The Paddock Eco Village project has just released their winter newsletter.
Click here to read what is happening with this exciting project.
Author: Site Admin
Senate Enquiry into Waste
Lucy Young
“Never before have I seen every stakeholder, from right across the economy, call for national leadership on an issue. This report lays bare the need for federal government action and underlines why it can no longer sit on the sidelines.
At last…some sense..let’s hope it translates to some decent policy for Australia…in the meantime…not need to wait…we can still get on and deal with our own waste…piece by piece.
We use 5 trillion plastic bags…
We use 5 trillion plastic bags…
per year! That’s 160,000 a second! And over 700 a year for every single person on the planet. We can do better than that. See plastic bags used per year in real time below.
160,000 plastic bags a second
This year 5 trillion plastic bags will be consumed. That’s 160,000 a second! Put one after another they would go around the world 7 times every hour and cover an area twice the size of France.
Top 5 facts about plastic bags
Most bags are simply thrown out
Less than 1 percent are recycled. They are most often made from Polyethylene that takes centuries to degrade. Each ton of recycled plastic bags saves the energy equivalent of 11 barrels of oil.
What happens to the plastic bags?
In total, we use 100 million tons of plastic every year. Some 10 percent of this plastic end up in the oceans – and not without consequences…
The plastic soup
In the ocean, the plastic is broken down to tiny pieces. These pieces are eaten by fish and cannot be digested. Consequently the plastic builds up and enter into the food chain.
Hundreds of species are affected
Seabirds, turtles, seals, sea lions, whales and fish eat the plastics. The death of one sperm whale found in California (USA) in 2008 was caused by 22.2 kilos of plastic that the whale had eaten. Check out the video on plastic bags and their way to the ‘Pacific garbage patch’.
Thanks to www.theworldcounts.com
The Dash and Stash
Penelope Gilbert
Have you spotted our technique posters around town? We’re sure they’re going to become collectors items. Pokemon Go for shopping adults?
Technique no 2 connects you with our friends Boomerang Bags, who sew reusable bags for you to use in place of a plastic bag. We do love seeing these in use around town, however, please return them to the box outside Castlemaine Fresh for others to use. There are incredible health benefits in a 3 step jog or quick side step dance as you return your Boomerang bag.
In Hobart recently I watched a dash and stash in action. The Hill St Grocer is plastic bag free, even their checkout screens remind you to bring your own bag. As I lined up to pay the man next to me was asked “Did you bring your own bag?” The man slapped his pockets in search but had to reply with an apology. Being part of the minimal 20% who forget their bags, the checkout staff member reminded him of the Borrow bags (the same as our Boomerang Bags). He dashed over then collected his stash. As I observed him, he transformed before my eyes. he was fine before, but now he was dashing!
MASH Project Heads for a Bright New Day
Castlemaine’s not-for-profit Hub Foundation has owned and managed the MASH community solar bulk-buy project since it started in mid 2014, as well as the newly launched Hepburn Solar Bulk-Buy. To date, over 850 solar systems have been successfully installed by MASH suppliers in central Victoria. As a result, MASH has been instrumental in raising the solar penetration in Mount Alexander Shire from 18% four years ago to 28% today as well as made a significant impact on the Macedon Ranges Shire and City of Greater Bendigo. The result has been a huge fall in CO2 emissions by around 5,000 tonnes per year.
MASH now under new management
The project has been directed over the four years by Neil and Heather Barrett, and Mark Carter, with day to day management by Executive Officer, Jo Kaptein, In recent times, as many will know, Neil and Heather have become very involved in The Paddock eco village development on the edge of Castlemaine, to the point where they have decided it’s time to pass MASH over to another not-for-profit, the Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance (CVGA) which is also based in Castlemaine. The Hub Foundation are very confident that the CVGA has the capability to further enhance the penetration of MASH solar systems into residential areas throughout central Victoria and beyond.
Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance
The CVGA is a network of 12 local governments in central and northern Victoria, founded in 2001. The CVGA have a long history delivering community energy projects such as the Central Victorian Solar City project from 2010-2013 and more recently the Solar Savers program targeting low income pensioner households. The CVGA is managed by a board consisting of representatives of the councils, with day-to -day management by Executive Officer, Rob Law. You can read more about CVGA at: cvga.org.au
Jo Kaptein, one of the driving forces behind MASH, will now work with CVGA in the same role she has fulfilled so successfully at the Foundation. She transfers to the CVGA with the directors’ very best wishes.
No change for past MASH customers
All MASH customers have signed contracts with the program’s various suppliers – not with MASH or The Hub Foundation – over the past four years. Customers with warranty issues should contact their supplier for advice in the first instance. Alternatively, they can go direct to the manufacturer of the panels or inverter. Customers can rest assured that MASH, under CVGA control, will support past customers as effectively as it has under the Hub Foundation.
