TSWorkbook[WEB]

TRANSITION How to change the world, one street at a time A sustainable behaviour workbook for groups of friends and neighbours in Canberra



1 Introduction 7 Getting Started 13 Waste and Consumer Power 25 Energy 35 Food 47 Water 57 Transport 65 Wrapping Up



Welcome to Transition Streets Canberra! Wait a sec, what’s Transition Streets again? Transition Streets is a free program designed to help us all build a stronger community and reduce our ecological footprint and our impact on the environment. It involves a series of workshops or sessions — set out in this booklet — that you can take in your own home, with your household, or with a bunch of your neighbours and friends. By reading through this booklet together and doing the fun activities with friends, you’ll be able to save money on your electricity, water and grocery bills, reduce your carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, help minimise your household’s reliance on fossil fuels, find cheap and free alternatives to pricey consumer products and improve your health! Sounds pretty good, right? Why is it important? Aside from the financial and health benefits, reducing your personal ecological footprint is one of the most tangible and effective things you can do if you’re concerned about environmental sustainability and if you want Australia to do more to address climate change. Household consumption accounts for 60% of emissions globally.1 Australia has the 4th highest per person greenhouse gas emissions footprint in the entire world. We’re just behind the oil-rich states of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. And at about 17 tonnes of CO2 per person each year, our carbon emissions footprint from consumption is more than triple the global average.2 And guess who has the power to change your household consumption? You! If you do this program with your friends, you’ll prove to yourself that you are powerful, that your choices do have an impact and that you get to choose whether that impact is positive or negative. The wonderful thing about many sustainable behaviours is that they’re contagious – a few of the people around you who see you taking on the activities in this workbook are likely to take them up in their own lives too, and amazingly, they’ll take up these habits and consumer choices regardless of their own environmental preferences.3 This phenomenon is called ‘the neighbourhood effect’ – and you can create it in your own street or amongst your own group of friends by running through this program.4 So if you decide to switch your bank, or eat less meat, or buy eco-friendly washing detergent, it won’t just be a drop in the bucket – it actually has a big flow-on effect. While we face an uncertain future, we also have the opportunity to think about the type of community we want to live in and to start creating that community right now. 2

What do the workshops cover? We’ve split the workshops in this online document into seven separate bits: energy, water, waste and consumer power, food, and transport, with two additional sessions that start and close the program: a ‘Getting Started’ session at the start and a ‘Wrapping Up’ party session at the end. Each workshop provides super practical, step-by-step actions you can take in each of the above areas to reduce both your carbon emissions and your resource use. Some of these actions involve one-off changes, while others are habits that the workshops will help you to build, so that after a few weeks, you’ll do them automatically without thinking. This program’s been designed using behavioural science, to try to make it as easy as possible for you to adopt more environmentally sustainable habits.5 Remember - you can do as little or as much of the workbook as you like, and in whatever order you like. This is great news - if you’re not sure you want to do all of the topics, you don’t have to (although it’ll make reducing your emissions way easier and it’s about the same time commitment as a monthly book club). Some scientific experiments show that if you’re motivated to reduce your impact on the environment and you take up just one environmentally-friendly activity, like turning the lights off when you leave a room, you’re more likely to pick up another environmentally-friendly activity, without even thinking about it. 6 Can I do this by myself? Transition Streets works best when you do it as part of a group. Even a group of two can work well. Research on behaviour change shows that we’re more likely to form new habits and stick to them if we have other people doing it with us. However, if you’d like to do the program on your own, you’re very welcome to. Okay, so how do I get started? If you have some friends who’d like to do Transition Streets too – that’s great! If you’re already reading this with a bunch of friends (or friend-neighbours, we like to call them ‘freighbours’ ) 7 and you’re ready to go, then take it in turns to register for the program right now: http://www.theneighbourhoodeffect.com.au/ts_join If you’re keen to get a bunch of your friends or neighbours together to do this program, then all you need to do is arrange a time with your friends and/or neighbours to meet up and work through one of the workshops together. Each workshop should take about an hour. Go about organising it the same way as you’d organise a coffee date at your favourite cafe, or afternoon tea (or cocktails!) at your place. If you need some more help, the box below has step-by-step instructions on setting up your first workshop and an email invite that you can send to your friends or neighbours that explains Transition Streets and invites them to join you. 3

A note on data collection The Neighbourhood Effect and SEE-Change are both committed to helping Canberrans like you reduce your emissions and your ecological footprint, while also helping you strengthen your connections to your community and improve your health, wealth and well-being. By sending us your energy, transport and water usage data, and by occasionally filling out 2-minute online surveys on your progress in certain areas and on your experience with the Transition Streets program, you can help us improve the program and work out what aspects are working really well and what we need to change. All data collected is used exclusively for two purposes: 1) making this program as effective and easy to use as possible 2) calculating your individual emission reductions and aggregating everyone’s estimated emissions reductions, so we can let you know about the quantified, beneficial environmental impact of the program and how your impact really makes a positive difference. Participating in the Transition Streets Randomised Controlled Trial As part of the 2017 launch of this digital workbook, The Neighbourhood Effect is conducting a controlled trial of the Transition Streets program to test its effectiveness. When you register for the Transition Streets program online, you’ll be asked if you’re interested in participating in the trial. The trial will look at changes in participants’ energy consumption and ecological footprints before, during and after the Transition Streets program and compare the results. Participating in the trial is opt-in, so there’s no obligation to be a part of it, and you can still do the Transition Streets program and not be part of the trial. To read about the trial in full, check out the description on The Neighbourhood Effect’s website here. The behavioural science underpinning this workbook This workbook, and the activities inside it, have been designed using behavioural science to make it easier to change your behaviours and consumption habits and measure your results. Behavioural science helps to restructure the decision-making environment, by framing information to remove psychological barriers that usually make it harder for people to change their habits or adopt new ones. If you’re interested in the methodology behind the Transition Streets workbook, you can read about it in detail here. We take your privacy and data security seriously, and we won’t be sharing the data you give to us in this program with anyone else, except in an anonymised format to conduct an impact evaluation of the program, and in this instance, we require your written consent to do so. If you’d like to read through our data and privacy policy in full - you can access it on The Neighbourhood Effect’s Website here. It provides full information on the data collection process, and more details on how we ensure your information is kept private and secure. We hope you enjoy this journey. We are always looking for suggestions on how we can improve this workbook, so if you have any, please email: [email protected]. 4

Kick off your first Transition Streets workshop in 4 easy steps! Usually groups meet every 2–4 weeks for an hour, and people in the group can take turns to host the meeting at their home, sort of like a book club! For groups of friends Step 1 Go to www.theneighbourhoodeffect.com.au/TSinvite to access a ready-made email invite that will explain the program to your mates and invite them to join you (add your own words or write your own email invitation if you prefer). Step 2 In the email, specify a date, time and location for your first workshop (you could have it at your house, or at a local coffee shop, whatever’s easy). You might also like to suggest a fun activity to do together, as part of the first workshop. For example, you could share a meal together or watch an inspirational movie, like the beautiful and entertaining French documentary ‘Demain’ (which shows how communities around the world are successfully living sustainably and tackling climate change). Step 3 Add the email addresses of your friends to the email and Click Send! Step 4 Show up to the first workshop with a copy of this booklet online and you’re up and running! NOTE: The Neighbourhood Effect can also send a facilitator to help you with the first session. If you’d like this, then email [email protected]. For groups of neighbours Option 1: Hosting a Street Party Step 1 You might like to have a street party as the first step, as a low barrier way for people in your neighbourhood to meet each other in a relaxed, fun setting, have a bit of a chat, enjoy some food, and hear about the Transition Streets program. Street parties are really fun. If you are game to throw a street party, then first decide the date, time, duration and location of your party (pick a time with a week or two week’s notice), and add those details to the Transition Streets party flyer that you can access here. Invite people to bring a dish of their own so you don’t have to do too much cooking. Step 2 At the party, let people know about the date, time and location of the first Transition Streets workshop. If you want something to give them that they can read, you could print out a couple of the flyers provided here to hand out at the party. TIP It can feel a bit daunting to talk to people you don’t know very well about environmental sustainability, so feel free to draw on the talking points below if you find that helpful when chatting to your neighbours. 5

