PlanBig

All things romance this Valentine’s Day

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:19:01 +1100

All things romance this Valentine’s Day

Whether it’s exchanging cards, sending a big bunch of red roses or making an extravagant gesture, Valentine’s Day is all about the romance.

Romance and the arts go hand in hand, so this Valentine’s Day we’re celebrating the creative and artistic plans which promote beauty, romance and connecting people.

The Poetry of Motion

Photographer Tanya Douthie is capturing the grace, strength and beauty of dance in an ongoing conceptual photography project. Away from the studio and stages, Tanya will be capturing the raw emotion of dancers in different surroundings such as gardens and places of interest, while at the same time reigniting her passion for photography. Do you have any ideas for Tanya or know any dancers willing to pose? Get in touch here.

Three Wimmera Women

Contemporary artists Karen Wiseman, Jenny Lester-Smith and Anita Condon are exploring the feeling of isolation associated with living in rural Australia and connection to places through art. Jenny’s work explores the rhythms of the landscape, Anita’s art explores the female spiritual connection to land and Karen’s work looks at the connection to place through floral explorations that are site specific. Show your support for their project here.

To grow a tribe of 100 to Moving Theatre

Moving Theatre is a Melbourne based group of artists who want to engage, inspire, challenge and entertain while creating opportunities for emerging artists to showcase their talents. The company is dedicated to bringing arts back into the west, particularly the local area of Sunshine, and wants to grow its following of those who wish to see a change in their community. Find out more here.

Building a Community All successful brands need to build a...

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:41:00 +1100

Building a Community

All successful brands need to build a community of fans, followers and supporters if they are to be sustainable over the long term.

Whether you’re a business start-up, a social enterprise or are developing a one-off campaign for a community issue, understanding how you can effectively connect with people and get them behind your cause is critical.

In this interview with Trevor Young, self-confessed ‘digital thinker and doer’ Kate Kendall provides insights into how business and community-based brands can develop a gain support by building and cultivating a community of followers and advocates.

Recently named amongst The Age (Melbourne) magazine’s ‘100 Most Influential, Inspiring and Creative’ people, Kate has been building and managing online communities for many years.

Kate is behind two new start-up enterprises – theFetch (a ‘what’s on’ directory for the business, digital and creative communities for Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, London, New York and Berlin) and Cloud Peeps, which provides social media services for startups and small businesses. She also founded Social Melbourne, a weekly get-together for Melbourne’s social media community.

Big News (January)

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:09:42 +1100

The new year has kicked off with a bang – with more and more plans popping up and achieving success with the help of our much loved supporters.

Our community continues to grow as we start the year with 2,680 likes on Facebook and 2,127 followers on Twitter – we really appreciate the ongoing support from all of you!

Some of our January highlights included:

Clipsal 500 Adelaide – The Race that Rocks

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Clipsal 500 Adelaide plan is a success! JDRF set out to recruit volunteers to attend the Clipsal 500 Adelaide this March to help shake tins, sell merchandise and dress as the JDRF Giant Jelly Baby mascot. JDRF has successfully recruited up to 60 volunteers per day for the event, and each will contribute to the ultimate goal of raising awareness about type 1 diabetes and $100,000 towards type 1 diabetes research. Read more about this plan here.

Dismantle – Bike Recycling

After a year and a half from concept to delivery and hundreds of volunteering hours dedicated to this project, the Dismantle plan is a success! With a vision of creating a vibrant community hub that celebrates sustainability, physical health, environmental friendly living and recycling, Dismantle has achieved all of this and more using bicycles as a medium for generating long-term social change. Hats off to Dismantle – check out the plan here.

Angels House

The Angels House plan was to help equip kids in care with the skills needed to lead successful and fulfilling lives. The plan has seen many achievements such as a steady army of volunteers working hard to help kids in crisis or care, the Wagga Wagga community donating items for crisis care packages, and care packages being sent to multiple states for kids in crisis or care. Congratulations to all involved on this great cause! Show your support here.

