By Jemma W.
Thea and I went to a SECNA (Social Enterprise Council NSW & ACT) networking event hosted at Banish Sustainability Hub. There, we heard various stories from different social enterprise founders, including Banish’s founder Lottie Dalziel, 2023 NSW Young Australian of the Year.
Lottie is a former journalist who became frustrated with talk of sustainable action in the media that is often not acted upon or implemented. As a result, she decided to take the initiative herself. To solve an unconventional problem, she made an unconventional decision to ask people to send her their rubbish. After a few collections, she saw the potential and abundance of bottle cap lids. Today, Banish is a thriving sustainability hub which recycles bottle cap lids and melts them down into functional products.
We also heard from Xstatic Sunset’s founder, Jasper Vallance, who organises sober dance parties and promotes a form of ‘healthy partying’. Xstatic Sunset’s parties fuel the vibes and atmosphere through high-energy music, dance and a fun crowd. In doing so, they mitigate many risks that arise with substance use and make partying more accessible by opening the space to any person of any age.
Note: Thea and Jemma are both members of CFS Youth Action Group, and their attendance at this SECNA networking event was proudly sponsored by CFS’ Leadership Training Program. For more information, please contact Bibi via communityflowerstudio@yahoo.com.
