21 May 2021

Thousands of parents and grandparents around Australia are being schooled by student Climate Strikers, at colourful local events calling for climate action.

Suzie Brown, mother and National Director of Australian Parents for Climate Action said: “Australian parents are joining their kids to take the day off work and school to attend the Climate Strikes today. The School Strike 4 Climate leaders are still teenagers, but they are showing Australian adults what leadership on climate change looks like.”

“As parents we have to be there in solidarity with our kids who, let’s face it, are going to be the ones to really bear the brunt of more droughts, storms and fires if we don’t act on the dire science warnings about climate change,” said Brown.

Australian Parents for Climate Action, with support from School Strike 4 Climate, hosted an Expert Panel Q&A

"Transforming Climate Grief" on Monday 10 May 2021 at 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM

with special guests Author Jonica Newby, Climate Striker Jasmine Bowtell, and Psychologist Susie Burke.

This special online Zoom event has now been packaged for future enjoyment.

ABOUT:

We know that many Australian parents are suffering from climate grief and anxiety - and we want to empower you to know how to parent in the face of climate grief, and to transform your grief into action. So we've invited three experts to provide practical tools, personal experience and good advice on how to deal with our fear and sadness about the impact of climate change on our world and our kids' future in a constructive way. More details about our Special Guest Speakers below.

WATCH the speakers

LISTEN to the speakers

DOWNLOAD the resources from Senior Psychologist Susie Burke

BUY Jonica Newby's book "Beyond Climate Grief"

Featuring:

JONICA NEWBY

How do we find courage when climate change overwhelms us? "Beyond Climate Grief" is a personal story by award-winning science reporter Jonica Newby exploring how to navigate the emotional turmoil of climate change. Jonica is a science reporter, author, TV presenter and director best known for her two decades on ABC TV’s popular weekly science program, Catalyst. She has twice won the Eureka Award, Australia’s most prestigious science journalism prize, and is a recipient of a World TV Award. Originally trained as a veterinarian, her first book was The Animal Attraction.

JASMINE BOWTELL

This Mother’s Day parents around Australia are preparing to take their children to the Climate Strikes on May 21 to call for Federal government action on climate. But how do we communicate about climate change with our children without giving them - and ourselves - anxiety? 

A free online event Transforming Climate Grief on Monday May 10th, hosted by Australian Parents for Climate Action, will unpack answers to these big questions. The panel will delve into the personal story of TV presenter and author Jonica Newby, who went on a quest to heal her own climate grief. 

The Australian Parents for Climate Action (AP4CA) local group network is a critical source of power to effect change and protect our children’s future. We have local AP4CA groups across all Australian states and territories, check out the locations below.

They're welcoming and supportive, and we would love to meet you online or in person! If you are a parent, carer, family member or anyone who cares about kids, to advocate for urgent action on climate. Get involved!

Our Parent Groups are action-oriented, locally connected and all over the country. We plan family-friendly, non-partisan activities that engage communities, engage politicians in climate solutions, and amplify positive stories.

Why join a local group of parents who care about a safe climate?

• Connect with families in your local community
• Empower and educate your community with positive solutions
• Win local and national campaigns
• Develop constructive relationships with key decision makers
• Amplify positive stories through local and social media
• Build and strengthen a strong climate movement across the country

If there is no local group near you, please email us to see if we can connect you with local parents who want to take action on climate. Or perhaps you'd like to start a group in your local area? We'd love to support you.

Join forces with us! 

We invite you to join our growing community of 15,000 + parents and carers who are working together to ensure a safer climate for our children. 

By joining forces we can create the will to drive greater action from government, big business and within our local communities.

We are united by our love for our kids and grandkids and guided by our vision for a safe, prosperous future for all children.

Sign up to receive the latest news, events and actions you can get involved in.

We look forward to welcoming you!

We need your help to make a colourful, memorable impact on Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge to get him on board our Solar Our Schools campaign — to install solar panels and batteries at every school and preschool in Australia.

Australian Parents for Climate Action lodged a Pre-Budget Submission to the Federal government to include funding for Solar Our Schools in the May 2021 budget, and many of our supporters wrote a personal submission in support of Solar Our Schools — thank you, legends!

