AEGN

Small organisations doing big work for the climate

26 October 2020

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One of the lovely responsibilities of the AEGN is to sit on the selection committee for the Small Grants Program at Climate Action Network Australia. 

The Climate Action Network Australia (CANA) Small Grants Program is designed to resource CANA members to run high impact, low cost organising projects around climate action and solutions. It supports small projects that educate and organise new or diverse voices to advocate for a rapid transformation to net zero emissions, in accordance with principles of climate justice. 

The Program is funded by the Robert Hicks Foundation and grants from $500 to $10,000 are available to individuals and organisations. Briar Stevens, of Equity Trustees, oversees the program on behalf of the Robert Hicks Foundation. 

The recipients

The selection committee recently announced the successful recipients of the latest round (round 6). From a competitive field, projects were selected that: Organise diverse constituencies (such as regional, Indigenous, health professionals and coal communities); are in geographies where there is a current gap in the movement; are innovative or creative; and have a strong follow up plan. Eight small organisations succeeded in receiving grants for projects which will be undertaken in the coming 12 months:

  • The Climate and Health Alliance will recruit and train health professionals in Western Australia as powerful climate advocates to secure policy commitments towards a net-zero future ahead of the upcoming Western Australian election
  • Doctors for the Environment Australia will partner with the Change Agency to build the campaigning and organising capacity of members across Australia 
  • Environs Kimberley will work with Traditional Owners and other locals in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia to build support for community renewables projects
  • Friends of Latrobe Water will organise community members in the coal region of the Latrobe Valley, Victoria, around the impact of the coal industry on local water resources 
  • Healthy Futures will bring together staff from Australian hospitals and other large health organisations to introduce them to the financial and environmental benefits of renewable energy Power Purchasing Agreements
  • Cairns and Far North Environment Centre will train tourism operators, farmers and other locals to be community advocates for climate action in far north Queensland
  • Arlene McInherny and other Birpai traditional owners will create the djagal yaangi food trail – educating locals about native plants, eating with seasons and food security and sovereignty in the context of a changing climate.
  • The Community Power Agency willempower community energy groups to advocate for a significant National Community Energy Plan from the Federal Government.

These exciting and innovative projects organise new and diverse voices to advocate for a rapid transformation to net-zero emissions using the principles of climate justice. You can read about them in more detail in the table below. 

The quality and diversity of applications was very high. The Committee received 27 applications seeking funds totalling over $156,408, although had only $50,000 to distribute. Preference was given to organisations that had less opportunity to raise funds for their work and those that had built on learnings from previous grants.

If you would like to read more about the program, you can visit the CANA website.

Overview of recipients from CANA

Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA)

Western Australian election: Health for Climate Action

This project will recruit and train health professionals as powerful climate advocates and secure policy commitments towards a net-zero future ahead of the Western Australian election. CAHA will recruit a cohort of Western Australia based health professionals and run an online training program to equip them with the skills and knowledge they require to confidently advocate for climate action. CAHA will support the group in writing an election briefing on Climate and Health, and secure media coverage of its launch and interviews with local health spokespeople. CAHA will distribute the briefing to election candidates, and support the group to hold lobbying meetings with the Health Minister and local candidates.

Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA)

Mobilising doctors for climate action

This project will build the campaigning capacity of DEA members.

The Change Agency will deliver a tailored train-the-trainer program for 10-12 DEA members with campaigning experience. Participants will work with The Chang Agency trainers to develop four modules, including technical training for online pedagogy. They will pilot the workshops with each other, debrief and reflect. After the training, DEA’s Campaigns Committee will provide ongoing support for the group to train DEA’s broader membership, focusing on key marginal electorates. Briefings will articulate how climate change disproportionately affects the health of marginalised people, exacerbating inequality.

Environs Kimberley

Community Renewables Project

We plan to connect with Broome community, using Environs Kimberley networks, to educate and organise locals on recent renewables opportunities and announcements that have been made about the future energy mix of the Kimberley region. Through a series of webinars and educational updates, we can begin to engage and organise a diverse community to form a group to advocate locally for a rapid transition towards renewable energy away from fossil fuels. We then aim to facilitate and train the group to become self-sustaining over a six month period, to form their own goals and collectively deliver wins.

Friends of Latrobe Water

Friends of Latrobe Water

Friends of Latrobe Water is a newly launched group working across the Latrobe Valley, Central and East Gippsland. We are concerned about the impact of the coal industry on local water sources. We are activating community members on issues around the proposals to use local water sources for mine rehabilitation as well as groundwater contamination from the current and historic mining and burning of brown coal.

We would use this grant funding to support us to help communicate the problems of mine rehabilitation and groundwater contamination to the broader Gippsland community through developing a website and visual communication products.

Healthy Futures

Repower Health – Large Scale Renewables

We intend to organise an online workshop bringing together executive and administrative staff from Australian hospitals and other large health organisations to introduce them to the financial and environmental benefits of renewable energy Power Purchasing Agreements (PPAs). We also hope to organise further education and support for these institutions to secure PPAs, in partnership with the Business Renewables Centre Australia, World Wildlife Fund and other relevant experts, with a view to publicise secured PPAs to demonstrate the Australian health sector’s support for clean energy.

Community Power Agency

Activate regional voices to win a National Community Energy Plan

We aim to empower community energy groups to win a significant National Community Energy Plan from the Federal Government. The policy has been developed by Independent MP Helen Haines in consultation with Community Power Agency and others in the sector. Specifically we will:

  • Develop a short community energy advocacy toolkit including a campaign webpage, the policy ask and tips and advice to support community members to meet their Member of Parliament
  • Host a webinar to outline the campaign and build buy-in to the strategy to win
  • Organise a distributed day of action to create a media story showing widespread support for the policy including creating a campaign video.
Cairns and Far North Environment Centre

Climate Change Pro-activists Far North Queensland

We have established a core trainer group of local leaders by recruiting and activating eight individuals with different backgrounds and experiences, who are deeply embedded in their community and passionate about creating collective change for social and environmental justice. In Stage 1 of the program we are galvanising and leveraging collaborative action through the provision of campaigning and advocacy training to these core-trainers across disparate environmentally and socially aware groups. Stage 2 involves disseminating training to the broad-based community via the core trainers to create a regional networked movement of people. CANA funds will support Stage 2 from end 2020.

Arlene McInherny

Djagal yaangi food trail

Create signage with QR codes that maps local native food plants. Food plants will be mapped in the local area. This will be driven by Birpai traditional owners in educating about native plants, eating with seasons and food security and sovereignty.

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