6 Chancellor Street

SHERWOOD 4075

5 January 2007

The Executive Director – Bill Hauritz

Woodford Folk Festival

Queensland Folk Federation

PMB 2

Woodford 4514.

Dear Bill,

Woodford Folk Festival Embraces Carbon Tax??

Congratulations to Woodford Folk Festival [WFF] on a great Festival in 2006 /07!!

I trust that the following suggestion might be seen as constructively useful.

I appreciate that there might be alternative better means of delivering the same or a better outcome, and defer to the relevant WFF workforce committee’s talents in advising on achieving the best outcome.

As a continuation of WFF’s environmental policies, WFF might consider levying a ‘carbon tax’ on each Festival season campers vehicle parked in (accom vehicles and wheelie’s vehicles only), or adjacent to the Season Campground for the duration of the Festival. The tax might be A$5 or A$10 per vehicle, equivalent to one or multiple ‘Woodford Trees’ – the Republic’s local unit of carbon tax – currently valued at A$5. 

Imposing the tax should deter persons from parking vehicles within the Season Campground – maximising the effective use of prime, tree-shaded sites for campers tents in reasonable proximity to campground amenities, and proximity to the Festival entrance, and not for use as car-parking space; also reducing traffic noise, dust (and need for its suppression during the festival). ‘Carbon-taxed’ vehicles can be parked within local ‘blocks’ of allocated car-parking spaces located outside the prime campground sites on ‘open-field’ less treed areas, where orderly parking will reduce the car-park footprint, and possibly provide more secure parking.

Those Season campers wishing to avoid the ‘carbon tax’ can park their vehicles not in the current day visitor car-parking facilities, but at more remote sites like the 2006-07 Festival’s delineated, but unused ‘overflow’ camping areas on the southern border of the Woodford site.

This ‘most appropriate use’ strategy will reduce the pressure on WFF capital outlays to provide larger campgrounds for expected increasing patronage of future Festivals. 

A ‘Carbon-taxed’ proof of payment flyer could be displayed on the vehicle dashboard, and serve as free eco-friendly potentially on-going advertising for WFF. Funds generated should be dedicated to ongoing sustainability projects e.g. site revegetation, carbon credits or ‘green power’ provision for Woodford, sustainable sewage treatment and waste water utilisation, or enhanced facilities for the Sustainable Transport Campground e.g. a permanent shelter building replacing the need to hire, erect/dismantle the marquee.

Could you please give this suggestion due consideration??

I would appreciate being appraised of developments.

Regards

John C Taylor