Talking Points • Ask people what they would like to improve in their community or neighbourhood, or in their own lives - if they talk about things like stronger relationships between neighbours, a sense of community, safety and wellbeing, saving some money, improving the environment, getting healthier, or having fun - then suggest that these are things they might be able to enjoy by having a go at the Transition Streets program with you and the other people on your street. • If people aren’t too fussed about climate change, you can mention that Transition Streets is predominantly about benefiting the community - by helping to strengthen local connections, and empower all of us as neighbours and community members to be kinder to the environment, save on our energy, water and petrol bills, eat healthier, exercise a bit more, and save money on our grocery and shopping bills. Option 2: Inviting the neighbours to your first workshop using flyers Alternatively, you could just put flyers around your neighbourhood about your first workshop instead, if you don’t have the time or space to organise a street party. You can download the workshop invitation flyer here, add in your workshop details, and then print out and pop in your neighbours’ mailboxes. Step 3 The day finally arrives! Hold your street’s inaugural Transition Streets workshop! Just having gone to the effort of connecting with your neighbours on this issue is a big undertaking, so pat yourself on the back for getting to this point. Don’t be disappointed if only a few people show up - a group with three or more people will work just fine. Tip for First Workshop of Neighbours To help with building relationships and comfort in the group, in your invitation, you might like to suggest a fun activity to do before or after you work through the first workshop. This could include: • Sharing a meal together (for example, having a ‘potluck’ dinner, where everyone brings a dish) • Watching an inspirational movie, like the beautiful and entertaining French documentary ‘Demain’ about what communities around the world are doing to tackle climate change. What to Bring to Each Meeting Remember to include in the invitation, and in your conversations with neighbours and/or friends, instructions for each person to bring along: • A laptop computer, iPad or smartphone (iPhone or Android) if they have one. This is required so that everyone can easily access the online resources during the workshop. You could also just use one laptop to take it in turns to read out the workbook instructions. Some workshops have short online surveys - so ideally everyone should bring their phone along so they can complete these individually This means that you should try to host the workshop at a house with wifi that guests can log into. That said, if you don’t have great internet access, or have a group that would prefer to do everything offline, you can also just download and print a copy of the workbook chapter for each workshop. • Pen and paper - to take notes if you want to; • Snacks and drinks (obviously optional, but tasty!); and • An idea for a fun activity you could do as a group before or after each meeting (see our suggested list of fun activities here). 6

1 GETTING STARTED

Welcome to your first ever Transition Streets workshop! Congrats on getting organised and starting your program! To kick off Session 1, we suggest you just work through the activities below in order. Each activity has a rough time listed next to it, to indicate roughly how long to spend on each activity. And remember to have fun! For Friends You already know each other, so head straight to Activity 1! For Neighbours Step 1 (5 minutes) • Introduce yourselves! • • Go ar Go around the room – each person should try to quickly answer the following questions, and any others ound the room – each person should try to quickly answer the following questions, and any others y you’d like to add:ou’d like to add: Who’s in your household Where do you live? Have you or your house explored sustainability issues before? What was the main reason you decided you’d have a go at participating in the Transition Streets program? What are you most hoping to get out of it? Step 2 (5 minutes) Set your group schedule for discussion sessions — how often, where, and when would you like to meet? Once a fortnight? One a month? Will you meet at the same place? Or take turns hosting? Will there be snacks (let’s hope so!)? Who’ll bring them? Will you pick a person to facilitate or be the leader for each session, or just work through it as a group? For All Groups Make sure you share your contact details with each other, too – and you must register online for the program if you haven’t already. Register yourself here. Activity 1: Quick Incoming Survey-Values, Priorities, Commitments (10 mins) Firstly – fill out the survey by clicking on the link below to work out what matters most to you and what you’d most like to achieve by participating in the Transition Streets Program. This is an important first step, as behavioural science research shows that writing out our commitments and motivations at the outset, makes it more likely we’ll achieve our goals. For each person, complete the survey questions in the link on your own (this should take about 5 minutes), and then, if you’re comfortable, discuss your answers together for a few minutes as a group! Take me to the survey! Once you’ve each finished your survey, spend 10 minutes going around in a circle and having a quick chat about what you put down in your survey. 8

Activity 2: Goal-Setting (10 mins) Writing down our goals, using concrete language, has been shown in multiple contexts to increase the likelihood of us actually carrying them out. For this Transition Streets program as a whole, spend a minute or two separately writing out what your main goal will be. Try to write it using the following format, and make your goal as specific as possible, so for example, instead of saying ‘I will improve the environment’, you could say ‘I will cut my personal emissions footprint in half by the end of 2017’: “I will [list desired achievement] by [specify deadline], through [write a quick explanation of how you’ll achieve the goal].” Activity 3: Figuring out where you’re at – calculating your ecological footprint and greenhouse gas emissions Step 1 (5 minutes) The ecological footprint calculator gives each of us a fairly good indication of our ecological footprint, based on our current lifestyles. “Ecological footprint” means the estimated space and resources on the planet needed to keep us living the way they currently live (including calculating the area of biologically active land and water area that is required to produce the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and to manage the waste we produce). Most of you will have completed the SEE-Change online ecological footprint when you registered for the Transition Streets program. But if you haven’t done so yet, take the next few mins to fill out the online form here, (full link is: http://www.theneighbourhoodeffect.com.au/ts_join) so you can calculate your ecological footprint and then discuss your results with your group. By using this calculator tool at the beginning and at the end of the program, you can get a good ballpark estimate of the total impact of the changes you’ve made to live more sustainably. Step 2 (5 minutes) Measuring your greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) is also an important indicator of your effect on climate change compared with the average citizen. Spend ten minutes each using this calculator now to obtain some idea of how large each of your greenhouse gas emissions are before you begin any improvements. The great thing about this tool is it will also give you an idea of which particular items, such as petrol consumption, heating or food shopping, are the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions for you: www.epa.vic.gov.au/ agc/home.html NOTE: Click the white icons in the top left corner to switch between different categories: Step 3 (10 minutes) Once you’re done with both online tools, spend 10 minutes discussing the results you each got in your group for the ecological footprint calculator and the greenhouse gas survey. What areas do you want to work on as individuals? How about as a team? 9

Activity 4: Getting comfy with this workbook (10 mins) When organising your meetings as a group, it’s also worth considering planning a fun activity to do before or after you go through each workbook chapter. This is a great idea for neighbourhood groups in particular. There’s a full list of potential activities you could do to complement each workshop, like watching a short movie on food production or having a party, to make each meeting enjoyable, rewarding, relaxed and not too cerebral. See the full list here. Have a quick flick through the rest of this workbook and start to get familiar with the sections. Each section has a similar structure, starting with the facts and understanding what you are doing, followed by actions and a link to further resources. Each action is accompanied by a key that shows you whether it’s right for your type of household, the level of effort required, how cheap it is, and what the likely environmental savings will be. Here’s the legend that’s used throughout the workbook. Does it make sense to you? It should help you sort through suggested actions quickly, based on their estimated cost, relative impact, level of difficulty, extent of repetition required and your dwelling type (for example, whether you rent or own, and what type of home you live in). For ease of reference, you can find this legend at the end of every chapter of this workbook. Difficulty Easy Medium Hard Dwelling All household House only House with Apartment types (HHH) (H) garden only (A) (HG) Resident Renter (R) Home owner (HO) On campus or public (SH) Impact / / / / / 5 5 5 5 5 Cost Saving Free Low Medium High Repetition One-time Ongoing 10

Pat each other on the back! You’ve just finished your first session! If you’ve prepared a fun activity as part of your first session, then you’re just a few minutes away from enjoying it together! Congratulations! Before Your Next Session Your next session is on waste and consumer power. Between now and then try and do the following things: • Before you go today, decide as a group what date and time you’ll meet up again for your next session and where you’ll meet (same place? Or maybe another group member’s house?) • Agree to have a quick squiz at the waste and consumer power chapter before you meet up (it’s only take a few minutes to scan) and make mental notes of any changes you want to make in your home • Between now and the next workshop, try to objectively observe your shopping habits and how much single-use stuff like tissues, paper towels, coffee cups and plastic bags and bottles you have to chuck out, and how many times you have to empty the trash bins around your house. FINAL TIP The way we form habits has a lot to do with belief and our sense of self-efficacy – so if we think to ourselves ‘I can do this, and I will do it’ – we’re more likely to carry out our desired action. Start your fun activity! 1 D. Ivanova et al (2015), ‘Environmental Impact Assessment of Household Consumption’, 20:3 Journal of Industrial Ecology. 2 Australia’s annual carbon dioxide emissions from consumption is 17 tonnes per person, the global average is 5 tonnes: Global Carbon Atlas (2013), ‘CO2 Emissions’. For rankings on per capita greenhouse gas emissions see Next 10 (2015), California Green Innovation Index. 3 See for example, B. Bollinger and K. Gillingham (2012), ‘Peer Effects in the Diffusion of Solar Photovoltaic Panels’ 31:6 Marketing Science. 4 For more information on socially contagious behaviour, see, for example, T Rosenberg (2011) Join the Club: How Peer Pressure Can Transform the World and K Ball et al (2010), ‘Is healthy behavior contagious: associations of social norms with physical activity and healthy eating’, 7:86 International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 5 The information and suggested activities in this booklet are based on scientific research on sustainable behaviour change from the academic disciplines of behavioural economics and psychology. For more information, see, for example, Douglas McKenzie-Mohr (2011), Fostering Sustainable Behaviour and Dan Ariely et al (2014), Hacking Human Nature for Good: A Practical Guide to Changing Human Behavior. 6 See e.g. L. Evans et al (2012), ‘Self-interest and pro-environmental behaviour’, 3:122-125 Nature Climate Change. Research into positive spillover for environmentally sustainable behaviours is relatively new - it appears positive spillover only occurs some of the time and is shaped by the individual’s sense of identity and values, and the perceived similarity of the behaviours being adopted. See J. Thøgersen (2012), Pro-Environmental Spillover: Review of Research on the Different Pathways Through Which Performing One Pro-Environmental Behaviour Can Influence the Likelihood of Performing Another, BehaviourWorks Australia. 7 Just kidding. 11