Finally, The Hub Foundation wish to give a big thanks to MASH’s 850 customers and to its suppliers, staff and contractors. The CVGA looks forward to continuing the success of the MASH program delivering wide ranging benefits to the communities of central Victoria.
For more information about both the MASH community solar bulk-buy and the Hepburn Solar Bulk-Buy (which is organised by the MASH team), visit mash.org.au or call the MASH team on 1300 466 274.
MASH boost for Newstead
May 26, 2015: The MASH solar donation to Newstead Community Centre was reported today in the Midland Express. This donation is a free 5Kw, 20 panel solar PV system from the first MASH (Mount Alexander Solar Homes) bulk-buy to celebrate the installation of the first 100 residential solar rooftops. In all, 225 households were installed with MASH solar systems (with MASH+ and MASH 1.1) between September 2014 and March 2015.
The second MASH community solar bulk-buy for households in Mount Alexander Shire – MASH 2 – will commence on Thursday 4 June, 2015.
Newstead Community Centre gets free MASH solar system
The Mount Alexander Solar Homes (MASH) project is pleased to announce that the recipient of the free community solar system from MASH round 1 is Newstead Community Centre, located in the heart of Newstead, a rural township 17 kilometres from Castlemaine in Central Victoria. 
The 5Kw system is estimated to save more than two-thirds of the Centre’s current electricity bill of over $2,500 per year. This is the Centre’s most expensive running cost. The savings from installing the MASH solar system are anticipated to encourage greater use of the Centre as hire costs can be kept to a minimum.
The solar system is donated by the MASH community solar project to celebrate the milestone of the first 100 residential solar PV systems installed as part of MASH round 1. The system is valued at $7,400 and uses the same high performing Trina solar panels as installed on MASH homes.
“We feel that by demonstrating and showcasing such a system at the Centre it will encourage the local and wider community to consider changes to their own lifestyle, to consider their own carbon footprint, and by doing so, become more sustainable”, says David Stratton, Chairperson of Newstead Community Centre.
“We were delighted by the response from community groups and the strength of applications”, comments Jo Kaptein Project Officer at the Hub Foundation, the Castlemaine not-for-profit behind the MASH project. “It was a tough decision and the judges deliberated long and hard. Newstead Community Centre was voted number one as it did best against all the selection criteria in particular how it plans to use the savings from its electricity bills to maintain ongoing viability of the Centre.”
The system was installed yesterday, 20 May 2015, by Stephen Breheny Electricial Services, the installer for round 1 of the MASH project which resulted in almost 200 new solar rooftops in Mount Alexander Shire, with a further 25 installed through MASH round 1.1.
MASH 2 – the second round of the Hub Foundation’s community solar bulk-buy project – will launch at 2pm on Thursday 4 June, 2015, outside the Castlemaine Town Hall. The launch is an opportunity for anyone who is interested in going solar with a community bulk-buy to come along and find out more. In addition, MASH information sessions will be held throughout Mount Alexander Shire starting 24 June. Visit mash.org.au or call 0455-589-065.
MASH reported in RenewEconomy
14 April, 2015: The results of the first round of the Mount Alexander Solar Homes (MASH) solar bulk-buy project were reported in today’s RenewEconomy in an article entitled, ‘How bulk-buying solar is paying off for communities in Victoria.’
The article describes how the project was organised and marketed as well as the results. It documents the lessons learned which the Hub Foundation, the Castlemaine not-for-profit behind the MASH project, is incorporating into the next round of MASH, MASH2, which will launch in Mount Alexander Shire in May 2015.
Here are a few excerpts from the article. Read the full story here.
“One of the many ways to boost renewables is to offer households a bulk-buy price for solar from an organisation they will trust. With some seed funding and adherence to a few basic rules, community groups could run successful bulk-buys all over the country. Some have of course – especially in the Goulburn Valley area of Victoria – but it’s been quite ad-hoc to date.”
“After two months of intensive marketing, we had 360 expressions of interest to pass over to the installer we had appointed. 200 installations took place over the following six months. As houses and renovations are completed over the next few months, the final total is expected to rise to around 225.”
“Whilst the number who finally committed was a bit lower than we expected, the outcome has been very encouraging given the paid and voluntary effort involved. The project accounted for an impressive 65% of total installations in the last four months of the year and the percentage of houses with solar in the Shire has risen from 18% at the end of 2013 to 24% today.”
“As a result, the Shire is equal second in the solar stakes in Victorian LGAs. Only Indigo Shire, which contains the very green areas of Yackandandah and Beechworth, with 28% of houses with rooftop solar, is ahead of us.”
