Eco Living Festival
20 Sept - 24 October 2021
Take action! Join in!
Thank you to everyone involved in Randwick City Council’s Eco Living Festival 2021 from all you participants to event hosts and council staff. When taking action on Climate Change its important to trust that small steps can make a big difference. Celebrating all things green, the four-week festival aimed to encourage participants around Australia to feel confident to create sustainable lifestyles and make choices that protect our environment.
We have available for viewing, all the presentation resources and links to the event recordings for over 20 talks and tours. There's something for everyone with various themes to explore our coastline, understand ecosystems, reduce waste and get up-to-date with climate change.
To view the recordings, visit our You Tube channel link and you can view information below about each event on its YouTube page.
EVENTS AND RESOURCES
Week 1: 20 – 26 September - Discovering our coast
Discover the unique marine life along our 29 kilometres of coastline and how you can protect and care for them.
Highlights: Rockpool ramble, marine life touch tanks, cultural coastal walks. Hear Dr Rip talk about the science of our tides and origins of our favourite beaches plus the famous purple dye to show how to read a rip.
- Beach Safety – Dr Robert Brander aka Dr Rip and Randwick Lifeguard links
- Rockpool Ramble – Marine Biologist Will Jones
- Cultural Coastal Tour – Clovelly to Coogee by Bombora Tours Trevor Walker
- Under the Sea – Marine Biologist Vanessa Gimellaro
- Climate Clever App – Energy reduction, Guide to reducing your impact for households and schools link
Week 2: 4- 10 October - Bees, bugs and biodiversity
Birds, beetles, bugs, bees, marsupials, trees, soil and more all form a wonderfully biodiverse web across Randwick City. Learn how nature is providing free ecological services all around us and what you can do to help.
- Forest Bathing – how to practice nature connection at home by Louise Kiddell from Barefoot Wellbeing
handout: Developing a Sit Spot practice
- ‘Honeyland’ Film discussion – with Beekeepers
- Storytime with Author and ecologist Jackie French AM
see Randwick Library for more from this author - The Importance of Nature Play – a guide for parents and early childhood educators by NSW Early Years Nature Connections - presentation - website
- Backyard Bugs – Dr Vanessa Gimellaro
- Inside the Beehive – Sydney Bee Club link
- The Joy of Birds in your garden and how to attract them – Ecologist Renee Ferster Levy handout
Week 3: 11-17 October - Reduce your waste|
Learn practical ways to reduce waste at home. How is your FOGO (Food organics Garden Organics) bin going? Get the latest tips and updates. Is de-cluttering still something to do on your wish list? And where can you take it? Learn to cut down on your waste.
Highlights: FOGO with Costa! Recycling right, Re-think your wardrobe, Live with Less workshops.
- What to Plant Where – cooling solutions for homes – Macquarie University slide handout
- Recycle Right – Randwick City Council link
- How to Buy Organic Food – Sydney Organic Buyers Group slides
- Living with Less – De-clutter, Organise, Recycle – Susanne Thiebe at Less Mess link
- How Community Gardens can heal the planet – Randwick Community Gardens Group link
- Creating an Intentional Wardrobe – De-Clutter, Organise, Care – Susanne Thiebe at Less Mess link
- Make the creative approach to Sustainable Fashion – The Possibility Project link
see Wardrobe Crisis podcasts
Week 4: 18 – 24 October - Climate Change explained
Is there a truth on climate change? Come away with some key actions to change the world (and a few to save money off your bills)!
Highlights: “I Am Greta” inspired discussion about climate change champion, Greta Thunberg and the youth impact on climate change. Find out about roof top solar, electric vehicles and join a personal conversation with Jonica Newbry, (ABC’s Catalyst) on understanding climate despair.
- Installing Rooftop Solar – Australian Energy Foundation link
- Electrical Vehicles and Charging Stations - Brought to you by Randwick, Waverley, Woollhara Councils
links including available rebates - slides - Interactive Climate education - The Climate Fresk slides and website
- How to get your business to carbon neutrality – Climate Clever link
- I am Greta Film Discussion – Youth panel from NSW Environmental Collective link
- How Climate Change affects your heart health – Cardiologist Dr Fiona Foo
see: Doctors for the Environment - Climate Parties information sheet
- How to deal with your emotions when climate change overwhelms us? – Author and science reporter Dr Jonica Newby
Randwick City Council's Environment Strategy
The environment is at the centre of Council’s commitment to achieving a sense of community.
Caring for our environment requires all of us to do the little things that make a difference. The accumulation of these individual actions will create the critical mass we need to meet the challenges of Climate Change and a depleting resource base.
Randwick City's Environment Strategy commits Council to work with and embed the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals across our operations and ensure circular economy principles and Climate emergency considerations are incorporated across corporate policies, strategies and purchasing.
