Climate Corner: Make 2025 the year you find your climate action tribe

If your new year’s resolution was to do more for the climate, you’re not alone.

But it’s easy to feel that way. It can be easy to feel like just one person, and a person who is a long way from wielding serious power – most of us aren’t oil barons or heads of state.

A good way to capitalise on that new year enthusiasm and ward off that horrible, impotent feeling, is to collaborate with other people who care as much as you do.

Working together is key to combat climate change – but it’s also something that’s easier said than done, especially for those of us who aren’t familiar with environmental or activist communities.

Luckily, Corrimal Rotary has come up with a solution.

Its annual GreenFest sustainability expo and fun day will be held at Corrimal High School on Sunday 16 March.

It brings together a wide variety of people and organisations who are taking action locally to protect the environment.

With stallholders from Growing Illawarra Natives to electric vehicle proponents and Corrimal Men’s Shed, there’s a good chance you’ll find a group that feels like a good fit.

Corrimal Rotary president Linda Bunclark said the expo was the brainchild of a number of Corrimal Rotary members who had been involved in environmental avtivism since the 1970s.

“Rotary is more than 100 years old now, and the environment is an area we focus on,” she said.

“We have an environment branch in our club that does beach clean-ups, creek clean-ups and tree planting and we’ve made lots of connections with groups who have similar aspirations.

“We thought it would be a great idea to get everyone in the same place to share what they’re doing, educate the community and network with each other.”

The local Rotary district, which reaches from Sydney down to Kiama and west to Campbelltown and Parramatta, has cleaned up at the Rotary environment awards over the past years, taking gold, silver and bronze in the category for its efforts in the environment space.

Linda said the 2025 event hoped to attract plenty of children and young people too, with fun activities such as a bike-powered blender, an event passport with a prize draw and plenty of kids activities.

The goal is to inspire, connect and build on what’s already happening in the Illawarra.

“We want to provide information and demonstrations to help people make decisions about how to make changes in their own homes or within their communities,” she said.

“I’m really excited about what we’re trying to do. That sense of community is very significant.

“It’s so important for people to recognise there are things they can get involved in, that they can do, rather than be caught in their own bubble.”

Linda said the club was appreciative of the support for the event provided by Legacy Property and Corrimal High School.

If you’d like to attend the expo, head to Corrimal High School between 10 am and 2 pm on Sunday 16 March.