Taking climate action in a heat wave is a gamble. On one hand, an extreme weather warning may support your message; on the other, no one may turn up.

“The streets were very quiet,” said Thirroul activist Luke Gelder, a member of the Tomorrow Movement, which set up an art installation demonstration in Wollongong on Saturday, December 9.

“In spite of the heat, people from the public did come and show their support for renewable energy to tackle climate change.”

No media attended, with coverage on the day going to the SantaFest Pub Crawl. Fortunately for the young people campaigning for clean energy jobs, the Knitting Nannas rolled up.

“They came and did some of the windmills and then also their crocheting like they normally do," Luke said. "So it was quite fun.”

Also braving the “near 40 degree heat” in the Arts Precinct from 11am-1pm were members of the Australian Conservation Foundation and a few hardy passers-by.

“Members of the public could come up and make little paper windmills and we’d stick them in the ground just outside the Arts Precinct area,” said Luke, a 22-year-old UOW law graduate nicknamed ‘the wind farm’ boy due to his legal expertise in reading complex documents.

While Wollongong activists used windmill origami to make their point, around the nation different groups had different themes. “It was part of Tomorrow Movement’s overall action, which is called Heat Waves for the Summer.”

In the end, the demonstration produced 20 or 30 paper windmills with handwritten messages about offshore wind, including calls for a community benefits scheme and independent environmental assessments to protect ocean wildlife.

The windmills were all recyclable. “Besides the pin, but we’ll just be reusing that,” Luke said.

The Tomorrow Movement had planned to deliver the public’s messages to Labor to show support for clean energy and an urgent transition to net zero. Wollongong’s youth are also calling on the government to deliver an ambitious climate jobs plan.

Offshore wind remains a controversial topic in the Illawarra, even weeks after the closure of the renewable energy zone consultation and with Christmas holidays in sight.

“To an extent, both sides aren’t really quietening down,” Luke said, adding there were more pro-renewables demonstrations planned for the holidays. “So it’s hard to say how much of a break I’ll be getting personally.”

For updates join the Tomorrow Movement Wollongong group on Facebook.