2 WASTE + CONSUMER POWER

Today’s session is on reducing waste and the role we can play as ethical consumers. If you haven’t had a chance to yet, take a few minutes to individually read through this module (and why not have a snack or a drink while you do it). The connection between shopping and waste Although the ACT has the highest amount of household waste per capita, ACT residents have one of the highest recycling rates in Australia.8 About 70% of our region’s waste is either reused and recycled according to the ACT government. This is a very encouraging statistic! For the other 30% of waste in the ACT, this is generally what happens: All garbage in your ...Is picked up and driven by a ...where it is compressed and wheelie bin... truck to Mugga Lane landfill... buried... CH = 4 25 x CO2 ...and then degrades... ...to produce methane, toxins Methane is 25x more potent and hydrocarbons... than carbon dioxide. ACT 2025 1.1mn 310,000 resource tonnes tonnes recovery (amount of waste target made by ACT (amount of ACT waste added to = 100% residents per landfill per year). year)9 If you enjoy the retail therapy of shopping for new purchases, then based on an Australia Institute analysis of Roy Morgan research polling, it’s likely you’re creating unnecessary waste in the form of lots of plastic packaging and non-essential consumer products that haven’t been fully utilised before they’re chucked out (or perhaps they stay tucked up in the attic for years, cluttering up your space). Luckily, there are lots of easy ways we can curb our waste and shopping habits, and there are a bunch of health and wellbeing benefits when we do. 14

The benefits of being less wasteful and of buying less stuff The good news is there are many benefits to reducing our waste. Reducing the amount of waste we produce will: • Reduce climate change: rotting rubbish in landfill produces methane (CH4), which is 72 times more impactful than carbon dioxide in terms of trapping heat in the atmosphere. • Save resources: many waste products use resources that are running out. Using them longer saves digging up more. • Save energy: making new goods takes energy — far better to keep the old ones in use as long as possible. • Support ethical businesses that pay fair wages and minimise environmental damage. 11 • Improve your wellbeing (especially when you declutter your house and stop buying so much stuff): “New studies of consumption and happiness show, for instance, that people are happier when they spend money on experiences instead of material objects, when they relish what they plan to buy long before they buy it, and when they stop trying to outdo the Joneses.” Over the past decade, an 12 abundance of psychology research has shown that experiences bring people more happiness than do possessions. The research suggests that through decluttering we can reduce stress, become less 13 anxious” and improve our productivity. 14 15

Using your consumer power for good: Our waste-not want-not game plan Step 1 Calculating your waste (15 minutes) How much do you shop? Do you ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’? Unlike energy and water, where our meters and billing can tell us exactly how much of each we’re using at home, it’s a little harder to get a clear overview of our shopping habits, or to keep track of the amount of waste we’re creating from all the stuff we’re consuming. To get a rough indication of both, complete the online survey below (one at a time or simultaneously on your phones or laptops). The whole survey should take you less than 6 minutes each. To get a sense of how much single-use stuff ends up as waste in your household in a typical week, think back on the last week and quickly complete page 1 of the Transition Streets Waste Survey here. TIP If you can’t remember something, just provide your best guess. And if you feel like the last week isn’t a good indication of how you usually behave, then think about a recent week that does represent your usual behaviour when you complete the checklist. Take it in turns to complete the survey, it if you only have one online device. You can also access it on your phone at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/292CGXN Once you’ve completed the survey, take note of your individual results. Looking at your results, add up the number of single use items provided in your survey results for Page 1. What total number did you get? This figure is your number of items that went to landfill in that week. Also have a quick go at adding up all the money you spent on shopping in the past month. Discussion time Are you happy with the amount of stuff you are each buying? A good indicator of this is whether you feel that your house, bedroom, kitchen or wardrobe is cluttered with stuff. (Find out more about the benefits of decluttering and the connection between your stuff and your wellbeing here). Waste 101 Recycling is important, but it’s even more important that we try to use less ‘stuff’ in the first place. The options for dealing with waste in order of preference are: 1 Avoid — do you really need it? Don’t be fooled by ads into thinking that consuming will make you happier! The more stuff we have, the more stressed we become. 2 Reduce — do you need as much of it? 3 Reuse — can it be fixed and/or used by others? 4 In the bin (that means landfill and incineration) — the last resort. Step 2 Decide the actions you’ll take (15 mins) Each of the actions below will help you reduce the amount you consume and waste. There are some super easy things you can do to cut waste and consumption in your house, and it doesn’t have to involve wearing your undies until they fall apart! Each of the actions below can significantly reduce the amount of waste that 15 your household produces, in many instances they’ll also make you feel better and help you save money. Note that you may do some of these activities already – if so, good on you! 16

Tier 1: Easy-peasy lemon squeezy (Beginner level) If you don’t already, recycle! In the ACT, you can put the following items into your yellow-lid recycling bin: • Rigid plastic containers, such as ice cream containers, biscuit trays, toothpaste tubes, greasy margarine containers, chemical bottles, take away food containers, plastic deodorant bottles, hair gel container and shampoo bottles (please remove lids). • Paper and cardboard products, including greasy pizza boxes, chocolate boxes and toy boxes (even with plastic windows), newspapers, paper packaging and cards, junk mail, envelopes, telephone books, magazines and soiled paper towels. • glass bottles and jars, including beer bottles, chemical and poison bottles, makeup and nail polish bottles, wine bottles, vegemite and jam jars, pasta sauce bottles and jars. • steel cans, aluminium cans, empty aerosols, aluminium foil including pie trays, Easter egg foil, pet food cans, deodorant cans and sardine cans. • cartons, such as milk, wine and beer cartons.17 If you keep forgetting to put out your recycling bin, this app (for smartphones only) will send you sms reminders before your bin collection date for your suburb. Buy a keep-cup! And use it! • Takeaway coffee cups have a plastic lining that is not biodegradable. This means they either go to landfill or end up as a hazard in the environment. In Australia our coffee cup waste is about an extra 60,000 kg a year. 18 • Say you buy a takeaway coffee 5 times a week, then replacing your takeaway cups with a ceramic or silicon keep-cup will stop 260 coffee cups going into landfill every year. That’s just from you using a keep- cup. Pretty neat right? • If you forget your keep cup, instead of getting a takeaway coffee, just order your coffee to ‘have here’ – it’ll take about 5 extra minutes from your day and in that time it forces you to sit down, pause, and take a moment to breathe and relax. • You can order Australian-made keep-cups online here for $24, or from Oxfam for $16 here; You can also buy one from any of these three shops in Canberra: ANU Co-Op Food Shop on Kingsley Street; or David Jones or Myer in the Canberra Centre. Purchase and use a reusable water bottle • If you buy bottled water, even just once a week or once a month, then you’re contributing to the massive problem of water bottle plastic ending up in landfill. 17

