Keep Australia Beautiful environmental gong goes to Blackwater
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Posted on December 10, 2019
Blackwater is a winner in the 2019 Queensland Sustainable Communities competition in the environmental sustainability category and highly commended in the environmental communication and engagement category.
Central Highlands Regional Council Chief Executive Officer Scott Mason said the award should encourage people to take pride in their town and the region.
‘Blackwater is now officially recognised as one of the 2019 Queensland Sustainable Communities,’ he said.
‘Let’s all do our bit to be sustainable and have pride in our town by recycling, reducing littering and keeping it tidy and extend this message to all of our towns.’
The award recognises the many environmental management initiatives people, businesses and council collaborate on, and these extend across the region.
‘The National Tree Day event and efforts under council’s Pest Management Plan 2015-2020 and management strategies like the wild dog bonus payment are all part of what led to receiving this award,’ Mr Mason said.
‘The highly commended award in communication and engagement celebrates the cooperative approach between government, industry, natural resource management and community on these initiatives.’
The competition is hosted by the Keep Australia Beautiful Tidy Town group and submissions were made by Central Highlands Regional Council.
2019 Queensland Sustainable Communities – Tidy Towns – Awards winners making Queensland a better place
The winners of the Keep Australia Beautiful 2019 Queensland Sustainable Communities – Tidy Towns Awards were announced on Friday 6 December 2019 at the WRIQ AGM and Christmas Lunch in Brisbane.
The Keep Australia Beautiful 2019 Queensland Sustainable Communities – Tidy Towns Overall Award was presented to Gympie, qualifying the town to represent Queensland in the National Awards to be held in Alice Springs in April 2020.
Running nationally since 1990, these awards have evolved to encompass projects and initiatives with a focus on environmental sustainability and resource management to reflect a growing awareness of the importance of community-led environmental action. The awards recognise the hard work undertaken by regional towns, councils, individuals and groups and share these best practices and ideas to continue to improve our vibrant rural towns.
Gympie also won the Dame Phyllis Frost Litter Prevention Category, the Resource Recovery and Waste Management Category and received Highly Commended in the Environmental Communication and Engagement Category.
The judges noted that through its comprehensive programs, innovation and leadership, Gympie has demonstrated a strong commitment to its community and the environment.
Val Southam, Chief Executive of Keep Australia Beautiful said Keep Australia Beautiful was pleased to have so many entries from across regional Queensland this year.
“It is wonderful to see the great work the regions are doing,” commented Ms Southam.
“We are also excited to once again have a Queensland entry for the coveted National Awards.”
2019 QUEENSLAND SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES – TIDY TOWNS WINNERS TABLE
Category Winner Overall Winner Gympie Dame Phyllis Frost Litter Prevention Gympie Resource Recovery and Waste Management Gympie Heritage and Culture Sarina (Mackay Regional Council) Environmental Sustainability – Natural Environment Management Blackwater (Central Highlands Regional Council) Environmental Communication and Engagement JOINT HIGHLY COMMENDEDGympie & Blackwater
About the Australian Sustainable Communities Tidy Towns Awards
Keep Australia Beautiful seeks to lead, challenge and inspire all Australians to strive for a sustainable and litter free environment. It does this through research, communications programs and awards programs.
Its national awards are known as the Australian Sustainable Communities Tidy Towns Awards. The Awards program commences with state and territory awards and culminates in a national Grand Final event.
The Keep Australia Beautiful Sustainable Communities Tidy Towns Awards Program for Queensland
As Queensland is not currently represented in the federation of the Keep Australia Beautiful organisations from each State and Territory, there has not been a Queensland entry for the Australian Sustainable Communities ‐ Tidy Towns awards since 2016.
For 2019, the Keep Australia Beautiful National Association has run a dedicated awards program so that the regional towns in the beautiful state of Queensland have the opportunity to be included in the National awards program.