Clean and Clever Communities
BIEDO is keen to help Inland Burnett communities save money and contribute to a healthy environment - now and in the future! Since 2006, BIEDO has launched a range of initiatives focused on renewable energies, water conservation and helping households to be 'climate smart'.
Funky Futures
Funky Futures aims to educate community sectors, from the youngest to the oldest, to Step Lightly on our earth. We provide information and education through 'funky fun' activities on how to conserve water, use energy efficiently and manage waste well. Our goal: to ensure that our children; all children, have a liveable, healthy future filled with wonder. The BIEDO generation (average age 40) were fortunate to have had childhoods with clean water and air, bushland and safe open spaces, trees you could climb and beasts, birds and insects you could readily see about you each and everyday. There was minimal litter and no syringes or other 'nasties' lying about. We had fresh vegies (often from our own gardens) and the pleasure of getting our hands dirty. We could fish in the local creeks, using worms dug from our gardens, and eat the fish we caught. We drank sweet, clean rainwater, turned off lights when we weren't using them, and recyled 'old things' into new and innovative uses because you didn't waste if you could help it. We were ferociously healthy and fit.
We'd like to think that our children, and our children's children can have the pleasures that we took for granted as our birthright. Yet, today we know that we cannot take for granted such wondrous but fragile pleasures. Funky Futures aims to encourage people, of all ages and backgrounds, to be conscious and thoughtful users and managers of resources - so that we have a wonder-filled, healthy tomorrow.
Funky Futures Activities include......
In 2008, 700 school children and their families particpated in the Inaugural Funky Futures Open Day hosted by Wondai State School. Kids, teachers and parents from over 40 schools and communities had a fabulous, fun and ideas packed day, learning about setting up and maintaining healthy gardens, worm farms, compost heaps and plant banks. They learnt how to cook yummy healthy meals on a cob oven using garden produce (and eggs from school garden chooks!) and shared in workshops and activities that taught them about our 'footprint' and how each of us can 'step lightly' on our earth. The dance troupe from Cherbourg Aboriginal Community was a highlight of the day. The incredible hard work and inspirational ideas of the Wondai Green Team, as well as other teachers and volunteers, made this day an enormous success.
In 2010, more than 2000 Inland families participated in the wild and wonderful Funky Futures Festival (proudly sponsored by Tarong Energy). Funky Futures offered market stalls, workshops, demos, entertainment, street artists, a children's programme, a battle of the bands comp', local cuisine and much more. As you can imagine, the theme of each event and activity focused on effective ways to save water, manage waste and use energy efficiently. It was a fabulously fun way to show families how they can save money, have a great lifestyle, AND reduce their footprint on the environment. In 2012, we're planning more Funky Fun to help spread awareness and action among our communities. The Message: "Step Lightly"
Funky Footprints Challenge
A feature of the event was the Funky Footprints Challenge. 40 households took up the challenge to reduce their emissions, and energy, waste and water usage over 6mths. The winning household came up with incredible, fun and effective ways to bring down their resource usage, including 'dining out' at home. [For example] The kiddies solemnly presented the pizza chef (dad) with home-made money and the family 'dined in' on home-made pizza using herbs and vegies from their low-water use garden. Overall, the family reduced their energy bill by approximately 40%. Challenge prizes were provided by Go Green Generation (a local solar installation company).
Find out what's going on in 2012.....
Events
Check out the BIEDO Events Calendar, with information on healthy eating workshops, inter-garden visits, and other events. Or check out information about our Healthy Eating Workhops. Additional workshops, field days, demos and activities will be scheduled for 2012. We'll be featuring ways to reduce energy, water and waste costs in households, communities and business. Keep an eye on our Events Calendar!
BIEDO has just launched Facebook pages for our 'Community and School Garden's and 'Clean and Clever'. Both pages have great information and practical 'how to' tips. Clean and Clever features tips on how to have a Clean, Green and Clever household and community. The Garden page features tips and tools on gardening, composting and healthy eating and cooking, as well as general health information. Keep an eye on the recipes and related 'growing tips'. In February we're featuring how to grow mint and summer mint recipes.
Newsletters
BIEDO produces a quarterly Clean and Clever (C&C) newsletter with heaps of information for householders, communities, schools and businesses. C&C provides stories on locals who've come up with great ideas or services, referrals to excellent websites or other info-sources, tips and tools for good resource management in your own household or community, up-dates on events and activities and much more. The C&C newsletter is broken down into business, community-householder and school sections.
Handy Links
Click here to find some great links to help your household, farm or business become "Clean and Clever".
