Southern Otways Sustainable mission is to encourage, facilitate and implement a transition to 100% renewable sources for the Otways community. Southern Otways Sustainable (SOS) formed in 2018. We are a not-for-profit community group of volunteers, frustrated and motivated by the lack of government action on climate change. SOS operates on lands of the Gadubanud, or ’King Parrot’ people, who lived for many thousands of years along the coast and forested hinterlands of the Otway Ranges. Their first recorded contact with Europeans was in 1842 and by 1846 no further contact with settlers was recorded. Well documented massacres left perhaps only a few Gadubanud survivors escaping to nearby missions. European settlement brought farming, fishing and forestry communities but for some decades, these communities were serviced only by boat and a treacherous Bass Strait. The Gadubanud were known as fiercely independent and self-reliant people. Today’s Otway communities are said to share this character, in part perhaps, due to the nature of the country and its climate.
Our Vision: A Southern Otways powered by 100% renewable energy by 2030
Our Projects: View our Projects page. Our initiatives within Apollo Bay have brought us closer to attaining our vision. Explore the important work we’re undertaking within the community by viewing our Projects and News pages above.
Driven by the failure of governments generally to address climate change, SOS has a 2 phase approach to reaching our vision.
PHASE 1
– Build on existing ‘Rooftop Solar’ capacity through community (Bulk Buy) programs
– Improve energy efficiency of local businesses and homes
– Explore the feasibility of a community battery and micro-grid
PHASE 2
Investigate ‘Beyond Rooftop Solar’ solutions and feasibility
Our Partners & Supporters
We are very thankful to our partners and supporters:
Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE, $5,000 in kind, technical support)
Colac Otway Shire (COS, $10,000 Roadmap funding)
Liz Franzmann (Facilitation and Community Engagement)
Mondo Power (Industry guidance and support)
City to Surf Solar (Retail & Installation)
Powercor (local power data)
Barwon Region Alliance for Community Energy (BRACE)
The beautiful communities of Apollo Bay and the Southern Otways.