AS responsible Emerald residents, we would like to reply to the article Residents Apathy Slammed, as we feel this article paints an inaccurate picture of our situation.
Should our lack of action be called apathy, or is it not a realisation that whatever we try to do, the Cardinia Council simply will not listen.
When has it listened in the past?
We finally got action on the library through Gembrook MP Tammy Lobato’s intervention.
Where is the action on improving our roads, or cutting wasteful expenditure in Pakenham?
We decided to visit Pepi’s land to consider what should be done with it.
It is hard to locate as there are no streets leading in to it. The best part of Pepi’s land has been sold off by the council, including foolishly the street frontage – once again, totally disregarding local submissions.
We find what we think is Pepi’s land (there are no signs) and we decide that Pepi’s land should remain parkland.
How do we communicate this to the Emerald Village Committee. We don’t know. Maybe we have missed something, but we do not know how to communicate our view to the committee.
Let us make it clear that we are not knocking the Emerald Village Committee. We think that they are all hardworking committed local people who have our interests at heart.
But do we know that the council will take any notice of them? That is the question.
Roy Wilson and Jenny Hall
Avonsleigh
STOP whingeing about oil and petrol prices… do something about it!
We now have an opportunity to learn some new old habits that will save us money, reduce traffic congestion, reduce pollution and rebuild communities.
The best part is we can stick it up the oil companies and the government at the same time. Let’s start car pooling again.
Think of the impact if everyone shared a lift with one other person.
Half the cars on the road, faster times to work, less congestion, less pollution, fewer parking problems (and imagine if the car parks weren’t full and they had to compete for your business they might even drop their prices). We might even talk to each other (heaven forbid!).
Share school dropoff and pickup.
What if mums and dads offered to pick up each others kids from school on a roster system. Instead of the bun fight at dropoff and pickup times with big 4WDs threatening to run over everything (including your kids) in their rush, there would be room to park properly. Again, we might spend some time chatting over a coffee as we organise who is picking up kids.
What about weekly supermarket shopping.
Instead of the daily trip to the supermarket which is packed with people just like you, in a hurry to get a few things and get home and everyone’s grumpy what if you shopped only two to three times or even one big shop per week.
What if you planned your shopping so you actually only bought the things you needed and not the things that you just grabbed as you went past in a hurry.
You would save money and beat the supermarkets at their game of tempting you into impulse buying.
And what have you achieved?
Fewer trips, less wasted time, less fuel, more money in your pocket and not in those of the oil companies or the governments.
If they can’t sell all the fuel they refine then they may actually start competing for your business instead of maintaining high prices because they know you will fill up sooner rather than later.
As a possible side effect, if there are fewer cars on the road, then the trucks transporting our food and other products would spend less time in transit and use less fuel and therefore the higher costs of fuel would have a lower impact on the price we pay.
Imagine the impact on your local community. Less traffic, quieter streets and less pollution.
I think we have an opportunity now to turn back the clock and take control of our lives and make our world a better place.
I drive my cars on the waste cooking oil from my local fish and chip shops. I used to do it to make an environmental statement, but the cost savings are now very significant!
Colin Gillam
Alternative Fuels and Energy
Mt Evelyn
