Bendigo Sustainability Group

Aren’t we lucky!!!! Announcing a new speaker for TEDxBendigo, a major local event to be held on same day and at same location as the Bendigo Sustainability Festival 2025! RONNI KAHN AO is a social entrepreneur and founder of Australia’s leading food rescue charity, OzHarvest. Ronni is a passionate advocate and activist renowned for disrupting the food waste landscape in Australia. She leads with purpose and conviction in the spaces of food security and sustainability while also appearing regularly in national media. Her mission to fight food waste and feed hungry people is supported by some of the world's finest chefs. Ronni is an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) and was named Australian Local Hero of the Year. Her journey is the subject of feature film, Food Fighter directed by Dan Goldberg. In 2020 she co-authored her biography; A Repurposed Life, which was nominated for an ABIA award for Biography Book of the Year. Tickets on sale now: https://lnkd.in/gR3hQ5MH Ronni Kahn AO

The 2025 Bendigo Sustainability Festival is being led by local young people and this is what they have to say about sustainability! Tickets for the festival on sale now: https://lnkd.in/gnHX_xwq

Tickets are now on sale for the big Bendigo event of 2025! Some incredible local and visiting speakers on the broad topic of “many hands” as this relates to creating a sustainable future for all of us! Check out the speaker list and go get your tix: https://lnkd.in/gR3hQ5MH Kon Karapanagiotidis, OAM, CEO of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre… Jodi Newcombe talking about creating our own currency for Djaara Country, Amanda Tattersall from the ChangeMakers Podcast, Professor Kate Auty, Dr Greg Moore, Cassie Fisher Patterson on sustainable fashion!! 15 speakers on the day, five per session. Get your tix!

New extraordinary speakers announced for TEDxBendigo Sunday 30 March 2025. Tickets on sale now, limited seats: https://lnkd.in/gR3hQ5MH Kon Karapanagiotidis OAM is the CEO and founder of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and a fierce advocate for the rights of people seeking asylum, refugees, and Indigenous Australians. Kon is also a human rights lawyer, social worker, Board Member for Children's Ground, philanthropist, masseur, and a gardening and cooking enthusiast. His talk is about the many hands it takes and will take to create a world we wish existed. Amanda Tattersall has been involved in a wide variety of social movements – student, union, peace, and refugee movements movement. She advises the Australian climate movement on their grassroots strategy and has completed a PhD and a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the University of Sydney exploring social change strategy and is the Host of ChangeMakers Podcast. Her talk will be about change: the barriers to it and things we can do to be a catalyst for it. Jodi Newcombe is a regenerative economist, community connector and strategic designer living on Djaara Country. Her career began in Europe with a decade working as an economist in environmental policy design and analysis. Moving to Australia, Jodi embarked on a creative sector career designing community engagement on climate change through public art and design. Residing now in Castlemaine, Jodi is co-founding member of the Castlemaine Institute and works as Circular Economy Officer at Hepburn Shire Council. Her passion project is examining our relationship with money and investigating the transformative potential of alternative currencies. Her TEDx talk will explore: “What if there was a local currency for Djaara Country?” TEDxBendigo is being held the same day at the same location as the Bendigo Sustainability Festival 2025 — More info about the event here: www.tedxbendigo.com.au Kon Karapanagiotidis OAM Amanda Tattersall Jodi Newcombe

On Tuesday 10 December, young people of varied ages, locations and backgrounds came together to come up with some crazy ideas for the 2025 Bendigo Sustainability Festival. It was an incredible conversation around what the festival could be, and what young people want it to be. The festival in March 2025 will be led by young people and will draw on their energy, fun, talents, passion for the environment and the great ideas they came up with at this workshop! Thanks to Epsom Primary School for hosting the event and to the @Crazy Ideas College for facilitating it. If you’re a young person in the region or know a young person who is keen to be part of the festival on Sunday 30 March or keen to help lead it, get in touch with us!! More information at https://lnkd.in/gnHX_xwq

