A group of local community-builders are inviting community and visitors at this weekend’s Bellingen Turtle Festival to discuss that very question at the Sustainability Forum, Sunday morning from 10:30 – 11:30am at the Dome within the Festival site at the Bellingen Showgrounds. The Forum is being facilitated by new Greens Mayor Dominic King with support from Councillors Jennie Fenton, Toni Wright-Turner and Steve Klipin, and with a panel of local sustainability experts, including OzGREEN’s Sue Lennox.
The forum is not only a space for locals to bring their ideas, big and small, about sustainability but also a great opportunity to hear from visitors to the shire about ideas from other parts of Australia (and the world).
Cr King stated that “Bellingen Shire is perfectly placed to be a hub for sustainability innovation and already has the human capital, location and natural geography to be a showcase of new ideas. We are excited to see positive actions and lots of education come from the upsetting state of affairs we have seen with the Bellinger River Snapping Turtle since early 2015.”
Cr Fenton adds, “This forum is partly about our collective concern for the state of our natural resources in the Shire and partly a result of the desire all the Councillors expressed before being elected to see greater community engagement. We want to do more listening, create more opportunities to share ideas and more forums to look for new opportunities.”
“Cr Wright-Turner says, “This forum is the first of many planned around sustainability and a variety of local issues so if you aren’t able to enjoy the Turtle Festival and participate in this forum, don’t worry. There will be plenty of opportunities.”
http://bellingenturtlefest.com.au