The Greening the Gold Coast forum, bring held 10 June at Broadbeach Cultural Centre, explores how we can embrace being a city of natural wonders and re-imagine ways to both meet housing needs and grow into an even more liveable and healthy city for future generations.

The Greening the Gold Coast forum, hosted by Gecko Environment Council, will bring together leaders, thinkers, and on-ground experience to explore how urban greening can set us up for a more resilient, healthy, and productive future.

Urban greening is a global phenomenon proving to support healthy urban living as residents deal with rising heat, climate hazards, and urban growth.

With a focus on solutions the forum will highlight stories and insights from greening actions underway in the community, business, and local councils, and foster new collaborative approaches to regenerate the cityscape.

Speakers from government, practitioners, academia, and community will discuss nature-based solutions to issues of rising heat and urban hot spots, thermal justice – a cool city for all, mental health and wellbeing, loss of social connectivity and biodiversity, pollution in our air and water, pressures of urban growth and even dealing with increasing CO2 emissions.

We spoke to climate advocate and event co-organiser Sara Hicks ahead of the forum.

Why is it important for the Gold Coast community to get involved in events like this?

Urban greening is fast becoming a global phenomenon for good reason: It provides a sweet stack of solutions that could change how we all live for the better. 

Locally, we’re facing some pretty serious impacts of climate change, from increasing floods and storms to rising temperatures. Soaring temperatures in our city are a deadly hazard, as many of us felt this summer, but especially our most vulnerable.

The great news is that regenerating our cityscape with forests, connecting green spaces and shading our streets with trees is something we can all do and provides a huge range of benefits for the health, wellbeing, and resilience of everyone. 

Just take the one issue of thermal justice - greening can cool our streets by 10 degrees celsius and efficiently keep our homes cooler. That should be enough motivation alone but replacing the grey with green also encourages walking and active transport, connects community, slows floodwater and filters pollution in our waterways, provides us with clean air and absorbs C02 emissions, supports local habitat and species under pressure, improves our mental health and wellbeing and it’s even proven to be great for local economies, tourism and productivity.

Who are some of the interest groups that will really benefit from being in attendance?

To truly take on urban greening as a citywide project calls for us to get out and connect with each other – to find ways to plant and grow together across community groups, council and businesses. We often see young leaders in this space which is invigorating for everyone. Businesses can support community and school planting projects and genuinely offset carbon emissions. Local council can work together with community for planting in public spaces, making more inviting, walkable neighbourhoods with cooler streets. 

What are your hopes for outcomes from this event?

A big co-benefit of greening projects is growing local relationships which are the foundation of a healthy and resilient community. Whether you’re 21 or 81 years of age urban greening can bring us together and we want people to know there are so many opportunities to initiate and get support for greening projects. 

Bringing nature back into our cityscape is vital for all of us, and something we can all get involved with in our own way. At the forum you’ll hear from leaders and practitioners in biourban design and city planning, community street planting projects, First Nations perspectives on regenerating and reconnecting with where we live, and more.

The Greening the Gold Coast forum is designed to bring together all sectors with an interest in creating a liveable, green city, from urban design practitioners, business operators and developers to gardeners and community organisations.

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Register your place to experience the inspiration, motivation and practical actions to regenerate our city together. As the saying goes “the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the next best time is now”. Tickets start from $20 and include a vegetarian lunch. Head here for tix.

Greening the Gold Coast forum is presented by Gecko Environment Council, a peak not-for-profit environmental advocacy and education organisation for the Gold Coast.