Thirty Years of Creative Resistance - Friends of the Earth Australia

In 1996, Consolidated Rutile Ltd gained
approval to open a new sand mine on North
Stradbroke Island. The minepath of “Ibis
Alpha” would pass nearby to Ibis and Blacksnake
lagoons, threatening the fragile ecology
and hydrology of these perched lakes. There
was stong opposition to the mine from many
of the local traditional owners, as well as from
the wider community.
Over the next 18 months, there was a fierce
campaign of community resistance to the
mine, culminating in a blockade of the minesite
that lasted for 7 days, followed by a 6
week long protest camp near the entrance to
the mine. In the end, the mine went ahead, albeit
with some tighter restrictions that would
help to mitigate some of the worst environmental
impacts.
After the campaign ended, some of the
organisers decided that they wanted to try to
build a grassroots campaigning organisation
– so that next time a development like the new
sandmine was being proposed, there would be
some better infrastructure with which to build
an effective campaign. A few years earlier,
some of the group had looked into starting
a local group of Friends of the Earth due in
part to the long standing inspiration of FoE
Melbourne as a grassroots campaigning organisation.
So the group formed into Friends
of the Earth Brisbane, and formally joined the
Friends of the Earth Australia network.
One of the first questions was funding. How
can grassroots organisations fund themselves
without compromising their independence
FoE Australia had recently been cut from the
federal GVCO (Grants for Voluntary Conservation
Organisations) program due to their
outspoken opposition to the privatisation
of Telstra, so Government funding seemed
fraught with compromises. Corporate funding
was also ruled out for similar reasons.
One member of the group had been researching
community recycling centres around the
country, and, along with several new members
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John Hepburn
who were interested in recycling, set about
the establishment of Reverse Garbage co-op.
The idea for Reverse Garbage came from the
Sydney based organisation of the same name.
It is basically a re-use centre, where useful
discards from industry are collected, sorted
and displayed in a warehouse – to be made
available for sale to the general public.
After 12 months of planning and research,
Reverse Garbage Co-operative was established
as a non-profit, worker managed co-op,
with the overall objective of generating funds
to support the campaign activities of Friends
of the Earth Brisbane. A few months later,
in March 1999, Reverse Garbage opened its
doors to the public from a warehouse on Montague
Road, West End, with the FoE office
located in the house next door.
That year, Reverse Garbage won a local award
for the “New Small Business of the Year”. It
is now 5 years old, employs 5 people, turns
over approximately $250,000 per year and
diverts around 100 tonnes of material from
landfill each year.
It has also helped in the establishment of ‘The
Bicycle Revolution’, a bicycle recycling co-op
that operates from the old garage of the FoE
house. The Bicycle Revolution also won an
award for “New Small Business of the Year”
in 2000. It now employs 2 full time bike
mechanics and keeps hundreds of old bicycles
on the road each year.
Friends of the Earth Brisbane, Reverse
Garbage and The Bicycle Revolution are a
practical expression of a FoE’s vision for
environmental sustainability. They are a
showcase of the creative re-use of wasted resources
and have been an inspiration to many
of the tens of thousands of Brisbane residents
who visit each year. As well as the creation of
sustainable, local alternatives, FoE continues
to engage in public outreach campaigns on issues
as diverse as sustainable agriculture, food
irradiation and climate justice.
FoE 30 Years 103