Introducing our new committee for 2022-23

21 09, 2022

On Sunday 18th September, Sustainable Upper Ovens held it’s AGM at the Pioneer Park Pavillion, Bright.

At the meeting, all office bearer positions were declared vacant and new members appointed to committee positions. The following members were appointed for the 2022-23 year:

President: Graham Barrow (president@sustainableupperovens.org.au)
Vice President: Dennis Lambert (energy@sustainableupperovens.org.au)
Secretary: Eliza Stokie (secretary@sustainableupperovens.org,au)
Treasurer: Monica Omodei (treasurer@sustainableupperovens.org.au)

Other committee members:

Plastic Wise: Jess Cox (plasticwise@sustainableupperovens.org,au)
Bright Community Garden: Katie Steven (brightcommunitygarden@sustainableupperovens.org.au)
Community Energy and eVs: Michael Block
General Committee Member: Brian Edwards
General Committee Member: Petula Edwards
General Committee Member: Julie Savage

Incoming President Graham Barrow, has an extensive background in engineering and was the Regional Manager for EPA in North East Water and worked specifically on sustainability issues. He is also a member of the Community Energy & eV subgroup and has a personal passion for new and emerging technologies in energy, electrification and sustainability.

The organisation’s annual report and financial statements were presented (links to these reports are available at bottom of this article) as well as acknowledging the highlights and acheivements over the past year which included:

– Community Carbon Action Plan Field Day (March 26, 2022): – this was the largest undertaking by Sustainable Upper Ovens this year and was attended by 150 attendees and 35 volunteers. With $19,500 in funding from the Hume Community Power Hub, the Victorian Government (DELWP), Indigo Power and Mondo Energy Solutions; plus organisational support from Upper Ovens Landcare and Toward Renewable Energy Kiewa (TREK), this event provided a platform for our community in building resilience to help provide a better future for the generations to come.

– The Alpine Unwrapped Project: Organised by Plasticwise Bright, this has been a great success this year. Two Clothes Swaps were held, both of which had an excellent turnout. The Mug Library has run each month since April at the monthly Make It, Bake It, Grow It market at Howitt Park and it is estimated that over 600 take-away cups have been prevented from going to landfill! Funding from DELWP and the Alpine Shire contributed to make this project possible.

– Community Energy & eV Group: This group has been very active in the Community Energy Network (CEN). The CEN is a network of 14 community energy groups across the Hume region and aims to share ideas and lobby for important energy projects across our region. Community Energy & eV are currently working on 3D SolarPV analysis of community assets, The Solar For Good Program, The Volunteer Home Energy Assesment training program, supporting Heat Pump and Solar Installations for the Uniting Church and members, consulting on the Aggregated Community Battery Project and Mondo Community Advisory Group.

– The Bright Community Gardens: Our team of dedicated volunteers have been tending to and nuturing the public garden space over the winter months and have planted more veggie seeds and prepped the wicking beds. Regular working bees are back and are held every Monday at 1pm. There are always plenty of jobs and things to do so we encourage people to come along and get their hands dirty – everyone is welcome!

Following the election of the committee, attendees heard a presentation from Marthijs Heupermann, projects officer at Bright Brewery. Marthijs provided an in depth insight in to some of the incremental changes they have been making to their business which are making significant improvements to reducing their carbon foot print. He explained how their sustainability policies flow through all levels of operation in their business – from food and trade waste water management, recyling and packaging, energy use to staff green transport incentives; and certainly provided attendees with inspiring ideas that could be applied to their home or business.

The year ahead is set to be a busy but exciting one for Sustainable Upper Ovens, with the group continually advocating for funding for projects and events that provide a direct benefit for our local community. They will continue to be active in the community and media to extend their reach further in to other townships in the Upper Ovens region. Plans include:

– Redevelop the website and increase its value as a resource to find useful information, contacts and events
– Expand the Alpine Unwrapped project into more townships (Harriteville, Mt Beauty and Myrtleford) and by partnering with Tourism and Accommodation Providers
– Increase the use of the Mug Library to operate at more community events in the region
– Develop a strategic plan for the Community Energy and eV group
– Take the 3D solar studies completed of three potential large solar PV installations on community buildings and advance to a funding model to seek funding support.
– Start conducting volunteer home energy assessments using the toolkit purchased with the grant received from the Hume Community Power Hub.

With our expanding base of activities, Sustainable Upper Ovens encourages anyone with an interest and passion for the environment and the future sustainability of their town to become a member ($20 per year, $10 concession, $50 business) or even lend their time to help – this is just as valuable! For more information, visit sustainableupperovens.org.au/membership or come along and chat to us at one of the monthly Make It, Bake It Grow It Markets or at one of our regular meetings.

We’d like to thank Dumu Cafe for providing the catering for the meeting. The platters were made with food donated by Woolworths Bright.

LINKS:
The following reports were submitted to the AGM

Presentation from Marthijs Heupermann, Bright Brewery

Marthijs with incoming President Graham Barrow

Catering supplied by Dumu Cafe