Sustainable Communities (tidy towns) 2010
The iconic KESAB Tidy Towns program has embraced a name change reflecting three decades of extensive community environmental focus on sustainability and action throughout regional South Australia.
KESAB Sustainable Communities (tidy towns) 2010 program will continue to assess community environmental action across a broad range of issues including waste, water conservation, education and innovation, biodiversity conservation and energy.
We continue to recognise activities that beautify a town, but we acknowledge a shift in how these activities are viewed. Maintaining streetscapes (including picking up litter, planting and maintaining roadside vegetation) addresses many areas of sustainability. Litter clean ups remove waste from our environment that can cause harm to plant and animal life (biodiversity). Plant selection is important so that they can thrive in the environment they are situated in. Often endemic plants are wise choices as they require less maintenance and use water more efficiently than introduced species. They can also provide important habitat for native animals, improving the area's biodiversity. Plant trimmings are often reused as compost or mulch, which helps with weed prevention and water retention. Much thought goes into selection of plants and maintenace so that as little energy as possible is expended to achieve the desired results.
These activities demonstrate community engagement as they are carried out by many community groups, councils, businesses and individuals and regularly involve local school students (eg National Tree Day). Including children in these activies helps educate them about biodiversity and other issues that face a particular environment. Engaging them in solutions to these challenges helps create sustainable communities long into the future. The key reason communities undertake these activities is to improve the appearance of their town. It not only achieves a better appearance but fosters a greater sense of pride in the community. Activities like maintaining streetscapes tick all the boxes in the Sustainable Communities (tidy towns) program.
Community engagement and action remain important and combined with education, demonstrate how we can all look after our natural environment and resources in a more sustainable manner.
To download the 2010 program summary including assessment criteria in PDF format (101 KB) click here.
To download the 2010 entry form in Microsoft Word format (2.2 MB) click here. Entries close May 10.
To dowload the 2010 web brochure click here.
To download the 2010 poster click here.
To view last years results click here.
Enquiries via email or post to:
Email: towns@kesab.asn.au
Address: 214 Grange Road
Flinders Park
SA 5025
National Tidy Towns Awards 2010
Click here to find more about the National Tidy Towns Awards held in Canberra on the 23rd of April 2010. We would like to congratulate Goolwa for winning the South Australian title, and wish them all the best at the National Awards
Sustainable Communities (tidy towns) 2009
There were some further changes in 2009 including the change in name, timing and delivery of the program. The most significant change was the inclusion of presentations of success stories identified in the previous year's program.
Click here to see the complete winners list and synopsis of regional winners.
National Tidy Towns Awards 2009
Click here to find more about the National Tidy Towns Awards held in Canberra on Friday the 8th of May 2009. We would like to congratulate Stansbury for winning the Young Legends Award and the Group Community Spirit Award.
Case Studies 2009
Click here to download a pdf document of case studies from 2009 (213KB) which features award winning examples of;
- Schools - Stansbury, Port Vincent and Edithbugh Regional Collaboration
- Small Town - Parndana
- Medium Town - Goolwa (Overall winner in 2008)
- Large Town - Whyalla
Tidy Towns 2008
KESAB 2008 Tidy Towns Awards
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KESAB’s Tidy Towns program is South Australia’s leading environmental awards program. It focuses on achievements at a community level, and uses these successes to inform and inspire all communities to develop in a manner that values the environment that supports us.
The entry categories changed in 2008 to reflect a holistic approach to the challenges of sustainable development and included:
- Water
- Waste
- Energy
- Community Engagement
- Biodiversity and
- Education & Innovation
To introduce the changes in program structure and delivery a series of workshops were held in communities and regional centres from the South East to the Northern Eyre Peninsula. KESAB representatives Luke Callaghan (Sustainability Director, KESAB) and John Phillips (Executive Director, KESAB) discussed the new program with over 100 representatives of South Australia's rural and regional communities.
Over 730 written and electronic entries addressing one or more of the categories were received in 2008 and Luke visited the various towns and communities to assess their submissions. Category winners were determined for the different regions culminating with the award ceremony in Adelaide on December 3rd.
Case Studies 2008
Click here to download a pdf document of case studies from 2008 (864KB) which features award winning examples of;
- School - Mulga Street Primary School
- Small Town - Blyth
- Medium Town - Stansbury (Overall winner in 2008)
- Large Town - Naracoorte