The Community Engagement Team would like to thank our members who have volunteered over the last 12 months to help achieve our strategic plan to raise awareness, educate and communicate the need of a sustainable future for our community.

GBSAN has received a grant from Acciona Energía  to send 10-12 Granite Belt landholders to the National Renewables in Agriculture Conference and Expo in Toowoomba on 4 July 2024.  

People who are impacted by straying cats on their properties are able to hire a trap from the Council but this costs $13 a week plus a $88 refundable bond. To assist those who cannot afford this expense, GBSAN has recently purchased 2 cat traps which will be available free of charge to members.

GBSAN’s campaign to have the tenure of the Broadwater and part of the Passchendaele State Forests upgraded to ensure better management and greater protection hit a snag 12 months ago with the discovery that mining company Stanaurum had exploration leases covering both forests. Following discussions with Stanaurum, it appears the way is clear for the upgrade of Broadwater at least.

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.

Plastic Free July® is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities.

Will you be part of Plastic Free July by choosing to refuse single-use plastics?

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.