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How to check for water leaks

Yikes, the water bill just arrived and it's more of a William than a 'bill'! Avoid a nasty surprise. Learn how to check for leaks and what to do when you find a leak.

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Berry nice! Chia Jam in under 10 minutes

Fancy a no cook, low sugar alternative to traditional jam? Get the kids in the kitchen - they'll love making this three ingredient Chia Berry Jam. It's the perfect way to use up those slightly bruised berries.

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UNITED JOURNEY BY JANDAMARRA CADD

United Journey by First Nations Artist, Jandamarra Cadd is the latest addition to the temporary public art on display at the MET.

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Help Renew build the Getting Off Gas Toolkit

Efficient all-electric homes cut bills, cut emissions, and improve our comfort and health. But for many households thinking about getting off gas, it’s hard to know where to start.

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What is the Climate Change Bill 2022?

The Albanese Government’s Climate Change Bill has passed the Senate and will now become law. Its target to slash climate pollution by at least 43% this decade falls far short of what the science tells us we need (75%), but it is a significant step forward that we can build from.

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Grow for gold in patch-to-plate adventure

Local residents have the opportunity to grow a garden salad from scratch alongside master gardener and celebrity chef Paul West, as part of Sunshine Coast Council’s partnership with the Grow It Local program.

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Make your own beeswax wraps with Natasha Odgers

Join Natasha Odgers from Natural Connections Wax Wraps Workshops on and learn how to make your own beeswax wraps. You’ll be rapt with this sustainable alternative to plastic food wraps.

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June Garden Tips - The Micro Gardener

Here in SE Queensland Australia, we’ve had horrendous weather with flooding and heavy rains recently. We skipped our usual Autumn with unseasonal high humidity!

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WEEK 3 - Love Food Hate Waste Challenge

How and where we store food will help keep it fresh and safe to eat for as long as possible. But it’s not a one size fits all. If you understand how to store your food to maximise its life, you will cut waste, save money and save time.

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Butterfly Workshops

Join an workshop - Learn more about our local butterflies, their host plants and how you can create a butterfly garden.

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Sustainable Wedding? I do.

It’s March, one of the most popular months of the year in Australia to get married, and I have been thinking about this because as of 2022 I have been with my partner for 8 years! It is fair to say, people (especially from grandparents) are starting to wondering when I am going to pop the question 🤯

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Swimwear designer draws the line at fishing waste

An Animal Ecology graduate who has expanded her passion for the marine environment to designing swimwear made from recycled fishing waste is a finalist in a national competition for aspiring young female entrepreneurs.

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1 Million Women App

​WE ARE WOMEN AND GIRLS FROM EVERY CORNER OF THE PLANET BUILDING A LIFESTYLE REVOLUTION TO SOLVE THE CLIMATE CRISIS.

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How to Make Sauerkraut

My first experience with sauerkraut was when I was working at a sandwich shop in college. The rule was if you showed up late you had to make the “sauerkraut.” It was kind of awful because the sauerkraut was pre-made and came in a giant can, and once you got past the smell, you had to mix it with mayonnaise. Needless to say, it was one of my least favorite tasks and a major motivator to get to work on time.

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Every electric car available in Australia

If you think electric vehicles might be just a fad, like a Rubik’s Cube or a Livestrong bracelet, or even those Oakley stickers everyone had on their windscreens that said “Thermonuclear Protection”, we have news for you: EVs aren’t going anywhere. They’re going everywhere.

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More opportunities to celebrate this festive season

A new, free, family-friendly Christmas lights event at the Maroochy Regional Bushland Botanic Garden will be a highlight of this year’s festive season calendar and one of several new opportunities for our community to celebrate, following council’s endorsement of a new Festive Season program.

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Nothing new for Christmas - DIY decorating

Discarded Christmas ornaments, artificial trees and lights can languish in landfill for centuries. Fortunately there are loads of natural, recycled or upcycled alternatives that are simple and fun to make.

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Buy local this Christmas – it’s a win win

Eating mangoes, fresh prawns, and listening to Mariah Carey on every radio station three times a day. It’s beginning to feel very festive on the Sunshine Coast and to celebrate, council has partnered with Buy Local Sunshine Coast to give away $2000 each week for four lucky winners to spend locally.

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July Seasonal Gardening Tips – Subtropical Queensland

July is typically our last ‘short winter’ month. Winter occasionally stretches into early August, as every year is a little different. So, we can still expect cool temperatures day and night with relatively low humidity. Unless we get rain of course! There’s still time to sow many winter crops. Ideally, after it rains or is watered so the soil is moist. Make sure to prepare your soil well before planting for the best results.

