NEWS DESK
Educate to protect the environment
Jobs of future target for energy project
Liz Bell liz@baysidenews.com.au
ELECTRICITY systems, solar generation, battery storage, data collection and analysis are among a range of subjects to be studied by Patterson River Secondary College Year 10 students next year. The school library will also be upgraded to become an “energy laboratory”, where the students will study energy data measured by sensors. “This initiative will help educate the next generation of energy professionals and create pathways for students into careers in renewable energy, energy efficiency and new energy technologies,” Energy, Environment and Climate Change Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said. She said the state government will work closely with the school to develop its students’ energy-related skills, particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The project will also support Melbourne-based energy innovators Hux Connect, Watt Watchers and Greensense, who are supplying the sensors and data analytics equipment used by students to measure and monitor energy use. “We’re excited to be working with Patterson River Secondary College to introduce a pioneering new class into your school curriculum next year,” Carrum Labor MP Sonya Kilkenny said. See prsc.vic.edu.au online for details of Patterson River Secondary College’s curriculum and science classes.
IF there was just one thing that Greg Hunt the retiring executive officer of the South East Council Climate Change Alliance (SECCCA), could proclaim as the best way to protect the environment for future generations, it is “education”. The former science teacher with a passion for the natural world has spent his 43-year career advocating for change in the way individuals and organisations manage resources. Education has always been a huge part of that process, whether it’s investigating options for energy conservation, or promoting broader thinking on energy use. Hunt has a varied employment background, but the environment has always been his mainstay. He spent his first 14 working years with the education department teaching young people about the world around them, before moving on to various environmental organisations where he was able to draw on his education and advocacy background to implement change. While he has spent the past 10 years at SECCCA working closely with local governments to try to reduce the impacts of a changing climate and dwindling resources, he is quick to point out that it’s certainly not a problem specific to government. To sum up Hunt’s mantra on the environment – it’s “everybody’s problem”. In fact it is one of his proudest achievements so far that he and his SECCCA colleagues have been able to drive the point that climate change is everybody’s problem – not just that of governments to “react”, but up to every individual and every organisation to rethink how they use resources and how they can do it better. Although he will continue to advocate for
Greg Hunt may be retiring from the South East Council Climate Change Alliance but will retain a keen interest in the welfare of the environment. Picture: Keith Platt
the environment as a consultant and public speaker after leaving SECCCA, it is the ground-breaking projects he oversaw while at the alliance that will be his legacy. These include the Eco Driver program, a much lauded, nationally-recognised program to help drivers use their vehicles more efficiently; the Energy Saver Study, which involved reducing the energy use of households while increasing the “comfort and health” of residents; the Save it for the Game program, which helped sports clubs and organisations recognise and make changes to energy consumption; and the ‘Financial risk and Adaptation program, which was geared towards energy-saving measures for councils. While he loved the job at SECCCA, Hunt says it’s time to move on, as he’s not “getting any younger”. He feels happy with what he has been able to oversee at SECCCA, but would like governments, particularly federal, to step up and provide “leadership”
with ongoing investment and policy consistency. While he had a great working relationship with the former environment minister with who he shares the name Greg Hunt, he would love to be able encourage politicians to “swim against the tide” and not let politics intrude on what they should be doing. “There is no substitute for change.” As for retirement, Hunt is heavily involved in consultancy work, public speaking and strategic planning, and in his spare time travels the state to pursue his love of birds, both as a watcher and a researcher. “To see a male splendid wren in full breeding plumage is a sight to behold. We are so lucky, but that might not be available to future generations.” ECCCA is an incorporated body and a network of nine councils with a mission to investigate and deliver projects and research programs at a regional level.
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Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News
7 December 2016
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