SOS's blog

Greenpeace Campaign Internships

Greenpeace Australia Pacific are offering 4 scholarships for 4 16 week full time campaign internships, running fulltime from 30 July to 16 November 2007.

2 internships (both climate campaign related) are located in Sydney, 2 (1 climate campaign, 1 GE campaign related) are located in Melbourne.

Applications close at close of business on Monday 9 July.

Applicants will be advised on Tuesday 17th July

For further details check out the website:
greenpeace.org/australia/about/jobs/campaign-internships-spring-20

Timetable

Note that the timetable may be updated and speakers added in in the next few days.

For more information please email Tess on: tessmcevoy@hotmail.com

Download the SoS07 Speakers Spreadsheet as an xls file.

Perth Recycled Bike Project

The Perth Recycled Bike Project (RBP) was conceived in the build up to Students of Sustainability (SOS) conference 2007, with the aim to recycle from donated bikes and parts, one hundred road-worthy slightly modified bikes that the SOS posse can pedal their way around campus and off burning only body fuel. The secondary missions were to donate half of the finished bikes to be sent overseas to villages in need; and keep the other half to be stripped down for spare parts to add to the start of a regular community bike workshop, as well as distributed to keen bandits in the Perth community.

The RBP is working out of a communal shed holding DIY bike fixing skill share sessions, the workshops are open to anyone in the community wanting to further their mechanical skills and who have a passion for the possibilities bikes have in our everyday lives.

Other events the RBP supports will be a group ride similar to the set up of Critical Mass during the conference day of action. Critical Mass is traditionally a monthly cycle to celebrate cycling and push for cyclists' right to the road.

Transport is a hot issue amongst our global warming concerns, and the integration of bicycle and other HPV’s [human powered vehicles], [not human papilloma virus] should be encouraged greatly. Bikes should start being taken seriously, and not just as a novelty. They can be built as crazy contraptions, but also as efficient cargo-capable commuters.

Cycling has already grown massively as a mode of transport, with bicycles outselling cars two years running. Due to this sustainable uptake, conditions of current PSP [principle shared path] and cycling paths infrastructure should also be improved to keep up with increased use. We have a decent setup in Perth at the moment, but an increase in use would also demand a better system. Driver education of cyclist law’s is also an issue worth campaigning, as driver ignorance and abuse is a big deterrent for new riders taking to the streets.

There are websites which offer valuable information in the world of HPV’s and their issues.
-Bicycle Transport Alliance (Perth based) - http://www.btawa.org.au/
-Bicycle Kitchen (Los Angeles based) - HYPERLINK "http://bicyclekitchen.com/"http://bicyclekitchen.com/
-One Less Car (Baltimore based) - http://www.onelesscar.org/
-Car Busters (Prague based) - http://www.carbusters.org/
-Cyclists Inciting Change thru Live Exchange[LA based]- HYPERLINK "http://www.cicle.org/"http://www.cicle.org/
-Rat Patrol – US rat rod recycled rubbish rides - HYPERLINK "http://www.rat-patrol.org/"http://www.rat-patrol.org/
-Workbike – US site about use of bikes for income – workbike.org
HYPERLINK "http://www.bicyclefixation.com/"-http://www.bicyclefixation.com/ - bike love advocacy site
HYPERLINK "http://www.bikeforest.com/index.html"-http://www.bikeforest.com/index.html – US HPV advocacy site.
HYPERLINK "http://www.bentrideronline.com/"-http://www.bentrideronline.com/ - US recumbent bike site

Full access to online bicycle paths go:
- http://www.dpi.wa.gov.au/cycling/1518.asp#perthbikemaps

Perth Critical mass history includes partaking in world wide demonstrations once a month enforcing rider rights using colorful, original, spontaneous, non violent action while celebrating the community diversity that bikes create.

For more info check out: HYPERLINK "http://critical-mass.info/" http://critical-mass.info/ or http://criticalmass.org

SOSers who want to lend bikes at the conference would be wise to bring their own helmets, locks and lights, mostly for off campus bandit action, although some locking chain will be available at a small cost. If you lend a bike from the RBP you will be asked to sign a disclaimer indicating that you will drop the bike into a bike station for repair if you notice there is a problem with it, bike posse will be on hand all conference to help with DIY bike repair and alteration.

There will be DIY bike skill share during the workshop times and possibly two other workshops in open space. Sign up early at the conference as places are limited.

TransPerth is the train company over here in WA and they advertise to be super bike friendly, with posters encouraging passengers to ride and train to and from work. The only catch being that as part of State legislation, not up to the transit guards, that at peak times you can be fined, see below, (Transperth transit guards have the power of arrest and other police privileges) for taking bikes on trains, making it difficult to ride to and from work.

