Greg Howell receiving Golden Gecko Award from Lois Levy
How do you feel about being awarded for doing what you love? Well I’m stoked to be awarded the Gold Tailed Gecko Award for Green Events and over 20 years with Surfrider Foundation by Gecko – Gold Coast and Hinterland Environment Council.
“Gecko is the peak regional environment group, working to promote, protect, and restore the Gold Coast’s natural environment and improve the sustainability of the built environment. Gecko is an apolitical non partisan environment advocacy group”
Gecko’s mission is to “actively promote, conserve and restore the natural environment and improve the built environment of the Gold Coast region in partnership with our member groups and the wider community.”
The official awards took place at Gecko House back on the 30th of November and unfortunately I had a previous engagement which I couldn’t get out of but at least I was plying my craft. Yes, I was providing sustainable event management practices to a local community event, Tugun Lights Up (TLU).
Climate Wave provided three services for TLU in carbon calculation & offset, alternative transport parking areas & waste management system. The street party was a great success with an estimated 2200 visitors with the main comment being “isn’t it wonderful to see Tugun so full of life”
But I was available last Wednesday night 11th December to receive my award at Gecko’s AGM, and I was in good company. In the crowd were many previous award winners and one in particular a local mentor who was gifted his most recent award the Jeweled Gecko was Wilf Ardill who is claimed to be the godfather of the environment movement on the Gold Coast. Wilf has been recognised with an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) and is acclaimed for his work in Unions & starting the local environment movement. To this day he is an active member of Friends of Currumbin.
Community volunteers don’t do what they do because they think there might be a chance of an award, they do it for many different reasons and it all boils down to selfless acts of kindness. Whether it be for the environment, people or animals volunteers continually go out of their way, stand up and assist to the extent of their capabilities.
I can recommend to anyone volunteering can be very satisfying, it’s a wonderful way of meeting like minded souls and the social benefits are enormous. So if you’re not a volunteer already, get out of your chair once you’ve Googled the right organisation for you and jump in with both feet 🙂
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Greg Howell
working with the planet
