Judging for the 230 category entries of the 2010 KESAB Sustainable Communities (tidy towns) will soon commence.
Towns, schools, communities and councils have entered from all regional areas in South Australia embracing sustainability categories including water, waste, energy, community action and bio diversity.
Recently appointed KESAB Sustainability Programs Manager Alexandra Hammett will commence judging August 2nd and assessments will take 5 weeks leading to annual Awards to be presented in November.
“The quality and scope of entries really demonstrates the high level of community action and commitment to making communities more environmentally sustainable” said Alex.
“By recognising what the community can do at the local level provides opportunities to show case environmental improvement across a range of issues including water conservation, recycling and resource recovery, reducing energy use and repairing and sustaining the fragile bio diversity”, she said.
Entries already standing out include;
- Jervois Primary School has implemented an innovative Earth Credits classroom program – monitoring energy efficiency in classrooms, resulting in a winning class each week, and anoverall class winner each term. The least energy efficient class each term is required to plant a tree/ shrub to counteract their green house emissions.
- Courtyard Community Garden at Forestry SA in Mt Gambier –a group of dedicated staff are turning an undeveloped courtyard into a community garden to enhance the social interaction amongst staff and create a sustainable garden with food and plants for all to enjoy.
- Community participation and recycling/ reuse principles at the Moot Yang Gunya festival at Mundulla. Reused material were put to good use creating separate yards for mobs of sheep, manure from 250 horses is creating healthy gardens across Mundulla and community involvement is high whether it be through special working bees or general town life.
- Many schools are entered in the biodiversity category with great projects such as Eastern Fleurieu School: Langhorne Creek Campus are creating a butterfly garden in their school grounds, Kingston Community School are participating in a native fish recovery program, and students at Port Vincent Primary School monitoring biodiversity at their local reef and reporting to Reef Watch.
- The small mid north township of Yacka has a very active Community Development Board who have led two very successful programs this year including the establishment of facilities for campers and caravanning enthusiasts in Yackamoorundie Park as well as rejuvenation of the hall garden in order to use less water, increase the number of native plants and provide an area for formal ceremonies to be held.
- Stansbury Tidy Towns group are trialling a stormwater net at a run off point on the foreshore, near a popular swimming area, in order to collect litter. Not only does this provide a safe swimming area, but it prevents litter from entering the ocean and the litter captured will be sorted and reported on.
A map detailing the 2010 entries and judging schedule is available on the website at www.kesab.asn.au
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