Education and Advocacy

education1 We submit on a wide range of proposed environmental and social plans and policy changes (see our submissions -under our resources page - for more details). We encourage you to submit when you feel strongly about something too. If you have never made a submission before and would like some help, please contact us and we will see what assistance we can provide.

2014 events:

2DEGREES Movie with Ange Palmer
Where: Waitati Hall
When: Saturday 9th August 2014 at 5pm
Entry: by Koha - suggested $5

BRCT is putting on an important film screening on the 9th of August.

The film is 2 Degrees, a striking documentary about climate justice and community action. The Co Producer is Nelson woman Ange Palmer who will be speaking after the screening.

We want to fill the hall and with youth, elders ...people from all occupations and walks of life...because... climate change affects us all. Following the film there will be a community 'pitch your low carbon idea' session, where you'll have 2 minutes to pitch a dynamic idea and get some support and feedback.

Entry is by Koha (suggested Koha is $5) which will go to support the film-makers.

We hope you to see you there and please forward this email on to your friends and family. Feel free to contribute snacks and refreshments for the pitch session as well - some will be provided.

2 Degrees was shot in 15 countries. See the trailer here.
Not just another climate change film, 2 Degrees is a heart wrenching political thriller set against the backdrop of the UN climate negotiations, leading into the real solution to the world's climate challenge: the power of the people. The film is an emotional ride from the despair of the bureaucratic process to the thrill of tapping into the transformative momentum of community revolution. Released in Australia at the Transitions Film Festival in November 2013 the film has been very well received by audiences so far. In February 2014 it received the Best Byron Film at the Byron International Film Festival.

As the world waits in hope for a new dawn on climate change, 2 Degrees reveals the chaotic failure of the UN negotiations in Copenhagen. It becomes chillingly clear that we cannot wait for governments to lead the way. So if commitment to act won’t come from above, perhaps the voices and actions of communities will bring the revolution that is needed.

2 Degrees takes to the streets of a small Australian town, and follows the passionate efforts of local residents to replace the coal-fired power stations with solar thermal technology. The mayor of the town, a formidable 80 year old woman, leads the charge, and a determined crew of youth take their message to parliament over 300km away...on foot.

If we don’t understand the lessons from Copenhagen, we are doomed to repeat them in 2015, when the world body meets once more in Paris to conclude a legally binding agreement. From the award‐winning producer of The Burning Season and The Man Who Stole My Mother’s Face, 2 Degrees explores climate change through the prism of climate justice.

2013 Events

Making your home warm and cosy & The Automatic Earth Talk by Nicole Foss
Where: Pine Hill School, 11 Hislop Street, Pine Hill
When: 18th June 2013 at 6.30 - 9pm,
Entry: by Koha - suggested $5

Nicole lectures internationally on the broad topic of limits to growth, addressing different limiting systems and prioritizing them on the basis of immediacy and impact. Her primary focus in recent years has been on limits to the financial system, in the context of resource limits, notably energy. Finance acts as the global operating system - the interface between ourselves and our natural resource base. In the long years of our global financial expansion we created the largest financial bubble in history. History teaches us that the bursting of a bubble amounts to crashing the operating system, leading into a period of economic depression. This is what we stand on the brink of today.

The financial crisis of 2008 was the opening act of what will subsequently be seen as the defining event of the next several decades. The global financial contraction is about to resume, with a stronger second phase of financial crisis. Europe is leading the way at the moment, with Cyprus the most recent major financial accident. Many other countries are set to follow Europe into austerity and the financial disaster it ensures.

Nicole will conduct a type of world tour, looking at where different countries find themselves in terms of financial vulnerability, and potential immediacy of impact. This will include Europe, Iceland, the USA, China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, pointing out relevant facts and connections in a highly integrated global financial system. She will also set the current crisis in context of the history of economic expansions and contractions, explaining the various roles of money in relation to societal scale, and drawing lessons as to how to rebuild a financial system, and restore trust, following a major contraction.

We are the first generation with the capacity to assess the historical record and genuinely apply the lessons of history before we find ourselves in a period of crisis. Armed with knowledge, and the appropriate tools to rebuild community and resilience, we can mitigate the effects of economic contraction substantially, though we cannot prevent it. This effort needs to be undertaken without delay, as the timescale is relatively short. Nicole will inspire people to begin the process of downloading responsibility for building their own future at the community level.