Community Sustainability Resources

There are some great incentive programs and rebates currently available to help residents of the Great Lakes live more sustainably and reduce their impact on the beautiful environment we have here on the mid-north coast.

Below are a few useful links to some of the main programs available to local residents. New programs are becoming available all the time, so a few minutes spent searching on the internet can save you money and effort in the long run.

Livingsmart

Livingsmart is a community sustainability program which was developed in Western Australia. Forster is now one of the first areas in New South Wales to trial it.

The workshops are great fun and provide plenty of time for discussion and debate on a range of subjects including energy and water, transport, waste, chemical free cleaning and healthy communities. It also provides an opportunity for meeting and sharing your own urban sustainability experiences with a group of like-minded people.

Want to know what the workshops will be like?

Here's a copy of the report from the Grove Livingsmart workshop held in Western Australia in early 2011.

[Livingsmart] Has empowered me! It has switched me on to thinking in a new way. I can't believe it's taken me 37 years to get to this point when others have been here for ages. I love the simple outdoor life and living smart has inspired me to get out even more. I don't care if everyone is sick of me going on about it - we should all be living smart!

-Grove Livingsmart attendee, 2011

FOCUS on Energy

The Great Lakes library service is a great resource to find out more about how to live a more sustainable life. Drop in to one of our branches or search their catalogue to find the answers to all your sustainability questions! Residents of the Great Lakes also have free access to Power Usage Meters, which can assist households conduct a home energy assessment.  Did you know your dryer could be costing you $60 a year in electricity costs and could be releasing up to 500kg of greenhouse gas emissions each year? Borrow a Power-Usage Meter to find out what your appliances cost to run, even when you are not using them. The Power Usage Meter is a simple handheld device used to measure the electricity consumption and running costs of electrical appliances. The device calculates how much money it costs you to run your appliances.  The unit can even calculate the power used by appliances, like TV's, that use standby power.  Standby power is nearly 10% of household energy consumption.  Just by turning appliances off at the wall, households can save around $100 per year.

Midcoast Water customers are also able to access up to $1500 in a cash rebate for installing water smart devices in their homes such as washing machines, showerheads and greywater treatment systems. 

Click here to visit their website and find out more.

Save Power Program

This NSW Government site has a whole suite of information to help you save energy at home. It is also the place to visit to find out what rebates are currently on offer from the State government to help you save money and reduce your energy consumption.

FREE home power savings kits + an energy assessment are also available from this website for eligible residents.

Click here to visit their website and start saving!

Living Greener

Living Greener is the portal to access all of the Federal Government's information on residential sustainability.

Whether you're looking at installing solar-panels, renovating your home or just want to keep abreast of current sustainability issues, then this is a great resource to visit.