Green Drinks
Green Drinks
Green Drinks is a monthly event for communities across western Sydney, where like-minded green people meet to offload and network with others about local environmental issues. The events are not all about drinking, but are held at pubs and include a meeting as the core component.
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The issue
Many people in western Sydney are affected by their own wars against development and illegal environmental activities, which are negatively affecting the natural areas we all love and work in. Additionally, people are still working independently of others, who may have already dealt with an issue in a manner that others could benefit from knowing about. And, in some areas, there is not a single community group, meeting and fighting on behalf of the environment.
The solution
An initial Green Drinks meeting was held to discuss what to do about the absence of a community group in the Penrith area. It was decided at that meeting that a Penrith community group would not have enough say, and that a broader – western Sydney wide – group was required. To encourage people to come together and form a wider group, monthly Green Drinks were held in Penrith and Campbelltown.
The impact
Green Drinks has had a great impact in Campbelltown, with a number of individual groups coming together at the Drinks events and now, forming a ‘collective statement’ of concerns for Sydney’s south west. The Koala is foremost in the eyes of the Campbelltown Group.
Additionally, Green Drinks was promoted under the Cumberland Conservation Network, which published a report ‘The State of the Cumberland Plain’, which was a widely distributed document, that became a guideline for community groups to pitch from the same platform.
Learnings
From the north of Sydney’s west, to its south, the distance was a real barrier for support and networking. Bridging that gap with a single network and via monthly events has provided Landcare support where the community require it most.
Key facts
- In areas that are separated by distance, issues can be common and shared.
- Effort is required to bridge this gap, but it can be done and with some great outcomes.