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
- October 29: The Fight to Save Our National Parks
Jordan Crook, VNPA
Jordan is a Parks and Nature Campaigner at the Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA). His role focuses on protecting and caring for our wildlife and natural places. Jordan’s talk will look at why we have national parks and the campaigns that led to their creation. He’ll cover some of the wins, such as the Central West park, and then let you know about the cuts and harm being currently being done to our precious parks, and what we can all do to help.
Jordan’s background is in conservation work ranging from the ocean to the tall forest of the Central Highlands, and he has worked with all levels of government to get results for the natural world for many years. Jordan teaches conservation and land management at a tertiary level and has an academic background in conservation and land management, arboriculture and training and assessment. - November 26: Getting off gas
Ben Russell, Goodbye Gas
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
#36 – September: Talking to Kids About Climate Change, Dr Aimee Maxwell
#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.
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