Green ideas pitched and rewarded

CLIMATE action initiatives on the Surf Coast took a different route last weekend after two community-led projects were selected to share in $10,000 as part of council’s first-ever ‘Pitch Fest’.

Anglesea Primary School and Jan Juc Pre School Advisory Committee received more than 180 community votes on Sunday to secure $5,000 each under the Surf Coast Shire’s inaugural Climate Emergency Grants Program.

Mayor Libby Stapleton congratulated the winners, who each had seven minutes to pitch their idea for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mobilising local action on climate change.

“What I love most about this is that community is at the heart of every stage. These are community-led projects, which have been chosen by everyday local people to mobilise others to find solutions to climate change,” she said.

“It was so inspiring to listen to such a diverse array of projects coming from different areas of our community. We have some incredible groups, individuals, businesses, and schools who are all uniquely positioned to respond to the climate emergency.

“These are some really fantastic grassroots projects that will make a real difference and inspire others to make positive changes.”

Anglesea Primary School’s “Ride the Change” project will see the school provide families with access to cargo e-bikes.

The school also proposed working with a local artist to develop a safe cycling map around Anglesea and will hold a Bike Ride for Climate Action event to coincide with Earth Day 2023 (April 22).

Tim Marriage, whose children attend the school, said he had been looking for a way to get involved in the community and his love of bikes was a perfect segue to addressing the second largest contributor to emissions on the Surf Coast.

“I love bikes and I love the Surf Coast; I just want to see more of them around here. You are more visible on a bike so other members of the community will see each other out and about and three will be more of those serendipitous meetings which will help to bond the community even more, while addressing a reduction in emissions.”

Bianca Seymour, a member of the Jan Juc Pre School Advisory Committee, successfully pitched her group’s idea to the community at the Council Chambers and will use their grant to run this year’s Surf Coast Kite Festival as a carbon-neutral event.

The committee will partner with environmental solutions and consultancy group B-Alternative to capture emissions-related data and activities on the day and Surf Coast Energy Group to facilitate the offsetting of event emissions in local revegetation projects.

Ms Seymour hoped the new model will be used at other events in the future.

“It would be great if we can create a benchmark for future events and bring our successes back to council which can then be relayed to other organisers across the region,” Ms Seymour said.

Sunday’s Pitch Fest was also live streamed via the council’s Facebook page.