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These Four Plastic Items Make Up Almost Half Of All Ocean Trash

With coronavirus and the climate emergency soaking up media attention, a third man-made crisis—plastic pollution—has largely drifted under the radar. But the publication of a new study on the make-up of ocean trash is a sharp reminder of this growing global threat.

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COUNTRY IS CALLING

Country is Calling is a visual art exhibition that celebrates the work and stories of the Jinibara people; the Traditional Custodians of the mountains, valleys and hinterlands of the Sunshine Coast.

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Talking Circular Communities with Chad Buxton

As a marine scientist, Chad Buxton sees the impact our actions and decisions have on the oceans every day. He also knows the power of community when it comes to changing our behaviour and embracing sustainability.

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What is the the Circular Economy

If you’re someone who has a reusable coffee cup (and remembers to use it), has a compost at home and regularly engages in meat-free mondays, then you might have heard of the phrase the Circular Economy (CE) before.

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What keeps climate scientists like me awake at night - and why the next 10 years are so critical

Every day, thousands of Australians find or experience a bodily symptom that could be a harbinger of something serious. Perhaps a suspicious lump, or a mole that has changed colour, or unusual gut pain. The sensible strategy, and one that most of us would take, would be to hightail it to our doctor at the earliest opportunity to get it checked out. Should the news be bad, most people would seek the life-saving treatment they need.

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Getting the mail on solar installations

The Australian Energy Council has reviewed the latest Clean Energy Regulator (CER) data to highlight the top suburbs and areas for solar installations by state and territory.

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15 Easy Ways To Reduce Your Plastic Consumption

We brush our teeth with it, eat and drink from it and even wear it: from the moment we wake up until we go to bed, plastic is all around us. As I type this sentence, I use my keyboard — made of plastic.

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Laura Di Mambro on living a conscious life

If you had told changemaker Laura Di Mambro 15 years ago that she would be the founder of one of Queensland’s biggest and most successful conscious living expos, she would not have believed you.

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How to have a fashion revolution at home

Fashion Revolution Week is back from 19 to 25 April. Last year op shop blogger Hannah Klose shared why there's never been a better time for a personal Fashion Revolution, and her words are as relevant as ever.

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Local health service embraces global green challenge

According to the World Health Organisation, hospitals in high income countries like Australia can generate over 3.3 kilograms of rubbish per bed per day. The carbon footprint attributed to the health industry is about 7 per cent of Australia's total.

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Is your plastic food packaging recyclable?

When you look around the supermarket, plastic wrapped food is everywhere. From biscuit wrappers to yoghurt tubs and even plastic lined boxes, it’s hard to avoid.

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Gardening Tips for Autumn 2021

Autumn in our climate is short – typically starting early April and extending into May. This time of year is a LOT more comfortable to enjoy your garden than our long hot summer from December to March. With lower humidity and cooler temperatures, many pest insects exit stage left and there are so many more plant varieties you can grow.

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Seasonal Gardening Tips for Summer by Anne Gibson

Our long, hot humid summers are the most challenging time of year to grow food and maintain a garden. By being prepared and with good planning, you can enjoy an abundant harvest without too much effort.

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Eco-friendly sanitary products: join the reusable revolution

Periods. It’s a topic that has always been a bit awkward to talk about. But shining a spotlight on the amount of waste generated by single use sanitary products is fuelling a revolution in the way we think about periods and sparking conversations about alternative options.

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Recycle right Sunshine Coast

Find out how to recycle right in the kitchen, after a party and with your pets on the Sunshine Coast.

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Connect and Share with Spare Harvest

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.

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Plant a self-assessable verge garden

Council has developed self-assessable criteria to support residents wishing to enhance or beautify the road verge in front of their property. Verge gardens could include native, edible or rain gardens.

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Annual Humpback Whale Migration – East Coast Australia

Each year between April and November, Australia’s eastern coastline comes alive with the spectacular acrobatic displays of humpback whales. After a summer of feeding on krill in Antarctic waters, these charismatic animals migrate north to sub-tropical waters where they mate and give birth. And we are lucky enough to be able to easily spot them on their travels from our majestic coastline!

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The 'ABC Quick Check' bike service

Bikes in regular use need a service every year to replace worn out parts. Bikes that haven’t been ridden for ages need a service to replace rusted parts and perished tyres.

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Pick up Ten Little Pieces – anywhere, anytime

The Sunshine Coast is a place where nature meets nurture and Ten Little Pieces encourages all of us to make a difference to the places we love by collecting ten little pieces of litter anytime, anywhere, especially with children involved.

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Amy’s zero waste mission

One of our favourite Living Smart stories on Amy Handy from a wee while back - simply full of great advice that’s perfect for sharing during Plastic Free July. Amy Handy is on a mission: to reduce her personal footprint on the earth. The mother of three has spent the past the past five years working towards a zero waste household.

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