Feeling the need to ‘walk the talk’ on energy saving, with other like-minded people we made a small investment in a wind farm. It will be the first community-owned wind farm in Australia and it’s to be built just outside Daylesford.

Consisting of two turbines, the wind farm is expected to produce 12,200 MWh of clean, renewable energy each year. That’s equivalent to the energy needed to power 2,300 homes, about the number of residences in Daylesford and Hepburn Springs. Total construction is expected to cost approximately $10 million.

So far the community has raised over $2.5m towards the wind farm, most of that collected before world stock markets tumbled. The Victorian State Government has provided a grant of $975,000 through Sustainability Victoria, leaving the community to raise the shortfall. Unfortunately, many people are now extremely wary of investing in anything.

But the green economy is now seen by many world leaders and opinion-makers as the way out of the world’s current financial crisis. Just days ago, The New Statesman ran an article on that very topic. In the article Sarah Best, a climate-change policy adviser for Oxfam, states: ‘Developing a green economy offers us a way out of the present crisis. Investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency, green buildings and public transport will bring huge job-creation and enterprise opportunities.’

The projected pre-tax returns from the wind farm are expected to be 13.9 cents per $1 share, annually, over the 25 year life of the project.

Despite the geographical and climatic differences, Daylesford and Hepburn Springs resemble Byron Bay and Mullumbimby. In the late 1960s and early 1970s they’re where young families settled to start a way of life that was all about getting ‘back to the garden’. And many sea- and tree-changers are now looking at those areas, and places like them, to move to in retirement.     

Once viewed by mainstream society as locations where the lunatic fringe resided, these places often led cultural change in the form of counter-cultural initiatives. They were incubators for changes in consciousness and acceptance of new social norms.

It’s no coincidence that artists and writers flocked to the Daylesford and Byron Bay areas where rents were cheap and sources of inspiration were never in short supply.

As is the case with most beautiful places around the world, Daylesford, Hepburn Springs, Byron Bay and Mullumbimby have been ‘discovered’. They’ve become popular weekend escapes and holiday destinations, with property values reflecting their desirability.

But there are still some who live in these places who carefully consider the consequences of how we live. Some of us even hold fast to the idea that there’s time to save the planet for our children and grandchildren.

While my partner and I can’t afford to install solar panels, or have our own private wind turbine to generate power, by investing in the community wind farm we feel that we’re making a positive contribution to the future.

The Hepburn Wind Share Offer is open to everyone, regardless of where you live. The first community-owned windfarm in Australia could well become the model upon which other communities around the world work towards solutions to end global warming.

 

By 2050 our generation will have mostly gone. The youngest member of our family will be in his early 40s, probably with children of his own. What type of world do we want our great-grandchildren to inherit? And how would we like to be remembered? As the generation who did nothing? Or the generation who made a positive change.

If you’d like to hear a truly inspirational talk about the need for a ‘hero generation’, listen to Al Gore speak about it with a passion born of urgency.

If you’re within range of this neck of the woods, you might like to come along to a public meeting in Daylesford on December 2. Hosted by journalist and Al Gore Climate Change Ambassador, Tracey Curro, the evening will feature discussions by leading environmentalists David Holmgren and Rob Gell on climate change and how we can deal with it. For more information on the evening, go to the Hepburn Wind website. 

Otherwise, have a look at some frequently asked questions about the wind farm. If you have any doubts about investing, these might help allay any reservations you hold. 

While the current economic crisis will eventually pass, the climate change crisis won’t. It’s here to stay and it’s likely to get much, much worse if we don’t take action to do something about it… now.