Welcome to ecocentre CarbonCut

CarbonCut

CarbonCut is a retrofit program that aims to assist residents in the City of Port Phillip to reduce their energy and water usage. The two-fold benefit of CarbonCut is a reduction in carbon emissions coupled with a reduction in residential energy bill expenditure. The program is also committed to educating households on issues regarding climate change and energy efficient behaviour. The project has received unprecedented interest from the local community. Following a successful pilot project in 2008, a full-scale CarbonCut was launched in 2009 and has stretched itself past its service recipient quota to service over 200 households in order to meet the public demand.

CarbonCut has trained a group of four people to ‘retrofit’ low-income households, free of charge. This retrofitting includes installation of energy saving devices and delivery of useful energy saving advice and techniques for service recipients. Service recipients are given an information booklet, which outlines what has been installed and what changes have been made in their home, as well as further detailing of the CarbonCut project itself. Promoting energy-saving behaviour is a major component of the project.

Recipients are largely elderly, and from diverse backgrounds. To ensure that non-English speakers don’t miss out on the opportunity, CarbonCut has trained both Greek and Russian language translators in energy reduction principles to help communicate the ‘retrofit’ procedures.

“I began with the CarbonCut program as a trainee retrofitter over a year ago. Within this position I was given the opportunity to be trained and offered paid work experience to conduct home retrofits and educate and promote energy efficiency behaviour within the community. Through this program I have now been given the opportunity to expand my skills and experiences by being promoted to the co-coordinator position, which has allowed me to take a leading role within the program and within society.”

Lisa Siciliano is Co-Coordinator of CarbonCut and is in final year of Bachelor Environmental Science, Monash University:

"The most important aspect CarbonCut to me, is helping those people which have become almost forgotten within society. These people are often elderly, from non-English speaking backgrounds and on low incomes. I feel a program such as this helps to bridge the gap between demographics.”

“One lovely fellow from Tom Hills Court in Port Melbourne, said that he had been waiting for a weather strip to be fitted to his door for over two years. He was so happy to have approached the CarbonCut team earlier in the week and by the end of the week his flat was draft proof with a weather strip fitted.”

“Other residents had wind blowing through their flats to such an extent that you could hear it howling. One resident at Inkerman Heights could not believe the difference in heating requirements once the retrofit had been complete and his doors and windows were sealed.”

Service recipient, William (Bill) Roberts says:

He was interested in the project because he hoped it could help reduce his electricity bill.

“On the pension you have a lot of time but you don’t have a lot of money to spend with your time”, he says. He hopes that reducing his energy bill will let him spread his money out towards his favorite entertainment, musical theatre.

Neel is studying a Diploma of Sustainability and hopes to pursue a career in sustainability.

Neel Bivalkan, CarbonCut Retrofitter, says:

“We walked into a place where a woman had only one light globe working and we put in six working light globes. We actually gave her light. At the end of the day her life has become more comfortable. We also fixed in some draft stoppers to cut down cold air coming in from under and around the door, so that has also made her life more comfortable. However you look at it, something good has come out of it. That is very satisfying at the end of the day.”

“CarbonCut is an opportunity to communicate the ideas of sustainability. It has been a very good experience. I come out with a feeling of satisfaction each time."

Andrew Ryan, CarbonCut Retrofitter and Elwood resident with Maori heritage. Having moved from New Zealand, he has worked as a volunteer driver for an elderly community organization:

“I feel St Kilda is my community.”

“I feel I can relate to local people more easily because I have been involved in the St Kilda community for some time.”

“They can relate to me just as much as I can relate to them.”

“I’d love to broaden my involvement in sustainability to learn more about solar energy and renewables.”

Kate Carpenter is studying a Diploma of Fire Technology and a Diploma of Sustainability:

“Being involved in CarbonCut gives a hands-on learning experience in sustainability.”

“I am studying sustainability, the Diploma I am doing is only a year-long introduction to the ideas of sustainability so working with CarbonCut helps to flesh out these ideas further.”

“Things I learn at uni I can take into my job here, and things I learn here I can take back to my studies.”

“The training is helpful for uni, as we are taken through issues of sustainability and how to address them.”

“This work is pretty eye opening, and has been a really good experience in itself. And, having had a job in sustainability I hope will be a useful way to begin a sustainability career.”

Nick Bishop is an electrical engineer currently studying a Masters of Sustainable Energy.

“I am really enjoying the social side of this work which has never been part of my line of work. Being an engineer you are quite removed from the community. I enjoy working with the service recipients.”

“Interestingly, most of these people we help, because they are on pensions are pretty good at being efficient. They pretty much know everything you can tell them about reducing energy that are small things, within their income capacity."

“The best advantages of this program have been about reaching a section of the community who haven’t been targeted by companies. We come across people with mental or physical disabilities, who need support to change light bulbs themselves. We come across people who have no lights at all, one person had only one working light bulb for weeks before we came. Helping them felt pretty satisfying.”

George Phaedonos is the CarbonCut Greek-language translator, a role he chose through the Port Phillip EcoCentre.

“Greek is my first language and I hope to be able to use my skills to help members of the Greek community.”

“The CarbonCut program is made up of a fantastic team of people. I think it has a lot to do with Jill and Lisa, the coordinators, and the whole team bringing their own ideas and passion to the team.”

Neil Blake is Coordinator of Port Phillip EcoCentre:

“It is vital that the climate change conversation is taken up in the wider community, as opposed to being limited to the ‘early adopters’. But apart from that, the most important thing for us is to give young people some skills and opportunities to make a positive response to climate change.”

“The CarbonCut team members have been simply fantastic in the way they’ve applied themselves to the project and brought about significant improvements (financial and physical) to the daily lives of low income households.”

“One thing that’s been particularly inspiring to me is the way that such a multicultural mix of people has combined so well as a team. I’d like to think that we’ve built a solid foundation on which to expand the CarbonCut concept and provide more opportunities for young people to take a lead role in shaping the future. ”