Projects and Partners

Page Navigation:

 

Project:

Sustaining Eco-friendly Communities

Background 

Sustaining Eco-friendly Communities is a partnership project between the Department of Environment and Climate Change NSW (DECC) and the Local Community Services Association (LCSA), the peak body for neighbourhood and community centres across NSW.

Based on the successful Eco-friendly Communities project in 2003, this project aims to increase the capacity of centre staff and participants at neighbourhood and community centres across NSW to learn about and take action for their environment.

Project activities 

The Eco-friendly Communities project officer works with regional groups of NSW neighbourhood and community centres to:

• promote the ongoing use of the Eco-friendly Communities kit and to showcase successful projects
• share ideas and local resources in regional workshops with neighbourhood centres, local government officers and other groups and organisations
• identify and approach local organisations and businesses to sponsor local environmental projects

Outcomes and successes 

Stories so far

In 2003, 74 regional centres across NSW participated in introductory workshops where staff and volunteers received starter kits and discussed ways to involve their local community in living more sustainably.

Here are some of the initiatives they developed:

• Dungog Information & Neighbourhood Centre – developed an environmental management plan for the centre, and with their council distributed water saving shower heads to their local community
• Raymond Terrace Neighbourhood Centre – made their centre more eco-friendly as an example for their community and organised workshop information sessions
• Samaritans Information & Neighbourhood Centre – made their centre eco-friendly (reduced chemical use and reduced use of plastic bags), organised community workshops on reducing waste and gardening, and assisted local environment groups
• Tomaree Neighbourhood Centre – made their centre more eco-friendly (reduced chemical use) and organised an eco-garden at a community house for people with disabilities
• Maitland Neighbourhood & Information Centre – environmental education for parents and children
• Mid North Coast Neighbourhood Centres – reduced their energy consumption, changed to recycled copy paper and now recycle more paper
• Illawarra Community Centres – reduced their use of chemical cleaners and now clean their centres with micro-fibre cleaning products
• Sutherland Community Centre – created a permaculture garden

Resource materials 

As part of this project, Community Centres across NSW also receive a resource kit "Eco-friendly Communities: Promoting sustainable living and working".

The kit includes information on making your organisation more eco-friendly, running discussion groups on environmental issues, and linking up with other community and environmental groups in your local area.

It addresses environmental issues such as air, energy, water, waste, chemicals and biodiversity and promotes an action learning approach. Although the kit was written for people working in Community Centres, it may be useful to other local community and environment groups.

Download the latest version of the Kit and learn about recent project successes.

How to get involved and find out more 

Get involved

If you are interested in social and environmental issues, want to learn more about ways to live and work sustainably and would like to run a small eco-friendly project, then the organisers would love to hear from you.

Contact the LCSA Project Officer and set a date for a 2-hour regional workshop.

At the workshop you will:

• develop an environmental management plan, which will save your centre money
• share ideas and resources with council environmental officers, other centres and community environmental organisations
• arrange financial support through the regional environmental project

Find out more

Contact Meg Bishop, the LCSA Project Officer on phone (02) 4441 8885 or email meg@lcsa.org.au.

Find out more about the Eco-friendly communities project.

Find out about sustainability projects happening in your area — contact your local community or neighbourhood centre on NSW freecall 1800 646 545.

Project partner 

Local Community Services Association

LCSA is the peak body for the 300 Neighbourhood and Community Houses in NSW. These centres provide a network of generalist community-based organisations that are an important part of their local community.

The project uses a community development model which is flexible to help communities undertake local projects to promote sustainability. It also encourages people to use existing community networks strategies to target women, who research has shown play a major role in taking environmental action and integrate environmentally sustainable practices into everyday community and household activities.

Participants

Department of Environment and Climate Change NSW

The Department of Environment and Climate Change NSW works towards achieving a clean and healthy environment through its administration of environment protection legislation. This legislation covers air, water quality, contaminated land, noise control, pesticides, hazardous chemicals, dangerous goods, radiation and waste as well as national parks and reserves, biodiversity and threatened species, Aboriginal and cultural heritage, historic sites and pest management.

The DECC uses a range of means to achieve compliance including economic incentive schemes, regulation, enforcement, education, and monitoring and reporting.

A further role for the Department is to promote environmentally sustainable practices, resource use and waste management. This involves the development, coordination and implementation of a range of strategies and programs, including education for industry and the community, and market development for recovered resources and recycled materials.

 

Need more? Find out about other projects and initiatives.