The Noosa Biosphere Reserve Foundation (NBRF) hosted its annual Noosa Biosphere Awards, hailed a “fantastic celebration”, on Thursday 30 November at the Sunshine Beach Surf Lifesaving Club, with 140 guests from the local environment sector turning out for the event.

Noosa Shire is leading the charge in a sustainability revolution, with households across the region making the switch to all-electric appliances and cars powered by clean electricity.

E-bikes are part of a growing movement that focuses on micro-mobility as a way to reduce congestion, air pollution and and emissions. For Noosa, prompting micro-mobility must be a key part of our emissions reduction strategy.

Nestled amid Queensland’s paradisiacal landscapes, Noosa, renowned for its pristine beaches and vibrant street life, is making waves in another domain - sustainable living.

Parking in Noosa is a perennial problem, especially at peak times, but most solutions to address the parking problem focus on increasing the supply.

Noosa Shire is leading the charge in a sustainability revolution, with households across the region making the switch to all-electric appliances and cars powered by clean electricity. This shift is not only slashing household expenses by up to 50% compared to those relying on fossil fuels, but it's also making a significant positive impact on the climate by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from energy use.

What does the closure of Sunshine Beach Road have to being an advocate for EVs?

Just ask Andrew Fairbairn, from Visit Sunshine Coast.

We are looking for a special person to assist ZEN Inc’s. work and impact, by supporting our Board and Working Groups, that help move the Noosa Shire community towards bet zero emissions.

Statistics can be tricky. Take for example this astounding figure: EV sales in Australia increased by 385% in 2022.

Australians love league tables, and surely this figure would put us at the top of the global EV table - especially when the equivalent figure for boastful Norway was a meagre 7%.

This years ZEN EV Expo saw Noosa junction take on a vibrant carnival atmosphere   with display of the latest electric vehicles - cars, motorcycles, e-bikes, e-scooters and  - of particular interest - a powerful e-Ute.

The uptake of solar electricity across Noosa region is well advanced, with householders the first to see the benefits, but more recently businesses have been catching up fast.

Year 6 students from Sunshine Coast State School were recently involved in the ZEN DURO 2023 project about the use of swappable batteries for electric vehicles and how they could work in our community.

Noosa is a step closer to owning one of Queensland’s first community batteries with Council endorsing a plan to begin contract negotiations with not-for-profit Yarra Energy Foundation (YEF).

One Step Off the Grid has written a feature story about the Noosa Lakes Resort Solar for Strata project.

Experts were on hand to offer information and there were many people willing to listen, check out the 64 exhibitors or have a test drive of some of the scooters and bikes at the Zero Emissions Noosa (ZEN Inc) event Sunday June 18.

Noosa based Team Body Corporate has been awarded for their involvement in supporting the Committee as Body Corporate Managers in the outstanding Noosa Lakes Resort Solar Revenue Project.

The EV Expo organised by Zero Emissions Noosa Inc (ZEN Inc) went a long way in answering a questions on electric vehicles (EVs) and other alternatives like hydrogen.

Noosa is a step closer to owning one of Queensland’s first community batteries with Council on Monday endorsing a plan to begin contract negotiations with not-for-profit Yarra Energy Foundation (YEF). 

If you are not able to purchase an EV just yet, speaker’s stage sponsor, Greenfleet can help to offset emissions as Australia’s first carbon offset provider by restoring forests.

The 2023 Noosa EV Expo and Street Fest is on Sunday 18 June from 10am - 2pm.

The world is moving towards cleaner energy sources, and electric vehicles are playing a crucial role in that Transition.

Take the free bus.

The 2023 Noosa EV Expo and Street Fest is on Sunday 18 June from 10am - 2pm.

Sunshine Beach Road in Noosa Junction will be closed between Noosa Drive and Berrima Row between 6:30am and 4pm.

Take the free bus.

Traffic: According to a recent online survey conducted by Noosa Councillor Brian Stockwell, the traffic problem in Noosa is not limited to peak holiday season but persists year-round.

Electric vehicles of all shapes and sizes are taking over Noosa Junction for ZEN Inc’s 2023 Noosa EV Expo and Street Fest, Sunday June 18 from 10am until 2pm - festivities will delight locals and visitors along Sunshine Beach road.

Noosaville and Caloundra will receive community batteries to help lower household electricity bills and reduce emissions following the first round of the Community Batteries for Household Solar Program.

ZEN Inc. welcomed three new Board members at it’s recent AGM

2023 Noosa EV Expo on Sunday 18 June is highlighting the choice of more efficient, affordable and diverse vehicles that are suitable for the regions – including the much-loved Aussie tradition of utes. 

