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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 • set yourself up to measure your Plastic Free July success

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.

Set to an original sound score by Harel Tsemah, and filmed on the beautiful secluded beach at Third Bay in Coolum, this work is both visually captivating and deeply sensitive to the current times.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The lawn may not be growing as fast as in summer, but make the most of grass clippings by using as mulch or adding to your compost.

These times of the Covid-19 pandemic can be tough for parents with school-aged children at home (not to mention for children with their parents always around!

Tough times can often bring out the best in a community and the coronavirus crisis is no exception. Across the Sunshine Coast, acts of generosity and kindness are bringing people together as we learn to adapt to a completely different way of life.

Here on the Sunshine Coast, we are fortunate to have an abundance of fresh fruit, vegetables, herbs, nuts and local goods grown and crafted right here, in our own backyard.

What can and can’t go in the recycling bin can be confusing and recent reports about the “waste crisis” have reduced the trust Aussies have in council kerbside recycling.

In October, we move into our fifth season here in SE QLD. ‘Sprummer’ is a highly changeable period during October/November, where we transition from spring into summer!

The first community energy project by a Queensland group is now up and running with a social enterprise in south Brisbane successfully powered by community-funded solar.

Sustainability champion Joanna Kristoffersen spent much of her childhood living on a yacht off Mooloolaba so it’s no surprise that she has a strong affinity with the ocean.

This year, we had a wetter than normal June (which was very welcome!) but warmer than average temperatures during July - and a very short winter.

Many of us love to travel, but how do we avoid all the single use plastic that can often go with it? Beyond your reusable drink bottle and reusable bag, Lonely Planet share some tips on how to reduce your throw away plastic and how to be a more conscientious traveller.

With Clean Up Australia Day fast approaching, there are already 83 sites registered on the Sunshine Coast for the nation-wide event on Sunday March 3.

Are you looking for some fun holiday activities for the kids that tap into their creative abilities? Why not create a few DIY projects to keep them busy?

There’s a new grassroots activism emerging from deep within our communities - where knowledge is openly shared, creative strategies for change are hatched and movements unite for a common purpose.

Thinking of renovating your home?Have you considered the amount (and cost) of waste this exercise will produce?When we plan ahead, we can reduce waste in any project we work on, so why should home renovations be any different?

The Queensland verandah is recognised as one of the original icons of quintessential Australian living. The timeless appeal of this shaded outdoor living space is the unlikely inspiration for a lifetime of work by celebrated architect Professor Kerry Clare.

A Sunshine Coast café has embarked on its own war on waste, cutting the amount of waste it sends to landfill to just one cupful per day.

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.

Sunshine Coast Council is calling all young aspiring Sunshine Coast, film-makers and environmentalists to submit a short 2 minute film featuring their School’s War on Waste.

As the war on waste gains momentum, communities of passionate people are popping up on social media to discuss solutions and share ideas. On the sunny coast, a Facebook group called War On Waste - Sunshine Coast has clocked up 350 members with more joining every day.

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.

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.

As awareness grows about the disastrous effects plastic straws have on our environment, more venues that serve drinks are considering reducing or eliminating single-use plastic straws from their beverage services.

Would you believe that Aussies consume a whopping 10 million plastic straws per day? As straws cannot be recycled, they end up in landfill or waterways where they add to the plastic problem in our oceans and harm marine life.

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.

Beeswax wraps are a great option to include in your mix of solutions to avoid cling wrap or other single use packaging. Swapping out single-use plastic wrap is easy with these natural wraps that are hygienic and look beautiful in your fridge or on a table.

Project homes can be an ideal way of achieving a more affordable home, as they are designed and built to a formula that reduces risk and allows for economies of scale for the tradespeople, construction systems and materials.

Solar PV prices having rapidly fallen over recent years, whilst energy prices seem to keep increasing. Having a solar system installed on your roof can be a smart investment.

These easy Vegemite and cheese scrolls are a delicious snack, even when the budget is tight. Bake them as an after-school snack or to pop into your kids’ lunchboxes.

Avoid food waste! Kim McCosker and the 4 Ingredients team have shared their top tips for freezing the right fruit and vegetables! DID YOU KNOW: In Australia, the government estimates food waste costs the economy $20 billion each year?

As we embrace healthier lifestyles and become more conscious of chemicals in our foods and environment, it’s important to also consider what we are putting into our bodies through our skin and hair.

Too busy to sit and meditate? Can’t possibly juggle family and work responsibilities and that yoga class you’re wanting to attend? We get it.

Summer in Queensland can be long and hot. It is also peak demand time for our power supplies. With household power prices continuing to soar, save power and help prevent power bill shock with these tips.

There’s nothing like immersing yourself in nature to disconnect, unwind and recharge the batteries. Getting out of town and into a park is a great way to exercise, spend time with the family, and switch off from technology for a couple of hours.

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.

From 1st July 2018, it will be against the law for retailers in Queensland to supply customers with single use plastic bags. The state-wide ban applies to all retailers including supermarkets, take away food outlets, restaurants, pharmacies, butchers and convenience stores.

No one likes when the electricity bill goes around - well no one we know anyway. Often the bill is higher than you were expecting.

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.