Sustainability Street

Sustainability Street is a community development and environmental education program that brings together residents to create healthier, safer and more environmentally friendly neighbourhoods.

Read below for more information about each group and how to get involved. You can also find out what is happening in Holroyd's Sustainability Streets through our regular newsletters. If you would like to go on our mailing list to receive these newsletters automatically please email bernadette.mackinnon@holroyd.nsw.gov.au or phone Council's Environmental Health Unit on 9840 9981 providing your contact details. Please advise whether you would like to receive the newsletters electronically or in hard copy.

99-101 Coleman & 1-3 Vincent Streets, Merrylands

With funding assistance from Housing NSW, the residents at 99-101 Coleman and 1-3 Vincent Streets Merrylands have participated in workshops on saving water and energy and reducing their waste. These residents have also worked together to actively express their concern at proposed bus changes by writing a letter to local State Ministers and attending Council's community forum on the proposed changes to local bus services.

Bunnings Villawood are also assisting these residents to upgrade their existing garden beds and install a rainwater tank to help water a new vegie and herb garden.

64-70 Walpole Street Merrylands

With the assistance of funding from Housing NSW and support from St George Community Housing, tenants at 64-70 Walpole Street Merrylands have participated in workshops on saving energy and water at home, reducing our waste, recycling, illegal dumping, propagating succulents, and went on a tour of local community gardens.

This group is eagerly awaiting the construction of their community garden and installation of rainwater tank, which is being constructed by the staff at Bunnings Villawood.

The Flower Streets Greystanes

Since 2006 the Flower Streets residents have come together to create a healthier, safer and more environmentally friendly neighbourhood.

The group, originally facilitated by a Sustainability Street Mentor from Holroyd City Council, has met monthly sharing ideas on saving energy and water at home, setting up a worm farm or compost bin, establishing native gardens and no dig gardens, keeping chooks and preserving foods.

Since their official graduation from the program in 2007, the group has continued to meet discussing ways that they can make this area a better place to live. In 2009, they would like to discuss:

• Green cleaning
• Preparing for winter: heating and insulation
• Having a green baby
• Having a green Christmas
• Being a locavor (Food miles)

New members and ideas are always welcome. For more information about the group please email flowerstreets@yahoo.com or Holroyd City Council on 9840 9981.

Wentworthville Public School

In 2008 the students in Years 5 and 6 learnt about renewable and non-renewable forms of energy, how to save energy at school and at home, reducing, reusing and recycling our waste to landfill, saving water at school and at home and improving local biodiversity. Staff from Bunnings Villawood visited the school and helped the students make nesting boxes for native birds. The students also went on an excursion to Warragamba Dam to learn where our water comes from.

The students designed posters to show the Holroyd community how to live more sustainably. In addition, throughout the project, the students worked in small groups to prepare short multi-media presentations about living sustainably. The students presented their multi-media projects at a presentation night in the school hall in August 2008.

During the program, the school was successful in winning BlueScope Steel's Tank a Day competition and received a NSW Government Eco-Schools grant to implement water saving initiatives.

Sturdee Street Wentworthville

The residents from Sturdee Street formed their Sustainability Street group in 2006 with a number of the residents from the street and surrounding area joining in. The group graduated in 2007.

How to get involved

So, you think that Sustainability Street sounds like a good program but you're unsure how you can get involved? There are a few ways you can participate in Sustainability Street.

One of the first things you can do is sign up to receive our regular Sustainability Street newsletters. The newsletters will let you know about upcoming events and activities that you might be able to join in, particularly if you are living close by to one of our existing Streets. New members are welcome to come along at any time and get involved so keep an eye out and get involved where you can.

Another way to get involved is to think about getting your street together and joining the program. Anyone can apply to become a Sustainability Street. You just need to live in the Holroyd local government area and have a desire to get together with your neighbours and create a better future. It's also important to remember that you don't need to be an actual street to take place - it's just a metaphor for a group of people with a close connection. Perhaps you are part of a sporting group, social club or local association that would like to take part?

As part of the application process we ask the street champion (you!) to collect the names of other people in your street who might like to be involved. Not everyone in the street needs to join in just a few people can start up a Sustainability Street and others are always welcome to join in at any time.

If you are interested in finding out more about Sustainability Street contact Councils Environmental Health Unit on 9840 9981 for more information.

History

The Sustainability Street program was launched in Holroyd in 2006. The program began with pioneers Sturdee Street Wentworthville and The Flower Streets Greystanes.

As a result of the success of these pioneering streets, and with funding assistance from the NSW Governments Environmental Trust Program, Council welcomed Wentworthville Public School to the program in 2007. The program continues with 64-70 Walpole Street Merrylands coming on board in 2008 and 99-101 Coleman and 1-3 Vincent Streets Merrylands West coming on board in 2009. Both of these groups are participating in the Sustainability Street Program with the funding assistance from Housing NSW.