over the course of this year, bringing the export capacity of the Hunter Valley coal chain to an incredible 178 million tonnes of coal per annum. That's the climate change equivalent of 30 Bayswater Power Stations.  Within ten years, the coal corporations plan on exporting more than 300 million tonnes of coal per annum - a tripling of current export capacity.

Tripling coal exports means tripling coal mining. As Newcastle coal exports boom, more precious bushland will be razed, more waterways polluted, more communities ripped apart as the transnational coal companies carve their way westwards into the Liverpool Plains. The profits will be exported, but the devastation will stay here in the Hunter. The catastrophic effects of climate change will hurt all around the world.

This madness has to stop. The climate crisis is deepening, and time is fast running out. Politicians are failing to take action against the rampant coal companies, so we have to do it ourselves. 

Hundreds of people will be doing just that in Newcastle on 28th March, and we'd love you to join us. We'll be taking to the harbour in a big way, occupying the world's biggest coal port with a mass of people, and demanding:

  • an immediate ban on the expansion of the coal industry in Australia,

  • a swift phase out of coal, replacing all coal industry jobs with jobs in renewable energy and other sustainable industries.

For further information see Risingtide.org.au

 

 

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