A state-wide Our environment - it's a living thing (OEILT) competition opened for entries on Monday 1 May and will close on Wednesday 31 May 2006.

The competition aims to further extend the message on adopting environmentally sustainable lifestyles.

Winners will be announced on World Environment Day Monday 5 June 2006.

Through organisations currently in partnership with the Department of Environment and Conservation NSW (DEC), prize donations to the value of over $50,000 have been secured.

Partners include:
Nationwide News Limited, Hewlett Packard, Bunnings, Origin Energy, Solahart, Bluescope Water, Fisher & Paykel, NECO, Fuji Xerox, Taronga Zoo and Western Plains Zoo, City Rail, Sydney Ferries Corporation, Sydney Buses, Focus Press, 3M and Shop-A-Docket.

The Parks and Wildlife Division and The Royal Botanic Gardens Trust of the DEC also donated prizes.

These are the fabulous prize packages available in our World Environment Day promotion. Discover what each prize entails and who is supporting this promotion.

(Approx value $16,000)

• Home Office Computer Package
  (comprising: Media Centre Computer,
  21" LCD Monitor, Photosmart Multi-function printer and an iPaq) more »
  Hewlett Packard
• Solar Hot Water System and Installation more »
  Solahart
• 12 Months supply of Green Power
  (Quarterly Credit voucher) more »
  Origin Energy
• Tasman "Active Smart" E521T Refrigerator more »
  Fisher & Paykel
• Waterpoint Slimline 1500 Litre Rainwater Tank more »
  Bluescope Water
• Eco Monster $700 Gift Card more »
  Bunnings Warehouse
• NECO Home Assessment more »
  Neco - The Eco Hardware Store
• Green Wrap Office "Recycled Content" Paper more »
  Fuji Xerox Australia
• 4 x Weekly Travel Passes more »
  Cityrail, Sydney Ferries and Sydney Buses
• Opening of Botanica 2006 - Masters Exhibition (Double pass) more »
  Botanic Gardens Trust
• Family Pass (Choice of Zoo) more »
  Taronga & Western Plain Zoo
• Family Pass to National Parks (1 vehicle) more »
  National Parks and Wildlife Division
• Royal Botanic Gardens' Tropical Centre (Entry for 4 adults) more »
  Botanic Gardens Trust

Find out about prize packages 2 through 12
(Yes, there are twelve (12) prize packages up for grabs!)

A range of organisations have kindly supported this Our environment - it's a living thing – World Environment Day promotion. Find out how they are reducing their environmental impact and how their products and services can help you to live more sustainably.

Official Newspaper of the "it's a living thing" campaign

Principal Prize Partner

Prize Partners

The Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph are proud to announce the Pride of Australia Medal in New South Wales and the ACT.

The medals will honour everyday Australians who do extraordinary things - the unsung heroes of our communities whose contribution to Australian life is not widely known by the general public.

These people are not high-profile Australians. They might be a friend, workmate, neighbour, your child's teacher, the local police officer or fire fighter or simply someone who has made your community a better place to live - you can even nominate yourself.

There are ten categories including an environment category, which will acknowledge an Australian or group of Australians whose actions have nurtured and improved the environment.

Last year's Pride of Australia Medal winner in the environment category was Julia Mifsud from Gwandalan, who has trekked 7km everyday for the past ten years picking up rubbish along a roadside in her local community.

Ten sterling silver Pride of Australia Medals will be awarded to the winners at a ceremony held in Sydney in August 2006.

To obtain a nomination form call the information line on
1800 062 918 or apply on-line at www.news.com.au/prideofaustralia from Sunday 30 April 2006.

For nomination forms
call the information line on:

1800 062 918
or
apply on-line at: news.com.au/prideofaustralia

SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION PROJECTS 

It has been a busy few months for the project partners with a number of programs well underway. Partners are already seeing positive environmental results in the community thanks to the integrated programs, and look forward to continuing to enjoy the benefits of this collaboration over the coming year.

A new water rating system which encourages commercial building owners and tenants to improve their water use was launched on 3 April 2006 by the Minister for Water Utilities the Hon. David Campbell MP.

The water rating tool is part of the National Australian Built Environment Rating Systems (NABERS) for Offices. The tool measures the sustainability of water use in buildings and enables owners and tenants to benchmark their water consumption performance as a first step to saving water.

Commercial office buildings are high energy and water users - about 10 per cent of Sydney's water is consumed in office buildings.

Enthusiastic supporters of the NABERS OFFICE Water rating tool at the launch included some of the nation's biggest commercial property owners: Investa Property Group, Colonial First State, Stockland and AMP Capitol, who all said they would use it to rate their buildings.

Left to right:
NSW Minister for Water Utilities, the Hon. David Campbell MP, with Investa Chairman John Arthur, Former Director General of DEUS David Nemtzow and Colonial First State's Sustainability Manager Greg Johnson at the launch of NABERS OFFICE Water rating tool

Commercial building owners and tenants can perform a self assessment at no cost via the NABERS website, www.nabers.com.au, or have an accredited NABERS assessor certify the building's water performance.

