Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) congratulates Geelong Cemeteries Trust, the winner of the Environmental Protection category in this year's Premier's Sustainability Awards.
EPA Chief Executive Officer, Nial Finegan said Geelong Cemeteries Trust won the Environmental Protection category for developing a unique nature reserve within a protected coastal woodland area.
“Known as the Moonah Memorial Walk, the site is home to a variety of fauna and flora, and over 1500 additional trees, shrubs and understory plants were planted during its creation,” Mr Finegan said.
“This initiative has created a protected habitat for endangered plants and native animals, while providing the community with a beautiful, natural setting for burials and memorials,” he said.
“This is a wonderful example of an organisation excelling in the field of environmental sustainability and creating a setting which both protects the environment and can be utilised by the local community.”
The two other finalists for the Environmental Protection category were:
- Moonee Valley City Council – Afton Street Wetland and Stormwater Harvesting Scheme – a wetland/water harvesting development that helps drought-proof their city and sustain a green, healthy environment with sustainability, social and financial benefits.
- Armstrong Creek Development Corporation and GbLA Landscape Architects – Warralily Creek Corridor Rehabilitation Stages 2A-2F. The rehabilitation and re-construction of 2.8 kilometres of the degraded Armstrong Creek corridor in new Geelong residential community, Warralily, is an exemplar of integrated stormwater management.
Now in their 14th year, the Premier's Sustainability Awards continue to promote innovation in sustainability and encourage a broader adoption of these practices by all Victorians.
“EPA has sponsored the Environmental Protection Category for a number of years and we’re always very proud of the entrants’ creativity and dedication to achieving sustainability,” Mr Finegan said.
“This year’s winner and finalists are no exception – and we congratulate them and acknowledge their ingenuity and commitment to conserving and protecting Victoria’s environment,” he said.
Winters Flat Primary School in Castlemaine won the top honour of the night – the Premier's Recognition Award – for developing sustainability programs that engage not only their school, but their local council, businesses, Indigenous groups and their whole community.
For more information on the Premier's Sustainability Awards and the winners, go to www.sustainabilityawards.vic.gov.au.
Photo: (left to right) Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D'Ambrosio, Geelong Cemeteries Trust Chairman Lynden Smith, and EPA Chairman Cheryl Batagol.
Photo: Moonah Memorial Walk.
Photo: Warralily Creek Corridor Rehabilitation Stages 2A-2F.
Photo: Afton Street Wetland and Stormwater Harvesting Scheme.