After an announcement yesterday, Western Australian schools are now able to apply for grants for the McGowan government’s $44.6 million Schools Clean Energy Technology package.

By combining solar panels and batteries, schools will be able to become virtual power plants, allowing them to feed clean energy back into the local power grid during peak demands.

“This is a massive step in the right direction, as more of the thousands of hectares of roof space on our Australian schools and early childhood centres is ready made for local solar power generation,” said Australian Parents for Climate Action CEO Nic Seton.

“But Australian Parents for Climate Action has ongoing concerns about the processes state governments are using to decide which schools are able to pilot virtual power plant programs. We’ve seen two different approaches to this in WA and NSW, and both create energy equity issues, but there is a solution,” said Mr Seton

The next step to becoming a spokesperson for Australian Parents for Climate Action is signing our Volunteer Agreement.

This agreement sets out what support you will be provided with, along with what is required of volunteers for Australian Parents for Climate Action. We value your input and will support you to be as effective as possible. We also need to align all volunteers and supporters working together as Australian Parents for Climate Action under one clear approach to maximise our collective impact.

You can find the Volunteer Agreement here.

The next step to becoming a spokesperson for Australian Parents for Climate Action is to watch our Media Spokesperson Training workshop, which features expert advice from Emma Hannigan from the Climate Media Centre, and a quick introduction to the Change The Story presentation.

The next step to becoming a spokesperson for Australian Parents for Climate Action is understanding why we need to change the story we tell about climate action.

Stories are how we learn and evolve as a society. Healing the problems of society begins with the words we use to shape the past, present, and future. Myth and legends heal because they remind us of right and wrong, and how to each balance again. 

This presentation asks: how can we change the story we tell to heal the rifts in our society around climate action and to specifically get bipartisan support for climate action?

Bringing together research from the Climate Compass, story medicine principles, and audience provocations, this presentation sets up the agreed framework for our AP4CA parent and grandparent spokespeople.

The next step to becoming a spokesperson for Australian Parents for Climate Action is to learn how to get media coverage.

We can help you get media coverage, and get your message out into the world! Here’s how. More details about writing a media release are below.

The next step to becoming a spokesperson for Australian Parents for Climate Action is creating a localised Solar Our Schools pitch.

A key part of our federal election strategy is to work with our local groups to have tangible, achievable, strategic climate actions “asks” that you are empowered to take to your local Federal MP’s, and to also get these “asks” covered in local and national media stories. 

Funding Solar Our Schools federally is a solutions-based policy you can ask your Federal MP to back in their party, as a concrete action that their party can commit to as part of their roadmap to net-zero emissions. 

Thus we need for you to be able to pitch Solar Our Schools to your local Federal MP as a policy that would be good for both your local community and the nation.

You can learn more about Solar Our Schools here.

The next step to becoming a spokesperson for Parents for Climate is creating your own strong narrative story.

Why parents make great spokespeople

As parents, we have a moral responsibility to protect our children. We have seen the impact of bushfires, floods, and rising temperatures. And we observe other governments around the world acting on climate. But we continue to be disappointed by our own federal government being out of step with global action on climate. As parents, we can authentically share our concerns for the future. Our politicians are there to represent us, to shepherd this future in. You don't need to be a climate science expert to want climate action. 

The next step to becoming a spokesperson for Australian Parents for Climate Action is normalising having great climate conversations. This will help you practice your story - and it will help your community to come together for climate action.

It's the elephant in the room. You know your friends and family are concerned too. But how can you help them start to take action on climate?

Effective climate conversations normalise climate concerns and lead people to take action. They're about connecting, listening, finding common ground, and empowering each other. Things we all need after a hard couple of years dealing with the pandemic.

Can you commit to opening up 5 climate conversations with friends over the coming month?

It's an opportunity to be real, listen and dream up how to create a brighter future together. It takes courage to speak about what we care about, but every conversation helps shift public opinion.

Welcome to Australian Parents for Climate Action's spokesperson training!

We have created this resource because parents’ voices are powerful, as we have a moral responsibility to protect our children.

Right now in the face of a climate crisis, we need parents and grandparents like you to step up to the microphone and share your concerns, and lobby for solutions. Your voices can give our politicians the political will to act on climate.

And we are here to help you. This is why we have designed this easy-to-use online spokesperson training program. It's broken into bite-sized chunks, for a busy parent to fit in. You can work through it in the order we suggest, but if you need to skip ahead to get the information you need right now - it's all here.

We’ve road-tested these training documents with parents around Australia already, and we know they have gone on to nail it in the media and with their meetings with politicians.