The NABERS OFFICE Water rating tool was developed by the Department of Energy, Utilities and Sustainability with considerable assistance from the commercial property industry. A suite of environmental rating tools for offices and homes under the NABERS banner will be released in the coming months.

• nabers.com.au
• deus.nsw.gov.au

The Affordable Water & Energy Efficiency (AW&EE) training sessions, an initiative of the Council of Social Service of NSW (NCOSS) and the Department of Energy, Utilities and Sustainability, kicked off in March to assist community services staff and volunteers identify options for efficient water and energy use in low income homes.

The training will provide valuable information on how to implement easy, low or no cost changes to households and rental properties that will reduce energy and water bills.

The training sessions will provide practical information on:

• Quick and easy ways to determine whether water and energy use is low, medium or high compared to other homes.
• Identifying problem areas in homes.
• Tools and resources on low and no cost ways to be energy and water efficient in the home.

In addition to introducing the NABERS environmental rating tool, the AW&EE Program has also developed a self assessment survey, "Is your home a Saver or a Guzzler?" to help participants identify cost effective changes to homes and kick start personalised water and energy saver action plans.

Sessions will be held in Sutherland, Gladesville, Marrickville, North Parramatta, Campbelltown and Narara from April to June. The sessions are available to community services staff and volunteers, specifically HACC support services, emergency relief services, financial or budget counselling or other social services with client contact.

Upcoming sessions in South-West Sydney, Central Coast, Central West, Northern NSW and the Riverina region will also take place later in the year.

Session information
or bookings contact:

Kaarina Sarac
NCOSS

(02) 9211 2599 ext 127
kaarina@ncoss.org.au

Website:
ncoss.org.au/water_energy

The Nature Conservation Council of NSW (NCC's) EASE project (Education Action Supporting Environment Groups) has turned up some very interesting feedback on the educational needs of community environment groups during the last eight months of operation.

In this time an extensive needs analysis and two pilot workshops have been completed. The needs analysis focused on identifying the challenges to delivering messages faced by community groups while the workshops responded to this feedback by focusing on sharing education experiences, building skills and connecting with other groups.

Sydney EASE Gathering challenge solving 2005 - photo by G.Howard

The survey found that many groups face significant obstacles when carrying out strategic campaigns. Generally groups are issues focused. Their audiences and strategies are defined by the actions required to achieve change in the particular issue/s they are challenging and within the time and resource constraints that come with being a volunteer group. The workshops found that focusing on education alone does not meet the groups' current needs. Environmental education needs to be recognised as one approach of many that can lead to environmental change, and support for groups needs to be within this context if it is to be successful.

Since identifying these obstacles EASE has been working with members to collate a database of knowledge and develop tools to better equip groups with ways in which to secure the best environmental outcome for a project.

Further workshops and meetings with environmental groups will be held and an online discussion group is being set up. It will showcase useful tools and member case studies for reference and discussion.

A resource handbook will also be provided to member groups providing valuable information on everything from how to use the media to promote your campaign, to writing web pages and designing educational programs.

For information on tools available to your organisation contact:

Angela Baker
NCC

abaker@nccnsw.org.au

A greater understanding of biodiversity is being encouraged in an exciting and creative way through a competition run in South Western Sydney's Macarthur region by the Nature Conservation Council of NSW (NCC).

A lack of understanding of biodiversity is a significant barrier to its protection for many communities. NCC's 'Our Earth, Our Stories' photography competition is encouraging residents of the Macarthur region to explore their local biodiversity and capture its beauty and uniqueness through the lens.

Through this exploration it is hoped that the communities will gain a greater awareness of the need to protect the local environment and an understanding of how this can be implemented.

The competition will culminate in an awards ceremony and exhibition in mid-2006, the winning photos to be used in a special 2007 calendar that promotes the biodiversity of the region.

The 'Our Earth, Our Stories' concept will be rolled out on the Central Coast later this year and will provide an opportunity to address coastal biodiversity conservation issues and showcase the area's biodiversity assets.

Website:
nccnsw.org.au/education/

The Australian Conservation Foundation's (ACF) GreenHome project in Parramatta has recorded great results amongst the 65 households who recently participated in the sustainability project, leading to positive outcomes for their local environment.

Collectively the project's participants are now saving 11million litres of water, 380 tonnes of greenhouse pollution and 70,000 litres of landfill waste equivalent to 576 wheelie bins full of rubbish per year.

Participants were encouraged to take action in the home and make positive changes to their lives by installing energy efficient light globes, driving their cars less, composting their food scraps and many more simple actions.

For a first hand account of the success of this project, visit our website where you can view a video starring Parramatta resident, Susan Young and see how she's making a difference by reducing her environmental impact.