There are more inspiring plans to get behind next month – here are a few to check out:

Walk every day for 60 days kicked off on January 3^rd

The Arcadia International Environmental Film Festival plan started on January 12^thBe Creative, Save a Life started on January 25^th

Australia Day coming soon!

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:53:49 +1100

The Christmas and New Year celebrations have come and gone and I’m slowly getting back into the routine of work possibly just like you. Before you start thinking about Easter (bit hard not to do when the shops are already stocking Easter eggs) set your sights on planning an Australia Day to remember.

If you are stuck for ideas on what to get involved in, check out what is happening in your State here.

Here’s my tips for a fun filled day……

1. Dress for the occasion – Wear the colours of the Australian, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander flags with pride. Get it all happening, the togs, the thongs and the Aus Day tatts. Whatever you decide, enjoy the day and have a laugh.

2. Put on a good ol’ Aussie bbq – cook up a storm and chuck another lamb chop on the barbie just when you think you can’t eat anymore.

3. Don’t forget dessert. Now’s the time to learn how to make Pavlova.

4. Be inspired by the awesome stuff we Aussies do. Wonder who will walk away with the Australian of the Year award in 2012?

5. Last, but not least…after spending the day with friends and family, enjoying the sun, surf and Aussie grub you might be inspired to think up a brilliant idea to contribute in your own way to making Australia great. If the time is right, please share your idea…I’d love to be inspired by you.

Terri

PlanBig recently caught up with branding expert Michel Hogan,...

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:32:27 +1100

PlanBig recently caught up with branding expert Michel Hogan, independent brand advocate with Brandology.

In this interview she talks about branding for non-profits and offers her top five tips for our PlanBiggers. Check it out!

For more tips follow Michel on Twitter @michelhogan or visit http://www.brandology.com.au.

Stuff New Year's Resolutions and Get Stuff Done

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:36:55 +1100

I’m pretty skepty about New Year’s resolutions. Sitting deep in the collective consciousness are promises to eat better, exercise more and quit smoking. This is the year we’re going to flip a switch and just be better.

Or in the words of Liz Lemon: “Well, I had a great summer, too… I started a quilt, I did yoga twice a week, I wore flip flops in public. I really feel like this is going to be my year.”

Don’t get me wrong, I love goals. A couple of weeks before Christmas I was having lunch with my friend Tammy and we shared a high-five over the fact that 2012 would bring more goals and new ways of achieving them. The thing I’m not hot on and something I’ve often done is setting resolutions in the week of excess that is Christmas/New Years. We often feel guilty after stuffing ourselves with plates of food and boxes of alcohol in our holidays. It lends itself to setting unrealistic expectations of gastronomic purity to repent for our recent caloric sins (and other hedonistic/lazy pursuits such as smoking, not being organised, wasting money and not exercising).

In an article for the Sydney Morning Herald, clinical psychologist Grant Brecht outlines the problem with New Years Resolutions: “People come up with the resolution with very little thought, often alcohol-fuelled, and they don’t go through goal setting in a strategic manner. These are knee-jerk reactions and a bit flippant, not actual goals.”

Brecht recommends that you call them goals, not resolutions and you make sure that they’re SMART - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-based (which if you’ve ever taken Marketing 101 may cause you to roll your eyes. Go with it.) Making sure you’ve thought through your goals carefully and created some boundaries will mean you’re far less likely to abandon them in the average of three to five days.

Brecht also recommends that you share your goals with others. When we did the Half Six Breakfast Club, getting up every morning at 6.30am every day for 30 days, the social pressure of telling everyone that’s what I was doing and having to update the time I got up every morning was the only thing that got me through. Without it I wouldn’t have lasted a week. A delightful side effect to putting the updates out there through PlanBig, Facebook and Twitter was that a bunch of people joined in and encouraged me along the way. As Scott Belsky says in my favourite book, Making Ideas Happen, “your accountability to your own ideas is greatly amplified when you “go public” on any project – and even more so when you publicly proclaim your goals.”

