These days we are all talking about our footprint on the earth and how we impact the world. I started thinking about this around 15 years ago, when I lived in Canberra. I reflected on the energy I consumed and that it was generated from burning coal, I thought about the water I used – it was a drought and there were stage 5 restrictions at the time. I noticed how much rubbish I was creating. I started to worry about how much impact I was having. I really wanted government to step in and take more responsibility, so that it would be easier for me to live the life that I wanted to.
This was one of the reasons that I moved to Tasmania. I remembered my childhood where water was plentiful (too much sometimes) and power was always green. Tasmania is blessed with a Hydro Electric Scheme that has been around since my grandfather helped build it. It is an amazing asset that we often take for granted. Most Australian states and countries in the world want what we have – a majority supply of green power. Tasmania has 98% of its power generated renewably, right now, but I wonder sometimes how many of us remember that the rest of Australia is not so lucky. I was listening to a conversation on the radio between a Tasmanian reporter and an electric vehicle (EV) owner from the mainland. The reporter asked him ‘Were many EV chargers in Tasmania green energy powered?’ The answer is, of course, they all are. In Tasmania, you can charge up at any house or power outlet and your power has been renewably generated.
Tasmania also has plenty of water. This is an advantage for agriculture, forestry and a key contributor to our beautiful landscape. As more irrigation systems are built around the state, we can drought proof industries that are a key foundation to our economy. Our sustainable assets need to be promoted and celebrated so that businesses are attracted to set up here. Our existing businesses need to make the most of what they have – we’re producing products from 98% green energy and a sustainable water resource.
If I were to reimagine the future, I would imagine a Cradle Coast region that has mastered energy, water and waste – all aspects of my footprint on the world. I would envisage a Tasmania with its own glass recycling facility turning used glass into material used to build our roads or our Coastal Pathway (watch this space!). Where we create biochar from forestry waste and use it to improve animal health and soil. I can see an expansion in plastic recycling that takes household plastics and transforms them into park benches and fence posts, maybe even plastic for 3D printers. To achieve this, we need businesses and government to buy Tasmanian recycled goods. I see government contracts mandating a percentage of local purchases and a percentage of recycled product.
Tasmania, due to its small population, often has difficulty managing the costs of recycling, and this is the challenge for government and the community to overcome in the next few years. A good first step would be investment in an organic waste composting facility to process urban food organics and garden organics (FOGO) in our region, turning it into valuable compost. The Cradle Coast Authority and our Member Councils have supported Dulverton Waste Management’s well thought out plans for such a facility, both in the lead up to the last federal election, and with the recent publication of our list of Projects Of Regional Importance.
More investment in developing a circular economy is needed; we can do better to match up businesses that have waste with those that want to reuse it. Currently the cost of landfill is a significant burden on businesses and it’s only going to get more expensive as it becomes difficult to send waste overseas. There is an economy in waste repurposing that we haven’t embraced yet, and our region should be at the forefront of the technological and social connectedness that a circular economy demands. We can learn from innovations elsewhere – global clothing manufacturer Timberland has partnered with Omni United, a car tyre manufacturer, to use recycled rubber to create the soles of its shoes. European company, FGSD Bio Produktion GmbH, uses forestry waste in a zero-emission power plant to create heat that warms an aquaculture system that breeds mountain prawns for commercial catering. What do we have that could be repurposed at scale?
– Carol Bracken is the Regional Futures Plan Program Manager at Cradle Coast Authority.