Bathurst Community Climate Action Network

Pedalling along many thoughts come and go.
I would like to share some of these with you in respect to sustainable living and Bathurst.
Darwin's 200 year anniversary, a book by local authors, Bland and Dangerfield, solar heated pools, pigs and bicycles are a few of these which come to mind.
This week will see the innaugural Summerville Lecture being hosted at the Entertainment Centre. Darwin faced an enormous challenge in getting his science accepted by the established orthodoxy of his day. I am wondering with the lectures being held in this town, if any resonance is felt by those attending between then and now and the political and social challenge being felt in our midst about the consequences of climate change.
Even with the seering temperatures breaking records for November all over the country and the associated outbreak of devestating bush fires, it cannot be said categorically, that this is evidence of climate change.
I mentioned the Bland, Dangerfield book earlier, "Awkward News for Greenies", which I took with me on my trip and found it fascinating reading. In the context of Darwin, it helped me focus on us humans as a species and that if we get this all wrong and humans as a species eventually fail, then the earth and nature will pass over that as just a small hiccup in its timeless history. Yet, one aspect of our humanity is to adapt and it is an interesting question to hold, the tension between our powers to adapt and our instinct to keep on accumulating at the same time as depleting our store of good soil, health giving water and clean air, vital for our ultimate survival.
Besides this bigger picture, smaller snippets along the way helped me ponder things on a more local level. On the outskirts of a smallish town in the Mallee, Lamaroo, was a sigh advertising its solar heated pool.

 
Crossing the Nullarbor I was seeing all these massive trucks and motor homes being driven by massive diesel engines and arriving ultimately at roadhouses all powered by diesel generators. Crossing the bordere into South Australia and arriving at Boarder Village, I saw my first sign that someone, somewhere saw the advantages of windmills and solar panels in that windswept, sunny expanse. Surely every roadhouse could be a carbon neutral enterprise?

 
The plight of poor pigs and chickens did not escape my notice either. Usually housed at some distance from the road in their small cages so as not to disturb the sensibilities of the consuming public. At least in the Barossa, I spoke with a man at the Barossa Farmers Market, whose bisiness was called "Black Pig", who raised free range pigs, fed on organic food and who had his meat cured locally in the traditional way without nasty chemicals. This one hoped was a hope for the future.

 

 
With breathless anticipation, it would seem Bathurst awaits the arrival of new superhighway to our door which will usher in prosperity to its hungry citizens.
Please be warned, I do not express an official BCCAN view on this. When I saw this sign of yet another abandoned railway line, I could not help but think we may have been too hasty. Many are now saying the efficient rail now has a new future with transport of people and goods, in a manner which is far less carbon intensive. One hopes this debate still has room to run in this community.

 

 

 
As one might imagine, in taking up a three month cycling journey, cycling itself is dear to my heart and my vision is that this city might one day become a cycle friendly city. It still has a long way to go in that regard
Many towns along the way boasted cycleways. Often even very small towns had cycle ways in and out of the town. The more progressive had extensive cycleways which wove in and around the town, showing tourists the best aspects of their town, promoted local business and made it win-win for both local community and the visitor.
With the wonderful initiative of the council in commissioning the review of the creeks and waterways around Bathurst (Goldney and McTaggart), the potential is enormous to construct cycleways to these scenic places as they become restored, sparking new busiess along the route and promoting current business such as local food and wine. The grey nomad spends handsomely wherever they go, and many carry bikes on the backs of the caravan, trailer. The time is ripe for a strategy to maximise this opportunity, while not forgetting the importance of getting our kids back on bikes and getting them to their schools safely.