Granite Belt Eco-Living
Welcome
This is the front page of many. It was started for the use of like-minded people.
These pages are for eco-people, people who have a vision for the ecological future of the Granite Belt population.
It is for people with potential solutions for how this community might sustain itself over the next five generations.
Most of us are fully aware of the global limit to fossil fuels and the nexus those energy sources have with adverse climate change.
If you have a great idea or skill to share, then one of these web pages will interest you.
Introduce Yourself
- Contact Brian or anyone else in these pages
- See information from the 'Gathering' on Sunday 25th October.
- For a brief history to this stage, go to bottom of this page.
Activities
Wednesday 21 July
Live it, Love it, Celebrate it! – Living Naturally on the Granite Belt
How would you like to be a part of something truly special? Next year, on the Saturday of Queen’s Birthday Weekend, members of Stanthorpe’s Rare Wildflower Consortium and the Naturally Queensland Celebration Committee are proposing to host an event to celebrate Queensland Week, the natural way. This event will provide a forum for businesses, charities and individuals to showcase their products or services, and ideas about living sustainably in Queensland, specifically on the Granite Belt.
The focus of the event is to celebrate sustainable living in the Granite Belt by providing talks, demonstrations, workshops, artworks and many exhibits promoting eco-friendly themed products and services. It will culminate at the end of the day with a live concert by a well known local (Qld) artist. In recognition of the event being held during Queensland Week, the theme we have chosen is “Live it, Love it, Celebrate it! – Living naturally on the Granite Belt”.
We are at the stage where we need to finalise our Committee and seek support from interested parties who want to work together to make this event happen. On Wednesday 21 July, a meeting will be held at the Anglican Church Hall, Corundum St, Stanthorpe from 6pm to 8pm. We are inviting people to join us at this meeting to express their interest in participating in this event, or their desire to help in coordinating this event.
More information can be found on our website at www.granitenet.com.au/groups/environment/naturallyqldcelebration or by phoning Jo McLellan on 4681 0186.
June 20 2-5pm 2010
Dear Eco- living supporters
The Ethos pod of the eco-living group that conducted a workshop last October ( yes we are still here !!!!) would like to invite you and friends to a gathering on June 20 2-5pm at Kath's place on 276 Deutscher Rd. Mt Tully. Check the Granite Belt Informer map p.13 for directions. Bring a plate to share and an open mind and heart and perhaps a chair might be good. I will organise a bonfire to keep us all warm.
Looking forward to seeing you on the day.
Cheers
Kath
Kathryn McLachlan
Community Development Worker
Community Development Services Inc.
8 Corundum Street
STANTHORPE, 4380
Phone: 07 46813777 / Fax: 07 46814532
email: cdskath@halenet.com.au
Angels fly because they take themselves lightly
Solar Hot Water - group purchase opportunity. Click here for information.
***************
The following includes ideas generated by community members at the
Granite Belt Eco-Living [GBEL] gathering.
held on Sunday 25th October 2009 at The Hub, Stanthorpe.
The Agenda included an introduction to the history of GBEL, the Community Garden and Transition Town withing the region.
A 'World Cafe' process followed using 5 tables with a scribe, and 10 min for each participant at each table.
The tables each had a separate topic; 1. Heart & Soul / Values & Principles, 2. Eco-Housing, 3. Transport / Cycle, 4. Energy and 5. Community Garden
Finale - info gathering & forward.
Results from various activities on Sunday.
We will send out more as this develops and we invite your input. Contact information is at the bottom of email and on website.
If anyone is interested in taking an active part in this process, please let us know.
We can help people get together who may be interested in developing a project in any area that fits in with the general area of eco-living.
1. Post Its & red dots
Click here for the list of the 'Post Its' from the different discussion tables.
The numbers refer to the dot placements.
A breakdown of the number of dots to each area:
Food security: 29 (an eight, a five and a spread of threes)
Energy: 20 (two fives)
Eco building: 20 (one five, several threes and a four: good spread)
Community Garden: 16 (two fives)
Values and principles: 16 (one five)
2. Participants ideas from paper at group tables
Click here for a 5 page word doc with most of the ideas set out on the butcher's paper from the meeting.