• Bringing your own water bottle wherever you go saves you money and, if you have a good brand of water bottle, usually keeps your water cooler for longer. • Check out these options for good quality reusable water bottles. Use green canvas bags or cloth bags • You can get these from any supermarket for less than a dollar. You could also buy your own little shopping trolley. This stops you from having to lug bags to your car or bike or bus – instead you can wheel them from A to B – this is particularly useful at the fresh food markets where you walk from stall to stall rather than use a Woolies/Coles shopping trolley. • This hugely reduces the amount of plastic bags that you use and then ends up in landfill. Switch to 100% recycled, unbleached toilet paper • You can buy your toilet paper in bulk and sign up for automatic deliveries to your house with Who Gives A Crap, a ground-breaking Australian social enterprise that donates half of its profits to the charity WaterAid to help provide clean water and sanitation to developing communities overseas. This way you’ll never run out of toilet paper again, and don’t have to buy it anymore at the supermarket. Plus the toilet paper is packaged in paper rather than plastic, which reduces your waste too. • Alternatively, by toilet paper that is endorsed by Planet Ark (like iCare - bulk buy option only, biodegradable, not re-bleached, 100% recycled) sold at Woolworths. Buy household items, clothing and furniture second-hand, or get them completely free from these gift economy sites • Utilising the Gift Economy: The Buy Nothing Project is a fantastic collection of locally-based facebook groups that operate as a local gift economy. You can sign up and immediately start posting free stuff for Canberrans in your suburb to pick up. On your local Buy Nothing group, you can also find free stuff that others are giving away in your local area! There are great finds like furniture, clothing and electrical appliances, as well as people giving away smaller things like chopsticks sets and garden mulch. Using this site will mean you stop a whole bunch of your stuff from going to landfill and can help it find a new home. Check out all of the local Buy Nothing facebook groups in Canberra here. You can also use Canberra Freecycle, where items that are no longer needed are offered to the rest of the group for free! • Buying second-hand: The Green Shed is a free drop-off centre that diverts saleable goods from landfill and makes them available on site for resale (clothes are available for free). Also check out Canberra’s local Vinnies and the Salvation Army stores for clothing and crockery. 18

Tier 2: Middle o’ The Road (Intermediate Level) Replace tissues and paper towels with handkerchiefs, fabric napkins and cleaning cloths • If you buy and use handkerchiefs instead of tissues, you’ll save heaps of tissue paper from being used and ending up as waste material. It can be a cute accessory in a jacket pocket, you can throw one in the laundry once you’ve used it, and you’ll save on a squillion tissues in the process. For guests, you can put hankies in a tissue box. See some good Biome, a Brisbane-based hanky options here. Benefit Corporation sells a lot of great, sustainably produced alternatives to paper and • You can also buy fabric napkins and re-use these, rather plastic products. You can see their range of products here. than using paper serviettes. These include the very handy and reusable beeswax sheets, so you can do away with • Same goes with cleaning cloths rather than paper towels. plastic glad-wrap. 19 Pouring boiling water onto cleaning cloths kills any bacteria and leaves them smelling great. Buy stuff in bulk to avoid buying individually packaged items “Buying in bulk rather than individual packages will save you lots of money and reduces plastic waste! Packaging makes up 30% of the weight and 50% of trash by volume. Buy juice, snacks, and other lunch items in bulk and use those reusable containers each day.” 20 Recycle your old mobile phones and computers • You can use this site to recycle your old mobile phones • This web-page shows all the places you can drop off your old computers and TVs to be recycled, including at Officeworks in Belconnen, Fyshwick and Tuggeranong. Switch your superannuation to stop funding pollution • Superannuation funds invest their members’ money in all sorts of different businesses, but only a few super funds use a screening process to ensure that your money is not supporting things like 19

tobacco, gambling, products involving animal cruelty and industries that heavily pollute the environment. The two ethical super funds in Australia that do this are Future Super (based in Canberra) and Australian Ethical Super. With each fund it takes less than 3 minutes to switch online - using the links above. • Both funds have slightly higher than average fees but have been performing better than average in terms of returns for the past several years. 21 • For a full list of ethical super funds, check out superswitch.org.au Switch your bank account to go fossil fuel free The following banks have committed to never invest in new fossil fuel projects: Bendigo Bank, Bank of Australia, Beyond Bank and act. For a full list of climate-friendly banks, check out Market Forces site here. Tier 3: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (Challenge level) Do the Zero Waste challenge For one week try to create zero waste, by only buying unpackaged items. Here’s a useful resource on getting started with the 1 week zero waste challenge. Buy Nothing New Consumption Challenge For one week or more, buy nothing new, apart from essentials like food, hygiene products and medicines. Find out more about the buy nothing new one month challenge here. Shopping-trolley or plastic bag You can learn about the gift economy and the zero-waste lifestyle by watching the following videos: • 3-minute video explaining gift economies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S1egXWYwXo • 15-minute video explaining the zero waste lifestyle from Lauren Singer a US sustainability advocate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF72px2R3Hg • ABC Series, The War on Waste, exploring Australia’s waste culture and how to change it. 20

Learn how to fix things Check out the resources below to get started on how to bring out your inner handy-woman (or man). • Fix and Make workshops at Hotel Hotel. • Monthly Repair cafe Canberra Make your toiletries and cleaning products at home Try substituting out the following cleaning products and toiletries with household cooking products and homemade alternatives, to save money and reduce the use of chemicals and packaging in your home: Substitute this… For this… • 1 Tablespoon baking soda • 1 and 1/2 cups of water Shampoo 22 • Cornstarch (optional for thickening) • Drops of your favourite essential oils for scent • 1 cup water • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar. • 10 drops of essential oils. • Customize Your Conditioner: [Rosemary or Conditioner sage essential oils for all types of hair] [Lemon, bergamot, or tea tree essential oils for oily hair] [Lavender, sandalwood or geranium essential oils for dry hair or dandruff] Mix 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup baking soda into Spray & Wipe 2 litres of water. Store and keep. Create your own tool sharing system with your neighbours If you like, you could approach some of the neighbours you’re friendly with to create an inventory of tools and equipment amongst your group that you can all share. Create a system to keep track of where stuff is (like a central log book in a shed, which notes the date you borrowed an item, and then logs when it was returned), agree some participation guidelines, and start sharing! In your group, have a brief chat about some of these actions and then choose the ones you want to tackle and by when. 21

Behavioural Science Tip Psychological research shows that we are more likely to change our behaviour when we do the following things: 1 Make a commitment in writing that outlines how you ‘will’ change; 2 View the change you’re making as part of your collective identity (think “we’re the type of people who care about the environment and climate change, so we don’t leave the tap running when we clean our teeth”); 3 Make specific plans about how, when and where you’ll make the change: For example: “When I stack the dishwasher in the evenings after dinner (when) in the kitchen (where), I’ll only press the button to run it when it is completely full’ (specific behaviour, described using positive action words); 4 Making your desired behaviour change alongside other people, like the people in your group, is a whole lot easier than trying to do it on your own – the more you act together to make your desired changes, the easier it will be. Step 3 Commit to your actions (20 mins) In your group, have a brief chat about the action or actions above that you’re each committing to between now and your next meeting. Talk through what you each need to complete these actions. How are you going to do them? When? With whom? Using the table below as a guide, write your actions down. Use language that firmly commits you to your desired change and states when and where you’ll carry out this action (studies show that this makes it more likely you’ll successfully carry out the action). For example: ‘I will replace my shower-head by going to Bunnings next Saturday morning and buying a 3-star showerhead, then unscrewing the one in my bathroom when I get home that day and replacing it with the the new one’. Team Action Plan Use this table to write out a couple of the actions that you each intend to carry out. (Optional) Buddy (who will check up on you to Specific How you’ll do this Commitment / Pledge see whether you’ve made your behaviour (Include When and Where) desired change / or help you make the change by driving to the hardware store in Dickson next Jen will go with Lily on replace her shower-head (Example) Lily will Saturday morning and Saturday and buy her with a 3-star one buying one, then replacing it showerhead then too. when she gets home Name will... Congratulations! You’ve just finished your first workshop! Go you! 22

