Green Street recently facilitated the ‘Samford Sustainability Smorgasbord‘. Held on 2 October 2024 at Samford Community Hub, the Sustainability Smorgasbord provided a forum for local enterprises to share and hear sustainability stories. The event was primarily for Samford Sustainable Business Network members and interested people from the community.

True to its name, the event served up a tasty ‘sustainability smorgasbord’! People from seven local enterprises delivered short presentations that gave the audience a taste of their sustainability activities. They showed how they are trying to support their enterprise and build a resilient community through simple initiatives. Speakers represented a range of enterprises: a cafe, garden centre, craft shop, newsagency, architecture practice, bush regeneration business and even the local scout group.

Photo gallery – workshop discussions

As part of the event, all attendees discussed how to put sustainability on the menu at their enterprise or workplace. They shared recipes for sustainability actions they’re already doing, and discussed barriers, aids and opportunities.

As well as local businesses, attendees included representatives from community groups and the general public. Sustainability actions and ideas presented or discussed included waste reuse, local purchasing, improving biodiversity, future planning, reducing plastics, personal well-being, cutting energy use, flexible home design, community support and much more.
 

Enterprises that shared their story…

• Samford Variety Store & Newsagency
• The Long Yard Larder Café
• The Leisa Tree
• Bushtekniq
• Bligh Graham Architects
• Samford Valley Garden Centre
• Samford Scout Group
• plus impromptu sharing from Samford Farmers Hall, Samford Progress, Samford Community Hub, Samford Rotary, Redcliffe Rotary and others.

Watch recordings from the event

Visit our YouTube channel to watch and hear some of the stories from the night – see the Sustainability Stories playlist.
 

Promoting local enterprises

Others can learn from the sustainability strategies of forward-thinking enterprises like those at the Samford event. In the Inspiration section, you’ll see the first of these: Cliff from The Long Yard Larder Cafe. We’ve published a couple more sustainability stories since then, and will add more over time.

• See Cliff’s story and video
• See more sustainability stories
• Watch the video presentations

About the Samford Sustainable Business Network

The Samford Sustainable Business Network is an initiative under the auspices of the Rotary Club of Samford Valley, supported by the City of Moreton Bay Council and the Samford & Districts Chamber of Commerce.

Facilitated by Green Street, the Network brings together a collective of enterprises to promote sustainable strategies and share ideas on how to create a positive impact. Network members connect via local events and the Samford SBN Group in Green Street’s Community.

The network is open to any business operating in the 4520 postcode area that wants to improve sustainability. This includes start-ups, established businesses and community enterprises. Members can access Green Street resources such as the 10 Steps Towards Sustainability (to visualise their journey), the Sustainability Roadmap (to assess priorities), the Sustainability Planning Tool (to track targets and actions), and the SPOT Sustainable Procurement Tool (to make more informed purchasing decisions).

There is also a Redcliffe Sustainable Business Network group. Interested in something similar for your area? Find out more about Sustainable Business Networks.
 

Participants listen to a talk at the Sustainability Smorgasbord