Beyond the Bitumen

Dear readers,

Welcome to the autumn issue of Earth Garden. What a summer season it’s been for so many readers! No rainfall, bushfires, power blackouts, parched gardens and the constant slop of shower water bucketed out onto the garden (how’s your back?).

It seems as though mainstream Australia has awoken with a bang to some of the issues Earth Gardeners have been tackling for years. Al Gore’s documentary movie, An Inconvenient Truth, has been a major catalyst for many people. So it’s a relief to see people — many for the first time — thinking about where their power comes from, where their water comes from, and whether the sources of life’s basic commodities are sustainable. Environment groups are reporting a huge upswing in interest from the general public and Earth Garden’s circulation has been steadily rising in the past six months or more (and we thought it was all that hard work and colour we’re introducing – hmmph!).

At the same time as climate change has become an issue that mainstream Australia is beginning to consider, ‘user pays’ water bills and the drought have focussed people’s minds on water conservation too. The days of just turning on a tap — or turning on a switch — and ‘Mother Nature’ providing seem to be gone. We are all thinking carefully about how we generate our power and provide our water needs.

I suppose the big challenge in all this is to make sure that this general community concern gets translated into practical action by our politicians. How to do we translate community concern into worthwhile rebates for people who go solar, install water tanks, build super-insulated homes and minimise their ‘carbon footprint’? Even better, how do we make sure that these things are ‘normal’ and not just what Earth Gardeners strive to do? The good news is that very capable environment groups like the Australian Conservation Foundation, The Wilderness Society and the conservation councils in each State are busier than they’ve ever been, securing agreements with State governments, local councils, and companies to help turn Australia green.

I remember that the last big upswing in environmental concern — at the end of the 1980s — was also an exciting time. Membership of environment groups grew exponentially and some very important areas of natural beauty — forests, rivers and coastlines — were saved from bulldozers. But this time it feels different because back then — even though people know about global warming — there was no serious action on renewable energy, fuel alternatives or water conservation. I’m an optimist so I’m hopeful that this time the upswing will mean lasting change to help our environment, radically reduce carbon emissions, and lead to more sustainable water use.

We can help make the most of this upswing with three simple actions this year: ring our local electricity provider and switch to 100 per cent government-accredited Green power; join an environment group to amplify the lobbying effort to turn our politicians green; and in forthcoming elections, vote for candidates who will genuinely put the environment first.

The good things that Earth Gardeners enjoy practising in their everyday lives, like a measure of self-sufficiency, are now more important than ever because they show practical, positive examples to more consumerist Australians. An Earth Garden lifestyle shows people that you don’t have to have a miserable repetitive existence, desperately trying to eke out that last half-rotten spud from an overworked vegie garden. This media stereotype we’re all familiar with is one that is slowly breaking down in the current ‘upswing’ because the sorts of eco-friendly living practices we all enjoy are becoming mainstream themselves.

It’s becoming more common to hear of film stars and celebrities building their new dream home with water tanks, solar panels, and passive solar design. And who doesn’t compost, or at least sort their recyclables these days? As Jill Redwood quite rightly points out on page 40, this is, of course, just the start.

But let’s make sure we don’t get smug about this. I have no time for the self-satisfied view: “Well, it’s about time the rest of Australia caught on”. That attitude does nothing to save the world. We can enjoy the fact that other Australians are making the switch to a more sustainable lifestyle but they may even provide a challenge to some of us: if ‘green living’ is now mainstream, how do we distinguish ourselves from the mainstream? Maybe we don’t need to!

I hope the articles in this issue will help your Earth Garden lifestyle flourish.

Happy reading,