Mycelia Renewables Ltd

Today was packed with inspiring discussion at a special place. Mycelia Renewables Ltd at CERES Community Environment Park. I grew up in the mud at CERES as dad and mum together with a bunch of other extraordinary visionaries thought big and worked ceaselessly. Over decades, CERES transformed from a polluted landfill site to an urban oasis demonstrating environmental sustainability and community action grounded in the very best of community spirit. Today I gathered with an exceptional group of co-directors and staff from Mycelia Renewables to evaluate the important work of Mycelia in its 3 years to date and to set priorities for our next phase of supporting community-based climate solutions. Mycelia Energy Collective has particularly big plans to chase in delivering cheap, renewable energy to a growing community in the collective and supporting access to renewable infrastructure and energy efficiency upgrades. Continuing exciting and impactful work with First Nations organizations also remains at the core of our work. To be at CERES for this strategy day was a great reminder of the transforming potential of community working together with a bold, purpose-driven vision. Given all my time kicking around CERES as a kid with my parents, it felt like quite the cycle of life to have a sick kid in tow for the day. Thankfully we didn’t need to put him to work peddling to keep the lights on in our Human Powered Classroom! Getting involved in the Mycelia Energy Collectove is easy: https://lnkd.in/gfUxBpsF Noel Blencowe Jenni Blencowe Moragh Mackay Esther Abram Kate MacMaster

I had the great pleasure of seeing the amazing play, 'Julia' last night and am still absorbing and processing this extraordinary story of Australia's first woman prime minister. The script was funny and profound and Justine Clarke's performance was incredibly powerful. But I'm not sharing this as a review of a great play (though I highly recommend it). What I would like to throw a spotlight on is this: - Julia Gillard collaborated and accomodated to pass more legislation than any other Australian PM but the politicians, the media and Australian public spoke more about her voice and the clothes she wore and made deeply offensive and cruel remarks about her that diminished us all - Julia Gillard had deep principles related to fairness and equity, which guided most of her actions though her government made some terrible decisions that were driven by political survival not values, and caused trauma for many - that our political system does this to anyone and especially our first woman PM, is deeply disturbing. She could have done so much good had she been supported by those around her. - Julia Gillard is now globally known and celebrated for speaking out about misogyny and sexism. - Astoundingly, in 2010, Julia Gillard was ahead of her time as Australia's first woman PM. I thank her for being the one to step up and I'm sorry we didn't do better. We need to celebrate and lift up the voices of women, First Nations and young people who have been crowded out for way too long. Let's choose good governance and not the vortex of political assassination based on gender and other demeaning distractions. In these times of great uncertainty we need radical collaboration and more support for different ways of being in the world. Our relationships and institutions need to radically shift away from top-down power to co-operation. I am so proud to be part of the women-led Mycelia Renewables Ltd team, doing good work, transforming the ways people come together, plan and take action. With cultural humility and care, we hope to give voice and shape to a kinder world.

The declared offshore wind area was made on the back of preliminary assessments rather than comprehensive environmental studies, which is concerning to us. That’s Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation talking. They’re calling for Energy Minister Chris Bowen MP to review his declaration of the Southern Ocean wind zone, arguing offshore renewable energy development must be carried out in a manner that avoids damage to marine ecosystems. They warn the federal government could be setting renewable energy companies “up for failure” and discouraging investment, given they will need to consult with the Indigenous group to obtain environmental approvals, reports Rachel Baxendale at The Australian. They say, "We advocate for a recalibration of the offshore wind development strategy to ensure environmental integrity and cultural respect is front and centre and is prioritised alongside decarbonisation goals.” Read more of the story posted in the comments. Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation Lily D’Ambrosio MP Hon Tom Koutsantonis MP

We had multiple weeks where we were carrying water in buckets, just to be able to have drinking water or flush the toilet. It sort of just got to a point where the community as a whole, we were kind of fed up with it, and wanted to know, what was out there that we could explore. We wanted something more clean, more reliable, around here. That’s Chantelle Johns speaking, from Marlinja in the Northern Territory. Marlinja is at the end of a feeder line from a diesel and gas power station located 25 kms away. The Marlinja community started working with Original Power and chose a renewable energy project everyone in the community would benefit from. They installed solar panels and a battery on the community centre, which is used as a gathering place, a visiting medical clinic, and for emergency accommodation. Original Power’s Lauren Mellor says it immediately improved the energy resilience of the community. “When they did have supply side blackouts, there was a community centre where people could still turn an air conditioner on or access refrigeration.” Following the success of the community solar and battery, Marlinja started looking at how they could get solar on their houses. The government department Territory Families, Housing and Communities had recently taken over the lease of the houses in Marlinja, and “wasn't ready to take on a new asset class.” Marlinja had no choice but to go with a microgrid option, reports Anne Delaney. A 100kw solar array and 136kWh battery will be connected at the end of April. It will enable the community to have a self-sufficient supply of electricity, and if the grid goes down the microgrid will kick in, providing greater resilience for the community. It will also minimise the harm that’s historically been created by prepaid power metres in remote communities. Around 10,000 First Nations households in the Northern Territory have prepaid metering, reports CHOICE's Jarni Blakkarly. Power is run through a prepaid smart meter, so power cards need to be purchased from the local store or online and swiped on to the meter. If you don't have money on your meter, it simply cuts out. This means consumers don't have the same regulated protections against energy disconnection as those living in urban areas or on post-paid billing systems. Lauren says they made a decision to explore if they could "flip the prepaid meter system from being exclusively punitive to something that could be actually used to share the benefits from a community owned renewable microgrid." So instead of revenue from the project being a dollar amount in the pocket of community, it becomes “a credit on their prepaid meters, which effectively reduces the cost of electricity for the members of the community, which in turn reduces the frequency of disconnections.” We look forward to hearing more about the launch of the Marlinja Microgrid! Hear the full interview on the SwitchedOn podcast - a link is provided in the comments.

