Sustainable living on display

Upcycling community project presents its pre-launch during this weekend’s Sustainable Living Expo at Yeppoon

Jim Callan of Upcycle CQ, Malcolm Wells of Capricorn Coast Landcare Group, Jan Boyd of the Bicycle User Group, and Terry and Madeline Arnold of Upcycle CQ look forward to Sustainable Livingstone Expo at Yeppoon this weekend

The humble bicycle will play a hero role during this weekend’s Sustainable Living Expo at Yeppoon.

The Capricorn Bicycle User Group will be there to continue its advocacy for more links between bicycle pathways around the coast.

President Jan Boyd has been aiming to change people’s behaviour towards bikes and riding since she arrived in the area in 1976.

“This town is generating too much car traffic to be sustainable,” she said.

“So many people are only travelling one or two kilometres which is an easy distance to walk, ride or take public transport.”

Mrs Boyd is eager to change people’s attitudes towards the everyday bike rider.

“Any time I raise bike riding in the media I get hate mail,” she said.

“I’m not talking about racers in their pelotons; I’m talking about mums and dads with kids on the back going to school or the shops.”

Mrs Boyd said the Main Road Department’s Priority Cycle Network has been very effective in providing people with riding opportunities but some vital links were still missing, with an increasing number of suburbs becoming ‘car-locked’.

“There’s a retirement village right here on the coast that has no footpath outside it,” she said.

“It’s a pity to have bike paths if someone has to put their bike in the car to reach them.”

Also at the Sustainable Expo, members of Upcycle CQ will be laying bicycles to waste... but not because they don’t like them.

The newest community group on the block, Upcycle has been formed to teach local children how to put value back into waste materials.

“We’re showing kids how to pull apart broken bikes and reassemble the parts into new machines such as velo cycles,” said founders Jim Callan and Terry Arnold.

“We want to help kids reconnect with the community by giving them traditional skills and growing their confidence.”

The pair envision that local school children could begin their career paths by getting “fired up” by the prospect of creating their own industries, as Upcycle finds ever more innovative ways to use local waste materials.

“With so many paid car parks around the coast, maybe they could ferry people around town in handmade velo cycles and offer vital links to cycle ways,” Mr Callan said.

Upcycle CQ will join many other speakers and stall holders in attending the Sustainable Expo this weekend as part of its pre-launch as it works towards beginning full-scale activities next year.