State Winners of the Sustainable Garden Challenge Announced!!!
The Winners of the Sustainable Garden Challenge were announced today by Keep Australia Beautiful NSW and Raine & Horne. The State Award recipients were Guide Dogs Association NSW/ACT for the Community Category, Vaucluse Public School for the Schools Category, Bronwyn Dunn for the Individual Category and Bombala Council for the Council Category.
Sponsored by leading property group Raine & Horne, the Sustainable Garden Challenge attracted 97 entries from schools, community groups, councils and individuals, who have worked hard to create and maintain sustainable gardens across NSW.
The Guide Dogs Association NSW/ACT Garden and Park is the culmination of over 8 years of dedication, donations and volunteer hours. The site consists of a pond restoration project and tree corridor project with the local creek near bye and has resulted in the planting of approximately 23,000 plants.
Gardening guru Don Burke congratulated Guide Dogs Association NSW/ACT for their exceptional entry. “It is great to see such a sustainable garden encompassing water conservation, biodiversity and community education,” Don said.
The Vaucluse Public School Vegetable Garden was designed to teach students to grow and harvest vegetables and fruit in an organic and sustainable way. The vegetable garden has enhanced school life by creating a practical outdoor learning environment which is integrated into key learning areas across the school curriculum. With the help of strong volunteer support, the garden which is maintained with permaculture methods has grown to include a worm farm, a water tank which harvests rainwater from the school roof and has increased biodiversity in the area.
Peter McLean, Chief Executive Officer, Keep Australia beautiful NSW said, “In an era of climate change cultivating a sustainable garden is a real achievement. Gardening is such a fun, hands on way to encourage kids to value their environment so it’s fantastic to see that schools are getting involved in teaching their school children about the importance of living sustainably.”
Bronwyn Dunn was announced the Overall State Winner for the Individual Sustainable Garden Category. Her home garden in Batemans Bay is a haven to animal, insect and bird life. In addition to the two rainwater tanks, the household harvests all roof rainwater for kitchen and garden use and Bush tucker plants are grown from seeds that Bronwyn collects locally.
Bronwyn’s garden experiments with creating micro climates which allow an array of fruit to flourish, ranging from apples to bananas, with wheat is grown for bread making. The project includes a non-mowing native lawn, bush tucker garden, chickens to snail control and fertilizer and a clay oven which utilizes the natural clay on the land.
The garden is also open to the local community and schools who learn from her sustainable way of life, and play on her giant outdoor chess set. Last year Bronwyn formed an Edible Gardening Group which meets to share sustainable gardening information.
Adam Porteous, franchisee of Raine & Horne Batemans Bay, said that Bronwyn Dunn’s garden provides inspiration for other local residents to get involved in sustainable gardening, “And besides the ecological importance, a sustainable garden may also add value to a property in terms of reduced maintenance times and costs.”
In fact, recent research from Raine & Horne found that homebuyers in areas worst affected by water restrictions were prepared to pay premiums of up to $5,000 for homes with water-saving features such as water tanks.
Bombala Council who was announced the Overall Council State Winner utilised the Sustainable Garden Challenge as a way of tackling the prolonged drought in the township of Bombala, which has affected both community and economic development.
Through the use of locally sourced organic mulch, fertiliser and landscaping materials to create micro climates, Bombala Council promoted sustainable gardening practices to the entire local community.
“The dedication of volunteers and the level of partnership between the council and community in Bombala was exceptional for the Council Category. It’s inspiring to see that where the council lacked funds, the volunteers banded together to create something of beauty and inspiration for the entire township, resulting in enhancing community spirit and pride.” Peter McLean, Chief Executive Officer of Keep Australia Beautiful NSW said.
Local ceremonies to recognise the State Winners will be held over the next two weeks to celebrate the beginning of Spring. All State Winners of the Sustainable Garden Challenge will be presented with a prize of $3,300, garden works valued at $1,000 and a $250 Bunnings Warehouse gift voucher!
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For further media information please contact:
Elizabeth Jarrett 02 9633 3380.
For media comment please contact Peter McLean on 0416 227 158.
Continue to page 2 for a full list of Sustainable Garden Winners