I would like to thank the SSTUWA for giving me the opportunity to attend the two day 'Say Yes Australia' Workshop in Brisbane on June 18-19 as a Facilitator representing the Union Climate Connectors.

I am also Head of Department of Society and Environment at Ballajura Community College and I would like to thank the College for covering my relief.

Union Climate Connectors is a joint campaign between the Australian Conservation Foundation and Australian Unions.

They empower union members to take action in homes, workplaces and communities around Australia.

They support solutions to the climate crisis that are good for the environment and good for jobs.

Union Climate Connectors is supported by the ACTU, AEU, SSTUWA, Australian Conservation Foundation and a group of other Australian Unions.

Union members have a vision for a clean energy future, with clean, green workplaces and have a leadership role to play in developing and demanding the action we need to get there.

The SSTUWA as part of the AEU has long term policy about environment education and combating climate change which includes a support for a price on pollution.

The AEU believes as educator's and unionists that it is vital unions are involved in debates on climate change to ensure that workers are not left out in the move to a low pollution economy.

The AEU believes that the Federal Government's proposed policy of a price on pollution, is a necessary first step in taking action in climate change, but this will only happen if this policy gets through Parliament.

The AEU therefore encourages all members to join the campaign.

Consequently Union Climate Connectors has joined forces with Australia’s largest and most influential environmental NGO's and civil society groups to make sure 2011 is the year Australia puts a price on pollution.

In an unprecedented collaboration, the Australian Conservation Foundation, Australian Council of Trade Unions, Australian Youth Climate Coalition, Climate Action Network Australia, Environmental Victoria, Getup, Greenpeace, The Climate Institute and World Wildlife Foundation all worked together.

From this coalition, the Say Yes Australia movement was born.

The movement has already organised mass rallies in capital cities with 45,000 people attending these rallies at the beginning of June, which was part of a National Week of Action.

They have an excellent web page, a price on Pollution Action Kit available for download and were responsible for the excellent television advertisements starring Cate Blanchett.

Say Yes Australia ran the three day Brisbane workshop where I was a Facilitator.

The 80 participants at the workshop learned of effective methods to get the message across, dealing with the media, phone techniques, setting up team structures and campaign strategy.

The key messages are – Say Yes to:

• Ready-to-go clean technologies like wind, sun, wave and geothermal;
• A clean healthy economy;
• New clean energy jobs;
• Healthy air for our kids; and
• Finally make sure big polluters pay.

I urge all members of the SSTUWA to get involved in the Say Yes Australia Campaign.

A first step that all members can take is to log into the web page and register your name and email address. Say Yes Australia will send you regular updates on the campaign.

As a Geography teacher and environmentalist I would like to point out that there are a heap of tremendous resources for students from about Grade 5-12 on the web pages listed below.

So say Yes to Cutting Carbon Pollution and to clean jobs in the future world economy.

Visit:- www.climateconnectors.org or www.sayeysaustralia.org.au