The inaugural World Environment Day celebration held in Boonah on Saturday was a tremendous success on all accounts.
Sharon Murakami, president of the Boonah Organisation for a Sustainable Shire (BOSS) who hosted the celebration, says, “the event was a resounding success, with an overall highlight for BOSS being the crowd’s readiness to get involved and embrace the day’s activities.
“Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive with everybody loving the interactive and hands on approach, and the diversity of interesting activities and displays to explore.
The BOSS low food mile slow food stall was a great hit with fresh home grown home made food served on compostable sugarcane plates and cups. “
The community certainly embraced the day, with even the mayor drawn into the rhythm of the day beating up a storm in the drumming tent.
There were many highlights including the moving Welcome to Country, the multitude of workshops and activities, Madame Mulch, the acapella ode to Sugarloaf, the poetry of Judith Wright, the recycled fashion parade, belly dancing featuring local alpaca felted costuming, stalls ranging from bamboo to goatsmilk soap to wild soapnuts to Ugandan wooden crafts, Christopher Trotter’s ‘Chook Racer’ recycled sculpture to young Cassidy Davies’ aluminium can ‘Candelier’, and other inspiring altered art creations produced on the day.
Post highlights are the comments already received since the event including “That was sooooo much fun at yesterday's festivities! Thanks for bringing all those lovely folk together and creating a really special day of awareness !! We all loved it and came home feeling energised and inspired. Such a great vibe !!; and "we had a great time and feel really motivated to get into sustainability stuff!!”
A steady flow of people streamed through the site throughout the day, with around 300 visitors taking in the earth friendly sounds, sights and tastes on offer at the Outlook.
The common response on the day was let’s do this again next year, and it’s clear that everyone is already looking forward to World Environment Day becoming an annual celebration which can only grow in its success.
World Environment Day is important because it provides a focal point for the community the opportunity to celebrate and come together in promoting and spreading the message of sustainable living. Our event is a wonderful example of how that can come together to provide the tools to understand that sustainability is achievable and not out of reach. We are fortunate in that rural communities are in a much better position to lead the way in sustainable living.
BOSS thanks everyone involved, from the Department of Environment and Resource Management, the Outlook, the Scenic Rim Regional Council, those who donated raffle prizes, local produce, plants and baked goods, and our wonderful band of volunteers, entertainers, stall holders and visitors, for their wonderful enthusiasm in embracing World Environment Day.
“It’s heartening to know that members of our community are aware and committed to sharing the ideals of working towards a more sustainable and greener place in which to live and achieving a sense of well being and caring for themselves, country and each other, “ says Sharon.
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