Stories From: Community

Global problems are creating renewed interest in traditional DIY skills like sewing. Here’s how a local grandmother is sharing her rag trade experience to make a difference and how you can get involved.

Broken chair? Blown amp? Busted washing machine? They don’t have to be thrown away! These Mid Mountains fixers and makers will revive them.

While it is important to focus on Avoiding, Reducing and Reusing, Recycling is also a key part of a successful sustainable waste program. It’s not always so obvious what can and can’t be recycled or how to do it, so here is a guide to help Springwood and Greater Blue Mountains residents access the most effective recycling options available in the local area.

Second-hand bookstore and social enterprise RoseyRavelston has moved to Lawson-town. While the core of their business remains the same, the move has prompted adaptation and diversification, which has opened up new collaborations and opportunities for the business and the community.

The story of Lithgow Environment Group is a saga spanning nearly two decades of their heroic struggle against fire, local habitat destruction, weak government legislation and in particular, irresponsible mining practices.

Bundjalung Yaegl woman and Bullaburra resident, Janelle Randall-Court, has a long history of working creatively to inspire people to care for Country. We interviewed her after watching her give a cultural presentation for Greening Australia’s Cooling the Schools Project.

Volunteering offers mutual benefits for the helper and those helped. Along with a sense of empowerment, purpose and contribution, it can give us skills for the workforce, new friends and social connection. While this list is by no means exhaustive, it offers a wide range of options for where to help out in our local community.

Music, creativity and sustainability all come together at Glenbrook Rotary Markets every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month, and recently the organisers from the Rotary Club of the Lower Blue Mountains showcased their continuing commitment to waste reduction by hosting a creative Trash to Treasure Competition for local Lower Mountains kids.

Pollinators are critical for life on earth. As we face a biodiversity crisis in which we’re losing plants and animals at an alarming rate, the Rotary Club of Blackheath and Planting Seeds have collaborated on the B&B Highway pollinator program.

The gift economy is a win-win-win for people and their communities, preventing waste while saving money and building community goodwill. What's not to love? Explore the options for giving and receiving in the Springwood area and the Blue Mountains more widely in this story by Gabiann Marin.