Our Higgins CAN alliance is helping a new grouping – AshwoodCAN – conduct a climate-focused campaign in the new electoral district of Ashwood. Many AshwoodCAN people are also active in Higgins CAN activities, and volunteer with our member organisations, such as ACF, EV and Lighter Footprints.
More AshwoodCAN details:
Website – https://lighterfootprints.org/ashwood-votes-climate/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/ActionAshwood
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=ashwood%20climate%20action%20network
The Victorian Electoral Commission has a downloadable (bigger) map, and more details, of the Ashwood District here.
AshwoodCAN Update – 8th November
Ashwood candidate meetings
AshwoodCAN members have had personal meetings with the state candidates for Ashwood: Matt Fregon for Labor, Asher Judah for Liberal, and Peter Morgan for the Greens.
Two other candidates have also announced that they are standing in Ashwood – one for the Animal Justice Party and one as an independent.
At these meetings we asked the candidates to speak out on the urgency of the need for climate action and for acceleration of climate solutions in our community. We talked with them about their parties’ policies on gas, transport, and on the benefits for climate and biodiversity in ending logging in our state’s old-growth native forests.
We discussed the necessity – if we are to meet our emissions commitments – of helping the Victorian community shift more rapidly away from gas, such as by increasing energy efficiency in homes and businesses, as well as incentives to move to electrification with renewable energy. Saul Griffiths, in his book The Big Switch, compellingly argues for the benefits of electrification, and we presented a copy of the book to the candidates, who all expressed interest in it.All the candidates are aware that the changing climate is of considerable concern to their community members, especially as extreme weather events like record floods continue to threaten homes and livelihoods, and that constituents are looking for leadership.
What the State does in the next term of Parliament is critical to making the progress we need. We hope others who live in Ashwood and share our interest in accelerating positive action will join us.
AshwoodCAN Update – 20th October
AshwoodCAN (Ashwood Climate Action Network) is a non-partisan group of volunteers who seek to keep climate action a priority on the political agenda for the forthcoming Victorian state election. AshwoodCAN was inspired by the effectiveness of Higgins CAN’s volunteer efforts in the recent federal election, whose work and support continues.
AshwoodCAN members are constituents of the newly formed electorate of Ashwood – comprising residents of the suburbs of Ashburton, Ashwood, Chadstone and Mount Waverley north of the Monash Freeway, Glen Iris east of the Monash Freeway, and parts of Burwood, Burwood East, and Camberwell.
Ashwood is a marginal seat in this state election.
‘Toot for climate’ events
Every Friday AshwoodCAN members have been doing ‘toot for climate’ events at different intersections in the electorate, with placards that keep the issue of climate visible. We are gratified to find the community responds – mostly encouragingly – whether in vehicles and walking past. We have also distributed climate placards for Ashwood and are planning to do letterboxing in targeted areas, and to distribute a Climate Scorecard on the electoral candidates’ parties at pre-polling and on election day.
