news & views - Australian Greens

Autumn 2007 ISSUE 22 PAGE 2
This edition links with the previous two editions on energy
and climate change. These were critical of the failure of
Australian governments which have presided over many wasted
opportunities in areas like energy efficiency and renewable
energy. This same period has also seen wasted opportunities in
terms of organizing our living patterns and communities along
more sustainable lines. There has certainly been no shortage
of challenges to the quality of people’s lives by ill-considered
and unsustainable development projects but the community
opposition to these has usually been piecemeal or NIMBY in
nature rather than resulting in grassroots action for sustainable
forms of living and community development. There are also
widespread examples of popular adoption of unsustainable
practices. The popularity of cars and air conditioning over the
last decade is a testimony to this.
This is likely to change dramatically in the next few years as
people everywhere respond to current environmental challenges
and realize that only new ways of organising social life and
resources can effectively combat global warming. Citizens facing
prolonged drought and water shortages begin to realize that the
water they use in their homes is connected to and dependent on
a finite resource that also underpins the environmental health of
their region. They therefore adjust their consumption patterns.
In our home city of Brisbane residents are responding to a serious
drought and rapidly declining dam levels by making the building
and installation of rain water tanks one of the busiest local
industries. Likewise, energy efficient practices and technologies
are being integrated into people’s lifestyles as the consciousness
of the need for everyone to do their bit to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions takes quantum leaps.
editorial
However, this edition of Green takes the view that
living sustainably has many more benefits than simply
responding to environmental threats. The ecological
imperative actually provides us with the opportunity to
introduce more collectivist, human-centered approaches
to living in communities that accords better with meeting
human needs than the rampant consumerism that has
characterised capitalism in the developed world over the
last half-century.
This view is articulated in this edition by John Hillcoat
and Brian Hoepper who argue that modern consumerism
is not only environmentally irresponsible and socially
unjust on a global scale but also undermines those
bonds of community solidarity that help make life
more meaningful. Peter Cock, a veteran of Australian
intentional communities, argues that an alternative mode
of living which he and others pioneered in the seventies
remains as relevant as ever. John Tracey explains that
Indigenous culture can inform the goal of sustainable
living even in such an embattled community as Palm
Island. Sharon Beder reminds us that living a sustainable
lifestyle is not as simple as buying some carbon credits.
And three important articles provide practical insights
into living more sustainably in everyday life - Kathleen
Maltzahn and Andrea Sharam describe local water
management in Melbourne, Lori Puster advocates and
explains ‘energy services’ and David Wyatt unveils
dramatically more sustainable paper production.
We would also remind readers that we encourage goodnatured
debate through our letters page like the response
here by Ralph Cooper to Mark Diesendorf’s article in
Green #21 . Please feel free to send us your contributions.
We would also like to thank those members who send in
book reviews.
Drew Hutton and Brian Hoepper