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Conservation SA and Government of South Australia award Community Sustainability Grants

CommunityThe State Government and Conservation SA have announced the recipients of their Sustainability and Community Grants program.

Nineteen community groups will share in $130,000 of funding to develop a grass roots community response to climate change.

Successful community groups include refugee and migrant associations as well as regional groups from the South-East, Murraylands, Port Augusta, Kangaroo Island and York Peninsula.

Premier Mike Rann, who is also Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change, said the quantity and quality of applications showed that community groups are actively playing their part in tackling climate change through helping to develop sustainable behaviour.

“More than ninety grant applications were received which is simply fantastic. It shows that the level of community awareness and concern around sustainable living and climate change is alive and well,” Mr Rann said.

“These grants are about government supporting a community driven movement towards reducing energy use, cutting greenhouse gas emissions and living more sustainably to help combat climate change.

“Among them are projects that will see buildings retrofitted for better environmental performance, community gardens created, sustainability education, public events and even a program to recycle bicycles,” he said.

According to Julie Pettett, CEO of Conservation SA, the fact that many of the successful grant applications are from smaller groups that aren’t commonly associated with environmental sustainability highlights the level of concern in the community.

“These groups have shown they are willing to step out and lead a move towards more sustainable behaviour by their members and local communities.

“This funding support recognises the value of what they are doing and their desire to respond to the climate change challenge,” Ms Pettett said.

Applications for the Sustainability and Community Grants were assessed by an independent panel and the successful grant recipients are:

•    Bicycle Institute of SA – supporting a project that is repairing and recycling old bikes for those in need
•    Murraylands Migrant Resource Centre – supporting the creation of a community garden and four sustainability workshops for migrant and refugee communities
•    Port Vincent Progressive Association – running eco workshops and audits of 20 local sport and community groups, and installing a demonstration solar unit
•    Better HARTS – creating a web site to provide information and help facilitate their Mount Gambier-based community carbon reduction challenge
•    Vietnamese Women’s Association – holding six sustainability seminars, promoting sustainability actions on Vietnamese radio and conducting environmental audits on 50
Vietnamese households
•    Adelaide Tamil Association – raising climate awareness through training and a public event
•    Alliance Francaise d’Adelaide – developing education materials, workshops and  supporting a community event
•    Clovelly Park Community Garden – developing their community garden to improve community education on sustainable food production
•    Community Action for Sustainability Inc – printing a responsible recycling directory to allow improved recovery of valuable materials and reduce the number of items going
into landfill in the Mount Gambier area
•    Ecoaction – running sustainable house and garden tours on Kangaroo Island as well as supporting the local school to develop a sustainable garden and recycling program
•    Woodville Bowling Club – supporting the adoption of recommendations from a recent sustainability audit to reduce their emissions and for demonstration to the local
community
•    Gawler Environment & Heritage Association – training locals, holding events and reporting on the expected carbon sequestion, management and potential environmental
and economic benefits for landowners from selling carbon credits derived from local native revegetation
•    Parent Advisory Group Extrodianaires – establishing a worm farm, chicken house, composter, vegetable garden and mini recycling depot in an early childhood centre in
Port Augusta
•    Refugee Women’s Advocacy Groups – holding five community sustainability events across five migrant advocacy groups
•    Seaford Meadows Scouts Group – developing and promoting a community garden
•    Wandana Community Centre – employing a sustainable gardening facilitator to help educate the local community
•    KneeHIGH Puppeteers – developing an interactive display to demonstrate alternative energy and water recycling to young people at large community events
•    Mount Pleasant Natural Resource Centre – retrofitting their existing building to demonstrate energy efficient design and holding community workshops
•    Women in Agriculture & Business – hosting breakfast events focusing on climate change management within rural communities

The Sustainability and Community Grants initiative is managed by Conservation SA with funding provided by the Government of South Australia.

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