Before You Head Off • Decide as a group when you’ll meet up again (same time, same place? Or maybe another group member’s house?); • Agree to have a quick squiz at the energy chapter before you meet up; • Fish out your old energy bills (for example, if you have access to all of your energy bills for the past year on e-pay plus) and your most recent one if you have it. Go to the Transition Streets registration page and consent to ActewAGL sharing your gas and/or electricity billing data with The Neighbourhood Effect if you haven’t already (there’s no obligation to do this, but it allows us to benchmark your progress and create an estimate of your energy-related emission reductions). Remember to bring a few of your electricity and gas bills along to your next session too so you can have a chat about them. • Carry out your action plans from this session! 8 C Colley, ‘ACT’s waste management costs among country’s highest’, The Canberra Times, 6 May 2014. 9 K Lawson, ‘ACT government calls for bids on new ways to deal with city’s rubbish’, The Canberra Times, 22 February 2017. 10 The Australia Institute (2005), Wasteful Consumption in Australia. 11 If you want more information about the fashion industry’s exploitation of workers and environmental damage, check out the film The True Cost. 12 S Rosenbloom (2010), ‘But Will It Make You Happy?’, The New York Times. 13 J Hamblin (2014), ‘Buy Experiences, Not Things’, The Atlantic. 14 N Darlington, ‘4 Scientific Reasons Why Decluttering Leads to a Better Life’, Lifehack 15 Although they can be used for a cleaning rag or in the shed! 16 Relative impact for each suggested action is a ballpark estimate. The exact carbon emission reductions associated with each action taken will vary depending on household type, location and appliances used. All activities suggested in this workbook have a positive impact, because they reduce our ecological footprints. 17 ACT Government, Transport and City Services, ‘Recycling and Waste Collection’. 18 S White (2016), ‘Takeaway coffee cups piling up in landfill as Australia’s caffeine habit soars’ Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 19 If you are concerned about the carbon footprint of online shopping, have a read of this article. On average, if you are going to drive your vehicle to pick up a few items from a store, from an environmental standpoint, you are better off ordering them online. If you are going to ride your bike or take a bus to pick up an item - then that is less impactful than ordering online. 20 Rethink Recycling, Top 10 Ways to Reduce Waste. 21 See for example, this recent CHOICE article on ethical superannuation and this article in the Australian Financial Review. 22 You can also buy solid bars of shampoo and conditioner to reduce packaging and save loads of plastic bottles from being manufactured. Two Australian brands are ethique and lush. See more tips on the SEE-Change website: www.see-change.org.au/resources/recycling-and-waste/ 23

Legend Difficulty Easy Medium Hard Dwelling All household House only House with Apartment types (HHH) (H) garden only (A) (HG) Resident Renter (R) Home owner (HO) On campus or public (SH) Impact / / / / / 5 5 5 5 5 Cost Saving Free Low Medium High Repetition One-time Ongoing 24

3 ENERGY

Welcome back to your third Transition Streets workshop! Today’s session is on using less energy. First up! (5 minutes) Spend 5 minutes or less having a brief chat about how you’ve all managed with your actions from the Waste and Consumer Power session: • Have you carried out the actions you committed to? • What was hard? • What do you still want to get done (and what barriers do you need to remove to do it?) If you haven’t had a chance to yet, take a few minutes to individually read through this module (and have a snack or a drink while you do it!). Benchmarking your progress (2 mins) When you registered for this program, you would have consented to The Neighbourhood Effect accessing your electricity and gas billing data. By providing your consent for ActewAGL to pass on your electricity and gas bill details to The Neighbourhood Effect, you’ve allowed us to benchmark your energy consumption before, during and after the program. This data help us continually assess the effectiveness of the Transition Streets workbook and improve it. Thank you! By consenting to sharing your billing data, we’ll also be able to provide you with an estimate of your individual energy-related emission reductions when you complete the workbook! Your data won’t be shared with any third party without your express written consent. We’ll also add any emissions reductions you make through your energy usage to the Transition Streets Community tally, so you can see how much of an impact everyone participating has made by having a go at this program. If you and your group are interested in receiving a personalised report on your energy-related emission reductions, you can email info@theneighbourhoodeffect. com.au See The Neighbourhood Effect’s Privacy policy here for more details on the data collection process, and how we ensure your information is kept private and secure. Some facts about energy (5 minutes) 16 Household Energy (Canberra) Heating and Air Con $1600 26 58 Heating Water Other Average Canberra household’s yearly spend on electricity 26

240.0 2016 220.0 200.0 Electricity 180.0 Prices 160.0 Index 140.0 2006 120.0 DOUBLED IN 10 YEARS! 100.0 80.0 Source: Energy Matters, 2016. Natural gas prices are also increasing. Scientific evidence shows that to minimise the impact of climate change we need to abandon fossil fuels as our predominant source of energy. But nationally, Australia still has one of the most fossil-fuel dependent electricity system’s in the world. Extracting and shipping coal and natural gas results in other damaging impacts too. For example, in Australia, smoke from coal-fired power stations and particle debris from coal trains contributes to respiratory diseases like asthma and has been linked to lung cancer. Solar and wind energy are rapidly becoming cheaper than coal-fired power and gas. This is because once they’re built, solar and wind power plants cost next to nothing to run (no fuel costs and very low maintenance costs). Whereas coal-fired power stations and gas power plants need to incorporate the cost of mining and fracking for coal and gas into their ongoing prices (i.e. high ongoing fuel costs). The ACT is in a really good position when it comes to our energy system. While the rest of the National Electricity Grid gets about 85% of its electricity from coal-fired %100 power (which is bad for the environment and people’s health), by 2020 the ACT will offset its emissions from electricity consumption through the grid using 100% renewable energy (like solar and wind energy – which don’t pollute the air or emit carbon dioxide). This 100% goal is a world-leading renewable energy target, so be happy and proud that you live in a region that’s already solved a big part of this problem for you! Even in 2020, Canberra will still be connected to the rest of the New South Wales electricity grid, so the electricity fed into our houses will still come from mostly fossil fuel sources. In this way, even though Canberrans will have their energy consumption and the associated pollution fully offset by the ACT’s renewable energy scheme, saving power in our homes will still be helping the environment. The good news is there are easy, feel-good things you can do to cut down your energy bills. Plus, if you’re worried about the cost of electricity and gas, then these small actions will also save you a motzah! Take the power back! Our energy-busting game plan Step 1: Get a feel for your electricity usage (10 mins) This handy tool from the Victorian government will give you a rough estimate of your energy consumption, compared to other households like yours. All you need is your last electricity bill – it takes about 2 minutes to fill out: compare my household electricity usage! 27

Take turns to fill out the form and then have a quick chat about whether the result was in line with what you were expecting, or if it surprised you. If you’re not sure about how to read your energy bills, this handy site will help you out. Step 2: Decide how you’ll cut your energy use (15 mins) The suggested actions below both help the environment and reduce your reliance on your existing pow- er provider. If you’re sick of dealing with electricity and gas companies, take a look at some of the energy options in the middle-tier and challenge sections. Buying solar and batteries is cheaper than ever, and you end up saving a lot of money over the long-term, once you recoup the upfront investment for the cost of the panels and storage. Each of the actions below, including the free ones, can significantly reduce the amount of energy that your household uses. Good luck! Note that you may do some of these activities already – if so, go you! Tier 1: Easy-peasy lemon squeezy (Beginner level) In winter – if you have to use the heater – set it at a low temperature Use blankets, hot water bottles and jumpers to stay warm • On cold days and nights, if you have to use your heater, keep the temperature gauge at 18 degrees or lower. • Then, use blankets, thick socks, hot water bottles, heated throw rugs, ugg boots and jumpers to keep yourself warm inside. This is also better for your skin, as most heating systems remove moisture from the air, which can make your skin super dry, and dry out your mucous membranes (leading to sore throats and worse sinusitis). Use natural cooling, by opening and closing your windows and curtains at the right time to reduce the need for air-con or the heater • In Summer, get into the habit of opening windows at sunset, to allow the cross-flow of air to cool the house all night, then set reminders to close all your windows, curtains and doors early next morning as it gets hot. This manages the temperature in your house so you’re not inadvertently heating it when it’s hot. Re-open them again at sunset. • In Winter, on sunny days, open your curtains and blinds in the morning to let the sunshine in, which will help to heat the house. Then set a reminder to close your curtains and blinds as soon as it starts to get dark - this will help stop the heat built up from the daytime sun escaping through your windows and doors. 28

In Summer, if you must use A/C, set it at a higher temperature • On hot days and nights, if you’re desperate for some air con relief, then set it at about 25 degrees, rather than, say, 15 degrees. That way, you’re A/C takes up way less energy, and you can still feel comfortable inside, by wearing loose, light clothing and drinking lots of iced water! • The same issues with aircon apply as with heaters. They can make your eyes itchy, your throat sore, and dry out your skin. Let your body enjoy the higher levels of natural humidity in Canberra’s summer-time. It’s actually better for your health! Behavioural Science Tip For repeat actions, you’re likely to forget or revert back to your old behaviour at some point – this is normal and to be expected – it’s part of being human! It happens for everyone, so there’s no reason to feel guilty, just pick up where you left off and try again. The more times you repeat a habit, the easier it becomes and the less you have to think about it. Once you’ve performed the action enough times, you’ll reach ‘automaticity’ – that is, doing something so automatically you don’t even realise you’re doing it. Switch stuff off • Over time, standby power on things like toasters, computers and phone chargers uses quite a bit of electricity. • You’ll save cash and feel in control of your power usage if you train yourself to get into the habit of turning off lights, fans and power points when they’re not in use. P.S. Did you know that if you leave a fan on in an empty room – it can actually make the room hotter! Get free expert advice on what changes you can make to your home to save energy The ACT government’s Actsmart program provides this for free. Check out the details here. Tier 2: Middle-o-the-road (Intermediate level) When replacing household appliances, buy ones with high energy efficiency ratings! • If you need to replace electrical appliances, then the Department of Environment has a free energy rating app for smart purchasing of electrical appliances. 29