Tickets now on sale for the 2025 Bendigo Sustainability Festival! The theme is “many hands” as this relates to working together to build a sustainable future. Young people are leading this iconic community festival. You’ll be amazed and inspired. Stalls, talks, entertainment, workshops, food, coffee, tips, information, advice and activities. Something for everyone. Come along and join in the fun; and if you want to get involved to help out, please email festival@bsg.org.au Tickets on sale: https://lnkd.in/gnHX_xwq

Announcing a few of our incredible speakers: Sarah Rees, Cassie Fisher Patterson, Professor Kate Auty and Travis Lovett. Tickets on sale now: www.tedxbendigo.com Sarah has campaigned for Australia’s forests for over two decades, collaborating with environmental organisations, businesses, schools, and universities to advance conservation policies that protect Australia’s forests and wildlife. Cassie is the Founder and Director of Wild Blak Arts, from the Taungurung and Dja Dja Wurrung people from the Kulin Nation. She is an Indigenous artist, master weaver, traditional dancer, bushtukka woman and educator. Kate Auty currently lives and works in Taungurung and Yorta Yorta country. Kate’s formal appointments have included magistrate (Victoria and WA), commissioner for environment (Victoria and the ACT), senior lawyer RCIADIC (Victoria, Tasmania and WA), and University of Melbourne Vice Chancellor’s and Professorial Fellowships. Travis has played key role in supporting Victoria to progress and implement Treaty and Truth telling. He is currently the Deputy Chair and Commissioner of Victoria's truth telling process, the Yoorrook Justice Commission. Sunday 30 March! Book now! Travis Lovett Professor Kate Auty Sarah 🌳 Rees @cassie fisher patterson

TEDxBendigo speaker announcement! Professor Kate Auty currently lives and works in Taungurung and Yorta Yorta country. Kate’s formal appointments have included magistrate (Victoria and WA), commissioner for environment (Victoria and the ACT), senior lawyer RCIADIC (Victoria, Tasmania and WA), and University of Melbourne Vice Chancellor’s and Professorial Fellowships. Kate is a barrister, environmental scientist and published author. Her talk is about her commitment to community advocacy which centres on the Strathbogie and Euroa area with groups such as Strathbogie Voices and EuroaConnect. https://lnkd.in/gR3hQ5MH

We’re delighted to share that our Giving Power campaign has won the energy category in the Tidy Towns & Cities Sustainability Awards, run by Keep Australia Beautiful VIC! This award celebrates not just the success of the campaign but the collective effort that made it possible. A huge thank you to everyone who supported this project – this victory is yours too! A heartfelt thank you to our incredible partners, Bendigo Community Health Services and Midland Solar Pty Ltd, for their expertise and dedication. To our generous donors: your contributions have powered real change in our community. And to the homeowners who embraced this initiative: thank you for allowing us to share your journey. Pictured: Some of our lovely homeowners – Rob & Michelle, Scott, and Margaret.

📢 We’re excited to announce the BSG Supporter program, designed to recognise and celebrate businesses partnering with BSG to build a sustainable future for our community. The BSG Supporter program features tiered memberships to suit organisations of every size, enabling each to contribute in a meaningful way while benefiting from exclusive opportunities. To launch the program, we’re thrilled to introduce our first member, Midland Solar Pty Ltd, who has demonstrated a strong commitment to sustainability and community impact. By becoming a BSG Supporter, Midland Solar joins us in a growing network of organisations dedicated to environmental responsibility and local resilience. A locally owned and independent NETCC-approved solar reseller, Midland Solar Pty Ltd brings over 25 years of electrical and solar experience to Central Victoria, helping people save on their energy bills and actively contribute to a greener economy. Midland Solar’s team is dedicated to ensuring every customer is 100% satisfied, providing high-quality service from consultation to installation and beyond. Their commitment to using only professional local installers and the most trusted solar brands reflects their focus on quality and community impact. 🌱 Why is sustainability important to Midland Solar? 🌱 “The decisions and actions we take today have significant long-term effects on future generations. Embracing sustainable practices allows us to make responsible choices that will contribute to a better future for all.” We’re honoured to partner with Midland Solar Pty Ltd in supporting sustainable actions that make a difference. Welcome to the BSG community, Midland Solar! If you'd like to know more, visit: https://lnkd.in/gMyRiDzz #BSGSupporter #SustainableCommunities #BendigoSustainabilityGroup