Date: 14-Jan-2009

Australia Day is a celebration of the things that make this country great. At its heart is the natural environment that affords us our much envied Aussie lifestyle.



This Australia Day, we’re asking you to consider our wonderful Aussie icons – the Great Barrier Reef, the Murray Darling Basin, Kakadu wetlands, even the great Australian backyard – when celebrating our national day on 26 January.



Over the Australia Day weekend, the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) will be joining with people all over the country in holding nationwide sustainable BBQs. These events will provide the opportunity to celebrate the special places we love and our famous Aussie lifestyle while also acknowledging that many of these very things are under threat from climate change.



It would be un-Australian to allow our natural icons to be lost due to weak efforts to tackle climate change. Australia has set a target to reduce carbon pollution by just 5 - 15% by 2020 – if adopted globally, this would mean devastation for many of our favourite and most special places.



This Australia Day, tell our Government which part of Australia you couldn’t bear to lose.

SO HOW DO I DO THIS?

Essentially, get a group of friends together for a BBQ or equivalent event – you’ve probably already got a celebration lined up – over the Australia Day weekend.



Then choose one of 10 iconic places at threat from climate change (check out the list below), take a not so happy snap and we'll send on to our leaders letting them know exactly what we think!

 

Here's the rundown

1. Register your event

Use this form to register your event. We want to know where in Australia these events are occurring so we can tell politicians what’s happening in their neighbourhood.



2. Pick your icon

To play our part in avoiding dangerous climate change we need greater leadership from the Rudd Government. Without it, we risk losing many of our most cherished and special places. Click here to read about and choose your favourite icon.



3. Let others know

Click here to join us and other concerned Australians on Facebook. Promote your event, share photos and be kept up to date on progress. A great place to invite as many friends as possible. Promote your BBQ by creating a 'related event'.



4. Organise your event

When you're organising your BBQ keep the environment in mind. Check out our top five sustainable BBQ tips.



5. Take your pic

Once you're all sharing a snag and conversation about what makes Australia great, make a sign that says:

"We did not give the Rudd Government permission to give up on...."

and insert your chosen icon. The better the photo, the more impact it will have. For hints and tips download our guide to the perfect pic here. For those time poor and lacking creative inspiration, here is an A3 templte for a sign to insert your own icon on. For a sample photo of what we'd like to see click here.



6. Send it in

Once the celebrations have died down send your photos back to ACF (bbq@acfonline.org.au) with your name, postcode and a 50-word description of your event (who you are, why you hosted it and how many people attended). And while you’re at it, upload the photos to Facebook so you can start exchanging the legendary BBQ stories and experiences with others.

What are you going to do with my photo?

We’ll produce a video and album collation of Australia Day photos and stories and send them to the Government, letting them know we haven’t given them permission to give up on our favourite natural icons. We'll upload them video to Facebook and the ACF website and email you a link for viewing when completed.

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