New Year's resolution makes a difference

Sydney Morning Herald
Tuesday 28/11/2006 Page: 16

It was during the stifling heat of January 1 this year, when the mercury reached a staggering 42 degrees, that Bega's Dr Matthew Nott had an epiphany. He had gone to the beach to try to escape the oppressive heat and sat reading Tim Flannery's book The Weather Makers. It was then he realised thinking locally could actually make a big difference globally.

"He just got this idea and ran with it," says Nicholas Graham- Higgs, who has been involved with Nott and his Clean Energy For Eternity campaign since it began after that New Year's Day insight.

Within weeks, Nott had organised a community meeting of more than 3000 people to try to significantly reduce the region's greenhouse-gas footprint. Just weeks after that initial meeting he had rallied more than 3000 people to get together down at Tathra Beach to create a human sign that read Clean Energy For Eternity.

His charisma and passion for what he was doing was infectious and the Bega Valley Shire Council was soon on board, formulating a policy in conjunction with the group to introduce its 50/50 By 2020 project. The council plans to introduce 50 per cent renewable energy into its operations and reduce the amount of energy it uses by 50 per cent by 2020.

"The Bega Valley has a population of about 30,000 and Matt managed to get 10 per cent of those to come along to the beach, out of school holiday time, to make this human sign," Graham-Higgs says. "He organised everything, even buses to get people there. He then rode around on a quad bike getting everyone in position."

Nott's enthusiasm for what he was doing did not end there. In July the orthopaedic surgeon decided to take the message closer to the nation's capital, firstly making a splash by swimming across Lake Jindabyne on a day when the sleet was falling almost horizontally and with only a support boat by his side, then organising a rally in October to create another human sign on the grounds of Parliament House.

"He is incredibly dedicated and really does believe in this issue," Graham-Higgs says. "As a surgeon he doesn't have that much time, but he is out there doing all this as well. And he is a pretty humble sort of bloke. He knows that if Bega Valley Shire can do the 50/50 by 2020 it can be used as an example for other regions."