I have put them in categories [underlined] as I saw them - editors perogative!!!
But have tried to keep to participants wording [dot].
With values/princs page I haven't created named categories and hope Pat can help out there.
3. Areas of activity Participants are interested in.
Results from Handout where participants filled out the
“Areas of activity I am interested in being a part of …….”
14 individuals replied, some with more than 1 area.
Community garden - 9
Food / food security - 4
Eco housing - 2
Transition Town - 2
Energy/wind power - 2
Bike paths - 2
Electric bikes - 2
Education -2
Lobbying Govts - 1
Health -1
If you attended or not, but want to be involved, please send your details to Brian.
Please put your Name & email / phone and include any projects that you may be interested being involved in.
Possible projects include the following. Please add any you may be interested in.
Food Security
Commercial Growers
Support for local growers –
water,
supply sources etc
Householders
Vegie gardening -
Community gardens
Cooperative bulk store
Seed saving
Energy. Current usage?
Wind & Solar Farms in district.
Solar &/or wind &/or other to every dwelling & business & Govt
Eco Housing
Materials & energy use.
Ethos
Living in harmony with the planet.
Reliance, Justice & Cooperation
Ethical mindfulness
Transition Town
Develop process
Education & Action
Australian & International links
Water. Current situation?
Dam size increase.
Water for Horticulture / Agriculture.
Tanks connected to every dwelling, business, Govt.
Separate tanks for garden water.
Waste Management Current situation/
Sewage
Solid – usable, non usable
Green
Greywater
Stormwater
Public Transport. Current situation?
Electric taxis
Electric mini buses
Trains to Warwick, Toowoomba, Brisbane
Pedestrian & bike paths
Private Transport. Current situation?
Electric vehicles
Bikes
Oil & Gas consumption. What is it now?
Tourism
Education
Apple & Grape Festival
Health
Art ... Theatre ... Music ....
And many more ….
Working Pages
Click a page to find links and enthusiastic people.
3. Eco - Energy
5. Eco - Ethos
8. GBEL Calendar of Activities
Updated:29th Sept 2009
This site and its ideas are still at an early stage and require more input from regional residents.
At the moment this front page has changed name from 'Transition Town' to 'Granite Belt Eco-Living'.
Eight new pages have have been added to indicate the scope of ECO-LIVING. You may wish to add detail to them.
Much discussion is needed to build this into a NETWORK OF GROUPS interested in ECO-LIVING. Come to the Meeting.
Come with your ideas for : One or many Eco-community projects, One or many Logos, One or many Axioms, One or many visions for our 'ECO-region', one or many Eco-skills.
Visit the other ECO- pages and pass on your ideas and constructive comments to Ned: pfzkennedy@yahoo.com.au.
A Brief History of ... [inadequate though, please send in any info you know about, Ta]
July to October 2009
Brian, Kath, Harley & Ned met to organise 'something' to provide a space for people on the Granite Belt to get involved in a sustainable Granite Belt region / Transition Town process. The community gathering on October 25th is the first outcome of this. Links to Notes from meetings at Eco Organising!!
April 2009.
At a meeting discussing the possible Community Garden at the Vineyard Christian Church, many people expressed interest in the Transition Towns idea for our region. As more information comes to hand we will add the information here. If you are interested in keeping informed about possible future events, please email Michelle. If you are interested in the idea of a Community Garden in Stanthorpe, join the email list here http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stanthorpecommunitygarden/ and keep an eye out on the GraniteNet Forum.
January 2009.
Michelle floated the Transition Town webpage on GraniteNet and started a chat on the GraniteNet Forum.
September 2007
Meeting at Jayn & Jonathan’s 2nd Sept 2007. [The following from Minutes/notes]
An aim was to brainstorm for ways to raise community awareness re sustainability.
Ideas that developed were
* a Sustainable Fair event,
* a sustainability’ network – database of people, skills, interests etc,
* a booklet,
* and formed a Google group - groups.google.com/group/sustainability-stanthorpe?lnk=srg
