Boddington community volunteers have shown tremendous spirit in establishing environmentally friendly practices that align with the protection of the natural habitat and litter reduction, including organising a local Clean Up Australia Day event, educational opportunities about the advantages of recycling, smart waste collection and upcycling, and building the RRR dishwashing trailer for use at local events to reduce the reliance on single-use plastic cutlery, cups and plates.

WINNER
Singleton, NSW

The Slow Food Singleton project aims to reduce food waste from the garden, create renewed enthusiasm for locally grown fresh food and encourage backyard gardening. The project established several solutions enabling residents to share food, including the Slow Foods Singleton – Citrus Rescue, which has added a new value of locally grown fruit, with tonnes of fruit rescued from the ground and from trees being donated to schools and local community services.

The Ltyentye Apurte community holds culture and heritage as a sacred part of their spiritual lives. Importance is placed on history, country, culture and language for all ages; with the community working continuously to uphold several United Nation’s goals. Various creative programs are employed to achieve this and provide the community with a voice and expression of their cultural pride and connections.

Residents from Mount Liebig and staff from the MacDonnell Council have formed an effective partnership to tackle litter. Through a variety of new initiatives, the community is ensuring Mount Liebig is litter free, such as a chilled water fountain that reduces the number of plastic bottles disposed of each year, no single-use plastics are available at the community store and biodegradable containers are now used for lunch. Mount Liebig is in fact a leader in litter control throughout the NT.

Wave Swell Energy is an innovative Australian based renewable energy technology company that selected Grassy Harbour on King Island as the location for deployment, trial and operation of its world leading propriety technology that converts wave energy into electricity. WSE’s technology produces clean, sustainable electricity from waves, and in cooperation with Hydro Tasmania, the electricity is exported to the grid to power homes and businesses on King Island.

WINNER
Kimba, SA

The $750,000 Roora Dam Stormwater Catchment project is a significant development, playing a vital role in the sustainability of Kimba’s water resources. The whole catchment area, including this project, is estimated to capture 22.7 megalitres on the main Roora Dam. This not only preserves our natural resources but also provides an estimated cost saving to the community of $77,455.

One of the many ways in which to monitor the health and sustainability of an area and its natural environment is by observing birds as an indicator species.

The King Island Landcare Group began the ‘Wings on King’ project, which identified King Island to be experiencing some concerning environmental degradation issues by identifying three critically endangered and two endangered bird species. As a result, a King Island Bird Conservation Action Plan has been set up to manage the recovery of these species.

The Buckleboo Farm Improvement Group (BFIG) evidences the commitment and innovative spirit epitomising Kimba’s leadership within the agricultural sector, and the importance of this sector in the ongoing education about sustainability and the environment. The BFIG initiatives are further enhanced by an educational framework consisting of events including workshop, regional bus trips, technology in agriculture seminars and an annual crop walk attracting growers, researchers and industry professionals from across the state.

A partnership between McDonnell Regional Council, Melbourne Football Club and AAAC was formed with the purpose of installing a water system on the community oval and laying grass/turf covering the full-size oval. Additional to the laying of turf, gym equipment was placed at various sections around the oval. This project satisfies eleven of the United Nation Sustainability Goals, proving to be a tremendous success. The oval continues to host many activities and scheduled games.