Time
Direction
Conditions
Before 7.00am
Off peak period
Bikes and fold up electric scooters OK on trains
7.00am - 9.00am
Peak flow counterflow
No bikes or fold up electric scooters on trains traveling towards the City.??Bikes and fold up electric scooters OK on trains traveling away from the City (but not allowed at or through Perth Train Station).
9.01am - 4.29pm
Off peak period
Bikes and fold up electric scooters OK on trains.
4.30pm - 6.30pm
Peak flow counterflow
No bikes or fold up electric scooters on trains traveling away from the City.??Bikes and fold up electric scooters OK on trains traveling towards the City (but not allowed at or through Perth Train Station).
After 6.30pm
Off peak period
Bikes and fold up electric scooters OK on trains.
Please note: Infringements apply if cyclists travel on trains outside the nominated times and directions.
More info: http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/PassengerInfo/BikesonTransperth/tabid/120/Default.aspx

Meeting Minutes 11 June, 2007

All names have been removed

Students of Sustainability
Monday 11th June 2007
at FERN, Fremantle
6pm - 8pm

****NEXT MONDAY MEETING IS AT FERN AT 6PM, BRING FOOD TO SHARE FOR DINNER!****

Working Groups
Meeting with (Murdoch & City of Melville)
Concerns about hygiene and noise complaints were raised
Basically any noise above speaking level would warrant a complaint
Possibility to hire hall in the student village, which has:
Water
Toilets
Showers
Kitchen facilities
meeting to discuss use of hall
Only half of the student village will be booked out so it could be used for accomodation
Visitors Accomodation is also available
May need to accomodate upto 25 people
Need to get a quote for use of the hall & visitor accomodation, power, water & outside area for 2 weeks
Offer them between $1000 - $2000 for the package
Kym Beazley Lecture Theatre (KBLT) booked out all week during the day

$5000 from Brisbane that will be transferred into SOS account
SOS linked into NADOIC week - SOS will be part of the program
Visitors still need to register - Indig Free, others pay
Need $5000 to cover flights
$5000 will be transferred into account, keep receipts and SOS will recoup funds from ANAWA and FANG

Question: Can SOS gain frequent flyer program?

Climate Change Workshops
Feedback that info needs to be more focused

Health and Safety
200 condoms donated from Family Planning
Purchased 30 dams for $30

Bikes
Has had loads of bikes donated
Will have 50 ready by SOS
Using old bed frames for bike racks
Need a space to store bikes and tools
Have a few bike drop off points around campus

Stickers
Some techno dramas
Could do with a hand

Conflict Resolution
Making a call out for a group of people to deal with issues as they arise over the conference

Registration
153 registered, 25 paid. Lots of people making enquiries

Alcohol
***offered to be the licensee (register the liquor license in his name)
Need to make sure no underage delegates are drinking and get signs, checking ID
Manning drinking and bands at student village may be a problem
Reece said that Club Murdoch may be available
Needing to purchase:
1400 full strength
300 mid
300 low
65 wine casks
Working to keep campsite drug and alcohol free
Drug policy
Pot use & excessive drinking: 1 warning
Anything else delegates will be exited immediately (Including drug use and bad behaviour)
Security guards can monitor this
Looking at strategies to limit alcohol consumption

Question: Is there any dissent with regards to selling alcohol - NO.

Aprons
Looking for an image to use as a patch on aprons
Need to have designs for "organising collective" and "volunteers"

La Musica/GenderFuk
Overall theme for the (Wednesday) night
$300 for a sound engineer
Black Dove want to do a music night on the Thursday

FOARA

Inviting SOS delegates to go up to Burrup Rock
Guided tours with archaeologists
Action to challenge Woodsides management of the site
All agreed to support FOARA and promote action

Program
Will be sent out on the loop
The font/back cover & map will be printed now professionally from the ethical printers, but the inside pages will be printed separately with our own recycled paper at the Greens or something

Speakers
Need to redo it for Indig content - will send out redone version of the spreadsheet
*** will collate all speaker content and be the contact for the speakers spreadsheet/timetable

Minibuses
Transport needed for elders
Research mini bus hire and ask the uni's (none at UWA? possibly Murdoch College or Murdoch Uni, etc.)

Child Care at SoS

SoS is a family friendly zone!

We offer FREE childcare services during the conference!

So that means you can go to the lectures and workshops and the little ones will be occupied with interactive games and activities, giving them a head start into the life of being an environmental activist!!!

If you require childcare, even if you're not registering just yet, you need to let us know NOW!

We'd love to know what suggestions you have for activities, or what your children might need or want to do during the conference, so please call Danni for a chat :)

email:danni.t.c@gmail.com
phone:(after 3.30 WA time) 0433493260