It might come as a surprise for many that part of the Gold Coast is leading the way in planning for environmental sustainability, writes Brian Rickards…

Ann White writes on how signing up to the Living Smart Homes Project has proved a catalyst for deep changes…

How can householders effectively tackle climate change at their own level? Noosa and Caboolture Councils have looked closely at this issue and the result is the Living Smart Homes Project. Officially launched in June, the project gives householders ways of measuring and reducing their consumption in the areas of energy, waste, water and transport.
“The project’s [...]

On any weekend, somewhere on the Coast, a local market is taking place. From Gympie to Caboolture, west into the ranges and up into the Mary Valley, local people are buying and selling local products.

Christmas! It’s a moment in our busy lives when we take time out to enjoy the company of our friends and families and celebrate the spirit of care. These days, we mark this moment with gifts. We offer gifts as symbols of thoughtfulness and thankfulness, of sharing good fortune with those we [...]

Once it all was buried in a big hole. Then we got smarter and began to “reduce, reuse and recycle”. We’re still throwing away mountains of waste, but on the Sunshine Coast some pieces are being given a second life – “retrieve and repurchase” have been added to the mantra.

Without a doubt, the most glaring example of wasteful consumption is personal transport based on the motor vehicle.
Think of what is needed to build a vehicle with all its components, to keep it fuelled and running, to provide the infrastructure, highways, parking lots, to repair the damage it causes, to dispose of its rusting remains. [...]