Since then, he's quit his job to work full time towards climate action, and that came to a head in Batemans Bay on Saturday at the Climate Solutions for The Eurobodalla Forum.

Before the forum, Mr Egan told the Bay Post he saw climate change similar to a "surfing thing".

"We'd like to see the Eurobodalla well placed to catch the wave of climate change, and show the rest of Australia just how well we can ride it into a better and fairer future for all of us," he said.

"The government is not giving sufficient priority to the community's need for leadership, policy and action to counter climate change, so we, the public, must."

Paul Dolphin runs a home design business in the Eurobodalla Shire, and said one of the best things families can do is to build more sustainable homes.

"We want to bring sustainable design to everyone, and to demonstrate it's far cheaper to run (sustainable homes) for you health, wealth, and the environment," he said.

"It's good design principles, and you can have a nice, sustainable house that is also beautiful.

"We've got thousands of new subdivisions approved with hundreds of new houses being built, and we should be building those as sustainably as possible.

"Most people want an efficient car or phone, but they don't often realise they can have an efficient house as well."

Mr Dolphin said he'd like to see the council put more effort into educating potential homebuilders about sustainable housing.

"In the Eurobodalla, we spend about $60 million on electricity every year," he said.

"You could give each household an extra $2500 a year (with sustainable housing) by saving on their heating and cooling costs.

"Good housing reduces the need for hospitals, it improves mental health, and it reduces the bills."

Magella Blinksell is working on a blog that will give people directly affected by the fires the chance to tell their stores.

"After going through such a torrid and life-changing time on the Coast, I really wanted to think about some local solutions," she said.

"It turned out to be really refreshing to sit down with our amazing community to come up with some great practical solutions.

"We've stared extreme weather events in the face, and we've seen what those changes are doing locally."

Ms Blinksell said one thing she would like to better utilised is the practice of cultural burnings in the cooler months.

"I'd love for cleaner, renewable energies to be the everyday normal in the Eurobodalla to help keep us safer, to give us better jobs and a thriving local economy, and as we face more extreme weather events," she said.

"I'd also like to see our amazing Nature Coast protected through best management of biodiversity, marine worlds and forests, which would safeguard our own safety.

"One path forward in this is through Yuin cultural burn practitioners being given the support they need to get local country back into shape through more integrated land management plans and council support.

"These priorities would equip us for 2031 and would help our community and rich nature right now."