Join us for an end of year gathering at Green Drinks on the Sunshine Coast to acknowledge 2023 and look forward to 2024!

Every month people are invited to meet up at informal session known as Green Drinks. These events happen throughout the world. 

A lively mixture of people from NGOs, academia, government, business and the community come together to network and share ideas. It's a great way of catching up with people you know and also for making new contacts. Anyone is invited, so there’s always a different crowd, making Green Drinks an organic, self-organising network.

Please RSVP to attend, we look forward to connecting with you!

Guest Speakers

Leigh Warneminde - President of Coolum and North Shore Coast Care

Coolum and North Shore Coast Care is a not for profit community group formed in 2000 to protect the coastal environment and its flora and fauna and to maintain the biodiversity of the area for future generations.

Our volunteers work from Noosa North Shore to Mooloolah River with our Dune and Bush Restoration groups concentrating on areas from from Stumers Creek, Coolum Beach, Yaroomba, Town of Seaside/Boardwalk, Marcoola and Mudjimba.

To find out more about the current turtle nesting season, come along and hear from Leigh about the amazing work Coolum and North Shore Coast Care do and the role you can play in supporting them. Please visit their website and for more information - https://coolumcoastcare.org.au/what-we-do/practical-projects/turtle-monitoring/.

Alison Foley - Founder & Director of Ten Little Pieces

Ten Little Pieces came about one beautiful Summer’s day when I had my children hot, tired and cranky, whinging for the long promised ice cream on Noosa Main Beach. 

While I packed up the beach kit, I said to my kids that an ice cream would cost them ten little pieces of rubbish. 

To my astonishment, they returned to me with hands full of cans, bottles, straws, food wrappers and cigarette butts.  We washed our hands, and as we got the ice creams, my 6 year old asked  if he could have his in a cone because he didn't want the little plastic spoon that came with the cup. 

So in an effort to think globally by acting locally,  Ten Little Pieces was born. 

The simple act of collecting litter opens conversations around conscious consumerism, environmental stewardship and a rethinking of our concept of waste.

“Our efforts & those of our fellow conservationists, scientists, educators and community members are magnified exponentially through our collaborative ambition and establishment of communication channels.

The advice, mentorship and experience of SCEC & the outstanding skill & expertise of the member groups has proven once again what strength we have in unity & what value there is in not just seeking the support we need, but in receiving it.

Thank you to all who continue to strive towards a better world and tirelessly protect the one we have. We really are all in this together”

The Woodford Folk Festival is held annually over six days and six nights, from Dec 27th through to January 1st. More than 2,000 local, national and international, artists, musicians and presenters put on over 438 acts to an audience of an estimated 132,000 people. The festival begins each year with the iconic Opening Ceremony and closes with the spectacular showcase, the Fire Event on New Year’s Day. This year will be the 35th Woodford Folk Festival and the 28th held at Woodfordia. It is the largest gathering of artists and musicians in Australia.

The Woodford festival experience is deep, rich and colourful. It is based on a vision of inclusive and creative community, culture and tradition passed through generations, expressed through story and ceremony. The site, a former barren dairy farm, has been lovingly regenerated with over 120,000 subtropical rain forest trees, orchids, ferns and sedges, planted to create a habitat for butterflies and wildlife.

Woodfordia is transformed into a village that hosts over 25,000 daily patrons, performers, stallholders, volunteers and organisers. As many as 2,680 volunteers across 162 departments are at the heart of the organisation and contribute to the setup and day-to-day running of the festival. During the event, the festival is actually the 67th largest town in Australia.

Each year construction begins in early December and continues up until Christmas Day. Over 450 contractors and volunteers build the village. Many come from around the world to be part of the festival build and then stay for a week after to pull the event down.

The festival build includes:

The festival programme features concerts, dances, street theatre, writers’ panels, film festival, comedy sessions, acoustic jams, social dialogue and debate, folk medicine, an entire children’s festival, an environmental programme featuring talks, debates and films, art and craft workshops, circus performances and workshops, late night cabarets, parades and special events including the spectacular fire event.

The festival streets are lined with restaurants, cafes, stalls, bars, street theatre and parades. Tree-filled campgrounds, butterfly walks, ponds and wildlife complete the picturesque site. The festival appeals to a diverse audience with all ages and many nationalities attracted each year. It’s a magical experience, and one not to be missed.

Tickets Here

 

Programme Booklet

Each year a 120 page programme booklet is published to help patrons navigate the extensive festival programme and venue.

Get your Hard Copy Programme Booklet for $10 at the Sunshine Coast Environment Council office.

Address: 35 Howard St, Nambour QLD 4560