“In MASH 1 we didn’t claw back any money at all as we had some philanthropic seed funding. From now on, however, we are putting ourselves on a more sustainable footing by earning an average of $200 from each installation. As a result, MASH 2 should bring in enough to cover our costs and leave a bit for next time.”
MASH project a big success!
26 March 2015: Solar energy has really taken off in the Mount Alexander Shire. In terms of the percentage of homes with solar PV installed, the shire is now running equal second in Victoria to Indigo Shire which includes Beechworth and Yackandandah*.
The number of solar houses in the Shire increased from just over 1500 to almost 1900 in 2014, an increase of 24%*. Half of this increase was due to installations with the Mount Alexander Solar Homes (MASH) project. Also importantly, as shown in the accompanying graph, because the systems are now bigger, the total number of kilowatts installed increased by a whopping 34%. As a result of all this activity spurred on by the Mount Alexander Solar Homes (MASH) project, almost one in every four homes in Mount Alexander is now solar powered.
The MASH project was organised by Castlemaine’s Hub Foundation. Project Officer, Jo Kaptein, is very pleased with the result so far:
“It’s been fantastic. Many more people have saved money on their electricity bills and, at the same time, reduced their CO2 emissions.”
“Today our shire has 24% of houses with solar, compared with Bendigo’s 16%. Victoria overall has only 10%. But whilst we’re doing very well, we’ve still got a way to go before we can catch up to Indigo Shire’s 28%.
“It hasn’t all been smooth sailing though. The electricity distributor and the retailers haven’t always been easy to deal with, perhaps because they’re opposed to the Renewable Energy Target. We have recently written to Maree Edwards MLA to ask her to put some pressure on the government to carry out some reform in this area.
“The Hub Foundation is planning to launch the second stage of MASH in April. MASH 2 will emphasise the availability of a low interest solar loan to help those who are short of upfront cash. For most households this will allow them to be cash positive almost from the start: the savings on electricity bills will exceed the cost of interest and repayments.
“The Foundation’s aim is for Mount Alexander to become the No.1 solar shire in Victoria. We think 35% by the end of 2016 and 50% by 2018 Is achievable” said Kaptein.
* Clean Energy Regulator, January 2015
MASH Solar Participants Meet Lisa Chesters
Date: 16 December 2014
A local landlord, a tenant, representatives from Campbells Creek Bowling Club, a Yandoit resident and others gathered this morning at The Good Table restaurant in Castlemaine for a coffee and a chat with Lisa Chesters, Federal Member for Bendigo. The idea of the gathering was for Lisa to hear from a cross-section of the community about going solar with MASH, the Mount Alexander Shire Solar Homes community bulk-buy project organised by The Hub Foundation.
Felicity Faris echoed the feelings of virtually all those present saying,
“The purse-string factor was a consideration. But for me, ‘going solar’ was really about what kind of world we are leaving to our children and grandchildren.”
Worth pushing Powercor
Problems with Powercor, the electricity distribution company for much of our region were a hot topic. Nikki Marshall from Yandoit said her application for a 2Kw system was knocked back by Powercor for technical reasons. But applying to Powercor for reconsideration is really worth it; MASH heard only today that a couple in Preshaw Street in Castlemaine have just had their application for a 4Kw system approved by Powercor after it was initially rejected.
Bowling Club gets ‘solar-smart’
Barry Ellis from Campbells Creek Bowling Club organised a 5Kw, 20 panel system from MASH and really did his homework to get the club’s power bill down.
“We weren’t happy with Origin so we shopped around using the website, www.makeitcheaper.com.au and switched to another retailer who offered us 30% savings off our electricity and 25% off gas. Our next step was to go with MASH for solar and also put timers on our fridges. We’re monitoring our electricity usage closely to help us understand how we can be more efficient. But I have to say that I’ve taken the timer off the beer fridge because the beer just wasn’t cold enough!”
Local landlord puts MASH solar on 3 properties!
Vic Say, a local landlord said,
“I get a million phone calls from solar companies each year and I just don’t trust them. But I trusted this community organisation, the Hub Foundation. I put three solar panel systems on – two on rental properties and one on my own home. I would like to see a landlord/renter think-tank organised by the Hub Foundation to properly work out the sums to show how solar could be a win/win for both landlord and tenant.”
“MASH a stand-out example for rest of Australia” – Lisa Chesters
MASH is on track to increase the number of solar households in the Shire by 20% by the end of February 2015 and solar capacity in terms of kilowatts by 25%.
Lisa Chesters said “Mount Alexander Shire is one of the few communities in Australia doing a community solar bulk-buy on this scale. It’s a stand-out example for the rest of Australia. My congratulations to all MASH participants for getting behind this initiative of the Hub Foundation. I’m going to do everything I can to help spread this great story.”