The recent local government elections have delivered a totally new local political landscape on the Southern Downs. Melissa Hamilton won an emphatic victory over incumbent mayor Vic Pennisi, and the new Council will be dominated by new councillors and, possibly for the first time, the majority of councillors will be women. They also look like they are younger on average than previous councils, indicating a generational shift.

Queensland Farmers’ Federation in partnership with the Queensland Government, has prepared the Queensland Renewable Energy Landholder Toolkit to assist and inform landholders as they respond to and negotiate with energy industry representatives about accessing land and developing renewable energy projects.

Ken Waldron from the Granite Belt Sustainable Action Network went on Ten FM with host The Scotsman to talk about sustainability and specifically water security. Ken didn’t pretend to have all the answers but the key message was “join the conversation & be informed based on measurable data and the science”. This is an important topic for everyone in the region and we all need to work together to find the best solutions. Hopefully the new council will work with the State & Federal Government, the scientists & the local community to build a long term solution for the region.

Join millions of people reducing their plastic waste.

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On Saturday 20 April we’ll be hosting a home energy event in a GBSAN member home. Details have been sent to members - please RSVP if you’d like to attend. Home Energy Advisor Sebastian Crangle will be talking about how to save energy costs in your home.

There are now several TerraCycle collection bins at the Whistlestop Community Garden at the Stanthorpe Railway Station. They are available for Dental products, Hair products & Coffee pods.

The GBSAN float in the Apple & Grape Festival parade was a crowd favourite. Special thanks to Sally Gebbett for her wonderful creative skill to make Queenie the Quoll as well as all the animal templates. Thanks also to our amazing team of volunteers who helped decorate and man the float.

The responses to the GBSAN candidate sustainability survey are now in. The survey was undertaken to gauge interest and support amongst local government election candidates on the Southern Downs for a variety of sustainable development initiatives that fall within the Council’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy.

We have asked all candidates a series of questions relating to sustainability. We will post their responses on our SDRC Election page as they are received.

Two members of GBSAN’s Resource Recovery team recently visited the Toowoomba Landfill Gas facility in Toowoomba. Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) are saving their ratepayers around $600,000 per year in energy costs since the extracted gas is used to power the Wetalla Water Treatment plant which is sited next to the waste facility. In addition, a further $150,000 per year in carbon credits is generated.

Congratulations to founding member of GBSAN, Liz Bourne, for her Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM), awarded on Australia Day 2024. Liz has been an integral part of GBSAN since it’s inception and volunteers with many conservation and environmental projects and organisations.

Community Engagement team update including markets, film night and the Apple & Grape float, as well as exciting developments are happening for the GBSAN Biodiversity Team partnering with Southern Qld Landscapes, Granite Borders Landcare and the Quoll Society of Australia.

You’re invited to attend a movie night to see Rachel’s Farm on Saturday 10 February, and to help us prepare a GBSAN float for the Apple & Grape Harvest Festival parade.

Community outreach at market stalls, movie nights & a float in the Apple & Grape Festival parade. Can you help?

The Resource Recovery group have been working on proposals and gathering information about potential biogas projects in the region. Read about some of these ideas.

The current system of household chemical waste treatment within the Southern Downs places residents in an impossible position – where chemical waste is not accepted in kerbside bins or at any of the waste facilities, but no scheme exists for residents to safely dispose of household chemicals.

The Local Government elections in March will be a major focus for GBSAN in the first quarter of 2024. This is one of the big opportunities for GBSAN this year and our mission to support initiatives that create a more environmentally, economically and socially sustainable Granite Belt. If we are to achieve our goals we must develop a strong and positive working relationship with the next Mayor and councillors.

GBSAN has developed a Proposal to introduce a Household Chemical Hand-in Scheme which we have asked the Southern Downs Regional Council to implement. It will help keep toxic chemicals out of the environment and it would be an initiative that the SDRC could be justifiably proud of.

We have continued to focus on emerging technologies for the recycling of waste and for the production of energy from these resources. There is so much happening in Australia and around the world to assist in making the planet healthier and saving money for businesses, and local and national authorities at the same time.

The Granite Belt Sustainable Action Network is keen to connect with the community. To make that happen we’ll be holding weekly stalls at the Farmer’s Markets in the Stanthorpe Railway Station precinct on Saturday mornings and an occasional Saturday stall in the Piazza. This will create an opportunity to engage with one another about sustainability issues that impact our beautiful region.