So take some time, reflect on the last year and what you’d like to achieve in 2012, write it down and tell someone about it! I’d love to hear what you’re up to, what are your goals for 2012?

— Julia

Big News (December)

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:23:00 +1100

Big News (December)

With another big year coming to a close and the festive season here, it’s the perfect opportunity to celebrate the amazing things that have happened in our PlanBig community.

Our members have played a massive hand in helping everyday people turn their dreams into a reality and we can’t wait to see what the new year has in store for us.

This year has seen our online community grow and flourish and we are finishing up 2011 with more than 2,450 likes on Facebook and more than 2,000 followers on Twitter – a big thanks to all of you for showing us so much love!

We also had one of our very own Community Advisory Board members, Ehon Chan, named as one of Melbourne’s top 100 most influential for his fantastic work in promoting men’s health – a great achievement.

Some of our December highlights included:

Kaniva’s Sheep Art BBQ launch

The Sheep Art Kaniva project launch celebrated Kaniva’s rich sheep and wool growing history earlier this month with a ‘Sheep Art’ exhibition of fiberglass sheep painted by local artists and community groups. The day was a huge success and the hope is that the sheep will provide new tourism opportunities for Kaniva. Check out Kaniva’s beautiful sheep art here.

Fair@Square

The Fair@Square Festival kicked off this month for the second year running as part of its plans to become Australia’s largest fair-trade and ethical festival and an integral part of Melbourne’s sustainable culture. The festival included a fashion show, ethical exhibitors and an attendance of more than 75,000, which is an amazing achievement. See how it all went down here.

ArtAbility 2011

The annual ArtAbility visual arts exhibition took place this month with a week-long exhibition at Federation Square showcasing artwork from Victoria’s most talented disabled artists. The exhibition was hosted by Action on Disability in Ethnic Communities (ADEC) and gave a range of artists of all ages and cultures living with a disability the opportunity to exhibit and sell their work. Congratulations to all involved.

Wishing everyone a very safe and happy holidays – we can’t wait to see you all again in the new year!

Videos to put a smile on your dial….

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:15:00 +1100

It’s finally the holiday season and it’s around this time of year that we start collecting our favourite holiday themed viral videos to get you feeling festive.

Here are a few that are sure to put a smile on your dial:

1. The Amazing Grace Light House – an amazing light show that rocks to the tunes of Amazing Grace.

2. Angry Birds Season’s Greedings – a cute little video for all the Angry Bird fans.

3. Merry Christmas from Grolsch & the Swingtop Philharmonic Orchestra – a magical rendition of the classic carol ‘O Christmas Tree’ played on instruments crafted from Grolsch Swingtop bottles.

4. Simon’s Cat in ‘Santa Claws’ – the pet owners will be able to relate to this one!

5. The Digital Story of the Nativity – social media, the web and mobile tell the story of the nativity.

Wishing everyone a happy and safe holiday season!

Keep busy this summer with your loved ones...

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:53:45 +1100

Summer is here! This means longer days and more time spent with family and friends. If you’re looking for ways to beat the summertime boredom we’ve put together some fun and easy arts and crafts ideas to inspire you:

1. Make your own cute drinks coasters

2. Super easy button snap clips

3. Make your own candles

4. DIY cherry blossom canvas

5. Mosaic design and colour

We also have some amazing planners who are doing some exciting projects in the arts and crafts space, check them out and see if you can lend a helping hand:

Sheep Art Kaniva

The Sheep Art Kaniva project aims to celebrate Kaniva’s rich sheep and wool growing history through a community arts project. The idea is to create a flock of fiberglass sheep painted by local artists and community groups that could be utilised at a variety of events throughout the town and region. Do you have any suggestions? Get in touch here.

Art-vend QLD

Art-Vend is an initiative created by Melbourne artist Nick Ilton with a goal to successfully connect working artists of Australia with the wider Australian community. The concept is to build a transportable vending machine that vends artworks, zines, CDs and small sculptures to the public – encompassing the ideas of connectivity, community involvement and artistic opportunities. Do you have anything to add? Share your ideas here.

