Join us on Tuesday 4 July at 3pm AEST as we take a look at why it is time to end fossil fuel sponsorship across Aussie’s sport, arts and events and how local governments can do it.
Local sports clubs and beloved artistic events are at the heart of each Australian community, however climate change – driven by the burning of coal, oil and gas, is putting these integral things we love at risk.
Come along and hear from our expert panel comprising the Climate Council’s Head of Advocacy, Dr Jennifer Rayner, the Founder and Director of Comms Declare Belinda Noble, and Byron Shire’s Councillor Asren Pugh.
Background:
Climate Council of Australia
Despite fuelling the climate crisis, giant fossil fuel companies are greenwashing their image by sponsoring hundreds of Australian teams, arts institutions and community events.
Calling Time: How to Remove Fossil Fuel Sponsorships from Sports, Arts and Events is a voluntary code for organisations ready to lead industry efforts to combat climate change.
The Code includes:
- Information and evidence about how climate change is upending Australian sports, arts and public events.
- An explanation of fossil fuel greenwashing and how these major multinational corporations use our favourite teams and events to buy social licence.
- A step-by-step guide to assessing current sponsorships and achieving alignment with community, stakeholder and fan expectations of your organisation.
Comms Declare
An expert in the imminent need to ban fossil fuel advertising, Belinda Noble will be discussing the growing global trend against the advertising of high emissions products and how Australian local, state and federal governments can act to help communities reduce emissions.
Belinda will also give an update on the progress of the Fossil Ad Ban campaign, which has seen 12 Australian councils vote to restrict fossil fuel advertising in 12 months.
Byron Shire Council, NSW
One of these councils is Byron Shire Council in northern NSW, a major hub for festivals and events. At the end of 2022, Mayor Lyons and Cr Asren Pugh introduced the motion to support the Fossil Ad Ban campaign and are the first council to take the extra step in writing to local organisations and events to ask that they also ban fossil fuel sponsorships and advertising.
Speakers
Dr Jennifer Rayner, Head of Advocacy, Climate Council
As Head of Advocacy at the Climate Council, Jennifer leads policy and political engagement across all levels of Australian Government. She has worked as a Chief of Staff and senior policy adviser to leaders across the Australian and ACT parliaments, with a focus on advancing a positive climate agenda across the spectrum of government activity. Completing a PhD in Political Science at the Australian National University she holds further degrees from Macquarie University, the University of Canberra and the University of New England, as well as being the author of two books.
Belinda Noble, Founder & Director, Comms Declare
Belinda spent 20 years in TV news, working as a reporter and supervising producer in Australia and overseas before moving into corporate communications and PR. She founded Comms Declare which is now running the Fossil Ad Ban campaign. She has a Masters in Leadership, a Graduate Diploma in Management, a BA in Communications and accreditations in public consultation, emergency management and customer experience.
Councillor Asren Pugh, Byron Shire Council
As a councillor at Byron Shire Council, Asren is advocating for social and environmental change in his community and beyond. Asren has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney, a Certificate in Leadership, Organizing and Action from Harvard Business School, and is currently studying a Masters of Business Administration at the University of New South Wales. Asren was formerly the Organising Manager of the Australian Conservation Foundation and Assistant Secretary of the Australian Services Union (NSW & ACT).
