WATER CAMPAIGN™

On Thursday 23 April 2009, ICLEI Oceania held a networking and information exchange forum at Piney Lakes Environmental Education Centre in the City of Melville.

Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) Australia and the Water Campaign™ joined forces in delivering the ICLEI Oceania Climate and Water Forum, an actions-oriented forum integrating issues of energy and water for a more holistic approach to sustainability.

Three CCP and Water Campaign™ participants were showcased at the forum: the City of Perth, City of Melville and the Shire of Busselton. A summary of outcomes from the event is available online.

The City of Melville owns and operates the Piney Lakes Environmental Education Centre. The centre showcases a range of energy and water efficiency initiatives including solar passive design, wind turbine and solar panels, waterless and hybrid toilets, rainwater tanks and wastewater treatment and reuse onsite. The centre is not connected to mains water or to the sewer, and generates almost all its own power through renewable sources. The centre offers a wide range of community environmental education programs with tours of the centre’s building design and technology available. The City of Melville has passed Milestone 3 (Corporate) of the Water Campaign and is now working on Milestone 4 – Implementation of actions.

The City of Perth is conducting a climate change risk assessment of Point Fraser Wetland in partnership with the Swan River trust. This assessment is the pilot in the development of a Climate Change Risk Assessment tool for Local Government by the Swan River Trust. The risk assessment considers ecological factors, social amenity and infrastructure. The City of Perth has passed Milestone 3 (Corporate) of the Water Campaign and is now working on implementing their Corporate Water Strategy and developing a Community Water Strategy.

The Shire of Busselton is working towards integrating environmental sustainability into council operations, demonstrating that small or regional councils can play a leading role in this area. The key factors of success that the shire is working towards include having a clear strategic direction, having strong leadership, building in house capacity rather than employing contractors and involving a range of council staff in environmental projects from their inception to encourage ownership of environmental sustainability across council. The Shire of Busselton joined the Water Campaign in 2008 and is currently working to complete their Milestone 1 inventory.

The Shire of Augusta-Margaret River is located 290km South of Perth in the South West Region of Western Australia. It’s a very popular tourist destination and also a high growth area, with a current population of 11,360.

The shire has just achieved Milestone 5 (corporate and community), becoming only the fifth council in Australia to reach that stage in the Water Campaign™. This demonstrates the shire’s commitment to sustainable water management and its desire to reduce water usage and achieve its ambitious Milestone 2 goals.

Congratulations Augusta-Margaret River!

Frankston City Council, Victoria – Smart water sport: Low flow, vandal proof showers in sports pavilions

Frankston City Council has retrofitted sports pavilion showers to reduce water consumption, choosing valves that are installed behind the wall to prevent theft and vandalism.

Case studies are usually only available to participating councils and are located in the ‘Milestone Resources’ section of the Water Campaign™ website (requires a log-in).