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Sustainability Street Program
With the launch of the new Do-It-Yourself approach, Council is again encouraging residents to lead a more sustainable lifestyle by joining our Sustainability Street Program in 2011. Sustainability Street is a grass roots community program assisting residents to live a more sustainable lifestyle by saving energy, water and waste through implementing environmentally friendly actions at home and in the community.
A Sustainability Street is made up of a group of people who live in the same street, neighbourhood or suburb and have similar interests in living sustainably. These are called Sustainability Street Hubs and currently there are three Sustainability Street Hubs in the City of Whitehorse – Blackburn, Box Hill, Mitcham and Vermont South. Specialist environmental educators Vox Bandicoot facilitate the program based on their Sustainability Street Approach.
Sustainability Street is an easy, fun, neighbourhood-focused program that provides information on how to live more sustainably and how to take action at a very local level – your street, your neighbourhood – to save energy and water, reduce waste, and minimise our impact on the environment. Over the past five years, Council has launched and supported four Sustainability Streets hubs (larger groups) in Whitehorse, but the focus this year is to offer the program in a flexible, home-based manner.
DIY Sustainability Street introduces improved tools and support, and presents flexible approaches on how residents might work with friends and neighbours to make their home and lifestyle more sustainable.
Residents can start up a Sustainability Street group of their own in a number of ways. Some residents will be able gather a number of neighbours in their street or local area and simply follow the Sustainability Street Approach Manual. Others may want to gain inspiration from existing Sustainability Street Hubs and ‘Elders’ and/or continual support via Council’s Train the Mentor Sessions.
Each new DIY Sustainability Street in 2011 will receive tools and support including:
- DIY Sustainability Street Starter Kit containing the revised Sustainability Street Manual and templates, a Sustainability Street banner, coffee and tea for gatherings and more.
- Village Yeast (seed funding) towards a community outreach and sustainability project.
- Train the Mentor Sessions with Vox Bandicoot.
- Council support and mentoring.
A tailored information session can be organised for interested groups upon request or simply attend an upcoming Train the Mentor session.
For further information contact Council’s Sustainability officer on 9262 6433 or email miho.portelli@whitehorse.vic.gov.au
About the Sustainability Street Approach
Vox Bandicoot, one of Australia's leading environmental education companies, developed the Sustainability Street Approach (SSA) in 2001 and has been working with communities to help transform homes and neighbourhoods into sustainable green environments ever since.
Visit Vox Bandicoot's www.voxbandicoot.com.au to learn more about their educational approach.
Sustainability Street Fact Sheet.pdf (550.19kB)
DIY Sustainability Street Fact Sheet (394.47kB)
Sustainability Street Expression Of Interest Form.pdf (100.51kB)
Sustainability Street Newsletter February 2009.pdf (698.75kB)
Sustainability Street Newsletter March 2009.pdf (287.24kB)
Sustainability Street Newsletter April 2009.pdf (342.67kB)
Sustainability Street Newsletter March 2009.pdf (287.24kB)
Sustainability Street Newsletter June 2009.pdf (796.68kB)
Sustainability Street Newsletter July 2009.pdf (553.82kB)