Getting to know our volunteers –
Many of you would know Joe, he is a founding member of BREAZE and over the years has volunteered in a range of roles: Committee member, co-ordinator for Sustainable House Day and Smart Living Ballarat and Board member. Joe continues to play an active role in promoting renewable energy and sustainable practice.
Q&A by Tarn Kruger with Joe
Q: Where did you grow up?
Joe: I grew up in Geelong, but I was actually born in Holland and spent my first three years there before we came to Australia.
Q: What is the one best thing for you about living in the Ballarat region?
Joe: It feels comfortable here. I like the semi-country feel, yet it’s close to the conveniences of the big city. We have been here for 27 years now, and asked a local whether I yet qualify as a local and he suggested that I was about halfway there [laughs].
Q: Tell me about your involvement in BREAZE and the main activities you have been involved in over the years?
Joe: I got hooked into it right at the start. I did the Walk against Warming around the Lake in 2006 and found Nick Lanyon at a table at the end of the walk taking names, so I signed up. A few weeks later we had a meeting, formed a committee and it went from there. I was the treasurer for the first 5-6 years, but once we got into big projects to install solar panels and hot water services, it got beyond me and so we got a proper accountant. I was involved in setting up the Smart Living Centre in Lydiard Street and then when it moved to the library I agreed to make sure it kept going. Now it is running well with regular presentations and has got momentum, after the first year of so much promotion. The library are really supportive. It is very community oriented. I also coordinated Sustainable House Day for five years.
Q: To what place or country would you most like to travel and why?
Joe: I do like Europe. We’ve been a few times, and once spent a whole summer in The Hague, to get back to my roots. It is a continent I would like to experience more.
Q: Do you have a favourite city in the world and why is it this one?
Joe: I don’t think I am travelled enough, but next year in July we are going to spend three weeks in Prague over the summer. It is a city that has enormous history and a richness of culture and it is pretty well the geographic centre of Europe - the centre of historic trade routes, it is an amalgam of cultures.
Q: What have been your hobbies or interests over the years and what are the main ones now?
Joe: I like building, I built my own house and I like making things out of wood and wire. I’ll make something out of wood and then use the wire to join or to hang or make a hinge or whatever. I don’t see myself as an artist, but I do like to make things that work. If they look good, it’s a bonus. I used to do a lot of bush walking, and would like to get back to that. I’m also one of the Ballarat Bellringers and enjoy “art house” movies with the Ballarat Film Society.
Q: Have you got a bucket list and can you share one of the things?
Joe: I don’t have a bucket list. I have purposely not made one. I figure I will do things as they come along.
Q: What environmental issue do you feel most passionate about?
Joe: Climate change. It worries me, not so much for myself, as I am in a country and in a position and at an age where I don’t think it is going to be a major change for me. But I am worried about my kids and I now have two grandkids and I think they are going to suffer the consequences of what we are doing now. Environment change is the issue - losing species, losing habitats like the Barrier Reef, abusing fisheries, etc. I purposely say ‘our environment’. I don’t like it when people say ‘the environment’ because it sounds like something separate from us. Our environment is where we live; we are part of the ecosystem. When we start destroying habitats we are actually destroying part of our own home.
Q: What is most rewarding thing about volunteering for you?
Joe: Communicating with people, particularly in terms of what sustainability means. They can see the value of what we are promoting. For example housing: they can see it is about making the house more comfortable and cheaper to run and sustainable. And once you talk to people about it they understand it is really for everybody’s benefit and it makes common sense. It’s frustrating that many people still can’t see the benefit of sustainability and that really annoys me, particularly people who hold positions like on Council or in Government. Narrow thinking promotes fossil fuels and works against renewables.
Q: Finally, if you could have ultimate say about the future of Australia, what one action would you make happen?
Joe: We have to seriously work towards 100% renewable energy - it is a short term cost and a long-term benefit. Instead of wasting money on “clean” coal research (a furphy), I would encourage implementation of renewable energy projects. I support BZE (Beyond Zero Emissions), a group who are showing that we have the engineering capability to achieve Zero Carbon and that the economics stack up. I think it is criminal that our Government are not showing us the way, instead of pandering to outdated, self-serving industries. Nobody said it’s simple, but to ignore the future is beyond stupid.
Thanks Joe, wise words!