• (for homeowners only): You could also look at switching to an induction electric cooktop to get off gas (they are much more efficient and function as well or better). As heating and cooling uses 38% of our home energy across Australia, and almost 60% in the ACT, non-ducted reverse-cycle systems (heat pumps) are the most efficient way to heat and cool. Households should turn off gas heating systems, which are expensive and very inefficient. Replacing a legacy gas ducted heater with a good split system can save as much as 90% of energy on heating. Change up your light bulbs • Replace the lights in your house with LED bulbs! Lighting consumes • In a typical family home, by having standard lighting approximately 13% of rather than LEDs, you can expect to pay about an extra household electrical energy $500 on your energy bill every year. 24 in Australia and good quality LEDs last much longer (i.e. • Check out local Canberra businesses they last years), give off better quality light, and Beacon Lighting and Southside Lighting – keep mercury out of landfill. which have great LED lights you can buy Woohoo! and then change up yourself on a Saturday morning. Buy GreenPower If you don’t own your home and can’t get solar panels, then there’s another way you can support Australian renewable energy: by buying GreenPower. • GreenPower is a government-accredited program that drives extra renewable energy into the grid by displacing all, or some, of your electricity usage with renewable energy. That means if you buy 100% GreenPower, every time you switch on a light, use a microwave, watch TV, or simply use your computer, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that for all the power you use, the equivalent amount will be pulled into the grid from a 100% renewable energy source. • The best thing about GreenPower is that it’s additional to the government’s Renewable Energy Target, so your household will be at the forefront of supporting renewable energy in Australia and driving our progress towards a zero carbon future. • The downside is GreenPower is a bit more expensive – it costs an extra 7.5c per kilowatt-hour – [for an average Canberra home, this equates to roughly the cost of two extra cups of coffee a week (or about $9 extra a week). If you can afford it, it’s a great way to give direct support to Australian renewable energy. You can also just offset a smaller percentage of your electricity, to get an incremental improvement without breaking the bank. • Sign up for GreenPower through ActewAGL’s Green Choice by calling 13 14 93 or visiting the GreenChoice sign up page here. 30

Draught-proof your house by sealing around doors, windows and other gaps • This needs to be comprehensive and should include: open fireplaces, wall vents, vented skylights, louvred windows and fixed vents in laundry/bathroom, cracks along skirting boards and between floor boards in houses with timber floors, doors and windows with no weather stripping. • Go around your house on a windy night and check for draughts. Seal them up with silicone and adhesive door strips. You can access some wonderful videos on draughtproofing at Canberra local radio host, Lish Fejer’s great blog, http://www.greenityourself.com.au/ • For a great summary of what to do to draught-proof your house, check out this resource from Sustainability Victoria. Tier 3: Ain’t no mountain high enough (Challenge level) If you wanna go the whole shebang and retro-fit your house so it’s super energy efficient, then energy advi- sory bodies advise taking these actions in the following order: 25 1 Change lights to LED. 2 Draught-proof the house (should cost less than $50) 3 Buy energy efficient appliances. 4 Insulate the house: ceiling first, then walls and underfloor, depending on the specific situation. 5 Install window coverings: internal (such as block-out curtains), and/or external (for example, blinds/ awnings). 6 Improve the energy-efficiency of windows (only AFTER Steps 2 and 4 have been taken to gain most benefit). (between $500 and $5000, depending on how hi-tech you want your windows to be) 7 Install solar panels and batteries to generate and store your own energy; 8 Get a solar system or heat pump system for heating your water; and 9 Install a smart meter or energy monitoring software to control and profit from your home energy system (for example, check out Reposit Power here). The environmental organisation Beyond Zero Emissions has set up a site to help Australians retro-fit their homes so that they consume way less energy. You can get recommendations and deals on the best products and installations to get to cut your energy usage on their site here. SEE-Change runs sustainable house tours, where you can go and visit houses in the ACT that are built to use the natural heat and light of the sun so that they consume way less energy and are super comfortable to live in, in both the winter and the summer. If you’re interested, check out when the next sustainable house tour is on here. YourHome.gov.au provides a wealth of information to make your home sustainable and energy efficient, including insulation. 31

Treat your windows • Stop the heat from escaping in winter or entering during summer by adding block-out curtains and pelmets internally, adding window films and adding external window shading. Laros Technology is a local Canberra business that sells triple glazed doors/windows, air sealing systems, heat pump hot water and heat recovery ventilation. Also check out local double-glazing businesses Solace Creations or Architech. • If you are a renter rather than a homeowner, to better insulate your windows, you can put Perspex with Velcro, or bubble wrap on Western and Southern Windows. It can easily be removed and insulates your home while still letting the light in – and basically operates like a super cheap form of double-glazing. Go solar! Support renewable energy by installing solar panels • For help and advice on finding the best solar panels to suit your property (along with a bunch of other services to make your home energy efficient), check out the Power Saving Centre Canberra. You can also compare solar panel providers online at Solar Choice. • Make sure that the company you end up deciding on to install your solar panels is accredited by the Clean Energy Council. You can search for accredited solar panel installers here. Go electric Change to high efficiency electrical heating when your gas appliance is near the end of its life. Why electricity is surpassing gas as the heating system of choice Electricity is becoming preferable to gas as: • Electrical appliances are much more efficient and safer than gas (for example, heat pumps vs gas boilers, induction cooktops vs gas), making electricity cheaper than gas. • Green electricity can be purchased but not green gas. • Solar panels are more affordable now, and can offset costs. • Gas prices are projected to rise further, especially due to policy uncertainties in gas extraction and gas exports. Buy energy efficient appliances. This includes switching to an induction electric cooktop to get off gas (they are much more efficient and function as well or better). As heating/cooling uses 38% of our home energy 32

Step 3: Commit to your energy action plan! (20 mins) As a group, have a brief chat about the action or actions above that you are each committing to over the next month, then write these down, in the table below, using language that firmly commits you to your desired change: E.g. ‘I, Lily, am replacing my light bulbs with LED lights’ (this makes it more likely you’ll carry it out). (Optional) Buddy (who will check up on you to Specific How you’ll do this Commitment / Pledge see whether you’ve made your behaviour (Include When and Where) desired change / or help you make the change I’ll follow the steps in this Jen will call Lily to chase her guide next Wed at lunchtime Call ActewAGL and to make the call if she hasn’t (Example) Lily will and will bring my last bill to set up GreenPower already by the end of the work so I have the details I week. need over the phone. Name will... That brings you to the end of your second Transition Streets session. Congrats! Now the fun part begins – you get to put your game plans into action. It’ll feel great when you see your next electricity bill and realise how much you’ve saved and how much that amounts to in terms of less carbon pollution in the air. Before You Head Off But just before you go – here are 4 things to flag before your next session on Food (Yum!): • Decide as a group when you’ll meet up again (same time, same place? Or maybe another group member’s house?). • Have a quick scan through the food chapter before you meet up • Between now and your next session, try to pay a bit more attention to what types of food you’re eating (including local vs imported), how often you’re doing the groceries and the ratio of fresh to packaged food that you and your family or housemates are eating. • And – most importantly - carry out your action plans from this session! 23 See, e.g. ‘Coal the biggest contributor to toxic air pollution: Study’ (2015). 24 Martec Australia, How LED Lights can save your household (a lot of) money. 25 For a bigger list on the 9-most cost-effective things you can do in your home to gain energy independence, check out Beyond Zero Emissions’ Energy Freedom Home. 33

Legend Difficulty Easy Medium Hard Dwelling All household House only House with Apartment types (HHH) (H) garden only (A) (HG) Resident Renter (R) Home owner (HO) On campus or public (SH) Impact / / / / / 5 5 5 5 5 Cost Saving Free Low Medium High Repetition One-time Ongoing 34