Annie Nolan, Noosa Council’s Carbon Reduction Officer and Geoff Acton, Zero Emissions Noosa’s co-convenor of the Noosa Community Batteries Initiative were invited to talk at the Noosa Parks Association Friday Environment Forum on Friday 28 April 2023.

Margie Maccoll has written a great article about the event and we are most grateful to Noosa Today for publishing it, and to Di Shun Wah and the FEF Team at NPA for inviting us and treating us to an audience of over 50.

Like many people, for Rex Halvorson, owning a totally electric car sounded like doing the right thing, yet he had concerns.

Darren Keenen and his wife Jackie, have been operating the Noosa Sun Motel on Gympie Terrace for almost 20 years.

In 2016 they made the decision to install solar panels and LED lighting and, although common today, they were trailblazers in the accomodation sector at the time.

Report on Zero Emissions Noosa’s Community Batteries session at Cooroy on Sat 18 March and reminder of Sat 25 March session the The J Noosa Junction from 9am to 12noon. ZEN is proud to announce they are leading the charge in the implementation of community batteries in the shire, and they want you to be part of it.
Read our article in Noosa Today

Noosa Today article: Students at Lexis English School were interviewed and shared some of their strategies: By choosing regional foods and products, you will be helping to reduce fossil fuel emissions associated with transportation and refrigerated storage.

Electric Vehicles, commonly known as EVs, are very cheap to run, and comparable in price to purchase - and cheaper to maintain and register - than an ordinary car.

Geoff Acton, joint Project Leader with Vivien Griffin of the ZEN Inc community battery initiative, says “We’re really excited about this ground-breaking initiative to develop a roadmap about how Noosa households and businesses can be ‘powered by the sun at night’ with community batteries.”

Community group Zero Emissions Noosa Inc. is poised to take Noosa communities on an exciting next big step for renewable electricity generation. ZEN Inc. has been successful in getting State Government funding for a project which will identify opportunities and locations for community batteries across the shire.

Pomona Laundromat owner Frank Burkardt states “I now feed more than double the amount of energy back into the grid than I take out. Energy companies pay back a fraction of what they charge so I would rather give it back to the community and tourism by offering a free ebike charging station.

Noosa Today article: Strata owners, tenants, body corporate committees and professional body corporate managers are invited to the up coming free Solar for Strata forum scheduled for 15November at the J Theatre, Noosa Junction.

The event is being presented by Zero Emissions Noosa (ZEN) and goes from 8am to 10:30am.

Noosa Today article: Frank Burkardt installed the Pomona laundromat system with the goal to be carbon neutral. He also offers a free e-bike charging station.

Bounce Noosa continues to set the standard for sustainable practices with the addition of an electric shuttle service now available for guests. From the beachfront vibes of Main Beach and the buzz of Hastings Street, and the funky bars and cafes of Noosa Junction to the lush rainforests and impressive waterfalls of the Hinterland, exploring the sights of the Noosa Biosphere Reserve can now be achieved with zero tailpipe emissions thanks to the Joylong E6, the first of its generation to hit the streets of Queensland.

Noosa Today article in which Zero Emissions Noosa’s Meghan Halverson tells of her experience when researching for car rental options for an up-coming trip to the USA, “I knew I would rent an electric vehicle (EV), so I jumped online.” Meghan goes on to tell her carsharing story.

Noosa Today article in which Zero Emissions Noosa congratulates Noosa Council for taking up the challenge to help businesses and households to reduce their energy costs.

More on this week's Noosa Today with Council’s centre pages spread - Your Noosa . A huge congratulations to Noosa Council for following through with our suggestion to conduct a feasibility study for Community Batteries in Noosa. Wow !

Noosa Today article in which Zero Emissions Noosa Inc. has issued a warning to body corporate committees and owners within embedded networks to be aware of certain business practices related to their electricity supply, with suggestions for action they can take.

Zero Emissions Noosa Inc. has today issued a warning to body corporate committees and owners within embedded networks to be aware of certain business practices related to their electricity supply.

A fabulous story of how students at Sunshine Beach State School took on a project to work out how cars with swappable batteries could be used to travel long journeys.

ZEN surveyed visitors to the 2022 EV Expo with a view to understanding more about why people attend and what we can learn from their experience.

Noosa Today has published an article about important issues that Noosa Council will be promoting at the upcoming Local Government Association of Queensland conference.

A fabulous story of how students at Sunshine Beach State School took on a project to work out how cars with swappable batteries could be used to travel long journeys. It’s an inspiring story which involved many parts of the curriculum.

Thanks Noosa Today again for our regular column in your paper.

