Eco online: environmental news, features and opinion from the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
Environmental news from Eco online, Sunshine Coast and Queensland environmental news, with indepth sections including interviews, sustainable business, eco adventures, green living and wildlife
As Christmas approaches, the Traveston Dam fight continues. The award winning Save the Mary Group, along with its supporters, has been busy providing comment on the mammoth 1600-page Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Fortunately an extension has been granted until January 14. In a recent half-page advertisement in The Gympie Times, … [Read more...]
As the Sunshine Coast's population increases to about 300,000 and continues to climb, serious questions are being raised about the negative impacts upon our lifestyle and natural environment. Managing growth is increasingly seen as a failed idea, or just marketing-spin for developers and their backers. As the region becomes more crowded many … [Read more...]
Voter concern about climate change and Greens' preferences have helped Federal Labor to a decisive victory. The Nationals won 10 seats, with only 5.5 per cent of the nation's vote, yet the Greens at 7.5 per cent, ended up with no representatives. However, the influence of the green vote has not gone unnoticed by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as … [Read more...]
The recent federal election result has sounded a clear warning to politicians at all levels of government. Australians are concerned about more than just short-term economic gain and have become tired of governments not listening to the people they serve. Despite public outrage, the Queensland Government has ruthlessly pursued the proposed … [Read more...]
It is obvious that not all Sunshine Coast residents will welcome the State Government's forced amalgamations and, as a consequence, the new regional council. Democracy has been threatened in our region from several angles over the past year, with the prime example being the Traveston Dam. The amalgamations, especially in the Noosa Shire, have … [Read more...]
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 … [Read more...]
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. In this era of fast-paced consumerism, with its centrepiece firmly based within the great Americanised shopping malls, many Sunshine Coast … [Read more...]
Bill Mollison and David Holmgren developed the concept of permaculture in the 1970s, with the understanding that working with nature and not against it would achieve a sustainable future. Permaculture is the conscious design of sustainable and resilient landscapes which mimic the processes and patterns of ecological systems. It is a holistic … [Read more...]
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 love. As they pile up under the Christmas tree, have … [Read more...]
Over the last eight years the Sunshine Coast's landfill sites have sprouted amazing little shops and markets selling useful stuff in good condition that's been chucked by its previous owner, as well as creative works made from discarded materials. What's more, the enterprises at council tips mean spin offs in the form of employment, community … [Read more...]
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