Arts & Crafts Against Digital Boredom

Saskia wants to make family leisure time in Geraldton more fun. She is trying to encourage families to be inspired and entertained the old fashioned way, by getting creative through arts and crafts rather than watching TV or playing on the computer. Show your support here.

It’s International Volunteer Day! Here are six ways for you to get involved…

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 17:40:21 +1100

It’s International Volunteer Day! There are so many ways you can help out and every little bit counts.

Here are six ways you can get involved:

Give your time: Volunteer the old fashioned way and give up some of your time to get out and about for a cause you care about. Not sure where to start? Check out the Australian Charity Guide for a comprehensive list of charities.
Give your advice: Are you an expert in your field? Perhaps you could offer up your expertise for a day, week, month or year to a charity of your choice that might benefit. Alternatively, you could set PlanBig as your home page and drop in to offer advice whenever you like!
Give your feedback: Sometimes what people really need is a critical eye. Responding to a survey request or offering feedback on a proposed idea can mean wonders to a person.
Give your contacts: Sometimes it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Can you put someone in touch with a great resource? Maybe it’s not you who can help this time around - maybe a friend, colleague or acquaintance can help instead! Organising a coffee catch-up to help connect the dots or sending someone your list of relevant industry contacts might be the best value you can offer.
Give your stuff: When was the last time you spring-cleaned your wardrobe – or your entire house for that matter? This week could be the week for you to dust off your pre-loved clothes, books or homewares to be dropped off at a local charity bin near you.
Give gifts that matter: Not sure what to buy your Kris Kringle this year? How about a goat or a fruit tree for a community in need? Lots of charities offer similar programs and they’re definitely worth a peek.

Whatever you do this International Volunteer Day, make sure you have fun and above all else, spread the word!

Big News (November)

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 10:42:16 +1100

We’re nearing the silly season with the Christmas holidays fast approaching. In the spirit of giving, it’s been another busy month for the PlanBig community.

Our PlanBiggers have been achieving great things this month, connecting and inspiring more and more people every day. We now have more than 2,370 likes on Facebook and more than 2,020 followers on Twitter.

We’ve put together some of the highlights from the month for your reading pleasure:

Bendigo Blues and Roots Music Festival

Colin began planning the first ever Bendigo Blues and Roots Music Festival nearly two years ago and this month all of his dreams and visions came true. The event was a huge success, with the three day festival featuring more than 55 acts as well as kids’ activities, face painting and craft workshops – there was something fun for everyone. You can see what Colin has been up to here.

Men’s Health Expo

This month John successfully hosted the Men’s Health Expo, an event committed to supporting and promoting men’s health. There were a number of community organisations present on the day including Movember, Vision 2020, Kidney Health Australia and the Red Cross Blood Bank – all lending a helping hand to this fantastic cause. You can check out John’s plan here.

Cruisin 4 a Cure

Vanessa has a plan to travel around Australia for 12 months in a motorhome with the goal of raising $1 million dollars for the Cancer Council. Vanessa successfully hosted a Bingo and Burlesque night to help contribute to the cancer research fund, raising a whopping $3,500 and has other activities lined up to help make her dream a reality. A fantastic effort Vanessa! Show your support here.

There are more inspiring plans to get behind next month – here are a few that would love your support:

The Fair@Square fair trade + ethical festival kicks off on December 2^ndThe Sheep Art Kaniva project will be launched on December 5^thThe COMPASS summer vacation program will be happening from December 12^th-22^nd

It’s Social Inclusion Week! Check out these tips for getting involved…

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 12:15:00 +1100

It’s Social Inclusion Week!

This week is all about connecting with local communities, work mates, family and friends to build relationships and networks to support people who may be unable to help themselves.

Not sure how to get involved? We’ve profiled planners from around the country who need your help! Check them out:

VIC: Bendigo Blues and Roots Festival

Colin is bringing the first ever Blues and Roots Festival to Central Victoria this weekend. He hopes to shine a light on some of the amazing local talent and give music lovers a fun, free, family-friendly event that gives everyone the opportunity to experience the thrill of a live music event. Head to one of the events this weekend!

