Sustainable Living and Local Action in Brisbane’s Western Suburbs

Local Action

“Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead (American cultural anthropologist, author and speaker) 

When it comes to saving the environment, residents of the western suburbs are spoilt for choice for “small groups of committed people”. Grassroots, volunteer-led community groups that we can all get involved in – to help change our world for the better. From those protecting and nurturing our natural spaces, to others helping manage our waste and other resources, there are lots of groups to get involved in! 

If you enjoy the great outdoors, more than 40 bushcare, creek revegetation, and tree planting groups are currently active in the Enoggera Creek catchment, working under the umbrella of SOWN (Save Our Waterways Now), Habitat Brisbane, BCC Catchment groups, and MOTT (Men of The Trees). They remove invasive weeds and plant indigenous species, which stabilise creek beds, reduce erosion, minimise localised flooding and improve creek quality to encourage aquatic fauna, such as platypuses, to return. 

SOWN Nursery (2024 statistics) has distributed 39,996 plants to SOWN members. Along with 3,592 volunteer hours on nursery management. Ongoing partnership with Queensland Correctional Services to produce native plants for not-for-profit bush regeneration activities. They also assist TAFE with training opportunities and supply of native plants. Corporate Volunteering produced 616 volunteer hours for 12 groups in 2024, working on multiple bushcare sites within the catchment. Many more volunteers hours are given by local creek catchment groups (no exact numbers here).  

The Gap Sustainability Initiative (TGSI) promotes sustainable living practices and a positive ecological environment. Join them in taking care for our precious street trees that create much-needed shade and habitat for our wildlife, get along to one of their free educational seminars, or join their efforts to establish community energy and encourage platypuses back to our creeks. 

TGSI has delivered 26 free educational seminars and 20 working group meetings to engage and inform the local community. The Street Tree TLC group has cared for approximately 260 street trees across The Gap. The Platypus Group has hand-made and sold over 70 platypus toys to raise awareness about our platypus rewilding project. In partnership with SOWN, the platypus group has also carried out 6 macroinvertebrate creek surveys and completed the first eDNA survey of The Gap’s local waterways. TGSI volunteers contribute an average of 50 hours per week. 

Still more groups are working to help locals reduce their household waste going to landfills by composting, recycling, repurposing and repairing.  These actions contribute towards a circular economy, where the resources used to manufacture various consumer goods remain in circulation for as long as possible.  

Boomerang Bags The Gap and Surrounds’ (BBTGS) volunteers tackle textile waste by sewing shopping bags and other useful items from unwanted fabrics. BBTGS estimates to have made around 6,600 bags, diverting approx 3,700 square metres (approx 1.32 tonnes) of unwanted fabric from landfill. Each boomerang bag can replace up to 7000 single-use plastic/paper bags before it wears out, meaning we have potentially replaced over 46 million single-use bags! 

Repair Café The Gap runs monthly workshops where skilled volunteer repairers will help you fix your household items – saving you money, teaching repair skills and keeping those items out of landfill. Items saved from landfill: 839 items, weighing over 3 tonnes. CO2 emissions saved: approx 27.6 tonnes (equivalent to driving a petrol car over 184,200 km, or 4.5 times around the circumference of the Earth). 

These are just a few of the many community groups doing great things for the environment in our western suburbs.  Other groups include the Yoorala Street Community Gardens, Paten Park Native Nursery and Recycling Hills District, as well as the many Scouts, Girl Guides, churches and school-based groups.  All of them offer ways to get involved. 

These organisations also have the broader effect of helping people enhance and maintain their physical and mental wellbeing, through physical work and by building social connections in the community. They also help to increase awareness about sustainable living amongst our children and schools, teaching them how they can take action to create a better world for themselves, their families and future generations.  

“Community | Sustainable Living | Local Action” is the theme of the inaugural Brisbane West Eco Fest, organised by and featuring many local community groups. This exciting, new and free, family-friendly event will bring together community, creativity and sustainability, with inspiring guest speakers, engaging activities, entertainment, great food and free native plants!  

Special thanks to our event sponsors: Gold Sponsor – Jonty Bush MP; Silver Sponsor – The Western Echo; Bronze Sponsors – Elizabeth Watson-Brown MP, Colin Bushell Photography, and SOWN.  

Brisbane West Eco Fest 

Saturday, 23 August, 10am – 2pm 

The Gap State High School, 1020 Waterworks Rd, The Gap 

Facebook event for more details: www.facebook.com/events/713325814709062  

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/thegapsustainability