A neighbourly earth hour weekend is approaching

The weekend of 24-25 March has occasions for getting together and doing something positive about building a stronger sustainable community for all.

Neighbour Day is Sunday 25th, a time to make time to catch up with the neighbours. Any

day can be a Neighbour Day but in our busy lives sometimes we need a reason. What better reason than building a connection with those who share your community. Social connection makes us feel better and helps prevent loneliness, isolation and depression…it’s like a great big people pill of happiness without being hard to swallow. If you feel like getting your local crew together there are loads of resources on the Neighbour Day website such as invitations, name cards and posters.

Saturday 24th March 8:30-9:30pm is Earth hour, a global movement where people switch off their lights for an hour as a symbolic gesture to show the need for stronger climate action. This year the impacts on nature are being recognised with an encouragement to reconnect with the natural environment. When was the last time you sat outside at night and heard the chrirrups, twits and kerthunks of the nocturnal neighbours? Saturday night might be the time!

Perhaps you want to keep the connection going a little longer, the WWF has six ways you can #Connect2Earth

1. Reduce your plastic use: Switch to reusable shopping bags, and avoid using plastic plates, utensils and straws. 
2. Grow some plants: There’s something really therapeutic about growing plants. By looking after your plants, you're getting a deeper connection with the incredible nature that surrounds us. 
3. Go for a hike: take a walk through nature and appreciate everything around you. We’ve got lots of tracks through our local bushland…why not explore them. 
4. Eat sustainably: Reducing food waste and meat intake are good for the budget and the body. Council’s greener 3-bin service is starting 30/7/18. We’ll get a kitchen scraps bin too! 
• All food waste will go into the green bin along with garden waste. 
• Green bins will be emptied weekly. 
• Material from green bins will be taken to a new composting facility at Awaba. 
• Garbage bins will be emptied fortnightly on alternate weeks to recycling bins 
5. Invest ethically: know where your super is invested, there are fossil-free funds 
6. Take action for our planet: #Time2Choose. 

On Saturday 24th March from noon till 2pm there is a massive

rally planned, starting from NSW Parliament House, Macquarie St. It’s a march because clean air, clean water and clean energy can’t wait. The climate change movement is about shifting the political agenda though people power. If you’d like to add your personage to the plethora of groups that will be massing, there is a group of locals who’ll be catching the 9:18am train from Fassifern. We won’t be holding hands and singing kumbaya, we will be meeting like-minded locals and feeling a bit stronger for it.