Another federal election has come and gone and nothing has changed. Some see this as good. Others hoped for a government prepared to 'course correct'. Not so.
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The week after the election the renovation finished on the Uniting Church spire. The scaffolding came down quietly on a sunny autumn day illuminating a glorious silver. It reminded me of the legacy of past generations who harnessed wealth from the land to give us a beautiful city.
The land is less giving now, rivers are drying and the reef is in decay. Many are locked in poverty and the election result is unlikely to solve much. We can't keep outsourcing responsibility for the air we breathe and the land we rely on to Canberra. It is down to each of us to reduce the harm we do each day to nature and the biosphere.
A few ideas come to mind. Refuse veggies covered in plastic. Walk instead of drive when you can and pick up rubbish on your way. Grow your own in a garden or a pot and reject fast food. Shift your savings to ethical funds. Plant, plant, plant. Trees, shrubs and groundcovers absorb carbon and increase habitat. Keep your cat indoors. Learn how the natural world serves you. Connect with your neighbours.
Despite politics the Goulburn Community Solar Farm will be part of the clean energy revolution in the coming year. What was once a wasteland in Eastgrove is now a thriving wetland and the Wollondilly is cleaner. Solar panels are everywhere. The legacy we leave our kids is down to us. Don't outsource that responsibility.