TOMRA Cleanaway congratulates the Australia Day Environmental Citizen of The Year Award Winners for 2021!
Acknowledging environmental excellence in the community is not a new concept, but the Australia Day Awards for NSW Environmental Citizen of the Year is a recent initiative. Commencing in 2019, the inaugural winners of the NSW Environmental Citizens of the Year were the ‘Gular’ Lions Club of Gulargambone in the Coonamble Shire Council.
The Lions Club was recognised for their use of the NSW container deposit scheme, Return and Earn, to help their local environment and benefit the community by utilising the scheme to assist in many different projects.
In 2021 the breadth of environmental excellence presented by Councils across NSW was phenomenal. These are the highlights for the 2021 winners of this outstanding pool of individuals that are shining a light on the commitments the community is making to the environment.
About the Awards
Every Australia Day, local councils within NSW are offered the opportunity to award an Environmental Citizen of the Year and a Young Environmental Citizen of the Year. Councils are then invited to nominate their local winners for the State Awards. The State winners are selected by an assessment panel and announced on World Environment Day, Saturday, 5 June 2021, receiving a certificate and prize to support their environmental initiative. The Open category winner receives $3,000 and the Youth category winner receives $1,000.
NSW Environmental Citizen of the Year Awards
The Australia Day Council of NSW (ADCNSW) is proud to once again partner with Return and Earn the NSW container deposit scheme to present the Environmental Citizen of the Year Awards. Now in the third year, the Awards recognise individuals, organisations, and community groups for initiatives that care, protect and preserve the environment within local communities. Introduced this year for the first time, the Awards include the Young Environmental Citizen of the Year Award in addition to the Environmental Citizen of the Year Award.
The winners for the 2021 NSW Environmental Citizen of the Year Award were announced on World Environment Day, 5 June 2021.
NSW Environmental Citizen of the Year Awards – 2021 Young category winner
Congratulations go to Coonabarabran High School’s D7 Support Unit Class from the Warrumbungle Shire Council, winners of the Young Environmental Citizen of the Year Award!
About the project:
Coonabarabran High School’s D7 Support Unit Class has run the school’s recycling program for more than 10 years! Just one of three small classes, the D7 Support Unit has students who live with disabilities and require different learning environments.
Students are responsible for entering classrooms and offices, respectfully collect the recycling boxes, and transfer them to the collection centre. They also take part in eco-sustainability programs and recycling efforts, inspiring the whole school and making a big contribution to collections of eligible drink containers for the Return and Earn program. The efforts from students from the D7 Support Unity Class remind everyone that our planet’s resources are finite and we all have a role to play in making a positive difference to conserve them.
NSW Environmental Citizen of the Year Awards- Open category winner
Congratulations go to ‘Hampers of Hope’ from the Griffith City Council, winners of the Environmental Citizen of the Year Award!
About the project;
Hampers of Hope is a local organisation based in Griffith. They rescue food from local supermarkets, farmers, and businesses that would otherwise end up in landfills, preventing it from generating harmful methane gas. Hampers of Hope diligently strive to minimize food wastage and give to those who are desperately in need.
Volunteers collect in excess of 400kg of food per day and create over 130 hampers per week, providing hundreds of meals to local families in crisis including those who are homeless, refugees, asylum seekers or victims of domestic violence. Hampers of Hope also provide meals to the local women’s refuge, school breakfast programs, and church groups.
The variety of fruits and vegetables in the hampers mean that many of the families are able to fulfill their nutritional requirements with foods they wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to buy.
We congratulate all the worthy nominations for the 2021 Environmental Citizen of the Year Award and celebrate your commitments and achievements.
This article first appeared Australia Day Awards website.