SA: Bears for Birthdays

Alicia is trying to make birthdays more special for kids in foster homes by sending them birthday cards and teddy bears. Do you have a blank birthday card or teddy bear you’d like to donate? Get in touch here.

ACT: The Big Bee

Anne is trying to get the Canberra community together this weekend to help cleanup and work on their backyards. Anne hopes the Big Bee will connect friends, families and neighbours to do something different for their community. Volunteer now!

NSW: Win-Win Community Trading

Irene wants to help people with limited career options use their natural abilities to make money through community collaboration. Do you know someone who chould be involved? Spread the word now.

WA: Arts & Crafts Against Digital Boredom

Saskia is trying to get families out and about and doing something educational and entertaining together through arts and crafts. Are you looking for a creative outlet this weekend? Find out more here.

QLD: Feed our Hungry

Megan’s charitable organisation, Feed Our Hungry (FOH), is trying to feed low income families and homeless people in Brisbane. FOH needs a kitchen to help even more people every day. Do you know someone who can help?

TAS: Eco Launderette

Tim hopes to launch a sustainable launderette that is disconnected from the power grid, uses and re-uses its own water supply and generates power and steam from geothermal energy and solar power. Show your support here.

Ask questions and you will find the answers – tips and tricks on how to create a survey

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:48:00 +1100

Surveys are a fantastic way to test the waters with your big idea and are a powerful research tool to help you get insights or feedback. An interesting and well written survey will generate a high response rate and provide you with quality information that can be used to improve your business or get your idea off the ground.

Here are a few suggestions on how to get started and some best practice tips to make sure you get the results you’re after.

Clearly define your objective and goals to help serve as the foundation of the survey. People are more likely to participate when they know the reasons for the survey, what information will be requested, and how their feedback will be used.
Identify the data you need and know what information is required to help you make a more informed decision. There is no point in asking questions that are not going to help you reach a verdict.
Craft your questions carefully. How you ask your questions can make a big difference in the quality of data you receive so avoid agree/disagree scales and avoid asking leading questions that may lead respondents towards a certain answer.
Spread the word amongst your networks to help you get responses. Use Facebook, Twitter or your blog (if you have one) to help you get your survey out the door. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing the results of your survey come streaming in.
Publish your results online. People who respond will be interested in seeing the results and having access to these results will encourage them to complete the survey.

It’s Recycling Week! Check out these tips for getting involved…

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 10:53:15 +1100

It’s Recycling Week!

For those of you who want get involved but don’t know how, we’ve put together a list of ways to help make it happen:

Reduce

Plan your weekly or fortnightly shop, starting with what you have in the pantry. This will stop you from overbuying and will also prevent you from sending more than you need off to recycling plants or landfill
Reduce your consumption of bottled water and other bottled drinks
Change your printer settings so that printing is automatically double-sided. Did you know that every 100 reams of recycled office paper that is printed saves two trees?

Re-use

Buy items made out of recycled materials
Find constructive purposes for “waste” materials, such as reusing toilet paper rolls to start growing seeds in your garden
Recycle your shower water and your organic waste by composting in your backyard or at your local community garden

Recycle

Brush up on your knowledge of what can and can’t be recycled and make sure you don’t send anything that can’t be processed. Each city has its own specifics, so try to follow those guidelines as best you can
Try a new form of recycling. You could attend a clothing swap or recycle your pre-loved clothes at a nearby charity. You might even know an artist who could make use of your recycled goods
If you don’t love something, let it go and give it away for a new life with someone else

Turning PC monitors off to save energy
Jason is trying to encourage people to turn their computers and monitors off at the end of each day. Get involved by starting a new habit yourself today or creating a new environmental initiative at your office. Find out more.

Greening the West
Healthy Urban Habitat is Greening the West by exploring new ways to improve the climate, environment and health status of Melbourne’s western suburbs. They hope to increase vegetation and tree canopy cover through the suburbs by collaborating with councils, businesses, community groups and the Department of Health. Do you have an idea you can contribute?

