Following their successful ride from Sydney to Ballarat (titled Rode RAGE) earlier this year, World Vision Australia CEO, Tim Costello has visited Damascus College this week. Rode RAGE was a ‘Ride Against Greenhouse Emissions’.
In fact, the Damascus team actually had 2 ministers visit them in one week!
Rev Tim Costello (World Vision Australia CEO and a former Baptist minister) and
Hon. Gavin Jennings, Victorian Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Innovation.
Damascus College Energy Breakthrough Team (DCEBT) Rider Manager, Tony Davidson, said the team was “very excited to have such distinguished guests in our shed.”
Mr Costello was stoked with the work the students had done and their connection between greenhouse emissions and poverty.
“(Rode RAGE) was to raise awareness about how every day people could reduce their greenhouse emissions and to raise funds for people in third work communities.” Tony said to a local newspaper reporter about the visit.
Mr Costello said that beating global poverty is one of the steps to beating global warming. “One of the major things that funds global warming is poverty” he was quoted as saying during his visit, and also said a global warming-versus-poverty debate should be avoided in favour of dealing with poverty as part of an anti-global warming strategy.
The Rode Rage event raised funds for World Vision’s Smiles program, which sees everything from goats and bee-hives to mosquito nets and wells given as gifts to the people who need it most.
It’s no surprise that Costello and Jennings are keen to see the inner workings of the DCEBT workshop, after all, they have continually pushed their Human Powered and Hybrid Powered vehicles into road going use. From the World Solar Cycle Challenge to this year’s Rode RAGE challenge, the students are not scared of the road!
With four entries this year’s Energy Breakthrough, they are exploring vacuum forming to reduce some weight and improve the rigidity of their vehicles.
We wish them all the best of luck with all their endeavours.
Links:
– Damascus College Energy Breakthrough Team (DCEBT) website
– World Vision Australia Website
– Gavin Jennings, Victorian Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Innovation website
– Past coverage of Rode RAGE on STIR.org.au
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