World Environment Day marks a beginning for future action on Moreland’s streets, as Council officers continue to work hard in anticipation of a Community Summit set for later this year. The summit will bring together community members and Council officers to discuss issues and solutions for cleaner streets in Moreland.
The Community Summit is an important step for the Our Moreland Looking Good campaign, which has featured various forms of community involvement, from surveys and reporting lines to planting days and Ambassador programs. The summit will give community members and Council the chance to evaluate actions and programs from the campaign, and discuss what should be done for long-term city improvement.
“In order to work effectively together, it’s important all sectors of the community engage openly,” Moreland City Council Mayor Councillor Lambros Tapinos said. “The summit will give Council the opportunity to present current and ongoing actions to the community, and will give residents and traders the chance to voice concerns and be actively involved in future cleanup strategies.
“As the saying goes, ‘many hands make light work.’”
The success of the Our Moreland Looking Good campaign makes it a consideration for following years.
“The use of Cleanup Australia Day and World Environment Day as bookends has kept real focus on the message of waste reduction and city improvement,” Mayor Tapinos said. “We wanted to remind the community to think globally and act locally. Eliminating rubbish and grot from our streets does more than just make the city look good – reducing rubbish, increasing recycling and keeping litter out of parks and creeks helps the planet.”
Summit events will include question time, round table discussions and group forums, and will utilise feedback from surveys at the beginning and end of the campaign to encourage open discussion.
“Council has come up with some good ideas already, and we are making headway, but community engagement and participation is key to any city-wide project,” Mayor Tapinos said. “Illegal dumping, graffiti vandalism and general grot are serious problems that need a great deal of work.
“For success to be possible, you need creativity and a lot of elbow grease. This makes it essential for our community to play an active role in cleaning up and beautifying our city.
“I am sure the Our Moreland Looking Good campaign will be improved and repeated for years to come.”