4 FOOD

Welcome back! Today’s session is all about what we eat. But first! Closing the loop on Energy (5 mins) Spend five minutes discussing how you’re each going with your actions from the Energy session: • What have you all achieved? • What do you still want to get done, and what do you think are the obstacles making it harder for you to do it? • Quickly have a go at writing down one or two things you can each do to minimise those obstacles. Now – on to food! Step 1: Understanding the climate impact of the food we eat (15 mins) First up, have a read through the box below. In it, you’ll find some facts about the connection between food and climate change that you might surprise you (or if you’re super clued in about agricultural emissions, this won’t be news to you). The Problem Agriculture is the second biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions, just behind the energy sector, at about 20% of total global emissions. Globally, livestock production creates 7.1 Gigatonnes of greenhouse gas per 26 year. To put that into perspective, that’s the equivalent of about 2,060 coal-fired power stations running 27 continuously for a year. 28 The World Health Organisation’s recommended daily intake of meat per person is only 90 grams per day. 29 But currently on average, Australians eat almost three times this healthy amount every day. If countries 30 like Australia continue to eat meat at our current rate, and if people in Asian countries adopt a meat-heavy Western-style diet, then the global average temperature will rise past 4 degrees, even if we still go “all out to curb climate change in other ways.” 31 Australians also waste up to 30% of their food, costing us over $1000 each every year. All of our food scraps in the bin end up in landfills, taking up space and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is 25 times more damaging than carbon dioxide. The Solution Cutting our meat consumption is actually crucial if we want to help prevent damaging climate change. Studies have found that to stay below 2 degrees of global warming, people in Western countries must reduce their meat consumption. If everyone reduced their meat consumption to the recommended daily intake, 32 agricultural emissions would reduce by a third and save millions of lives due to healthier eating. Not to 33 mention that in Australia you’re much less likely to be overweight or obese if you eat a vegetarian diet. 34 We also need to cut down on our food waste, and support a fairer, more resilient food system that supports communities both in Australia and globally. Already there are positive changes with the increase of organic and other sustainable methods for growing food. We have also seen an increase in the number of, and use of, farmers markets. The system won’t be changed overnight but we can each do our part by switching to sustainable, healthy and fair food. 36

We’re moving in the right direction The good news is that tweaking our diets so we eat less meat, in particular, less beef, is one of the single most impactful things we can do to reduce our carbon emissions. In fact, in Australia, more and more people are adopting vegetarian diets. In the last four years, there’s been a marked increase in the number of Australian vegetarians, up to 2.1 million – including an increase of 30% in New South Wales alone. Not only is vegetarianism a national trend in Australia – but almost 9.9 million Australian adults, 53.4% of the population, agree that they’re also “eating less red meat these days”. Australia is also the third-fastest 35 36 growing market for vegan food in the world, behind the UAE and China. Now, spend 5 minutes as a group brainstorming what we could do differently in our own lives to help reduce our food-related emissions, and note down your ideas. Questions to prompt discussion if needed • How do you feel about our meat consumption and the amount of meat and processed foods we eat in our households? • On a scale of 1 to 10, how committed are you to reducing your food-related emissions? • Do you think there are opportunities in your home for you to reduce your food waste? How about creating a veggie garden, cutting out meat some of the time, or switching where you do the groceries, from a big supermarket chain to a farmers’ market or Canberra’s local food co-operative? Step 2: Reducing your food-related emissions – pick your actions (15 mins) Eating healthy, sustainable and fair food can be a challenge in today’s world, especially when the popular impression is that this costs a lot of money. However, it’s actually a lot easier and much cheaper than you’d expect to live in a way that’s good for you and good for the planet. A number of potential actions have been identified below and on the next page. Each of these actions can give you tasty, fresh food for less, minimise environmental and social impacts and help build a strong local food system, increasing food security in our region. Tier 1: Easy-peasy lemon squeezy (Beginner level) If you eat lots of processed food, switch to getting fresh veggies delivered to your door • If you have zero time, or are bad at organising your meals, there’s a cheat option that will still increase the amount of fresh food that you eat. That option is getting your food delivered to your door each week. All you need to do is sign up once and pick the delivery options you want, then you don’t have to think about it again 37

• Here are 4 fresh food box options operating in Canberra. The most sustainable options are the The Food Co-op veggie box scheme (you pick up your box at ANU and can buy $25 or $50 pre-packed boxes with seasonal produce and no unnecessary packaging) and the Canberra City Farm pilot food box scheme. • You could also check out Marley Spoon or Hello Fresh. These two options involve plastic-wrapped ice packs and quite a lot of packaging (although most of it is biodegradable), so they are much less environmentally-friendly than picking up your own fresh food or buying in bulk. • But while taking this approach isn’t nearly as good as cycling to the fresh food market at Fyshwick or Exhibition Park to do your groceries with canvas bags, the net benefit is that you can reduce the amount of processed and pre-packaged food you eat. You’ll also eat seasonally and cut down on food waste (reducing your carbon footprint) as you’ll have the right amount of ingredients needed for your meals. Plan your meals and only buy what you need to minimise food waste • You can choose from a couple of helpful apps that help you to plan your meals in advance, like mealboard. The Yummly app and website also have a search function that lets you plug in the ingredients you have at home and suggests recipes that include all of them. • Here’s a great article on how to get started with meal planning. • Lastly, make sure your food is visible – if it’s down the bottom of the crisper it’s invisible E.g. get into the habit of pulling out the crisper from the fridge and setting it on the bench each time you want to make yourself something to eat, so you can see what’s in there. Also in Canberra’s icy winter - your veggies will last for several days if you put them in a fruit bowl on the counter top where you’ll see them ripening and use them automatically because they’re at your fingertips. Eat more unprocessed food • Processed food tends to be more expensive, less nutritious, high in sugar and/or fat and has food additives. Eating less processed food means substituting lunch meats like packaged ham, turkey and bacon for other healthier foods like fresh fruit and veggies. • Exchanging processed foods for fresh produce is known to decrease the risk of heart disease and obesity. In 2015, the World Health Organisation released a landmark report denouncing bacon, hot dogs, sausages, ham, and other types of processed meat as Group 1 carcinogens. 37 • For any packaged food you buy, start looking at the origin of your food at the supermarket - you can find out where the food is from by looking at the food labels. 38

Buy local, seasonal foods • Buy your veggies and fruits from local farmers’ markets! • There are several farmers markets and co-op food shops that source fresh, organic produce that is produced in Canberra and the surrounding region. Check out the map on the link below to find the one closest to your house! • The table below lists the farmers markets in Canberra, their location and their opening times. Now all you need to do is build a trip to the farmers markets into your weekend routine! Where to get fresh farmers’ produce in Canberra Market/Shop Name Location Opening Times Prices Capital Region Exhibition Park (EPIC), Farmers Market Mitchell Sat 7:30 – 11:30am Fyshwick Fresh 12 Dalby St, Fyshwick Thu-Sun 7am-5:30pm Food Markets The Food 3 Kingsley St, 8am-7pm Mon-Fri; Co-op Canberra City 10am-4pm Sat-Sun Belconnen Fresh 10 Lathlain Street, Wed-Sun 8am-6pm Food Markets Belconnen Southside 2 Launceston St, Farmers Markets Phillip Sun 8:00-11:30am If we’ve missed a store or grocer that you think should be added to this list - email us at: [email protected] How to pick your food The good news is that tweaking our diets so we eat less meat, in particular, less beef, is one of the single most In making your food choices, consider these factors: • Ecological impact: This includes how it was grown, the distance it has travelled, water required for its production, and how much packaging went into it. For low impact, primarily choose plant-based, local food! Some growing methods such as chemical free, organic, biodynamic and permaculture have low impact. 39

• Social impact: Support local industry, and consider buying ‘fair trade.’ • Health impact: How the food was grown and processed will have an impact on your health. Minimise the amount of processed foods that are generally high in fats and/or sugars. Eat a wide variety of whole foods, including vegetables of as many colours as possible (green, yellow, red, orange). • Financial impact: Some good food will cost more but there are ways to minimise this: buying in bulk, buying unprocessed food, and growing your own food all save money. Meat produced sustainably generally costs more, so eat less so that you can afford good quality sustainable meat. Tier 2: Middle o’ the Road (Intermediate level) Cut down on meat This might sound hard but it’s actually easier than it looks. Especially if you take an incremental approach. • If you’re just getting started with reducing your meat consumption and aren’t sure about it, you could start with an initiative like ‘Meat Free Monday’, which aims to get people to eat no meat one day a week. • If you feel like you must eat meat, then you want to be eating very little (a maximum of 90 grams a day - that’s the same weight as six 50 cent pieces - i.e. not very much!) to stay in line with the World Health Organisation’s recommended daily intake. When you do eat meat, know where your meat comes from and choose sustainable sources such as free range poultry, grass-fed beef, Certified Sustainable Seafood by the Marine Stewardship Council and kangaroo If you can’t cook - learn! • Take a course on how to use garden produce, or how to cook from scratch • The Canberra Environment Centre and some of the local farmers’ markets have great cooking courses you can sign up for. Learn how to preserve food • Take a Total Environment Centre course to learn how to make delicious jams and chutneys. • You can also borrow a dehydrator from a friend (camping enthusiasts will probably own one) and dehydrate leftover fruit to make tasty snacks. • For recipes that make best use of your food scraps, check out this article from Australian Ethical and another from the Huffington Post. 40

