Tidy Towns, Sustainable Communities - STATE FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

MEDIA RELEASE
October 10, 2011

STATE FINALISTS ANNOUNCEMENT

Keep Australia Beautiful NSW
Tidy Towns, Sustainable Communities Awards 2012

Keep Australia Beautiful NSW has announced the Tidy Towns, Sustainable Communities Awards State Finalists for 2012 (table of Finalists follows).

Winners will be announced at a celebration weekend in Lithgow from Friday November 4, to Sunday November 6.  All are warmly invited to attend. To register for Tidy Towns, Sustainable Communities weekend events, awards presentations and dinner visit http://www.kabnsw.org.au/ or email us at rsvp@kabnsw.org.au.

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The hotly contested Tidy Towns, Sustainable Communities Awards recognise and support communities actively working towards becoming more sustainable. Projects include environmental, heritage conservation, schools-based programs, parkland, and local beautification efforts that show strong examples of civic pride.

“A lot of people think the Tidy Towns, Sustainable Communities program is about picking up litter, but the program has matured a great deal since its inception in 1981. The program now carries the tag line ‘Sustainable Communities’, to better express current environmental concerns and issues facing regional NSW communities.” Peter McLean, Chief Executive Officer of Keep Australia Beautiful NSW said.

“This year’s Tidy Towns, Sustainable Communities program was again very competitive with an excellent response from across the State. Each year we are impressed with the quality of entries, and we always look forward to seeing how communities deal with their own environmental challenges. It has been a tough few weeks of judging but we’ve been able to identify those communities who are doing an outstanding job. There can only be one Tidy Towns, Sustainable Communities Overall State Winner, but all the finalists are to be commended for their efforts.”

Peter also said that the awards weekend isn’t just about receiving awards.

“The Tidy Towns, Sustainable Communities awards weekend represents the best of the best and is a fantastic opportunity to learn from other participants, build important networks around rural NSW and showcase a proud Tidy Town, with this year’s awards hosted by the current State title-holder, Lithgow.”

The Tidy Towns, Sustainable Communities Awards Program relies on the generosity of its sponsors, including the Packaging Stewardship Forum which sponsors the Waste Management & Litter Reduction Award.

Chris Jeffreys, Program Manager for the Packaging Stewardship Forum said the number, and quality of projects in the Waste Management & Litter Reduction Awards category was outstanding.

“This year we’ve been impressed by the diverse range of entries in this category. To see communities working hard at the coal-face to address issues around waste and litter is uplifting. Litter and disposal of waste are pressing concerns; they pose a great threat to the environment and the problem can only be dealt with through leadership, education and practical solutions. All the finalists deserve recognition for their persistent efforts and we look forward to seeing which community is considered to have had the most impact.” Ms Jeffreys said.

CATEGORY AWARDS

Starting at 9.00am on Saturday, Nov 5 the Category Awards will be presented at the Union Theatre, Bridge Street, Lithgow. Governor of NSW, Professor Marie Bashir AC, CVO will speak and present an award.

Finalists will be recognised in one or more of the following six categories:

• Essential Energy Bush Spirit Award
• Water Conservation Award
• NSW State Government & Heritage Council of NSW, Cultural Heritage Award
• Packaging Stewardship Forum, Waste Management & Litter Reduction Award
• NSW Office of Environment & Heritage, Wildlife Corridors & Habitats  Conservation Award
• Schools Environment Award

POPULATION AWARDS & OVERALL STATE WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT

The Tidy Towns, Sustainable Communities Population Category Awards, and most coveted accolade the Overall State Winner will be announced that evening Saturday, Nov 5 during the Awards Dinner to be held at the Civic Ballroom, George Coates Ave, Lithgow. The Hon. Robyn Parker MP, NSW Minister for Heritage and Environment will also speak.

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More than 200 category entries from towns across New South Wales have been comprehensively assessed. This was followed by a secondary judging panel and statistical analysis to establish the finalists. Further information on the judging process is available by request.

NSW STATE FINALISTS

SCHOOLS

The Tidy Towns, Sustainable Communities Awards program is made possible by the generosity of its sponsors: NSW Gov Office of Environment & Heritage, Heritage Council of NSW, Essential Energy and Packaging Stewardship Forum.

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For further information please contact Carolyn Oakley, Media & Communications Manager on
(02) 9633 3380  or coakley@kabnsw.org.au

To secure a complimentary place on the Media Table at the Awards Dinner please email us at coakley@kabnsw.org.au