By Richard Love
I’m a local cane farmer who’s sick of harmful farming practices. Help me make a difference by transforming my farm from cane to solar, and aid in saving our precious environment.
My name is Richard Love and I am a sugar cane farmer. The farm my family and I live on has been producing sugar cane for decades prior to our residency. The soil is soaked in old chemicals and toxic insecticides, which have been washing into our rivers for years. It’s time for our small farm to attempt a big undertaking in environmentalism, and stop our farm’s pollution for good.
Our Great Barrier Reef is threatened with extinction by conventional, outdated and destructive farm practices. Cane farming is proven to be among the worst. This crop requires huge quantities of toxic chemicals and grand-scale irrigation. The sheer amount of water inevitably leads to top soil disturbance which these chemicals to flow freely into our rivers and streams, doing immeasurable damage to our freshwater and marine life.
With over 6000 cane farms in Queensland alone, it’s easy to imagine the gigantic impact the industry has on our local ecosystems and, perhaps most alarmingly, our Great Barrier Reef.
That’s why we believe it’s time our farm changed for the better.
Our plan is to replace all our sugar cane with solar panels, which will allow us to generate enough income in the future to transform the remaining land into a natural habitat.
The benefits:
1. No more pollution! We will have a clean, mean, solar-farming machine that will supply immaculate solar energy with no cost to the environment. Not only will we personally be pollution-free, but the commercial production of solar energy will massively reduce emissions from coal fired power stations.
2. Mother Nature reigns supreme. We will rehabilitate approximately 140 acres of farmland – no more toxic chemicals and top soil disturbance.
3.If we lead, others will follow. Our ambitious project will act as a beacon for cane growers everywhere. Let’s show them a viable, environmentally-friendly alternative to outdated and problematic farming practices.
Here’s the only problem: Solar panels are extremely expensive, and we’ve estimated the cost at around $175, 000 to transform our entire farm. This is far more than a small farming family could ever afford.
This is where we need your help. Without you, our dream of creating a solution to our pollution is just that – a dream. If you, like us, want a green, sustainable alternative for Australia, we’re prepared to lead the way with your support.
Join us to help make sure the Great Barrier Reef is here for generations to come.