We have just received a huge boost in our efforts to enthuse local growers about sustainable agriculture.

Our dream of teaching and promoting eco-agriculture is becoming a reality, thanks to a $33,000 grant from the Queensland Government’s Gambling Community Benefit Fund. 

The grant has enabled us to purchase a new tractor and accessories.

The Sustainable Living Association Inc was formed to support holistic sustainability as a model of living for the future.

We are partnering with other environmental and community organisations to model and teach sustainable agriculture at the Bellbunya Sustainable Community and Eco-Conference Centre in Belli Park.

This tractor will be an invaluable aid to us and will save our volunteers thousands of man hours.

As a fertile area with high rainfall, agriculture is a major activity of the hinterland for a variety of small-scale and lifestyle farmers. 

Sustainable Living Association Inc aims to build the knowledge, desire and skill base of local growers to grow healthy food in sustainable ways.  We support and run sustainability workshops from Bellbunya, and are currently working with the community to develop sustainable land use plans for the Centre.

Association for Sustainable Communities Inc spokesperson Chris Gibbings was thrilled with the tractor.  “This tractor will be a huge support for us at Bellbunya to regenerate and care for the land, fence animals away from Belli Creek, increase biodiversity, and model permaculture food forests,” he said.

 “We are always open to new partnerships and projects that build more sustainable futures.”

“We welcome groups to use Bellbunya as a base for workshops and conferences and actively promote holistically sustaining, relocalised communities.”

 To use the centre or find out more about the sustainable agriculture project visit www.bellbunya.org.au.

We acknowledge with appreciation the invaluable support of the Gambling Community Benefit Fund for providing $33,000 to purchase a tractor and accessories.

We were amazed to discover the wonders of small buildings at our recent ecological building workshop held at the Bellbunya Eco-Conference Centre in Belli Park.

We were fortunate indeed to have the founder of Herman's Huts, Malcolm Holtz, as guest speaker and singer.

With sustainable buildings, small is beautiful.

Despite ever increasing household sizes, the trend in Australia has continued to be for increased size of houses.  The average house size is now 245 metres squared for a household of just over 2 people and is continuing an upward trajectory.

Many years ago genius and inventor Buckminster Fuller recognised that unless we reduced the amount of resources we used in housing, there would be wars as there would simply be not enough resources. 

The larger the house, the more energy and resources to construct, the more mate rials to be moved and generally the more amount of energy to heat and cool. This energy usually comes from the combustion of fossil fuels, depleting these resources and emitting greenhouse gases and pollutants into the air.

Small buildings can be cosy, more manageable, less money and effort to maintain and cheaper to build - making them a more sustainable way of life. 

One key to this is efficient use of space, good organization, and keeping possessions to a manageable level.  Another exciting opportunity we explored is building community. 

Bellbunya community is modeling shared resources and how buildings can be kept small by sharing resources.