Sign up for the Climatarian Challenge • If you have a smartphone or iPad, you could also sign up for The Climatarian Challenge, which helps you to monitor the carbon emissions from the food you eat and gives you the challenge of cutting the average Australian meat consumption in half for a month. Set up a compost for all your food waste! • This is much easier to do in a home with a balcony or garden, but if you’re in an apartment and you’re keen to set up a few potted herbs on your windowsill, then there are still some kitchen countertop composting systems you can use that won’t smell and are pretty easy to use. • If you have a garden or a lot of outdoor space, you can buy a compost bin from a hardware store, and then add your food waste into the bin (provided you’ve chucked in a few layers of dried leaves, paper scraps and a little soil first). • Put an empty ice cream container or something similar under your sink or on your kitchen bench so you get into the habit of putting your food scraps in there rather than the bin. Then periodically empty the container into the compost. In there, your food scraps will rot, and start to look like soil and smell like earth - that’s when they’ve turned into an amazing soil builder called humus. You can then use this to fertilise your garden and have zero food waste! Neat, right? Here’s a step-by-step guide on setting up a compost. Once you’ve done the initial setup, it’s pretty low maintenance. • If you’re in an apartment, check out the bokashi composting system. It’s a little more expensive because you have to buy bokashi buckets and bokashi mix, which helps your food scraps ferment, but is super helpful for creating plant superjuice that will help your windowsill herbs grow. You still end up with waste material that you need to do something with - but if you have friends that have their own composting system, adding this waste to their compost will turbo-charge it. You can also bury the bokashi waste in the ground, or look into providing it to your local community garden for them to add to their compost. Tier 3: Ain’t no mountain high enough (Challenge level) Grow your own veggies Planting and growing food can be a much easier task than you think. • Check out local workshops from the Canberra Environment Centre and ACT Conservation Council on growing your own veggies. • To start with you can also have a go at growing your own herbs, like basil, thyme, mint, coriander and rosemary (and you can do this in an apartment too). To find out how, check out this article. You can buy 25L potting mix from Bunnings for about $10 to get you started. 41

Set up a worm farm! • A worm farm is another great food waste composting system that creates amazing liquid and solid fertiliser for your home garden. Here’s an infosheet that’ll tell you what you need to know about worm farms, and a step-by-step guide for how to set one up. Get some chooks • You can farm your own eggs or pitch in with neighbours to start a chook co-op. • To have chooks, you need a fairly big backyard and have to be prepared to build their chook pens, feed and nurture them and collect their eggs. The good news is the eggs you get from your own chooks are generally much tastier and healthier, and they increase the resource efficiency of your land while treating your chickens well. • SEE-Change has some useful resources about starting a chook co-op in your neighbourhood here. Join or start your own community garden • You can become a member of one of the Canberra Organic Growers’ Society, which has 12 community gardens situated in Canberra. For $2.40 per square metre, you can rent an allotment at one of the community gardens and start gardening! There are gardens all through the North and South of Canberra. • Incredible Edible have a range of great resources about starting your own community garden too. • You could also look into joining local organisations Canberra City Farm and Canberra Seed Savers. Go vegan or vegetarian • Australian Dietary Guidelines say “appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthy and nutritionally adequate”. 38 • Here’s some advice on going vegetarian for the first time, and another article on doing the same with veganism. • To give you some extra motivation, check out the films Cowspiracy (about the environmental impacts of eating meat and dairy) and Forks Over Knives (about the huge health benefits of a whole-foods plant- based diet). 42

Eat less meat to help address deforestation and food insecurity There are also 216,000 more people born every single day. Under the current agricultural system with current levels of meat eating, you would need 34,000 new acres of farmable land per day to feed these people – which means escalating deforestation and land use conflicts, unless people start to change their diets and we start using some of the land we use to grow grain to feed cattle, to instead grow vegetables to feed people. This is because we can produce 37,000 lbs of vegetables in 1.5 acres; compared to only 375 pounds of meat on the same plot of land. To feed you for a year 1/6 1/2 1/11th 1/13th Veganism = the amount of an acre as much the amount of land * CO 2 of Fossil of water Fuel * If you are a vegetarian, 3x this amount of land. If you are an average omnivore, 18 x this amount of land 30 sq feet of What you could save in one day if you went vegan forest 45 pounds of grain 1100 gallons of water 20 pounds of CO 2 The life of one animal Omnivore Vegan CO2 Oil Water Land CO2 Oil Water Land 43

In your group, have a brief chat about each action and choose the ones you want to tackle and by when. Write this down on the next page. Step 1: Final Activity - Commit (20 mins) Behavioural Science Tip (remember this one?) Psychological research shows that we are more likely to change our behaviour when we do the following things: 1) Make a commitment in writing that outlines how you ‘will’ change; 2) view the change you’re making as part of your collective identity (e.g. think ‘we’re the type of people who care about the environment and climate change, so we don’t leave the tap running when we clean our teeth’), 3) make specific plans about how, when and where you’ll make the change: For example: (when) ‘when I stack the dishwasher in the evenings after dinner (where) in the kitchen , (specific behaviour, described using positive action words) I’ll turn it on only when it’s full’, 4) making your desired behaviour change alongside other people, like the people in your group, is a whole lot easier than trying to do it on your own – the more you act together to make your desired changes, the easier it will be. In your group, have a brief chat about the action or actions above that you’re each committing to over the next month, then write these down, in the table below, using language that firmly commits you to your desired change: E.g. ‘Lily will complete the Climatarian Challenge’ (this makes it more likely you’ll carry it out). Team Action Plan Add the actions that you each intend to carry out. (Optional) Buddy (who will check up on you to Specific How you’ll do this Commitment / Pledge see whether you’ve made your behaviour (Include When and Where) desired change / or help you make the change Jen will also install the app Cut her meat Install the climatarian consumption in challenge app on her phone and they have a bet to (Example) Lily will see who can get the most half for the next and use it for the next month, month. every time I eat a meal carbon points during the challenge. Name will... Congratulations! You’ve just finished your fourth workshop! Now you’re more than half way through! 44

Before You Head Off • Read the Water chapter and note any changes you want to make in your home. • If you own your house, find your last water bill (or last couple of water bills) – check out how much you use and how much it costs you. Take a photo of your water bill, or photos of your last couple of water bills with your smart phone, and send them to [email protected]. We will use your water usage data to benchmark your water consumption and, if you send us your water bills during and after completing the Transition Streets program, we will provide you with a personalised report of your emissions reductions and water savings. • In between now and the next session, try to pay attention to how you all use water in your homes: Do you spot any water being wasted? How much do you reckon water costs you roughly each year? • Carry out your action plans from this session! 26 IPCC 2014. Another study, with different assumptions underpinning their calculations, put this figure at 30% of global emissions (Vermeulen, S. J., Campbell, B. M. & Ingram, J. S. I. Annu. Rev. Environ. Resour. 37, 195–222 (2012). While the figure for total agricultural emissions varies from study to study, depending on what types of indirect emissions each includes, it is clear that food production makes a massive contribution to climate change through deforestation, methane emissions from cattle, and the fossil fuels used to farm, process, package and transport food. 27 Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, By the numbers: GHG emissions by livestock. 28 EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator. 29 WHO (2007), ‘Protein and Amino Acid Requirements in Human Nutrition’, World Health Organization Technical Report Series 935. 30 SBS (2016), ‘Is the climatarian diet the diet of the future?’. 31 L Wellesley and A Froggatt (2015), Changing Climate, Changing Diets: Pathways to Lower Meat Consumption, Chatham House. 32 Bajželj et al 2014. 33 M Springman et al (2016), ‘Analysis and valuation of the health and climate change cobenefits of dietary change’, Oxford University 34 Roy Morgan Research, survey of 15,000 Australians, 2016. 35 Roy Morgan Research, survey of 15,000 Australians, 2016. 36 L Cormack (2016), ‘Australia is the third-fastest growing vegan market in the world’ The Sydney Morning Herald. 37 L Cormack (2016), ‘Australia is the third-fastest growing vegan market in the world’ The Sydney Morning Herald. 45

Legend Difficulty Easy Medium Hard Dwelling All household House only House with Apartment types (HHH) (H) garden only (A) (HG) Resident Renter (R) Home owner (HO) On campus or public (SH) Impact / / / / / 5 5 5 5 5 Cost Saving Free Low Medium High Repetition One-time Ongoing 46

5 WATER