Creating environmental awareness in your local community

Creating environmental awareness in your local community

Maitland City Council is seeking groups of residents to participate in the Maitland Green Communities Program. The program will see staff engage with the local community to foster an interest in the environment.

Local community groups, school groups and groups of neighbours can register to bring the Green Communities Program to their local area. 
 
Council’s Acting Manager Environment Elfi Blackburn says, ‘As part of the Green Communities Program residents are able to choose the environmental topics they would like to learn about. Topics can include biodiversity, waste management, stormwater, energy management and water use to name a few.’ 
 
Residents will also receive free resources to assist them in implementing sustainable actions. Resources include items such as brooms, buckets, green cleaning supplies, water saving fittings and native seedlings for planting in local backyards.   
 
‘Green Communities workshops will be held in neighbourhood parks and in local streets at the kerbside to ensure residents have easy access to participate and that workshops have a local focus in the environment of which residents are a part. Understanding sustainable practices such as using less water and energy also saves households money,’ said Ms Blackburn. 
 
Each workshop runs for around an hour and the community can choose to attend as many or as few workshops as they like depending on their environmental interests. Workshops will be run at a time suitable to registered residents. 
 
If you think your community group or neighbourhood would be interested in participating in workshops please complete an Expression of Interest form which is available at maitland.nsw.gov.au/living-sustainably. Alternatively, you can contact Council on 4934 9700.  
 
The next round of Green Communities workshops will be announced soon.