We believe in you, and your ability to help change the future.

Become a parent spokesperson - act now for the greater good for climate.

Take the next step - learn about Our Federal Election Strategy (part 2 of our spokesperson training course).

Heidi Lee Douglas, Communications and Campaign Director

Introduction to Spokes Training (3 mins)
Posted by Heidi Douglas · October 28, 2021 12:24 PM · 1 Reaction

Great Climate Conversations Guide (10 mins)
Posted by Heidi Douglas · October 28, 2021 11:10 AM · 1 Reaction

Change The Story (20 mins)
Posted by Heidi Douglas · October 28, 2021 11:09 AM · 1 Reaction

Community members from Tamworth Parents and Friends for Climate Action will host ‘Storytime for the Planet’ this Friday 15th October outside the office of the Hon Barnaby Joyce MP to coincide with the National Schools Strike for Climate. 

The group will read children’s stories about saving the planet, sing songs and deliver letters to Mr. Joyce. 

‘Our region is ideally placed to reap huge benefits in a renewable economy. Our solar and wind resources are amongst the best in the country, as has been demonstrated by the recent scramble by tenderers to secure project opportunities in the New England Renewable Energy Zone,’ parent Tessa Rainbird said. 

After months of lockdown, parents are rising to the challenge to express their hopes for a climate-safe future in innovative ways, to support the School Strikes for Climate on Friday October 15.

“From gathering for storytime with their children outside Barnaby Joyce’s office in Tamworth; creating “rock art” activism at Parliament House in Canberra, upcycling climate t-shirts in Pakenham, to hosting a mini eco-festival on the Sunshine with electric vehicles and live music, I am inspired by the growing momentum of parents who are concerned about climate change and now they are calling our politicians to act”, said Australian Parent for Climate Actions National Community Organiser Laura Grufus, who herself is creating a School Strike 4 Climate themed Spoonville in her local park in Geelong.

Parents are respected and trusted members of Australian society. Driven by the desire to care for and protect children, we know that parents' voices are powerful. 

Your voice can help to build and maintain the political will needed to act on climate and safeguard our children's future.

Would you like to be empowered to be a parent climate action spokesperson?

We now have a comprehensive online training portal which takes you on a step by step journey to enable you to have great climate conversations, create a great local pitch for climate action, be a media spokesperson, and meet with your Member of Parliament with concise non-partisan asks that will help enable more political action on climate.

The online course is designed for busy parents in mind, to be done in manageable bite-sized chunks.

Start the course now! Click here

Australian Parents for Climate Action has empowered scores of parents to become national climate spokespersons, through getting opinion and profile pieces published, journalistic interviews, local news features, and even a regular monthly newspaper column. 

Testimonials:

"Support from Australian Parents for Climate Action has been amazing to give me the confidence to speak about protecting my children's future" - Deanna Hayes, Sydney

"Whilst I've felt a bit apprehensive to speak up I have been willing to because I know it's for my kids. I've had a lot of encouragement from Heidi and Nic (AP4CA staff) and never felt pressured to do more than I was capable of. It's felt energising to speak up" - Louise Sheperd, Sydney

"Having a family-friendly and apolitical brand like AP4CA to represent in the media has given me something I can be confident and proud to speak for, even in a regional community" - Yolanda Dasgupta, Sunshine Coast

Australian Parents for Climate Action are cheering from the rooftops with some good news for our kids - three state governments are now actively rolling out more solar and even batteries for state schools. 

This week the NSW and Tasmanian governments both announced the names of schools that will be receiving solar, and in NSW this includes 25 schools that will also act as virtual power plants as part of a pilot program before rolling this energy innovation out to all public schools. 

Western Australia is also in the process of implementing their $44.6 million Schools Clean Energy Technology package, as announced by the McGowan government in the lead up to their March election.

“To see NSW, Tasmanian and WA state governments all embracing renewable energy in schools is a big win for our kids' future,” said father of two and Australian Parents for Climate Action CEO Nic Seton from his home in Sydney.

The Australian curriculum must be protected from fossil fuel lobby groups seeking to rewrite facts in our children’s education, says Australian Parents for Climate Action (AP4CA).

A review of the national curriculum is currently open for  public consultation  and has received a submission from Australia’s chief fossil fuels lobby group, the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA).

AP4CA, which represents over 14,000 parents and carers, welcomes revisions proposed by The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) to the National School Curriculum’s existing sustainability cross-curriculum priority, which highlight the impact of human behavior on climate change and the potential for human innovation to ensure a safe climate for future generations.