Melbourne City Rooftop Honey
Vanessa wants to bring honey bees back to the city of Melbourne with the practice of natural, rooftop beekeeping. The plan aims to get local businesses and individuals on board by offering their rooftops for beekeeping, or purchasing rooftop honey. Can you help?

Big News (October)

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 08:51:00 +1100

***UPDATED 2/11/11 Meg and Angie were the hosts of the fabulous Walk-in Wardrobe event. Humblest apologies to Angie for not having her name in the original post, you both did an amazing job and it was a pleasure to take part***

The sun is out, the weather is warming up and the holiday season is not too far away. Our PlanBiggers have been busier than ever this month, sharing, swapping and fundraising for fantastic causes.

Our PlanBig community continues to grow and connect passionate people every day with more than 2,275 likes on Facebook and more than 1,925 followers on Twitter.

Here is a little bit of a peek at some of our amazing planners who have achieved big things this month:

National Swap Day

Linda had a big plan to encourage fashionistas around the country to take part in the country’s biggest clothes swapping day, giving them the opportunity to update their wardrobes while also helping the environment. The event was a huge success with more 250 savvy swappers across four states taking part in the event. You can read about the night here. Well done Linda!

Open Shed

This month Lisa successfully launched Open Shed, a collaborative consumption idea to encourage the renting and sharing of products and services within a community and encourage sustainable living. Lisa has done an amazing job with getting this idea off the ground, harnessing the support of key collaborative consumption supporters in the country. The website is now up and running so if you are interested in living a more resourceful and sustainable life, jump on board and show your support here.

Walk-in Wardrobe

Meg and Angie hosted Walk-in Wardrobe last weekend, a pre-loved and vintage clothing market event where part of the money from clothing sales will be donated to charity. The charity partner for the event was Clown Doctors, an Australian charity dedicated to promoting and delivering the health benefits of humour. There was a massive turnout on the day with fashion experts, friends and colleagues all selling their fashion wares for a fantastic cause. You can check out her plan here.

There are more amazing plans to lend your support to next month. Here are just a few to get behind:

The Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival will be rocking and rolling on November 26^th

The Empower Malawi exhibition will be taking place from November 22^nd-24^th

Mchappy Day Pacific Pines will be happening on November 12^th

Planning or attending a big Halloween party this year? These tips will get you sorted!

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:47:50 +1100

Halloween is just around the corner! So if you’re planning or attending a big Halloween party this year and need help deciding what your fancy dress costume will be or what to have at your party, then you’ve come to the right place!

We’ve put together some of our favourite costume ideas, along with some handy tips for those who are playing host. We hope they help!

Tips and tricks for hosts:

Decorate! Halloween themed food and decoration will amp up the mood and make everything feel more festive. Your guests will have gone to the effort of dressing up, so a well decorated space will make them feel more comfortable and contribute to the atmosphere.
Keep your guests entertained with Halloween themed games. Games like pumpkin golf, apple bobbing and “best dressed” awards are low maintenance and will provide fun distraction and conversation throughout the night.
Have a theme. For those of you who have hosted a Halloween party before, it can be fun to mix it up by picking a party theme like “movie characters”, “celebrity couples” or “circus acts”. Themes can also be helpful for Halloween parties hosted at work to keep things sensible and appropriate.
Keep a camera on-hand to capture the hilarity.

Tips for your costume:

Don’t come to a Halloween party dressed as you would for any ordinary night out. You’ll spoil the fun and you’ll be the odd one out.
If you can’t afford to buy a whole new outfit, consider renting some or all of your outfit from your local party hire shop. Alternatively, try making your own - a bit of makeup and some arts and crafts can go a long way, and there are some great DIY tutorials on YouTube.
If you’re choosing a costume for work, pick something appropriate and remember you’ll be sitting around in it for 8+ hours (think about your comfort and how that makeup might look at the end of the day)!

Finally, our favourite costumes this year:

And last but not least, all of the traditional options. Witches, cats, ghosts and zombies are oldies but goodies.

