Media Releases | 15th Sep, 2011

Earth Relay to take Victoria’s ‘Yes’ message to Canberra for Carbon Vote

Thursday, 15 September 2011

Environment Victoria today launched the ‘Say Yes Earth Relay’ supporting the price on pollution.

The Earth Relay involves a huge earth-ball being passed from town to town, suburb to suburb across Victoria in a series of community events leading up to the final vote on the Clean Energy Future carbon price legislation in Canberra, which is expected in early November.

At today’s launch supporters dressed in blue and green held up the earth ball beneath the Flinders St clocks, the first landmark on its journey.

“The Victorian Earth Relay will help mark this historic step forward on climate change action and build support for further action,” said Environment Victoria’s Campaigns Director Mark Wakeham.

“Like the passage of the Olympic flame to the site of the Olympic Games, communities across Victoria will be passing a human sized earth globe from suburb to suburb and town to town until it reaches Canberra.”

“The Earth Relay will provide communities an opportunity to show support for renewable energy, for putting a price on pollution and for replacing polluting coal-fired power stations like Hazelwood.”

The earth ball will be photographed with community supporters at local landmarks around the state before arriving in Canberra to coincide with Greenpeace erecting its famous Climate Rescue Station on the lawns of Parliament House.

The Climate Rescue Station is an earth dome the size of a large house, and has been featured at climate-change events around the world. Click here to see a short video