Can you feel Spring in the air already? I looked out my window yesterday morning and saw new leaves on the red cedar tree glowing in the morning sun. Beautiful!

We have quite a bit of news for you in this edition of the BBEN eNews:

Will Miller & Friends host ‘Nearly the last groove?’ at the Beechmont Community Hall on August 27
Zest Fest round up
Economics of Happiness screening on October 28
Coal seam gas information campaign

Local musical legend Will Miller and some of his friends (Adam, John, Lily, Huon...) have realised that our beautiful old community hall will shortly be closing to public events. So they’ve decided to host a family music night on Saturday August 27 from 6pm to celebrate this historic community icon.

Could this be our last groove at the hall? If it is, don’t miss out! Families, kids, elders – groovers of all ages are welcome to share another dance or two together on that undulating timber floor.

We know the music will be great and the vibe will be relaxed and family-friendly. A gold coin donation will get you in and help to cover hall hire.

Come one and all to celebrate our historic community hall on Saturday August 27, 6pm. If you need more info contact Will at: 0401 372 647.

On Sunday June 26, over 200 people participated in Zest Fest, Beechmont’s now-annual celebration of local food, health and wellbeing, arts and crafts and local music. Zest was held at the Hall on Graceleigh - our new community hall - on a brilliantly clear, warm, mid-winter day.

Zest is more than a community celebration. It is specifically designed to showcase our local businesses, enterprises and local economy in creative and fun ways. It’s our once-a-year main street and this year it attracted lots of locals as well as visitors from the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Kingaroy and across the Scenic Rim region.

As a community festival Zest was a spectacular success. But here’s the other important bit. Zest Fest:

• Showcased over 30 local businesses and enterprising, creative people through market stalls, food and gardening demonstrations, yoga classes, storytelling and an outstanding music program;
• Generated well over $5,000 for our local economy – this is money that went straight into our local businesses and has circulated over and over in our community;
• Connected local and regional food growers and producers: across Beechmont, between Beechmont and Canungra and across the Scenic Rim. Productive relationships were born at Zest between farmers, value-adders, growers and consumers that are helping to build a regional food sector that we will all benefit from;
• Was a central part of the first-ever Scenic Rim Eat Local Week that showcased regional food and launched Scenic Rim Food, an alliance between Beechmont and Canungra growers, producers and consumers;
• Supported collaboration and networking between local businesses which are leading to ongoing business development activities in arts and crafts, music and food in particular;
• Enabled BBEN to be invited into Scenic Rim Regional Council’s Chamber of Commerce network as an equivalent chamber;
• Created an annual Beechmont festival that showcases our community and local economy as creative, clean and green. Zest will become part of the Scenic Rim Region’s annual festival circuit;
• Built the Zest website within the Beechmont Community Website and generated high levels of online visitation to Beechmont’s website – just google Zest Fest...we’re listed first on google!;
• Created the Zest Fest directory of all participating Zest businesses and enterprises – this supports the existing Beechmont Business & Community Directory and both are housed at the Beechmont Community website: www.beechmont.org.au

Zest Fest was organised by BBEN and a small team of volunteers: Wendi Trulson (arts and crafts), Mark Pickard (local food), Shirley Hicks (health and wellbeing) and Sally MacKinnon (music and marketing).

Scenic Rim Regional Council’s Economic Development Department and staff Marita Tomlinson and Cherie Fletcher supported Zest in many ways including marketing, business development and sponsorship. We thank Council for its marvellous support for BBEN, Zest Fest and the Beechmont business community.

All proceeds from Zest go towards BBEN’s long-time work to support local businesses and our community’s local economy including: the annual Beechmont Business & Community Directory (hard copy and online); BBEN eNewsletters; Business Networking Events; Beechmont Community Website: www.beechmont.org.au; the development of the Beechmont Community Garden; the hosting of Zest Fest and administrative requirements including insurance, registrations, reporting and so on.

BBEN wholeheartedly thanks all our 2011 Zest Fest stallholders, demonstrators, musicians, storytellers, volunteers, Council and staff, the Hall Committee, Beechmont State School, The Hinterlander and all those attended and supported the event. We can’t do this work without you!

The Zest Fest website is at: http://www.beechmont.org.au/zest-fest

The detailed 2011 Zest Fest Report is now available. If you would like a copy please contact Sally MacKinnon: safehaven@austarnet.com.au

See you next year for more market stalls, more music, more demonstrations, new workshops, a full children’s program and a bigger and better Beechmont main street.

Since its release in January 2011, the film “The Economics of Happiness” by localisation pioneer Helena-Norberg Hodge, has been screened on five continents, won numerous awards and inspired communities and people who want local prosperity, wellbeing and sustainability.

BBEN is thrilled to announce that in collaboration with bioregional solar energy company Nickel Energy, we are screening “The Economics of Happiness” on Friday October 28 at 6pm at Binna Burra Lodge Library, as part of the next BBEN Networking event.

To read the reviews of the film or see the trailer go to: http://www.theeconomicsofhappiness.org/

"While some American reviewers have predicted an Oscar for Best Documentary, others have said that this film will do for localisation/globalisation schism what An Inconvenient Truth did for our understanding of climate change." Roger Hanney, writer for The Alternative Media Group of Australia

"A must-see film for the future of the planet." Zac Goldsmith, Member of UK Parliament

• Time: 5.30pm for 6pm sharp start
• Venue: Binna Burra Lodge Library (above the dining room)
• “The Economics of Happiness” will screen first followed by a discussion and information about Nickel Energy’s household solar program. Informal networking will round off the evening.
• $12 per person covers finger food from Binna Burra Lodge. Pay at the Lodge reception on arrival.

Nickel Energy is sponsoring the screening of the film to help cover costs for the not for profit filmmakers. Gold coin donations on the night will also go to the filmmakers.

In 2009, Nickel Energy collaborated with BBEN and the Beechmont community to undertake a bulk buy household solar program. The program was a huge success with some 20-25 local households installing solar panels on their roofs. Nickel Energy had a stall at Zest Fest and loved reconnecting with many of its householders and is pleased to sponsor this important film screening for our community: http://www.nickelenergy.com.au/

Bookings are essential as numbers are limited. Contact Sally MacKinnon: safehaven@austarnet.com.au

When BBEN did its second mailout of the 2011 Beechmont Business & Community Directory this week, we enclosed an important information brochure about coal seam gas and its threat to the Scenic Rim region.

This brochure has been produced by the community group Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic as part of a whole-of-region information campaign about coal seam gas and the havoc it is wreaking across rural Queensland and NSW. It is on our doorstep right now here in the Scenic Rim and it is vital that everyone living in this beautiful, productive region understands what coal seam gas exploration and extraction does and the impacts it is having on human and ecological health right around the world.

BBEN’s mission is to support local, independently-owned business and enterprise and local economy because we believe in the power of local people to look after local communities and local environments. We’ve also done the research on the economic power of Local Living Economies and we know this is a far more effective way to create resilient, prosperous communities than the work of multinational corporations and the globalised economy.

We urge you to read the coal seam gas flyer and get informed about the threats of coal seam gas and coal mining not only for our region but for all regions and communities. Get informed and get active: join Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic: http://www.keepthescenicrimscenic.com/ ; join the Lock the Gate Alliance: http://lockthegate.org.au/ ; display Lock the Gate to Coal and Coal Seam gas signs on your property; attend community information and campaign meetings whenever you can. Join the groundswell of people and communities across the Scenic Rim, Queensland, NSW, Australia and around the world who are saying no to coal seam gas, coal mining and yes to genuine renewable energy like solar. We can make a huge difference if we join together on this issue.