Consume with care this World Environment Day
With World Environment Day just around the corner, Wingecarribee Shire Council is encouraging residents to participate in a range of events and activities to celebrate sustainable living in the Southern Highlands.
World Environment Day is a UN-recognised event held on June 5 each year around the world and this year’s theme is Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care. The global day of environmental awareness isn’t just about individual action; it’s about celebrating the collective power of billions.
As a part of this celebration, community groups and local businesses will be hosting a range of activities throughout the first week of June.
Starting on Monday 1 June, Highlands Marketplace in Mittagong will host a week-long display showcasing the fantastic environmental projects currently being undertaken by thirteen local primary schools, funded as part of Council’s School Enviro-Assist Grants.
On Tuesday 2 June at 7pm, the Empire Cinema in Bowral will host the Southern Highlands Premiere of Fair Food, Australia’s first feature-length documentary about new approaches to food production, marketing and distribution. Presented by Bundanoon Community Garden, the screening will be followed by a Q&A with well-known nutritionist Rosemary Stanton and agricultural innovator John Vella.
On Thursday 4 June, the new Waste Education Centre at Council’s Resource Recovery Centre in Moss Vale will be officially opened by the Mayor at 10am. This will be a followed by a tour of the new centre and a workshop outlining clever ways to reduce, re-use and recycle.
Also on Thursday 4 June, the quarterly meeting of Green Drinks Southern Highlands will be held from 4.30pm in the lounge area of the Mittagong RSL. Come along, buy a drink, meet new people, be inspired, discover opportunities and enjoy! For more information about Green Drinks, please email nicolecroker@businessenvironment.com.au.
Following Green Drinks, Mittagong RSL will be hosting free seminar Solar Benefits Business at 6pm. The seminar will outline how local businesses can earn money and slash energy costs by installing solar and is presented by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage. Bookings can be made online at www.eventbrite.com.au or by contacting Kimberly Elliott on phone 4868 0811.
Friday 5 June is World Environment Day, and celebrations will kick-off from 9.30am at Hill Top Public School, where the Mayor, students and staff will launch Council’s backyard Habitat for Wildlife program.
At 11.30am, Moss Vale Community Garden will host From Waste to Wonder for selected students from Moss Vale Public School, demonstrating ways to re-purpose plastic articles into garden items, as well as other educational activities.
Also on Friday 5 June, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Fitzroy Falls Visitors Centre will screen the documentary On the Edge starting at 2pm. This film is presented by the group Friends of the Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby and details a 20-year effort by the community group and NPWS staff to help save the endangered Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby. Free tickets are available from the Fitzroy Falls Visitors Centre by phoning 4887 7270.
Wrapping up the week on Saturday 6 June is Walk & Talk – Permaculture & Self-Sufficiency. Local sustainability gurus Judith and Paul Collins will take participants on a guided tour and interactive workshop from 10am until 1pm, providing an opportunity to learn about creating a more sustainable lifestyle. The Keep is located at 61 Balmoral Park Road, Buxton, and cost is $15 per person including tea and coffee. For information please phone 4881 9623 or visit www.earthkeepers.com.au.