Some motivation tips to keep your big idea going

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 08:54:00 +1100

Spring is in the air and we’re fast heading towards the end of the year. It can be difficult to stay motivated on the goals or plans you started earlier in the year so we’ve put together some easy tips to help you manage and plan your project to help keep you going on your plan!

Schedule the things that need to be done so that you know exactly what you have to accomplish each day and to help you manage your tasks. This will give you a nice visual of all your work and nothing beats the feeling of checking things off your to-do list!
A chaotic workspace can distract you from the work at hand so make sure you organise your workspace so that it’s neat prior to starting.
Attack the big tasks first thing in the morning. Once you have completed them, you will feel more accomplished for the day.
Exercise to give you a mid-day heart rate boost that can increase productivity for the afternoon. If you can’t do jumping jacks in your office, a lunchtime walk works just as well.
Just do it! Sometimes the best way to get things done is to stop procrastinating and start working. Start off with one task and see how much you can achieve.

Collaborative consumption for Buy Nothing New Month

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 09:30:00 +1100

Collaborative consumption is a trend that has grown increasingly popular in recent years with communities becoming more and more sustainable through innovation and collaboration.

This October is Buy Nothing New month and our planners are kicking off the movement in style with some awesome creative collaborative consumption initiatives this month – which you can get involved in! Find out how:

National Swap Day #2

National Swap Day is here again! Hosted by The Clothing Exchange, this is the biggest clothing swap held at one time around the nation (in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra). The Clothing Exchange is in the game of promoting eco-responsibility and inspiring and educating others about the importance of reducing fashion wastage. Buy your tickets here.

Walk-in Wardrobe

Walk-in Wardrobe is a locally-run fashion market that raises money for charity, with this year’s event supporting Clown Doctors Australia. The event also promotes sustainability by giving people the opportunity to find their pre-loved or unwanted clothes and accessories a new home while supporting a great cause. It is also a great way to network to meet with like-minded people. Find out more here.

Open Shed

Lisa and Duncan hope to help everyday Aussies join the collaborative consumption movement by renting out their idle stuff to others in their community. Lisa and Duncan launched their online marketplace, Open Shed, this month, giving Australians around the country the opportunity to save and make money while building and strengthening community ties. Get involved here.

There are so many ways to live and engage more sustainably. No matter how you get involved we hope you have fun this Buy Nothing New month!

***UPDATE 12/10/2011***

You should definitely check out our friends at http://www.collaborativeconsumption.com/, a fine resource that covers all things #collcons.

Hulbert St Sustainability Fiesta enjoys another successful year!

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 11:59:59 +1100

A thank you note from Tim……..

Want a tip for gracious living? Here’s one you can try.

You know when you go for an early morning walk on the beach, and you see groups of people doing all sorts of bazaar, unusual, inexplicable … .and yet obviously very purposeful activities? You know, it might be Tai Chi or Chi Gung or Sahatharahawidgemultha breath meditation …whatever.

Well one of those groups is likely to be me, my partner Shani and an assortment of friends and neighbours.

Over summer we developed a bit of a routine. You walk down to the beach (dogs optional) and walk briskly to the northern groyne. At this point you touch a rock with some part of your anatomy and star vacantly into space (preferably without drooling) while you cast your mind back over the previous 24 hours and remember three things that you are grateful for.

When the slowest (ie most reflective) person has been able to come up with three we walk quietly back down the beach, each person sharing what their three grateful things were.

Now I know this may sound a bit Secret Seven or Californian New Age Sunshine Church of Positive Thinking ish (after all we are in Fremantle!) but I’ve found this a great way to start the day. Us humans, you know, we’re a cynical bunch and it’s easy to bypass or ignore the simple pleasures and give over to the majority of life’s ruminations - outstanding tax returns, frothless cappuccinos or the despairing looks on the faces of homeless polar bears as they drift north on their tiny ever decreasing ice burgs.