But so far our requests for Federal funding for Solar Our Schools, and our request for a meeting with Minister Tudge, have fallen on deaf ears, so we need to make sure he can hear the voices of the 11,000-plus parents and children across Australia who support Solar Our Schools!

Insiders tell us that letters and artwork from children make it to the top of the pile of Ministers' correspondence — so your kids artwork will get noticed in a way that letters from us adults won't!

Here’s how you can help:

1. Make a Time to Shine artwork with your child (check out our inspiration board below)

Create a sun artwork with a “sun clock” theme to convey the message to Minister Tudge that the clock is ticking on the need to reduce our carbon emissions, and we need him to advocate for funding Solar Our Schools! 

Older kids can write a letter — or make a TikTok video! — explaining why Solar Our Schools is a no-brainer. Here are some points they could mention:

• Solar and batteries on every school and preschool in Australia will lower school energy costs, create local jobs and lower carbon emissions!
• The Federal Government has fallen behind the states on renewable energy infrastructure investment. It’s time for the Federal Government to come to the party and shine on our schools!
• With a Federal election and the Glasgow COP26 conference both looming, now is the time for our Federal government to invest in renewable energy infrastructure that reduces our carbon emissions and creates green jobs across Australia!

2. Send your Time to Shine creations to Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge

Hon Alan Tudge MP

Minister for Education and Youth

PO Box 6022

House of Representatives

Parliament House

Canberra ACT 2600

(02) 6277 7350

[email protected] 

NB: If you are sending Minister Tudge your Time to Shine artwork or letters in the mail, take a photo of them before you send them off. 

3. Share your Time to Shine creations with us

Share photos of your artwork and letters and/or your videos on social media with the hashtags #SolarOurSchools and #TimetoShine, and our handle @ap4ca. 

If you want to tag Minister Tudge, his handles are: @tudgeMP (Facebook), @alan_tudge (Instagram) and @AlanTudgeMP (Twitter).

Also, please email them to [email protected] for us to share with our supporters so we can encourage others to send a message to Minister Tudge!

Whilst the Australian federal government has set a net zero target for 2050, we can all reduce our own carbon emissions now by making Personal Change. But we must also push governments and businesses to act by working toward Local Change and Widespread Change.

Enter your email address here and we will send you our handy climate action checklist, which includes:

1. The Big Picture on Carbon

2. Goal: Personal Change

• Use less fossil fuels at home
• Cut your emissions from transport
• Move your money!
• Offset your carbon emissions
• Support climate justice
• Eat less meat
• Reduce food waste

3. Goal: Local Change

• Reduce your school or preschool’s carbon emissions
• Start more climate conversations
• Share your story
• Find your tribe
• Hit the streets
• Lobby your council
• Run for election, or support someone else to do so

4. Goal: Widespread Change

• Campaign for climate action at the Federal Election
  
• Help to Solar Our Schools
• Create your own petition
• Add your name to demand a national Climate Bill

5. Sources and Further Reading

Come on, let's make some noise!

Here is some expert tips on writing a punchy and personal letter to the editor:

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

• Grab a copy of your local paper or read it online to get a feel for the letters section – how many are printed, average length, types of topics covered, tone.

MAKE IT PUNCHY

• Be considered and critical where necessary, but avoid ranting. You are trying to convince people, not shut them out.
• Keep your letter short and succinct: 150-250 words is a good guide. Less is more.
  

WHAT’S GREAT ABOUT SOLAR OUR SCHOOLS 

• Focus on the positives – Solar Our Schools is great for:
  • Jobs and post-COVID economy
  • Saving schools money in electricity bills
    
  • Schools being able to re-allocate money saved from power bills into more teachers or educational resources
  • Millions of tonnes per year carbon emission reduction
  • While some schools/states have made progress with respect to solar, Solar Our Schools calls for every school and early childhood centre to receive solar and batteries – renewable power for all, not just a few.
• You could mention that you have signed the Open Letter to the Prime Minister to Solar Our Schools and you would like other people in your community to sign the open letter too.
• Or you could mention how you've made a Pre-Budget Submission to the federal government so they will (hopefully!) include Solar Our Schools in the next budget. You care what your taxes are spent on!