This one’s about the very successful 2022 Noosa Electric Vehicle Expo & Street Fest.

You can read the the full edition online

The University of Southern Queensland has partnered with Zero Emissions Noosa Inc., Noosa Council and Noosa Environmental Education Hub (Noosa EEHub) in a project designed to improve emergency evacuation shelter experiences for future evacuees.

Check out all the action from the highly successful 2022 Noosa Electric Vehicle Expo & Street Fest.

Can you find yourself in the crowd?

Front page and page 5 stories in Noosa Today on the very successful 2022 Noosa Electric Vehicle Expo & Street Fest

The University of Southern Queensland has partnered with Zero Emissions Noosa Inc., Noosa Council and Noosa Environmental Education Hub (Noosa EEHub) in a project designed to improve emergency evacuation shelter experiences for future evacuees.

Front page story about the very successful 2022 Noosa EV Expo & Street Fest. Great photo of organiser Vivien Griffin

In late 2020, Zero Emissions Noosa starting researching Community / Neighbourhood batteries to help on the journey towards the goal of zero net community emissions by 2026. With Council funding we commissioned a report by experts to inform us, and a working group with strong credentials was formed in mid 2021. Follow this page to keep up to date with our progress

Wow - check out the SIX page spread in Noosa Today on ZEN's 2022 Noosa Electric Vehicle Expo & Street Fest. This Sunday 19 June from 10am to 2pm and we've taking over all of sunshine Beach Road and Arcadia Street in Noosa Junction.

So very grateful for all the sponsors and supporters including Noosa Council and many others

What is the Project / proposal about?

An environmental upgrade is an addition, enhancement, or modification to an existing building to improve its energy, water and resource efficiency.

We are so proud of Vivien Griffin who has been presented with a Noosa Queensland Day award by Sandy Bolton MP. The Zero Emissions Noosa community group was the brainchild of Vivien, and she has been inspiring in her dynamism, inspiration and leadership. We are so grateful for all her contributions.

The popular free Noosa Electric Vehicle Expo being held on 19 June from 10-2 in Noosa Junction will have a major focus on electric two-wheel vehicles, from scooters to mopeds to motorbikes. “Everyone knows that Noosa’s popular hot spots present parking and congestion difficulties, but some individuals are finding solutions to both these challenges, having fun and doing great things for the environment at the same time,” said Expo Coordinator Vivien Griffin. “ZEN calls them Noosa’s Zero Heroes.”

Leading up to May 2022 Federal Election, Chris Bowen, now Minister for Climate Change and Energy, made a number of announcements of locations for Community Batteries, assuming the ALP was voted into office.

Find out the locations for these community batteries……

This document is a summary of the detailed report - Facilitating Community Understanding of Electricity Battery Options for Noosa Shire - which was commissioned by Zero Emissions Noosa in June 2021.

This report has been prepared for Zero Emissions Noosa Incorporated (ZEN Inc.) as an initial investigation of the issues and potential for a Battery Energy Storage System(s) located locally on the Energex network (Local Battery).

The Noosa Shire Council (NSC) and Zero Emissions Noosa are working in partnership to achieve both organisations’ targets of Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2026.

Mandy Clarke, Editor of Resort News describes Noosa Lakes Resort as “Progressive. Proactive. Forward thinking.” and says these three traits can be attributed to Noosa Lakes Resort body corporate and onsite management team after the implementation of a resort-wide solar solution that sets the standard for resort, strata and body corporate entities, both now and into the future.

The just released UN IPCC Climate Change Report shows just how important Noosa Council’s Climate Change Response Plan will be for the future of the shire, according to Zero Emissions Noosa Inc. President Anne Kennedy.

We took the electric car out to Kin Kin to talk with the inspiring Jodie Williams, owner of the renowned Black Ant Gourmet. She exudes her passion about sustainability and talks about dealing directly with local suppliers because, “it’s fresher, tastes better, and keeps the money locally.” She’s about to triple her 30kW system and add batteries too and says”the extra solar will be financed too, but the money that I'm saving is going to pay for the new system. It’s a no brainer”.

The Page family-owned business has been manufacturing furniture in Pomona for the educational and commercial market since 1919. Zero Emissions Noosa met up with Shane Smith who’s been with Page Furnishers for over 40 years. Installing their large 200kW solar system was a natural choice for the business fitting in with their sustainable ethos.

Although the postcode has lower uptake of solar than other areas, it's really pleasing to see that the amount of solar has increased by almost 70% over the last 2 years, and it's great to see growing installations in the commercial and tourism sectors.

And we caught up with Aspire Property Management’s Dave Langdon to talk about the 125kW they have over 3 properties in Noosa Junction