Explore byo

Christmas decorations can be as easy as stapling pretty-coloured paper into chains. This is a great activity to do with your family and stored properly, will last for years.

Schools are an integral place to teach and instill sustainable practices within our future generations. Our children learn the impacts of plastic pollution and are more aware of this issue than ever.

It’s called “plogging” and it’s a great way to get fit, keep our environment clean and take action this Plastic Free July. Plogging combines two words – jogging and the Swedish phrase for pick up, “plocka upp”.

Following on from her successful podcast, she will share tips and stories from her mission to reduce her tiny newborn’s massive waste footprint. Instagram Live

-Beach Clean up 8am-9am -Followed by Eco Fair 9am-11am Location: Grass Park Area Located next to Kawana Surf Club What to bring: Keep Cup, Waterbottle, Gardening Gloves for beach clean up

Many single-use plastic items can be avoided by making simple changes in our daily habits and choices. Last year, an estimated 326 million people worldwide took part in Plastic Free July.

Ocean Youth, SEA LIFE Trust & the Sunshine Coast Council bring to you…. 2040 The Movie & a Sustainability Workshop for Plastic Free July.

July has become the month to create awareness of the environmental problems associated with plastics, in particular single-use plastic products. If you’ve never been to a beach clean-up, then this is the one for you!

Haven’t been to a Scavenge yet? Get excited! You’ll be able to clean-up your local area, sort and catalogue your litter and then exchange it for pre-loved clothes, books, toys and more that have been donated by the local community.

The SEA LIFE Trust is global marine conservation charity and clean-ups will be taking place in conjunction with SEA LIFE Aquariums around the world throughout July.

Please remind your residents to register for this hands on session , where they will make fried rice using ingredients they already have at home.

Learn which plants to grow in your garden to add to your daily cuppa or craft your very own herbal tisane. Take a stroll with Monica through her own tea garden and demonstrates the art of tea blending.

Here is a short video by the fabulous team at 1 Million Women that shows you the most simplified version of making a reusable wax wrap.

Gretchen Keelty shows you how to make your own bespoke and practical cutlery wrap so you have your own stylish and practical way to keep your BYO cutlery with you on the go.

Back by popular demand! Join in the Plastic Free July celebrations with Natasha Odgers from Natural Connections Wax Wraps Workshops and learn how to make your own beeswax wraps.

If too many of the wrong items end up in our recycling bin, this can spoil the load and no one wants that! Check out this video with Sandie Johnston from the Sunshine Coast Council’s Waste 2 Resource Education Program as she shows us all we need to know about the essentials of recycling.

• help us to track the trends in the common plastics that households use • discover for yourself all the plastics that ‘sneak’ into your shopping

13 July web page live with video 15 July video goes live Facebook!

You’ll be rapt with this sustainable alternative to plastic food wraps. This video demonstrates how fun and easy it is to make your very own beeswax wraps.

Dirty nappies are a major contributor to waste dumped in public places. Nappies are also of the top contaminants that are mistakenly plastic in yellow lidded recycling bins here on the Sunshine Coast.

It’s always harder to keep up your low waste lifestyle when away from home because you are far away from your tried and trusted bulk stores and you don’t know the area and where zero waste is supported.

Come along for the free workshop

The organisation was founded by Sunshine Coast local Alison Foley, who was recently recognised with the 2020 SCC Australia Day Award for the Environment and Sustainability for her efforts in tackling plastic pollution.

And with a surge in single use plastics due to Covid-19, local environmental groups are concerned about the potential impact of even more plastic pollution on Sunshine Coast marine life.

Jazmin Simmons and Poppy Ives, 15, will host a mini festival at Caloundra’s Happy Valley in September where people can turn trash into treasure. Every ten pieces of litter collected earns a Trash Token which becomes currency to purchase second hand clothes, toys and books at a pop-up market set up on site.

After reading Bea Johnson’s book Zero Waste Home Amy was determined to reduce the amount of landfill her family generated with a focus on plastic use.

How do we know which tea bags can go in the compost and which should go to landfill? Which tea bags do not contain plastic and which tea bags do?

Now, how to line a garbage bin at home has become a hot topic of conversation…and a source of confusion. Sure, you could use the fifteen cent heavy-duty bags from the supermarket but that would defeat the purpose of trying to reduce single-use plastics.

You might have a keep cup and you’re doing pretty well at cutting down on plastic use in the kitchen. But walk into your bathroom and it’s filled with plastic bottles, tubes, tubs and pump packs filled with ingredients you can’t even pronounce and it all feels a little overwhelming.

We recommend starting in the kitchen as it’s generally the place where our plastic-using habits are most prolific. It’s also where most plastic is brought in from outside the home.

But how do you get the kids involved in taking action on ocean pollution? Living Smart has partnered with Ten Little Pieces to create this guide for parents, teachers and anyone who spends time with children to empower them to take action on ocean pollution.

Therefore it was a no brainer for him to move onto his next business challenge that tackles the issue of single use takeaway food packaging.

Living Smart hosted a series of workshops for Plastic Free July, designed to cut through the information overload and make waste and plastic reduction achievable for everyone.

There are loads of places across the coast where you can self-serve bulk foods, bringing your own reusable containers or using paper bags or reusable glass containers supplied.

Jane Milburn is a sustainability consultant and founder of Textile Beat. She upcycled a career in agricultural science and communications to champion Slow Clothing as a creative and ethical way of dressing that engages hands, head and heart.

(For a crash course in why straws are bad for the planet, check out this video of a sea turtle with a straw stuck up its nose.

The single-use plastic bag ban is here and it’s now illegal for retailers in Queensland to supply customers with singlet-style plastic bags for purchases.

With household power prices continuing to soar, save power and help prevent power bill shock with these tips. Close windows, curtains and blinds during the day.

Living Smart speaks with The Micro Gardener, Anne Gibson on gardening for the seasons in our region. How would you describe our south-east Queensland climate?

The inspiration to bring about change can come from unusual places. For Helen Andrew, a surplus of mandarins that no one else wanted was the motivation for starting an online community aimed at creating connection and reducing waste.

The state-wide ban applies to all retailers including supermarkets, take away food outlets, restaurants, pharmacies, butchers and convenience stores. The ban covers singlet style plastic bags less than 35 microns thick including compostable, degradable and biodegradable bags.

. One thing you can look at immediately is the energy efficiency of the appliances you use regularly, and whether they are the main culprits or not.

Most kids love learning new things and relish the opportunity to be helpful around the house. When you explain the importance of saving energy, they’ll be more than happy to do their bit.