Last month, Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group president David Gormley-O’Brien was named Citizen of the Year at Macedon Ranges council’s citizenship and award ceremony. He spoke with Oliver Lees about his connection to the shire, the environment, and the importance of community advocacy.
What is your connection to Sunbury and the Macedon Ranges?
I moved to Woodend in 2008 after completing my doctorate in the UK and living a few years in Bendigo. In 2014, I founded the Woodend Bee-Friendly Society (WBFS) with some friends to promote beekeeping in the Macedon Ranges and provide a friendly forum for sharing knowledge and experiences between amateur beekeepers. WBFS is now the second largest beekeeping group in Victoria.
I have been president of the Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group for the past four years and have seen our membership expand from 150 to over 500 members. MRSG is a membership based volunteer organisation with 13 action groups all over the Macedon Ranges focusing on areas like beekeeping, farmers’ markets, healthy eating, renewable energy, transport, regenerative farming, sustainable development, recycling and waste reduction, energy-efficient homes and climate change education.
Can you remember what first sparked your interest in the environment and sustainability?
My interest in sustainability was first sparked from my doctoral research in Hellenistic philosophy, especially Stoicism and its ethical emphasis on self-sufficiency, and reduced attachment to things as well as the epicurean emphasis on the importance of friendships. These both enjoined a sense of “walking on the earth lightly”. I saw these as potent critiques of western society’s emphasis on material acquisition and self-aggrandisement. So when my partner, Sara, and I moved to Woodend in 2008, we gradually weaned ourselves from the seduction of working in an ivory tower and overly-paid professional careers to reduce our consumption and transform our one acre property into a highly productive and attractive small holding, focusing on creating community.
Some people suggest that climate action at an individual or community level is a waste of time, given that large corporations make the biggest contribution to climate change. What would you say to those people?
These people are half right. Climate action will only be effective if large corporations and governments around the world make radical changes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The issue is indeed global and a unified global response is required. However, climate action at individual and community levels still has an important role to play in raising awareness and educating our society and governments about the grave crisis and compelling them to act. It is a similar situation to the Abolitionist movement in Western Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries. The elimination of slavery could only be done through legislative changes and government enforcement. But individuals and societies also played a huge part in bringing pressure on their governments by doing simple things like not using sugar at their tea parties, as it was a commodity produced by slave labour in the West Indies.
How can others get involved in the Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group?
We have such a broad range of action groups and projects that newcomers can feel confident that they will find something that they are interested in. Our groups are very friendly and welcoming.
Details: mrsg.org.au
