Climate Special- The Role of Art and Festivals in South Australia's Green Energy Success

From massive storms to green future vision: Laura and Elizabeth Streb explore South Australia's rapid shift from fossil fuels and the inspiring actions of local festivals and government leaders.

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South Australia has become a global leader in green energy transition, getting off fossil fuels faster, and to a greater extent than almost any other country. How did they do it, and what can we learn from them? In this special report, Laura goes Down Under with her partner, Elizabeth Streb, and her extreme dance company, and discovers how the region’s culture and its many world-class festivals have helped pave the way for transformation. Helping to unpack it all is a range of impressive guests, including Susan Close, deputy premier of South Australia; Anoté Tong, the former President of the Micronesian island, the Republic of Kiribati; Ruth Mackenzie, former Artistic Director of the Adelaide Festival, now Program Director of Arts, Culture and Creative Industries Policy within the South Australia state government; Rob Brookman, the co-founder of WOMADelaide, the capital’s premier outdoor festival; MacArthur “Genius” Award winner, Elizabeth Streb and the action heroes of her company STREB — and a WHALE. As you’ll hear, it’s taken politics, policy, science and culture to shift public practice in this extreme-weather-vulnerable area. Over the last decade, South Australia has faced massive storms, brush fires, and extreme heat that have put people, wildlife, and even the festival at risk. Now South Australia is leading the way and using art to help people envision a green future, but they can’t solve the climate crisis alone. In this Climate Week special, we ask, how can the rest of the world follow suit?

“I'd say that WOMADelaide is creating a tiny version of the planet as you would like it to be . . . If you've listened to music from Iraq or if you've listened to music from Vietnam, or if you've listened to music from Palestine and Israel, it's more difficult to say those people, we don't understand them, so we can't deal with who they are.” - Rob Brookman, Director, WOMADelaide Foundation

“We don't get exempted from climate change because we've got a green electricity grid . . . It is globally caused and has to be globally solved. So part of what we do is not to boast about what we've done, but to hope that our leadership will show others that you too can do this. Come and learn from us.” - Susan Close, Deputy Premier, South Australia

“We've got the arguments, we can tell you the facts, but people don't feel it . . . [Artists] reach into your head, into your heart, they dig in and then they motivate you to action. And of course if you can also motivate the artist in every single child in South Australia, then we really have a force to change the world.” - Ruth Mackenzie, Program Director Arts, Culture & Creative Industries Policy, South Australia Government

“For the [Adelaide] festival to go to young people and be like, ‘Hey, we want to hear from you. We want you to be a part of this. What works do you want to see? What works do you want to make and what do you want them to be about?’, is something that doesn't happen very often . . . Hopefully it'll mean we can get more people involved.” - Caitlin Moore, Artist, Activist

“The science doesn't seem to be making an impact no matter how precise. Maybe the hard facts of science do not ring a bell as much as the emotional language of the arts . . . Maybe the arts can put it in a way that it touches the hearts of your political leadership.” - President Anoté Tong, Former President, Republic of Kiribati

Guests:

• Rob Brookman: Co-Founder, WOMADelaide; Director, WOMADelaide Foundation

• Susan Close: Deputy Premier, South Australia

• Cassandre Joseph: STREB Co-Artistic Director & Action Hero

• Ruth Mackenzie: Former Artistic Director, Adelaide Festival; Program Director Arts, Culture & Creative Industries Policy, South Australia Government

• Caitlin Moore: Director of Create4Adelaide, Adelaide Festival

• Elizabeth Streb: STREB Founder, Co-Artistic Director & Choreographer

• Anoté Tong: Former President, Republic of Kiribati

• Bart Van Peel: Chief Navigating Officer, Captain Boomer Collective

Watch the broadcast episode cut for time at our YouTube channel and airing on PBS stations across the country 

Music Credit:  "Steppin" & "Curious Jungle" by Podington Bear. And original sound production and design by Jeannie Hopper.

Recommended book:

Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals” by Alexis Pauline Gumbs, *Get the Book Here

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Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes:

•. Jubilee Justice Regenerative Farming: Tackling Racism with Rice. Watch / Listen

•. Survival Guide for Humans Learned from Marine Mammals with Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Watch / Listen

The Future of Energy is Indigenous (and it won’t involve pipelines!), Watch / Listen

Related Articles and Resources:

•  South Australia’s stunning renewable energy transition, and what comes next, by Giles Parkinson, RenewEconomy.com. Read Here

•  Urban Ecology and Christie Walk setting the pace for low carbon urban precincts, by Carbon Neutral Adelaide

• Extreme weather is wreaking havoc on Australian music festivals. Can they survive? By Nell Geraets, The Sidney Morning Herald, Read Here

•  Playlist of Adelaide's sustainability efforts on Youtube, Watch Here

Full Episode Notes are located HERE. They include related episodes, articles, and more. 

Laura Flanders and Friends Crew:  Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer;  Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet Hernandez-Communications Director; Jeannie Hopper-Audio Director, Podcast & Radio Producer, Audio Editor, Sound Design, Narrator; Sarah Miller-Development Director, Nat Needham-Editor, Graphic Design emeritus; David Neuman-Senior Video Editor, and Rory O’Conner-Senior Consulting Producer.

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