North Queensland Conservation Council

The start of this month (and the beginning of Spring) has seen an early start to the bushfire season around the nation. We've been warned about hotter, drier conditions and longer bushfire seasons by the IPCC for some years now, but this month has really started driving the point home. Our climate is changing around us, and while its impacts on human civilisation feature in stories of the mainstream media, its impacts on habitats, ecosystems and vulnerable species are considered far less noteworthy. This is something that we hope to bring attention to in our continued fight for immediate action to address the climate crisis.

In the face of this worldwide environmental destruction, the movement for climate action is growing, as seen in the form of thousands of concerned citizens following Greta Thunberg's example and taking to the streets as part of the Global Climate Strike on Friday the 20th. Townsville's event drew a crowd of around 700, and featured inspiring speeches, enthusiastic chants and delightfully creative placards. This blog post by NQCC member Malcolm Tattersall cleverly captures the range of organisations supporting the Townsville Strike, providing links to each one to help you get involved.

Strikers with their messages at Townsville's Climate Strike.

In this edition:

• NQCC's AGM - Welcome to new Committee Members!
• Campaign News:
  • Meetings with Ministers at Regional Parliament
  • Can you help save this tree?
• Fundraising, Members & Events:
  • It's Trivia Time again!
  • Get in on our Fundraising Raffle!
  • Member of the Month
  • Connecting Regional Qld: Sustainability Summit
  • AYCC's Climate Justice Bootcamp

NQCC's 2019 Annual General Meeting was held on the evening of Wednesday 18th September, in the leafy backyard of our office. We kicked the night off with some tasty nibbles and homemade vegetarian nachos (special thanks to interns Mapendo and Parimal for their culinary contributions) before settling in for the presentations. 

Making headlines this month was our Prime Minister's highly anticipated visit to Tuvalu, where he assured our Pacific Island neighbours that their plight to save their nations is not as important as the revenue Australia receives from exporting thermal coal.

Meanwhile, back home, cane growers are providing a substantial platform for the one scientist who says the reef is "actually in great order", and the Queensland State Government is proposing new legislation that would see climate protesters face harsher fines than the environmental vandals they oppose. 

Voices for the environment are more important than ever, and together we are strong! The best kind of action is community action, so find a way to get involved and together we will shape the future.

Looking for inspiration? Green Drinks is held on the second Friday of every month, and if you live outside of Townsville, investigate starting your own!

In this edition:

• Upcoming Events 
  • AGM - Wed 18 September
  • Climate Strike - Sat 20 September
  • Trivia Night - Fri 18 October
• Our Activities:
  • Campaigns Update
  • JCU Market Day
  • Meet our Interns!
• Member of the Month (new feature!)

Ok, so this month may not have reached the heights of excitement experienced last month, but July has still been a busy time for us. Much like a duck paddling away under water whilst floating calmly along the surface, we've been working quietly yet furiously behind the scenes. So, while we have no exciting events to reminisce upon this month, we hope you'll enjoy this rather informative edition of Paperbark, containing some important updates on some of our biggest campaigns.

Also, if you've been attempting to limit your use of plastics this month, well done! The most important step is raising awareness around how prevalent it is in our lives and how dangerous it can be for the environment. Feeling overwhelmed by the endeavour to reduce your impact? Read this article.

In this edition:

• Polystyrene balls on Magnetic Island
• "One in a Billion" - Starting Conversations
• National Parks campaign update
• Toolakea Beach Development Submission
• JCU Intern Placements at NQCC
• August Green Drinks
• AGM coming up!

This is a guest post by NQCC's current secretary, Priscilla Peto. Priscilla took up the challenge of "Plastic Free July" three years ago and shares with us her experiences and lessons since her last blog post two years ago. The views expressed in this post are the author's and not necessarily those of NQCC.

It's been a good three years of trying to reduce plastic in my life, and two years since I wrote about it with NQCC to mark Plastic Free July - an initiative founded in Perth by Rebecca Prince-Ruiz. 

To my delight, I've found the practice has become quite widespread with my friends, family, and colleagues. Especially since the plastic bag ban was implemented in July 2017. It's been great to see individual efforts increase, but we must not forget our job in pressuring our Local, State and Federal Governments to legislate real change.

Well, it looks like we've made it to the end of June - what an action-packed month it has been! Thank you for your support throughout this month! From engaging with us via social media, attending our events or contributing to our fundraising efforts, we couldn't have done everything we have without you!

If you are yet to renew your membership for 2019/2020, you may receive a phone call in the coming weeks, but if you're not sure you can email community@nqcc.org.au to check your membership status. If you would like to renew online, go here. 

Drawing towards the end of June means that this financial year is almost over (seriously, where did it go?). As such, you only have a few days for any donations to count towards this year's tax deduction. You can donate online here. 

In this edition:

• June in Review
  • Palm Creek Folk Festival
  • Climate Concert
  • Art Auction
• Upcoming Events
  • Plastic-Free July
  • Green Drinks
  • JCU O-Week Market

On Friday the 21st of June, NQCC celebrated our biennial Fundraising Postcard Art Auction for 2019! 

Approximately fifty art/environment lovers attended the event at Umbrella Studio (Townsville City), where each of the seventy works generously donated by artists from near and far were auctioned off for prices ranging from $10 to $105. The pieces were postcard-sized (though some were a little larger) and environment-themed. This event saw our five-week long exhibition, titled "Insights Into Our Environment" come to an end. Luckily for you, the artworks are still available to peruse in our online gallery.

SEE THE GALLERY HERE!

For the first time, the Queensland State Government has chosen to shake up their World Environment Day celebrations by celebrating Climate Week (2 - 8 June). The aim of Climate Week is to bring communities together to showcase the State's transition to a low-carbon economy and for leaders to discuss ideas on how to address and adapt to climate change.

NQCC was successful in securing a grant to host a Climate Week event, and we chose to bring Townsville locals together with live entertainment, along with experts and advocates in an outdoor Climate Concert. Our concert was one of 30+ events that took place throughout Queensland, bringing communities together and ramping up the discussion about our collective futures. Due to our action-packed events calendar for June, our event took place a little later in the month (on Sunday the 16th), but our audience didn't seem to mind.

Read the Environment Minister's media release about Queensland Climate Week here. 

For the first time in a few years, NQCC featured a stall at Palm Creek Folk Festival here in NQ - and it certainly got some attention! With our rainbow couch, polaroid camera and props, we were able to raise some funds to #SaveOurNationalParks, while spreading the word about this campaign to hundreds of festival-goers. 

To those of you who have renewed your membership or recently joined, thank you (and congratulations for taking positive action for the environment)! If you are currently craving the chance to do some hands-on volunteering with us, this month is positively brimming with such opportunities!

Membership renewals are due next Wednesday (World Environment Day), so treat yourself and sign up now! 

Become a Member of NQCC for just $20!

In this edition:

• May in review
  • Members Event
  • Postcard Art Exhibition Opening
  • Eco Fiesta
• Upcoming events (and volunteer opportunities):
  • Palm Creek Folk Festival
  • Extinction Rebellion Info Night
  • Green Drinks
  • Climate Concert
  • Postcard Art Auction