During April and May, Hurstville City Council hosted a free five week course to help educate the local community on how to save money and the environment. Titled Enviro-Works, the course was held for two hours every Tuesday evening over the five week period.
Around 25 people from the Hurstville, Kogarah and Rockdale areas participated in the sessions. The three Councils recently entered a joint waste contract and by inviting residents from all three Council areas, it was hoped the community education process could be streamlined.
Hurstville Mayor, Councillor Vince Badalati, said EnviroWorks informed residents about the changes they can make in their everyday lives to lessen the impact on the environment.
“People often come along to our courses not knowing how bad the state of the environment is in some areas,” he said. “With global warming and the state of the environment at the forefront of public consciousness, courses like these are very important in helping the community to understand what they can do to help around their own home.
“Topics covered in the EnviroWorks course included waste minimisation, energy and water sustainability, detoxing your home and green cleaning.
“The course left participants feeling empowered and ready to take on the environmental challenge.”
Mayor Badalati said the course was a good way for the community to share their stories and learn in a fun interactive way.
“We gave participants a lot of resources, including a jam packed information booklet and a resource CD with lots of issues they can follow up on,” he said. “Participants who completed the full course also received a free compost bin or worm farm to start reaching their environmental goals.”
A range of community members attended the sessions, from young couples to grandparents and retirees. A number of non English speaking Chinese people also attended, bringing along their own interpreter to translate the information.
“We have a range of socio economic background in our Local Government area and the course does not put any onus on needing to spend a lot of money to get environmental rewards,” Mayor Badalati said. “There are a lot of cheap and easy things residents can do before installing a solar hot water system or getting a rainwater tank.”
Mayor Badalati said Hurstville recognises the importance of protecting the environment for future generations.
“Council regularly conducts various education programs to teach residents how to minimise their waste,” he said. “Although our recycling rate is six per cent above the industry standard, we need to do more.”
Hurstville now plans to run two EnviroWorks courses per year, which will see around 50 residents take part in over two months of continuous education during out of business hours. Council also plans to expand the course activities to include a landfill and recycling facility tour, which shows people exactly what is happening to their waste.
For further information contact Margaux Park, Council’s Waste Project Coordinator, on (02) 9330 6222.
