Boonah Sustainability Workshop 3 Creating your own Sustainability Story

1. Boonah Sustainability Workshop 3Creating your own Sustainability Story

2. …. Thank you BSSB partners, supporters, funders, mentors, workshop participants

3. Creating your own Sustainability StoryWhat we’ll explore today: • What’s happened for you since the last workshop? • Local Inspirations • Create your own sustainable business story • BSSB Toolkit • Where to from here?

4. What’s happened for you since our last workshop? New insights and learnings? Observations about your business operations and sustainability? How were the articles and notes? What’s on your mind regarding sustainability?

5. Local Inspirations • Who has been an inspiration to you in your life? • What was their gift to you? • The Green Shed at Tamborine Mountain • Mt Barney Lodge at Mt Barney • Rockcote Enterprises – Nerang Design Centre • Food Connect in Brisbane • Lillydale Farm Stay at Mt Barney

6. The Green Shed – Tamborine Mountain • Local produce market for local people and visitors • Every Sunday 7am – Midday at the local showground • Non profit venture through Tamborine Mountain Local Producers Association Inc • A service to local small farmers and horticultural produce • High quality, freshly picked, seasonal and mainly organically grown produce • Began 7 years ago to tap into emerging local and visitor interest in locally-grown food • Established with a float of $100; minimum turnover each Sunday $300 • Links to Food Connect for regional produce not locally available • Growers receive 85% of their sales dollars & TMLPA receives 15% • Weekly turnover now in the thousands of dollars

7. Mt Barney Lodge • Wilderness setting at Mt Barney • Family owned business for two generations • Ecotourism Australia Certified • School groups, conferences, specialist groups, functions, B&B – a varied offering and diverse markets and guests • Bioregional guests are the foundation – from SEQ and NNSW • Regional leadership in eco tourism and tourism sectors • Passion for place, people and enterprise sustainability

8. Rockcote Design Centre - Nerang • Winner of The President’s Award 2006, Urban Development Institute of Australia National Awards for Excellence • Designed primarily to showcase a range of architectural coatings – core business function • Commercial and industrial development that is environmentally sustainable – a model of excellence • Biomimicry – inspiration and function from nature • Radical waste reduction – waste is a resource • Integration – multi-purpose at all levels • Non-compromise – solutions focused • Maximum efficiency with minimum inputs/resources

9. Rockcote Design Centre - Nerang Energy – 80% less energy than comparable-sized centres; energy +’ve Rainwater – 100,000 litre capacity onsite Waste and Water Treatment – All sewage and tradewaste treated onsite and reused onsite Recycling Centre – Solid waste sorted and despatched to recyclers; food waste composted and worm farmed The Gardens – living paving, living walls, gardens that grow food for staff and visitors, organic, beauty The Community – open to the public, site tours, coffee shop, customers

10. Food Connect Organic, sustainable food for households in Brisbane area Local farmers, local food, local families Food box system Farmers bring their produce to the homestead during the week Food Connect team pack the food into boxes and deliver food to Country Cousins in the city Subscribers collect their weekly box from Country Cousins Weekly order of fresh fruit and vegies Weekly farm letter full of recipes and news Farm tours and farmer connections Community links and conviviality

11. Lillydale Farm Stay 4.5 star rating Multi-award winning Eco Certified – Advanced Ecotourism Value-adding to their cattle property Protecting and conserving indigenous flora and fauna Protecting and preserving precious natural resources Education about sustainability and environment Cultural sensitivity and protocols Contributing to conservation locally, regionally, state, nationally and globally

12. Creating your own Sustainable Story We have created a Sustainability Planning Guide for you (it’s a work in progress and your feedback is invited and valued) It has a 5 key components: 1. Scanning local landscapes 2. Describing your enterprise’s cultural core 3. Creating and wording your overarching vision for sustainability 4. Describing where you’re at now in your sustainability journey 5. Setting out your sustainability pathway It’s designed as a guiding template and also has a real life example

13. Creating your own Sustainable Story Let’s get down and get working on your sustainable story - Singly - In pairs - In small groups - From one organisation - A collaboration of organisations Whatever works for you…

14. BSSB Toolkit of Resources and Links This is an electronic tool designed to give you lots of ideas and links to resources and organisations. Use it at your leisure and add to it as you go. We’ll email it to you and it’s also on the BSSB website: www.bssb.org.au

15. Where to from here? It’s up to you where you go from here as an individual business and enterprise as the journey is yours. If you’d like to continue your BSSB involvement here are some options: Beaudesert Eco Expo 2009 – display, stand, speaker, sponsor Mentoring Training and Leadership program – more intensive and ongoing planning process BSSB Network and Directory – what would you like to see developed? Final whole of region workshop in December 2008 that brings everyone together for networking and strategic thinking

16. Thank you for coming to these workshops – it’s been such a pleasure for Jan and I to meet and work with you… “Rather than worry about critical mass, Our work is to foster critical connections” Meg Wheatley