Humbled and energised—that's how we're feeling after hosting our first Regen Labs Party: "Journeying to a Regenerative Economy" at Pocket City Farms last night. We were delighted to be joined by Independent MP for Wentworth - Allegra Spender, who set the scene so beautifully on the power of community-led change. Huge thanks and gratitude also to economist Katherine Trebeck for sharing why she's so hopeful that the economic transition is picking up pace, to Belinda Morrissey, Stephen P., and Sally Hill for sharing their hands-on experience with catalytic finance, and to regen enterprise leaders Sean Appoo (Black Duck Foods Ltd), Jim Osborne (Yambulla), Moragh Mackay (Mycelia Renewables Ltd), and Jacqui Besgrove (Pocket City Farms) for sharing their impact stories and for being all-round great humans, doing vital work. Having walked alongside investors and regen enterprises for more than 4 years, we know that demand and readiness is high for regenerative solutions. As Katherine Trebeck said, we need to "collaborate like we've never collaborated before." Collaborate with us and say hello@regenlab.au. (Wellbeing Economy Alliance - WEAll, The Next Economy, Tripple, Purpose Conference, Louise O'Halloran, Jo Norman, Justin Medcalf, Rob Haggett Reece Proudfoot, Philip Freeman, Dr Dimity Podger, Hannah Quill, Olivia Parsonson, Lucy Sundberg, Ann Tran) #regenerativeeconomy #regenerativebusiness #regenerativeenterprise #regeneration #sustainability #regenlabs

Holding in my hands a copy of the just-released ‘Leading Practice Principles: First Nations and Renewable Energy Projects’. This is a really practical, clear guide that operationalises 10 solid principles (that may be considered ‘common sense’ but are not always so common!) to guide the renewable industry as they build and nurture mutually beneficial relationships with First Nations people. Huge credit to the First Nations Clean Energy Network for their leadership - I hope that in ten years’ time when we have a plethora of projects that are built with First Nations partnerships/shared ownership, we look back and identify this document as the tool that provided the groundwork to make it happen! Link to the doc is here: https://lnkd.in/gw5XHTKq

Let's hope other businesses follow suit. #NotADateToCelebrate

The Regen Economy is here...and hiding in plain sight. Just imagine—an Australian business success story with a multi-million-dollar annual turnover. It operates under both a B2C and B2B business model, boasting 25,000+ loyal individual and business customers contributing approximately AUD$15,000,000 per year. Annually, it injects over $28 million into the Queensland economy (a 25:1 multiplier effect on a Govt subsidy). This entity has incubated several successful spin-off social enterprises, maintaining steady developmental growth and evolution. It sustains 265+ full-time equivalent jobs in QLD and has garnered the loyalty and dedication of over 3000 annual volunteers. Oh, and it has a 500-year plan*, co-designed with Traditional Owners. Over the summer holidays, my family and I attended Woodford Folk Festival, located on Jinibara Country in SE Queensland. It was the first time with two young children and the first time since I centred my career on supporting Australia's transition to a regenerative economy at Regen Labs. I couldn't help but feel enthusiastic that thousands of Woodfordia citizens and I were participating in a living, breathing example of a regenerative economy. The festival, run by Woodfordia Inc. and now in its 35th year, follows a strategic plan centred on community & personal wellbeing, biodiversity regeneration & climate mitigation, supporting a thriving arts industry, fostering creativity, providing education & self-improvement opportunities, and supporting small to medium-sized businesses & cottage industry. The festival site itself has successfully regenerated the once-barren farmland it occupies. Even the arc of each day was regenerative, following a similar pattern most days: 🧘♂️ Start with wellbeing - yoga, meditation, or qi gong. 📚 Then, learn and grow - workshops and talks ranging from composting to the radical power of councils to how to rethink capitalism (run by the amazing Claire Marshall & nicole smede) to music composition. 👩👦👦 Time with kids creating and playing in the children's festival. 🌳 Resting on the village green or by Lake Gkula (a man-made natural pool that helps regenerate local biodiversity). 👩🎨 More creativity and community through gigs and workshops (sea shanties were our family fave). 🎶 An evening gig or performance. 🥗 All fueled by nourishing food from local businesses with a zero-waste policy. Underpinning the whole experience was a deep sense of connection. To Country. To the natural world. To each other. And to ourselves, through introspection. I was so impressed with this regenerative business, and I'm grateful that there are living examples like Woodfordia that can guide our journey—communities that have successfully achieved positive environmental, social, and local economic impact. They are living proof that the shift to a regenerative economy isn't about sacrifice. Indeed, the transition can be a wonderfully nourishing and positive process.

In a world where systems are increasingly under strain, it's crucial to understand what holds us together. My latest blog post delves into the 'small islands of coherence' - the microcosms that herald a hopeful future. It's about our fundamental connections: to the land, to each other, and to our own selves. Join me in exploring these insights and consider their implications for your professional and personal journey. #Leadership #Sustainability #CommunityBuilding https://lnkd.in/erxeqPg6