Tidy Towns Awards were initiated nearly 20 years ago as part of the Keep Australia Beautiful campaign. Since then they have become one of the most well known and widely supported programs for enhancing the local environment.Each year some 2000 towns Australia wide vie for the privilege of erecting a Tidy Town sign at their entrance.
The awards bring tangible benefits since it is estimated that winners receive a return of five dollars for every dollar spent, in the form of additional tourism, road safety and education programs and environmental improvement. With the major sponsor being Mitsubishi Motors Australia, this year the winner is the seaside town of Kiama. Kiama is a town of 9,000 people located on the coast 120 kilometres south of Sydney.
Judge, Dick Olesinski, said that once again the standard of competition was very high with the job not getting any easier. “Kiama stood out for its community-driven, ecologically sustainable approach to all areas of environmental management,” he said.
Key features of Kiama’s entry were its Minnamurra Revolve Recycling Centre which has achieved a 60% reduction in the town’s waste levels, a voluntary gardening scheme adjoining the town’s golf course and the town’s very active environmental committee which has tackled issues of sustainable development and biodiversity.
Amongst towns receiving commendations were, Emerald in Queensland, which although in its 6th year of drought has developed an innovative use of effluent to conserve water and maintain valuable greenery.
Deloraine in Tasmania which was described as a ‘site of national significance’ for its 57 square centimetre silk curtain depicting the town’s seasons, woven by 300 local women, and Wallace Rockhole in the Northern Territory which involves the entire township on its Tidy Towns committee and has managed to minimise many of its health problems through Tidy Towns initiatives.
Commendations also went to Lakes Entrance, (Vic) for sustainable tourism; Loxton, (SA) for environmental education; Tuggeranong, (ACT) for environmental care; and Denmark, (WA) for ecologically sustainable development.
