Achievements | Achievements |
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The following is a summary of our group's achievements since beginning in 2006 though there were many other activities not mentioned here.
Sustainable Jamboree Achievements - Think global and act local in the Jamboree Ward of Brisbane and surrounds Sustainable Jamboree is a voluntary group, established in 2006. It works with households, businesses, schools and other organisations to reduce our ecological footprint and promote sustainability. Membership is free and open to anyone. Sustainable Jamboree is at the forefront of public education, advocacy, social marketing and capacity building for sustainability in the Jamboree Ward of Brisbane. Activities include events, public education, campaigns and policy advocacy. We provide practical information about rebates, ClimateSmart resources, externally available programs and events with the aim of increasing access to what’s already on offer, as well as providing our own initiatives. Sustainable Jamboree’s current focus is climate change and reducing carbon emissions from electricity, transport and waste. Events This is the high profile part of our work. Every event run by Sustainable Jamboree is evaluated and well received. Events are typically attended by 35 – 50 people from all walks of life. In 2009 we ran more than 45 public events or activities, usually to packed out rooms. All events are interactive and feature practical tools and support like the farm, energy meter loan scheme, government incentives, buying groups for solar and new products. Events often feature lead experts from industry, academia and like-minded organisations. Community farm Sustainable Jamboree’s first project was to initiate the beautiful community farm at Rocks Riverside Park. It’s now independently run although a number of Sustainable Jamboree members remain involved and hold plots. It involves around 100 people to cultivate 40 plots. Low Carbon Diet During 2009, Sustainable Jamboree secured $10,000 funding from the Queensland Government to deliver the Low Carbon Diet program which is being offered to local community groups. The LCD has resulted in CO2 savings of 1,211,822 Kilograms per year and an average household reduction of more than 5 tonnes. It involved delivering eco-team workshops (attracting 50 to our first event) and a partnership with three local primary schools and the Pullenvale Environmental Education Centre. 208 households participated via our partnerships with three primary schools and 24 households completed all the data for the ‘adults’ program. We will continue to share and utilise the tools and processes developed from our experience with the Low Carbon Diet. Testimonial: “The Low Carbon Diet motivated me to further reduce my family’s CO2 footprint. The small group meetings allowed for knowledge sharing and cross-pollination of ideas.” Martin Brisbane City Council funding Sustainable Jamboree has had over $7,000 in funding from the Brisbane City Council from 2007 – 2010 to deliver energy efficiency strategies such as setting up a popular energy monitor loan scheme. Workshops for these initiatives have packed out the Mt Ommaney Library Meeting room. We have also established an Energy Saver’s Scheme in 2009 which is ongoing and packages all our energy-related programs and events. In 2010 the scheme included the announcement of four Energy Savers’ Awards including three for households and an award for a local primary school. Local festivals Sustainable Jamboree has had a strong presence at the award winning Centenary Rocks! Festival every year. The festival attracts around 12,000 people over two days and is attended by householders and business leaders alike. The event is run by our auspicing body, Centenary Community Connections Group inc. In 2008, 2009 and 2010, Sustainable Jamboree organised the Eco Zone within the festival, to help households, businesses and schools to go green. The Eco Zone has grown from a handful of exhibitors to 18 in 2010. Other festivals in which Sustainable Jamboree participates include with the Brisbane Southside catchment festival, now called the Peaks to Points festival (previously called the Oxley Creek festival). Local profile and awareness-raising activities Sustainable Jamboree has built its profile by appearing regularly in a wide range of regular media coverage across many mediums and outlets. We have a popular regular e-news. During the last three year’s we have had coverage in the South West News, the Satellite, the Centenary News, the Westside News, the Courier-Mail, radio stations (four) and local newsletters including those from schools, progress associations, other environmental groups and the City Councillor’s Ward Office. Sustainable Jamboree uses media and communications to promote and encourage sustainable living via:
Partnerships Sustainable Jamboree actively partners with and supports schools, environmental groups, community farms/gardens and other organisations. We run joint initiatives with the Centenary District Environment Action group and the Wolston and Centenary Catchment group. We also cross promote environmental organisations like the Queensland Conservation Council, the Australian Conservation Foundation, 100% Renewable and Beyond Zero Emissions / T10. In 2010, the Australian Marine Conservation Society partnered with us to run joint events as part of their campaign to protect the Coral Sea since oceans are bearing the brunt of climate change. Sustainable Jamboree has partnered with local primary schools to run the Low Carbon Diet. The local high schools have provided free publicity and venues for our events. The Griffith University EcoCentre has provided speakers and venues for us. Sustainable Jamboree actively participates on the Community Climate Network Queensland and Transition Towns Brisbane Hub. We complement the work of Rail Back on Track, a public transport advocacy group. In 2010, Sustainable Jamboree is partnering with organisations like CSIRO and Energex. Petitions for better transport infrastructure In 2008 collected 900 signatures in a petition to improve safe walking and cycling. This led to the Brisbane City Council building a new walking/cycling facility along Seventeen Mile Rocks Road in Seventeen Mile Rocks. In early 2010 Sustainable Jamboree launched petitions for Sustainable Transport as a way of reducing traffic congestion – one for Queensland Parliament and one for the Lord Mayor of Brisbane. Soon after our petition commenced, the Queensland Government announced a new Office for Sustainable Transport and the fast tracking of the train line to Springfield which will take pressure off the Centenary Highway. To date around 500 people have signed the version of the petition which appears on the Queensland Parliamentary website. The version for the Lord Mayor appears on Sustainable Jamboree website and includes many compelling comments about why we should shift towards prioritising sustainable transport and how we might get there. Other advocacy for structural change Sustainable Jamboree doesn’t expect that communities will become more sustainable without policy level change and more sustainable infrastructure measures. Therefore we have participated in government environmental consultations on relevant issues. In 2009, Sustainable Jamboree showed our commitment to advocating for system-level change which would better support individuals and organisations to transition to a low carbon economy. We do this by making submissions to government via mechanisms such as the public consultation for the:
In earlier years members have provided input to the local Neighbourhood Plan and prepared submissions for various development applications in the area. We have also negotiated with local ‘trip generators’ for better end of trip facilities and pedestrian/cycling access. Buying groups Sustainable Jamboree has promoted and made several attempts to get local buying groups started for solar energy. In 2010, Sustainable Jamboree will establish a buying group for electric bicycles in partnership with Glow Worm Bicycles. Winning and giving awards In 2010, Sustainable Jamboree was one of three finalists in the Premier’s ClimateSmart Sustainability Awards (community category). Three Sustainable Jamboree volunteers have won Lord Mayor’s Greenheart Awards including Ed Parker, Shealagh Savage and Ngaire McGaw. Some have won federal awards (in the seat of Oxley) for their local environmental work. In mid 2010, active member Dorotee Braun won the Centenary Community Gem Award in the environment category, presented by Jindalee Rotary and the Satellite Newspaper. Also in mid 2010, Sustainable Jamboree Convenor, Ngaire McGaw was listed among the top 50 climate activists in Australia by the ABC of Carbon, alongside others such as the Linda Selvey (CEO of Greenpeace), Ian Lowe (national treasure and Chair of the Australian Conservation Foundation) and Tim Flannery (previous Australian of the Year). We are lucky to have a wide variety of free expertise available to us through volunteers including business people and professionals with experience in architecture, information technology, sustainable agriculture, engineering and behaviour change to name a few. In 2010, Sustainable Jamboree commenced a local awards program for local households and schools to reward those who have made efforts to lower their energy use as part of the Energy Savers Scheme funded by the Brisbane City Council as previously mentioned. The future Sustainable Jamboree would like to see governments deliver much faster, more effective climate action. Sustainable Jamboree has made submissions to government seeking better urban planning and infrastructure for sustainable transport – not just to reduce transport emissions but to improve community connectedness and better protect our natural resources. Sustainable Jamboree would like to see more effective incentives and support for households and businesses to slash carbon emissions. More about us Visit us on Facebook to see photos and media clips. Read about our obectives and how to get involved under 'About Us.' Please note that Sustainable Jamboree does not necessarily endorse the contents of this website and Sustainable Jamboree takes no responsibility for the accuracy of the website content. Sustainable Jamboree does not give advice or endorsements. While its members have some expertise, readers should make their own judgements about ideas expressed on this website. |
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