Sustained success: City lauded in Keep Australia Beautiful Awards

THE City of Greater Geelong’s green credentials and achievements have seen it win this year’s overall Keep Victoria Beautiful Sustainable Cities Award.

The award, presented earlier this month, recognises and celebrates positive actions taken by communities in urban areas to protect and enhance their local environments.

The city was one of only two municipalities that qualified for the major award in 2021.

As well as the overall award, the city was named the winner in three categories:

• The Energy Award for the Zero Carbon Buildings Program, which has reduced the ecological and carbon footprint of the city’s community facilities through renewable energy generation and energy efficiency improvements
• The Environment Award for the Ramblers Road Artificial Reef, which has been effective in preventing further erosion, limiting the over topping of waves and stabilising and widening the beach, and
• The Waste Award for Recycled Roads. which incorporate materials collected via the city’s kerbside recycling services, keeping tonnes of glass and plastics out of landfill and reducing project CO2 emissions by as much as 30 per cent through a highly efficient construction process.

Geelong mayor Stephanie Asher said the council was proud that the city had been recognised in the annual awards program.

“We’re thrilled to win the overall Sustainable Cities Award because it recognises how hard we’re working to keep the Greater Geelong region sustainable and liveable.

“Our community wants to see the city proactively showing leadership to reduce our environmental impact, prevent waste, and protect our world-class biodiversity.

“These projects are good for the environment but also make economic sense over the long-term.

“Whether it’s using crushed glass to build roads, putting solar on city facilities, or installing an artificial reef at Portarlington, we’re leading the way on sustainability action at the local government level.”

Bellarine Friends of the Hooded Plover’s Andrea Dennett was also recognised at the awards, winning the 2021 Community Green Achiever Award for her work to protect threatened bird life.

“Andrea has shown real leadership and commitment over almost 14 years to nurture and care for threatened birds and protect our precious coastal habitat,” Cr Asher said.

“Andrea has brought people together and shown we all have a part to play in protecting our beloved hoodies.”

The city’s Bella Wiyn Birralee Family Centre in Drysdale was also highly commended by the judges for its Sustainability Champions of Tomorrow program.

Four other projects from the Geelong region were also named as finalists in the Community Awards categories:

• Mik Aidt for his Climate Emergency Declaration Campaign (highly commended in the Education Award)
• Geelong Sustainability for Sustainable House Day 2020 (Education Award)
• Friends of Waurn Ponds Creek for Waurn Ponds Creek Restoration (Environment Award), and
• Lids 4 Kids for Saving Plastic Lids from Landfill (Waste Award).

For more information on the awards, head to the Keep Victoria Beautiful website.