Caring For Our Bays Conference 2019

On the 2nd of May 2019, the Caring For Our Bays program held their inaugural conference at the Novotel in Geelong. Some 150 delegates from community organisations, councils and local businesses attended this full day of inspiring and creative discussions about waste and our environment. 

The day began with members of Bellarine Catchment Network and the City of Greater Geelong welcoming the attendees to the conference. Ashley Pittard from the Barwon South West Waste and Resource Recovery Group was the Master of Ceremonies for the day and warmly welcomed each guest. 

The first keynote speaker, Dr Kate Charlton-Robb, spoke about her research into the identification of the Burrunan Dolphin. As a 'be a hero' species, the Caring For Our Bays team were very excited to have the person who identified this rare and unique species talking about her discovery.

The day then continued with 'Community Action' breakout sessions, were guests heard from a diverse range of speakers including delegates from Melbourne Zoo, Tangaroa Blue, BeachPatrol and more!

The Caring For Our Bays Coordinator, Angie Poole, then spoke about the new Caring For Our Bays prospectus and how local businesses and organisations can support the program. 

A 'Bay Friendly Business' breakout session followed this, where attendees could hear about businesses working to protect the environment including; GeelongPort, the Nature Conservancy, the CCMA, the City of Greater Geelong and Queenscliff Music Festival. 

The day concluded with an engaging talk from War on Waste's Craig Reucassel, who made the audience laugh and find unity. The audience then participated in a 'call to action' activity where they pledged to make one change to reduce waste. 

A big thank you goes to our sponsors; City of Greater Geelong, Barwon South West Waste and Resource Recovery Group, GeelongPort, Corangamite Catchment Management Authority, DELWP and Earth Bottles.