The program is also supported by an actions-based guidebook, workshops and an interactive web program. GreenHome workshops have most recently been held in Parramatta and Baulkham Hills with the next series planned to be held in Ryde mid-2006. GreenHome renovators EXPOs will also be held in Gosford and Woollahra later this year.

To take the Greenhome Challenge in your area sign-up online and join people from all around Australia to see how much energy, water and waste you can save!

Website:
acfonline.org.au

As environmental learning continues to evolve, it is clear that educators in the field require new approaches, skills, techniques and tools to deliver effective sustainability programs to the people of NSW.

Building on the successes of previous professional development efforts carried out in 2002 as part the earlier OEILT program, The Department of Environment and Conservation NSW (DEC) has initiated the Professional Development for Educators project that aims to develop the capacity of community environmental educators across NSW.

Strong foundations have been laid for ongoing professional development by carrying out a needs assessment study which consulted 115 environmental educators through focus groups and face to face interviews. An online survey has also been successful, attracting over 160 respondents.

This is an excellent outcome for the first phase of the project and has enabled DEC to design project initiatives based around the specific needs of NSW educators.

Professional development opportunities will be rolled out over the next 12 months.

Website:
livingthing.net.au

The Department of Environment and Conservation NSW in partnership with the Local Community Services Association (LCSA) has held a number of highly successful regional workshops on Sustaining Eco-friendly Communities across NSW in 2006.

Results of the workshops include:

• Hunter region centres will produce 2000 sustainable living starter kits for distribution to encourage water, energy and chemical reduction in the community. Energy Australia will be supporting the region with the donation of 4000 energy saving light globes.
• The South Coast region has produced 1000 starter kits to distribute at sustainable behaviour workshops. The Shoalhaven City Council will supply sink strainers, vouchers for half-price compost bins as well as butt canisters and car litter bags.
• Marrickville, Canterbury and St George regional neighbourhood centres and environmental groups have come together to promote sustainability. An artwork depicting family activities in the Valley will be produced and used on banners and postcards. Workshops on waste and energy reduction will also be held.
• At least 10 Workshops will be held across the government areas of Liverpool, Fairfield and Bankstown in Sydney's South West. Topics will include the steps needed to reduce waste, energy and chemical use through the use of environmentally smart products such as shower timers, florescent light globes and reusable shopping bags. Councils will provide resources and information.
• On the Mid North Coast workshops will be conducted to educate the community about eco-friendly ideas including information about reducing chemical use, water and energy. Information will be provided to the community on how they can be involved in environmental projects.
• The seven participating centres in the Central Coast region will be providing workshops under the guidance of a trained educator on eco-community/home sustainability practices.
• Energy Australia has also provided the Sustaining Eco-friendly Communities project with 10,000 five packs of compact florescents to distribute through the workshops.
• Each of the centres participating will complete an Environmental Management Plan.

With more workshops planned for the year, centres will be contacted over the coming weeks regarding the project.

Website:
livingthing.net.au

Over the last few months the Total Environment Centre (TEC) has been driving a number of exciting projects amongst community groups across NSW, creating greater awareness of hazardous chemicals in the home.

Safer Solutions workshops conducted by community educators in Lismore, Penrith and Randwick local government areas have provided parents and carers at playgroups and childcare centres with practical information on eliminating and reducing hazardous chemical use in and around the home.

A first for the project, the Safer Solutions website will also soon be launched to the public. The website will provide a one-stop-shop of information and advice on hazardous chemicals found in common cleaning products, indoor and outdoor pest control products and DIY renovation materials. It will also include a comprehensive A-Z of chemicals in the home, downloadable publications, and advice on safer alternatives.

Several research projects to support the development of Safer Solutions are also in motion. Through this work TEC has identified a significant knowledge gap in the community's understanding of the actual quantities and types of hazardous chemical containing products that householders purchase and use within the home. In response, TEC in association with ACF Greenhome will be piloting chemical home audits in the Sydney area later this year.

Website:
tec.org.au

The development of the Total Environment Centre's (TEC) Sustainable Staff Training program is now well under way with a series of short workshops targeted at middle management to be piloted in the second half of the year.

The Education Program aims to engage staff of large Australian companies to increase awareness of sustainability issues by developing a decision-making framework that promotes sustainable thinking throughout the organisation.

If you are interested in being involved in the pilots or training please contact Danielle Domone on (02) 9279 2945.

Danielle Domone
TEC

(02) 9279 2945

Website:
tec.org.au

These projects have been funded as part of a $3.5 million grant
from the NSW Government's Environmental Trust. This initiative
brings together a range of organisations to conduct a collaborative
education program promoting sustainable living in NSW.

For more information:
Peter Salier - Senior Education Officer - Sustainability Programs Division
Department of Environment & Conservation NSW
Phone: (02) 8837 6090 or  Email: peter.salier@environment.nsw.gov.au