Trees just don't get the love they deserve. That's why, this National Tree Day, we're going to make a show and dance about how great they are!

You're invited to release your inner tree this National Tree Day, Sunday 27 July! Join us at Cotters Market on Flinders St to help us celebrate trees and share the love with our community! There will be tree costumes, face painting and perhaps even a sneaky kazoo band performance. Our stall will feature fun tree facts and an opportunity for locals to reflect on what trees do for them!

You might think we’re really branching out with this kind of action, but really, we’re just returning to our roots.

Join us any time between 8am and 1pm, wearing green or brown to fit in with the theme. We'll have costume props to help you fit in, but you are also welcome to bring your own. Sun protection and water recommended.

We will also use our event to help promote Townsville City Council's tree planting event at Lou Lister Park that morning from 8.30-10.30am. Feel free to share the love between both events!

We look forward to seeing you there!

As I write this, I am humbled by the donations that continue to roll in for our EOFY Appeal, which this year has been doubled by a generous matched donor. At this rate, we're on track to hit our $4000 goal, which will become $8000 towards our ambitious plans for the future. I know times are tough, so if you have managed to chip in this year, please know it means the world to us!

As you'll see, June has been an exciting, fast-paced month, where volunteers have contributed more than 250 hours combined! Luna and I are so grateful to the people around us who truly bring our organisation to life. 

Please enjoy this edition of Paperbark and keep doing the great things you do for nature and your community, whatever that may be.

What does an environmentally-successful energy transition look like for North Queensland? That's the question that kicked off our third workshop in this series, at the Smart Precinct NQ.

Ten workshop participants included representatives from Townsville City Council (including Cr Brodie Phillips), the Port of Townsville, Community Gro and the Dept of Environment, Science, Tourism and Innovation, alongside local engineers, ecologists and university students. Read on to see what we came up with!

We all know that climate change is making Townsville's heatwaves worse - longer, hotter and more frequent than ever before. So, what can we do about it? How will our community adapt to ensure that no one is left behind in these silent natural disasters? We joined forces with Sweltering Cities, Once Upon Tomorrow and the Queensland Community Alliance to find out.

On a warm Sunday afternoon in Townsville, nearly 70 passionate locals gathered for a powerful Climate and Energy Rally - and what an inspiring show of strength, unity, and vision it was.

Against the backdrop of intensifying climate impacts and looming policy choices, people came together to listen, share, and stand up for a safer, fairer, and more sustainable future for North Queensland and beyond.

The rally brought together a diverse line-up of speakers -  each adding their voice to a common call: our energy future must be clean, just, and community-powered.

We were thrilled to gather once again at Grill’d for our latest Green Drinks, this time featuring an inspiring talk by Jason Lange, co-founder of Atlas Soils. With 25 attendees, the evening was filled with great conversations, new connections, and a deeper dive into the power of regenerative soil practices. Plus, we welcomed six new sign-ups to our NQCC newsletter.

Where and what are the top priorities for environmental protection and restoration in our region? How can we support a local renewable energy transition while protecting and enhancing our environmental values?

Those are the questions we want to answer - and we need your help!

Over the past four months, NQCC sat with members of the community to talk about personal experiences with weather extremes in North Queensland. We learned a lot about the diversity of impacts, people's future worries, but also about our great potential to increase local resilience.

This week, Queenslanders decide who will lead our state for the next four years. Thanks to QCC's election survey and scorecard, we know where the parties stand on environmental issues. This election, we risk losing a lot of things we've fought so hard for in recent years, including ambition for climate action and environmental protection. 

The fewer environmental champions there are in government, the more that are needed in the community - and that's where we come in. 

Last Thursday night, NQCC was one of 16 civil society organisations who participated in the Townsville Community Election Assembly at Kirwan Uniting Church. 163 attendees included people of faith, community centre leaders, environmentalists, unionists, human rights advocates, housing providers and multicultural community leaders, acting together for the common good.