Join your local climate conversation
If you, like most Australians and most people in the world, are concerned about the impact of fossil fuel burning causing climate heating and increasingly deadly weather and environmental impacts – and you would like to learn more and connect with others in your community – come along to our Climate Café!
WHEN: Last Thursday of the month, 7:30pm
WHERE: Platform 3095 Café, 965 Main Road, Eltham (next to Eltham Train Station).
WHAT: Local (and further afield) subject experts and knowledgeable residents share their insights on a range of topics relating to our changing climate. Talks are followed by questions and discussion. Come early and join us for dinner or just come for the talk. All welcome!
2026 Climate Cafe – upcoming topics
- November 26: Getting off gas
Ben Russell, Goodbye Gas
Victorians emit an average of 12.3 tonnes of carbon (CO₂) per person each year, and Victoria has the highest residential and domestic gas consumption in Australia, with about 60% of the country’s residential gas used within the state.
Burning fossil fuels (primarily natural gas for space heating, water heating, and cooking) accounts for roughly 17% of Victoria’s net greenhouse gas emissions, with residential gas use making up a large portion of that total.
By electrifying our homes, we can significantly reduce our household greenhouse gas emissions and make a significant contribution to creating a sustainable future for us all. More than 200,000 Victorians have already made their move reducing household energy bills by $185 million since 2023!
Ben Russell is a local electrician and business owner who has been working on home electrification for awhile now so has all the insider tips on what is involved in switching your home to become all electric.
This last cafe for the year is an opportunity to hear from an industry insider and to ask questions about changing your home gas appliances, ditching the gas meter, pairing your electric home with renewable energy systems (like solar), and moving towards becoming carbon neutral at home.
Climate Cafe is informal, friendly and everyone is welcome. Come early and have a meal, or grab a drink or snack, or just join us for a an interesting and informative talk and discussion. We look forward to seeing you there!
Climate Café events are held on the last Thursday of each month – same place, same time! Speakers on a range of topics start the discussion at each event.
Keep in touch and get reminders and details of Climate Cafe events and speakers, and other events – sign up to receive the NCAT Newsletter.
If there is a topic you’d like to hear about, or a speaker with expertise you know of who might like to present at this forum, please get in touch to discuss.
See all upcoming events at What’s On
Previous Climate Cafe topics
2026
#37 – October: The Fight for our National Parks, Jordan Crook, VNPA (slides and summary)
#36 – September: Talking to Kids About Climate Change, Dr Aimee Maxwell (summary and slides)
#35 – August: Caring for Country / Friends Groups in Nillumbik, Vicky Shukuroglou (Friends of Biodiversity – Hohnes Hill) and Jill Kellow (Friends of Moor-rul Reconciliation Grasslands/Friends of McMahon Ball Paddock) (summary)
#34 – July: How Sustainable Macleod Tackles the Climate Emergency, Robin and Paul Gale-Baker from Sustainable Macleod
#33 – June: How does the Anthropocene change how we think about society?
Rachel Busbridge (ACU) (summary and slides)
#32 – May: Environmental and Climate Resilience Benefits of Cohousing
Teresa Dominik, Brougham St Co-housing Development (summary and slides)
#31 – April: Sustainable Housing: Energy across the life of your home – Melinda Miles, Clean Energy Nillumbik (summary and slides)
#30 – March: Make Big Polluters Pay Alliance and Campaign – Kelly Albion, Climate Justice Coalition Convenor, 350.org
#29 – February: The environment of the solar system and the Earth’s climate – Dr David Jamieson. (summary).
2025
#28 – November: The Aviation Industry and Climate Change – Geoff Collis (summary and slides)
#27 – October: Novel Crops – Dr Chris Williams (notes and slides)
#26 – September: North West Shelf Gas Project – Mitzi Tuke
#25 – August: The science behind climate change – Tim Davis
#24 – July: Gardens for a Warming Climate – Peter May
#23 – June: The State of the Forests: Where are we now? – Kinglake Friends of the Forest – Rosemary Storey
#22 – May: It’s all about us: Understanding people to protect the planet – Lily Van Eeden (RMIT)
#21 – April: Active Transport, Urban Planning and Sustainability – David Collis
#20 – March: Rebuilding Democracy to Solve the Climate Crisis – Sonia Rhandawa (Sortition Foundation)
#19 – February: Housing and Development in Nillumbik: A climate change perspective – Anne Nielsen, Eltham Community Action Group
2024
#18 – November: Fire Preparedness – Alice Gower
#17 – October: Climate Adaptation – Simon Kerr (La Trobe University)
#16 – September: Rewiring Australia – Natalie Bucknell (Clean Energy Nillumbik)
#15 – August: Environmental Principles in Building Design – Lynnsay Prunotto
#14 – July: Transport Decarbonisation – Liz Chase
#13 – June: Slow Fashion – Jodie Stevens
#12 – May: Electric Home Appliances – Natalie Bucknell
#11 – April: The Arts in the Environment Movement – Mitzi Tuke/Angela Davies
March: Nillumbik Climate Month
#10 – February: What’s with the food? – Vasundhara Kandpal
2023
#9 – November: Soil Health – Bev Middleton
#8 – October: Degrowth – Michaela Carter
#7 – September: Renewable Energy in the Home – Guy Palmer
#6 – August: Why I’m a Climate Optimist – Prof. Neville Nicholls
#5 – July: Deep Adaptation – Dr Aimee Maxwell
#4 – June: Why biodiversity is important for climate – Vicky Shukuroglou
#3 – May: Native Forests and climate change mitigation – Sue McKinnon
#2 – April: Energy Efficiency at home – Lucinda Flynn
#1 – March: Climate conversations as a way to build social change – Lisa Whiston
You can find summaries of these talks in our Newsletters.
Sign up for the Nillumbik Climate Action Team’s monthly Newsletter:
