MEDIA RELEASE
18 October 2010 | Download
National honour for Council education program
The Switch your thinking! program has received critical acclaim at a national level winning the hotly contested Education Award at the 2010 Banksia Awards.
Presented at the formal Banksia Awards ceremony in Sydney on Friday night, the prestigious environmental award is the latest in a long line of successes for the program, which is an initiative of the South East Regional Energy Group (SEREG) - a partnership program of the Cities of Armadale and Gosnells and Serpentine Jarrahdale Shire.Executive Director of the Banksia Foundation and judge Graz van Egmond said, "Judges found this initiative differentiated itself from the other 152 entries in this category by taking on a multifaceted approach, focusing different projects to the various groups and needs within their community. Equally impressive is the long term vision that enables adaptability, relevance and interest."
SEREG Chair Cr Pat Hart accepted the Education Award on behalf of the three partner Councils and was delighted to win.
"This is the most prestigious environmental award in Australia. It is an enormous honour for all involved in the program. The Cities of Armadale and Gosnells and Serpentine Jarrahdale Shire are very proud of Switch your thinking!", Cr Hart said.
"One of the key features of the Switch your thinking! program has been the formation of successful partnerships with State and Federal Government agencies, funding bodies, corporate sponsors, community groups and other WA Councils. We'd like to thank everyone involved in the program."
Serpentine Jarrahdale Shire President Cr Sheila Twine who was also at the Awards ceremony said, "By striving for and promoting best practice, Switch your thinking! and our program partners have helped reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 330,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent since 2002. This is akin to taking some 55,000 cars off the road for an entire year - a marvellous effort."
With more local government and corporate partners around Australia set to join Syt! in 2010/11, continued growth and the delivery of groundbreaking new projects promises to be the next exciting phase of this innovative educational program.
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