It is always encouraging to see young people in regional NSW focusing on their local communities and the ways in which they can work to improve them for the future. I recently enjoyed seeing and discussing exactly this with the Max Potential Project recipients in Mudgee.
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This project offered by Clubs NSW in partnership with The School of Volunteer Management is educating some of our future local leaders. It provides the opportunity for young adults to impact others by developing leadership skills and participating in real community projects. Visit www.maxpotential.com.au/about.php.
Improving heritage buildings
Last week I was pleased the NSW Government announced application are now open for $1.5 million in grants to make the State’s heritage items more energy efficient.
The Heritage Green Energy Grants program by the Office of Environment and Heritage recognises that energy efficiency can be more difficult to achieve for heritage items than for newer sites or buildings.
The Heritage Green Energy Grants will offer up to $100,000 per application to help owners or managers of heritage buildings that are listed as a heritage item at a Council or State level to bring these places up to speed when it comes to energy efficiency.
Buildings age, materials, type of construction, size, shape and site orientation all play a role in how heritage buildings perform in terms of energy efficiency.
The grants are open to successful participants of an OEH energy training course, so I encourage all heritage owners and managers who have completed this training to consider what improvements they could be making at their site.
The Heritage Green Energy Grants are available to owners or managers of heritage buildings that are listed as a heritage item on a council’s Local Environment Plan (LEP) or on the State Heritage Register (SHR). Applications close September 30, 2018. Visit www.environment.nsw.gov.au/heritage-near-me-incentives.
Helping reduce food waste
With one in five people in NSW believing that they throw away more or much more than they should, I was pleased to hear NetWaste has been awarded an $11,980 grant to help the local community reduce food waste. The Love Food Hate Waste grants have been awarded under the NSW Environment Protection Authority’s Organics Infrastructure Fund which forms part of the Waste Less, Recycle More initiative. The Food Smart Pantry to Plate initiative will be delivered to families in Wellington as well as Forbes, Nyngan, Warren, Cobar and Bourke.
NetWaste will be joined by former Masterchef winner Kate Bracks to deliver interactive workshops that teach families how to make the most of their food. The project will also be supported by messaging from the Cancer Council NSW’s Eat it to beat it program.
Wasting food wastes money and the considerable energy, water and other resources used to produce food. Preventing food waste is the best outcome for the environment. Visit www.epa.nsw.gov.au/your-environment/waste/reducing-your-household-waste/love-food-hate-waste.
Water Strategy
I welcomed the release of a ground-breaking study into potential water infrastructure options, commissioned by the NSW Government. State-owned corporation, WaterNSW developed a 20-year infrastructure options study across the state’s major rural river valleys. The options study lays the foundation for securing the future water needs of regional NSW, and is the first of its kind in more than 40 years.
The options study will continue to evolve over the next two years with appropriate consultation to inform future infrastructure planning. Visit www.waternsw.com.au/projects/20-year-infrastructure-options-study.
Until next week, Troy