MAKE IT LOCAL

• Make it relevant to the readership – why should other locals care about the points you are making?
  • Do schools in your area desperately need solar?
  • Are classrooms too hot, and the best way to cool them would be air-conditioners powered by solar?
  • Is there something else about Solar Our Schools or AP4CA that you think would interest your local Member of Parliament?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

• Mention your perspective as a parent:
  
  • What kind of world would you like to see your children grow up in?
  • What do you worry about as a parent when it comes to climate change?
  • What does Solar Our Schools mean to you and your family personally?
• Sign your name rather than just your school/organisation. 

SUBMITTING YOUR LETTER

• The paper (or online version) will provide contact details – a general editorial email address, contact details for the editor or instructions on how to submit a ‘letter to the editor’.
• Be sure to follow any specific instructions about your letter (format/word length/content). 

SIGN OUR OPEN LETTER TO STATE AND FEDERAL LEADERS

We’re calling on the Federal government to fund solar panels and batteries for every school and early childhood centre in Australia that doesn’t yet have solar - or needs more!

It's the perfect COVID-19 recovery economic stimulus project, creating clean local jobs Australia-wide, slashing school electricity costs, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to protect our climate! We're asking the federal government to make this a reality!

Solar and batteries significantly cut power bills for schools and early childhood centres by using and storing free energy from the sun. Research by Beyond Zero Emission shows that installing solar panels and batteries on Australian schools and early childhood centres would:  

• Save $114,000 in annual energy bills per large school 
• Save $12,700 in small schools*

To achieve these savings, schools need grant funding for their solar and battery system, and  to become part of a "virtual power plant" where they can sell their excess solar power to the community.

SOLAR PROVIDES AN IDEAL STIMULUS FOR AUSTRALIA’S COVID-19 ECONOMIC RECOVERY

As we recover from COVID-19, Australia should focus on the clean industries of the future and leave polluting industries, like coal and gas, behind. Solar Our Schools would create many thousands of regional jobs - at least 6,870 jobs*! Solar installers are local businesses in the regions where the schools and early childhood centres are, so local economies would benefit.

SOLAR ON SCHOOLS IS PART OF AUSTRALIA’S CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE 

Solar energy is used directly by the school or early childhood centre for their electricity needs, instead of them buying coal-generated power from the electricity grid. This reduces greenhouse gas emissions because it means less coal-generated power is needed. Installing solar panels and batteries on an all Australian schools and early childhood centres would save 1.4 million tonnes of greenhouse emissions per year*. 

YOU CAN HELP WIN SOLAR ON OUR SCHOOLS AND EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTRES!

By asking the government for solar and batteries for all Australian schools and childcare centres,  you can play a part in creating a cleaner, better, safer Australia. 

1. SIGN OUR OPEN LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER

Add your name to the call for a COVID-19 recovery investment into solar and batteries for all schools in Australia! We want thousands of parents, teachers, students and community members to sign the letter, so please share it too! Here is a poster you can download!

2. VOLUNTEER AS A SCHOOL OR CHILD CARE CHAMPION AND GET YOUR COMMUNITY ON BOARD!

We have resources and organisers to help you connect with your school or child care community to get them on board. We'll help you get the ball rolling! 

3. WRITE A LETTER TO YOUR LOCAL POLITICIAN ASKING TO SEEK SUPPORT FOR OUR CAMPAIGN

We need to let politicians across all of Australia know that Aussies want the government to Solar Our Schools! Please email or write to your local MP to ask them to get behind funding solar and batteries for all schools, not just those that can afford it.

It’s estimated that at least 42% of the 9503 schools (public and private) in Australia don’t currently have solar*. Many more child care centres and preschools also have no solar. Many schools and centres that do have solar panels often don't have a large enough system to meet all their needs.

The Solar Our Schools open letter is endorsed by:

^Source: Beyond Zero Emissions ‘Million Jobs Plan’ 2020 - This plan, developed in conjunction with Tesla, provides for large schools to utilise 250kW of solar plus a medium battery and small schools to use 25kW of solar panels plus a small battery.