Hunter residents encouraged to show their love for water

BY SHY-ANN ARKINSTALL

It's Hunter Water's third annual Love Water Day this Saturday, and part of the celebrations for National Water Week.

Hunter locals are being encouraged to get involved by sharing photos or short videos online of how you use smart water practices at home and at work.

We're being reminded we can save water at home by sticking to a four-minute shower, using a trigger nozzle on your hose, watering your garden before 10 am or after 4 pm and ensuring any leaks are fixed as soon as possible.

It's hoped little changes such as these will ensure generations to come are able to live free of fear from water scarcity. 

Hunter Water will also continue to collaborate with schools to ensure the next generation has the knowledge to protect our most precious resource.

With summer quickly approaching, Hunter Water's Renee Fedder says the community needs a reminder about how important it is to conserve water, even during floods.

"It's really important that we're all making smart water choices in our everyday lives," she said.

"Water is fundamental to life and everything that we do, so while it may feel like it's all around us at the moment, it's really important that we do those small things in our homes that can really make big changes for our future."

Newcastle students to get creative about waste in art competition

BY BILLIE KAAL

Newcastle Council is encouraging school students to take part in an art competition with a focus on the circular economy. 

The Close the Loop Art Competition has been created to initiate important conversations about sustainability and resource recovery.

Students have the opportunity for their art works to be showcased on waste trucks and bins across the city.

The competition remains open to all students within the Newcastle LGA, with participating schools going in the running to win a workshop from GoCircular.  

Councillor Elizabeth Adamczyk says the competition is a part of a larger approach to educate and spark community feedback on the topic. 

"The competition is designed to encourage important conversations around sustainability and resource recovery, but also encourage broader community wide feedback on what we are doing with our Sustainable Waste Strategy at the city," she said. 

Students can enter the competition through Council's website, with entries closing on the 23rd of September. 

Cr Adamczyk at Our Lady of Victories for the launch of Close the Loop school art competition.

Singleton named most sustainable community in NSW for 2021

BY CHARLOTTE LLOYD 

The Tidy Town awards held on Saturday the 5th of March, saw Singleton as the overall winner, becoming the state's most Sustainable Community for 2021. 

This follows on from Singleton's efforts in a range of projects and initiatives which includes the recently opened Arts and Cultural Centre as well as the $1 million solar energy project. 

The projects taken out by Singleton council have also helped in cutting energy usage and emissions which made sustainability a key focus in the region. 

Singleton Mayor Sue Moore says this is a amazing achievement for the town as well as the massive efforts put in from the members of the Tidy Towns Committee. 

Cr Moore says it's a great accolade to have to show Singleton is more than just a 'coal' town.

Singleton will be assessed for the National awards later in the year as well as hosting the NSW awards on the 5th of November 2022. 

Photo Credit: Singleton Council

Students to Take Part in Second Sustainnovation Challenge

BY OLIVIA DILLON

Students from a number of local high schools will take part in the City of Newcastle's second Sustainnovation Challenge this week.

In this challenge, students are being asked to answer the question: How do we overcome the barriers to Newcastle and Hunter businesses recycling or using recycled products?

Participating students will attend a two-day virtual workshop, which will include a series of sessions with industry specialists. Students will then create and pitch their ideas to a judging panel.

Sustainnovation Challenge Program Director Duncan Burck, said the project aims to develop a workable and sustainable future for the city. 

"We've been going out into the community to try and find out what things matter to them most. We then bring those challenges to students from across the city, to come up with their ideas on how to solve them," he said. 

Mr Burck also said since the program's launch in 2021, the contributions from students have exceeded expectations. 

"The changes that we've seen and how teachers have been delivering opportunities for students to learn over the past decade, has seen a great shift towards students learning things like problem solving, critical thinking and digital literacy. When we put all these things together, the best prepared people we have in our community are actually our young people."  

Schools taking part include San Clemente High School, Mereweather High School, Macquarie College, Hunter School of Performing Arts, Newcastle Grammar School, and Bishop Tyrrell Anglican College.

The most impressive ideas to emerge from the challenge will progress to Council's Living Lab accelerator program, where they will be developed and implemented into the community.  

"The idea is not just sitting back and hearing these ideas, but actually turning them into something for our community to use," Mr Burck said. 

Newcastle council unveils new truck in electric fleet

BY DAKOTA TAIT

Newcastle council has unveiled the very first truck in its new electric fleet on Tuesday morning.

The medium rigid Hino truck will take the place of a diesel vehicle used by the Parks and Recreation team.

It's estimated to reduce the City of Newcastle's carbon emissions by 20 tonnes a year.

Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen says it's important for the city to lead by example.

"This is a really important step, in terms of the real action that the city is taking to address climate change," Cr Clausen said.

"We're seeing more and more Novocastrians move to electric with their own passenger vehicles."

The move is part of a push to reduce carbon emissions from council vehicles by 100 percent over the next ten years.

Cr Clausen says sustainability is key to future-proofing Newcastle.

"Making available new electric trucks means that we're creating jobs, particularly locally," Cr Clausen said.

"In terms of the skills that are used to service electric vehicles and helping make it that much easier for other organisations, and for the general public, to adopt electric as well."

"This is a really significant win for the city."

Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen and the Parks and Recreation team.

New Development Plan Could See Lake Macquarie Building Height Limits Lifted

BY DAKOTA TAIT

Lake Macquarie's latest draft development control plan could see height limits raised and minimum lot sizes reduced to help stop urban sprawl as the city grows.

The draft changes are part of a plan to improve the sustainability and supply of housing for coming generations by nudging developers toward multi-dwelling housing options such as terraces and apartments.

It's hoped reductions to minimum lot sizes and increasing building height limits in some medium density zones will encourage infill development and upward growth around economic centres.

Current proposals include increasing height limits by four metres in parts of Windale and six metres in one part of Charlestown.

Lake Macquarie City Council Manager Integrated Planning Wes Hain says the changes are hoped to improve both housing affordability and environmental sustainability. 

"We expect to our population to grow by about 28,000 people over the next 15 years," Mr Hain said.

"A part of accommodating those extra people in about 13,500 new homes is to have them located closer to shops and jobs and schools." 

The draft changes are on exhibition until November 1, and residents can have their say at https://shape.lakemac.com.au/.

Manager Integrated Planning Wes Hain outside a recently
 completed medium density infill development in Warners Bay

City of Newcastle Commits to United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals

BY DAKOTA TAIT

The City of Newcastle has joined a global movement to commit to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and build a better and brighter future for the Hunter Region.

The seventeen goals set out by the United Nations address complex global challenges from human rights and gender equality to clean energy and climate action.

Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen says the goals will help guide local action and are a "wide-ranging roadmap of how we'd like the world to look in 2030".

Newcastle, the only United Nations city in Australia, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a number of Hunter organisations, including Compass Housing, CIFAL at the University of Newcastle, Kumalie, Hunter Water, the Port of Newcastle, and Port Waratah Coal Services.

Cr Clausen says Newcastle is dedicated to achieving all of the goals within the next ten years and building on the city's current work in sustainability.

“City of Newcastle is already leading the local government sector on climate action, making great strides in the field over the past five years and becoming the first NSW Council to become powered by 100% renewable energy,” Cr Clausen said.

"Our 2025 Climate Action Plan, currently in development, will set our goals and priorities for the next five years to build on these achievements."

The City of Newcastle has also become the 11th city in the Oceania and Asia-Pacific Region to join the 2020 SDGs Cities Challenge - participating cities will work together with government, academic, and business experts in a 10-month action research project to identify the best approaches to implementing the UN goals.

Representatives of the Hunter Region SDG Memorandum of Understanding meet via Zoom.