upcoming

No. Totally Renewable Phillip Island (TRPI) is not incorporated or has a bank account. TRPI is auspices by Energy-Cooperative and Landcare.

The support of Bass Coast Shire Council (BCSC) from the start has been crucial for Totally Renewable Phillip Island. Bass Coast Shire Council is doing a lot of the heavy lifting in implementing programs and providing funding for programs. (watch from 46:34)

Absolutely essential. I think it is a little bit like the tariff trial that I had up of the partners. That notion of co-design, collaborative working, all in it together (watch from 47:27). 

If we didn't have a coordinator role (paid by the Council) TRPI would've fallen over during Covid. Having the financial support of the Council is one thing, but also their support in what we're doing and their appreciation for it and they want to help. 

Bass Coast Shire Council see the value in us so they are trying to support us to get action and to continue. They (BCSC) just appointed a full time Climate Change Project Officer at the Bass Coast Shire Council. Their commitment and dedication is shown through ie declaring a Climate Emergency early on back in 2019. They have actually done all the climate change auditing and produced a Climate Change Action Plan to get to net zero by 2030. They are invested. Beyond their seed funding for TRPI their support as a Council in taking that action allows us to thrive and we also support them to be a strong Council and show that leadership . 

Let's not think of enemies and friends, let's just all work together and let's get the best outcome.

Zoe is not in this working group but believes that it was initially around 15 or 25cm's and recently has gone down to a metre. 

That is a very interesting question because we often find ourselves being the voice of community calling for this. 

But it is very interesting to watch and see the response to everything we do, all those events we host, all these sessions we present. Things like the community film screening of Regenerating Australia, we are getting people from all sectors of community attending these events. Absolutely blown away by the ambition and the idea that we can actually do it. 

I think a lot of people have been sitting around waiting for Federal, State and Local leadership feeling powerless. So it is hugely empowering to think that community can come together and be represented by groups such as TRPI. 

The recent evaluation has shown that we have huge power because we have social licence (the support of community) and we can speak to community views and values. And we have to be careful to not do this without constantly checking back in.  

We just see support everywhere. Keeping track of the numbers we've been sighted in these Authority Management Plans, funding applications, the support letters that we provide for them and the weight they have to these groups. The support they provide to these groups is enormous. And it's not something you often think of capturing as a metric. 

Being held accountable by community but also have the support of groups like TRPI is really empowering for all of our partners. 

The consultant that did this evaluation said "you know these are big businesses and they use words like 'inspirational', 'passionate', 'vital' in discussing the way they see being part of this movement of Totally Renewable Phillip Island. 

It's a very interesting question. I've often been asked if I support all the ongoing development on Phillip Island and I have to say I would struggle not to purely because I come from that background being an architect and that is what we do. (watch from 55:38min)

But, I think to answer the broader question: we had a great session recently through the Mornington Peninsula and Westernport Biosphere Foundation, they basically are a UN certified biosphere and it is all about the notion of how you manage the ecology in areas of human development? It is all about balance again, it's all about how we do it. I mean, 'Balance' is the word I've been coming back to for the past 1,5 years of doing this. Carbon is not bad, we just need to balance it and we don't want to burn it all off. Everything needs to be balanced and that is essentially what sustainability is.