I’ve found that, when repeated regularly the “Early Morning Three Grateful Things While Walking on the Beach” meditation not only forces you to think (even if only fleetingly) of the best things that have happened in your day, but after a while you start bookmarking things as they happen. You know “hey I just found an unexpected $20 in the pocket of my old jeans. If nothing else happens today that can be one of my three grateful things” (See there you go you have two already – you found $20 and you are able to use that as a grateful thing – you only need one more!)

There is even a term for those days that after much reflection, have really just been s**t. One morning the best my friend and neighbour could come up with was “Well I have two legs … and they both work”

This is what we call a “hard grateful day”

That’s the three grateful things: Meditation. Try it. You might like it.

So anyway this morning as Shani and I shared our three grateful things, we were so grateful that three just wasn’t enough. You see the previous two days were spent at the Hulbert Street Sustainability Fiesta.

We had such a wonderful time that just three grateful things just didn’t cut it.

We did three each, another three, then another three, and the three grateful things lasted all day and well into the night …

Mmmm …Now that I think about it maybe I should see if I can open some kind of grateful account. I reckon I could come up with enough grateful things from those two days to tide me over into next year.

In the end we pared it down – here’s a combined list from Shani and I -

1. The 178 entry, open home, dishwashing, panic party and other volunteers who donated $31,825.00 worth of time and in kind support.

2. The 205 people from 31 community groups who shared their vision and commitment.

3. The 181 people who shared their passions and talent at the Show and Tell and Busking areas.

4. The 10 sponsors and visitors who donated financially to fund the $27,305 in cash needed to run the Fiesta.

5. The 52 food, artist and business stall holders who added such colour and warmth.

6. The 77 residents of the 30 houses on Hulbert Street for their open homes, gardens and hearts.

7. The 6595 visitors who came to the Fiesta, and between them only created 6 bins of recyclable resources, and no rubbish – but two big piles of compost for the Hulbert Street Guerilla Garde

OK … … I know … . . that makes seven … …

It was such an awesome experience to take part in the fiesta, the PlanBig crew had an unbelievable time. What would you add to the grateful account?

Big News (September)

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:24:32 +1000

We know you’re probably too busy to catch EVERYTHING that’s been going on this month on PlanBig – that’s where we come in! We’ve got all the highlights right here. Read on for more…

PlanBig is connecting more and more members and supporters each day, now with more than 2,159 likes on Facebook and more than 1,859 followers on Twitter.

On the community front, PlanBig celebrated the first in-person meeting of the 2011/2012 Community Advisory Board, bringing some of the community’s most innovative and involved members together from all over the country to collaborate and help PlanBig grow. The Community Advisory Board also participated at the Hulbert Street Sustainability Fiesta, lending their support to the event.

More September highlights:

Hulbert Street Sustainability Fiesta

The Hulbert Street Sustainability Festival was a roaring success this month, with the street jam-packed full of people interested in taking on a more sustainable lifestyle by celebrating sustainable living and community. Residents showcased their homes, creativity, work and sustainable lifestyles, and people from around the state and beyond enjoyed the fiesta from sun up to sun down. Find out more here.

Bay FM 99.9 Community Radio Annual Subscriber Drive

Lyn’s subscriber drive for Bay FM in Byron Bay was a great triumph, with a 42% increase in subscribers this year. The plan helped to connect Bay FM with its community to deliver great independent radio for the Byron Bay region. Well done Lyn! If you’re from the area and want to find out more check them out.

Help raise $33,000: TON OF WOOL

Kylie marked her plan a success with nearly $40,000 raised to help promote the local processing of a wider range of wool in Australia. She single handedly raised the highest amount on the fundraising site that she used and spread the word across the nation about the opportunity for small farmers to add another revenue stream to their farming. Great work Kylie! Find out more about Kylie’s crusade here.

There are more great plans to get behind next month - here are a few that would love your support:

Open Shed, launching in the first week of October around the country

Donate Don’t Dump Day, happening on October 1st nationwide

National Swap Day kicking off on October 17th around the nation

Walk in Wardrobe, taking place on October 30th in Victoria