The Waubra Foundation, the organisation The Guardian describes as “a national group that opposes windfarms”, has undertaken a costly rebranding exercise. Yes 2 Renewables decided to take a look to see what’s in and what’s out…
IN: The organisation has kept its use of the name Waubra, despite the fact that none of the foundation’s directors live anywhere near the town they assert to represent. SourceWatch reveals Waubra Foundation founder and chair, Peter Mitchell, lives 122 kilometres away from the town. Executive Director, Sarah Laurie, who Crikey describes as a “well-known anti-wind farm campaigner,” lives a whopping 668 kilometres away in Crystal Brook, South Australia.
Waubra residents have expressed concern about the use of their towns name by anti-wind farm group. Unfortunately, a previous attempt to have the foundation drop ‘Waubra’ from their title failed. The Waubra Foundation’s continued use of the town undermines the organisation’s credibility and will likely result in fresh attempts by locals who want Waubra to be known for farming, not anti-wind energy politicking.
OUT: Wind turbines. The foundation has removed a graphic image of a wind mill from its logo. Given the news media’s description of the Waubra Foundation as an anti-wind farm group (see above), the change can be interpreted as an attempt to distance itself from this association. Unfortunately for the foundation, it’s the content, not just the letterhead, that will shape peoples’ perceptions.
The new logo adopts imagery that brings to mind soundwaves–a homage to the group’s persistent claims about the dangers of “infrasound.” Incidentally, a Victorian Department of Health review released in May concluded “there is no evidence that sound which is at inaudible levels can have a physiological effect on the human body.” It remains to be seen whether evidence on infrasound will deter the organisation from using this motif.
MORE INFO: Read prolific wind energy blogger Mike Barnard’s Seven Things You Must Know About The Waubra Foundation.
UPDATE: Blogger and wind energy researcher Ketan Joshi has published as analysis of the Waubra Foundation’s rebranded website. Read it here.
yes2renewables.org 
I really do wonder what the foot soldiers of the Waubra Foundation get out of this – apart from a cause to displace their anger onto. No judge would convict any suspect on the standard of evidence they offer against wind farms, when overwhelming evidence the other way continues to mount. I have stood under one or more wind turbines for hours at a time, working sheep, on bikes, foot and in vehicles, and have yet to receive so much as a tingle in my ears from their rotation. My health continues as it has for years prior – not bad. the sheep and dogs are mostly in ride good health. Where I stay when working on this property is a kilometre away from the nearest tower, and their gentle whooshing, when the wind is in the right direction, lulls me to sleep better than Milo.
Get a grip, Laurie, Mitchell et al. Let’s call it for what it is – lying to protect your mate’s fossil fuel-heavy stock portfolios and seigneurial view lines. There’s no other reason you’d do it.
Well Mark, the other reason is that at least 5 of the 6 are objectors to wind farms in their own back yards. Mitchell objects to Stockyard Hill, Laurie to Crystal Brook, Wooldridge to Bald Hills, Kathy Russell to Mount Pollack, Hodgson to Collector. Follow their funding, if it was public, and you’ll find that the majority comes from rich NIMBYs.
The Waubra Foundation can re-badge itself as often as it likes, it still won’t change the fact that it peddles pseudoscience for some wealthy NIMBYs while pretending to speak for a silent majority.
As a reminder to all regarding Waubra Foundation’s new site, it does not and will not share Web of Trust ratings with their previous site and domain. As such, please copy previous comments and give them the rating they deserve in Web of Trust at this link:
http://www.mywot.com/en/scorecard/waubrafoundation.org.au
Oh wow… the Waubra Foundation has a new logo and web site, and all you lot can do is dream up some senseless drivel to write about them.
Why don’t you do something useful to mitigate CO2 if it’s so bad – like stopping breathing.
What about an article on this site.Funded by those fossil fuel industries you all publicly condem.And protecting your own wind factory interests.Pot calling the kettle black I say.
And by the way please list how close you all live to a turbine those of you that say there is no problem.Like industry funded Chapman who lives in Sydney CBD.Ha !!!
Lol, I think they must have taken Gerri’s advice and they’ve snuffed it!
Their backs are up against the wall, the world has woken up to “The Great Wind Scam”, no one is listening to them anymore.
The Waubra Foundation would be laughing their tits off at these drongoes!
TCW.