Healesville CoRE ran the Community Gathering on Thursday 29th June 2017. This page outlines the community outreach in the lead up to the gathering. Please look to the upcoming events and news for current developments.
Watch the full YouTube clip of the Community Gathering here:
What’s the Community Gathering about?
Would you like to learn more about the vision we have for Healesville CoRE? Learn how to produce your own solar energy? How to save on power bills? How you can support the development of solar power production across all groups in the community? Do you want to know how to do this with no upfront capital cost? Then come to the Community Gathering!
As a Healesville resident, business and/or community group would you like to take control of your energy production in the move towards ‘Zero Carbon’? Would you like to stimulate employment and also retain increasingly significant amounts of money in the community that would otherwise be lost to large energy companies? Come to the Community Gathering and find out how you can do this!
Do you think you might like to volunteer your skills to Healesville CoRE to support your community towards reducing carbon production through sustainable living and increased use of renewable energy? Do you want to have your say? Then you will want to come along to our Community Gathering.
Where:
Healesville Memo, Maroondah Highway Healesville (next to Coles’ car park)
When:
Thursday 29 June 2017
Our MC for the Event
Bruce Argyle
We are delighted to have Bruce Argyle as our MC for the evening. Bruce, a very well-known identity in Healesville, has a background working in education and the not-for-profit sector and has served as the CEO of various not-for-profits in New Zealand, USA and Australia, with a particular focus on working with disadvantaged people.
Bruce played a major role in coordinating the philanthropic response to the Victorian bushfires. Bruce currently serves as the Independent Chair of the Community Sector Banking Social Investment Grants Program and as Chair of Healesville Community Bank.
He is also on the ACNC Not For Profit Reference Group, is the Area Director for Toastmasters and has a number of business interests, including a Yarra Valley vineyard.
Guest speakers:
Alison Crook AO
We are very privileged to have Alison as our keynote speaker. Alison has significant experience in the community energy sector through her work with Enova, the first community energy retailer, which she was instrumental in setting up. She will talk about the big picture of community solar energy in Australia as well as sharing her experiences from her local community in northern NSW, where Enova has been involved in supporting the development of solar energy projects. Alison will also talk about the emerging field of community electricity retail companies & how they can benefit the whole community.
Alison is Chair of Enova Community Energy Ltd, Australia’s first community owned not for profit energy retailer. Alison was Australian Business Woman of the Year & Australian Business Leader of the Year and has served on over 17 company boards.
Denis Ginnivan
In choosing our speakers we wanted someone from a community energy group from rural Victoria and Denis was our choice! Denis is a member of the Yackandandah community energy group TRY (Totally Renewable Yackandandah). TRY has brought together community members passionate about the notion of powering their town with 100 per cent renewable energy, and aims to achieve “energy sovereignty” for Yackandandah by the year 2022.
Among other things, Denis is a key member for a wide range of activities at a community and regional level. He is a semi-retired health professional and tells some great stories about TRY and the unfolding community narrative. Among his recent presentations for TRY he spoke at the Australian Local Government Congress in Canberra alongside the past CEO of Beyond Zero Emissions.
Jeff Barlow
Jeff, a long-standing member of the Healesville community, initiated the idea for the Healesville CoRE Project and it is his drive, work and enthusiasm for the Project that has enabled it to get this far.
Jeff is a semi-retired, self employed health professional and educator. He has a long-standing interest in renewable energy and the sustainability of the planet. Jeff has no expertise in the technical side of solar energy but is more interested in community engagement, community empowerment and community equity and how we might work together to create a more sustainable human and physical environment.
He will help you to understand the big vision for Healesville CoRE and the great advantages for individuals, community groups and businesses. Jeff will also be trying to persuade you to join the new Working Group that will drive solar energy for the Healesville community!!
Glen Morris
Glen has been invited to speak as our technical person and to answer your technical questions and we are very lucky to have someone of Glen’s experience and reputation to be with us for the event.
Glen has worked in electronics, renewable energy, software development, web hosting and vocational training. His current passion is for training practitioners of renewable energy. Glen has been installing renewables both on and off the grid for over 20 years and is Vice President of the Australian Solar Energy Council.
He has lived off grid for the past 20 years – currently at one of Australia’s oldest intentional communities in the Yarra Ranges. Glen is very passionate about making a difference – helping the community move towards a more sustainable planet.