2006 Winners
Winners of the eighth Tasmanian Awards for Environmental Excellence were announced on Saturday, 2 June 2006 at the Environment Minister's Dinner. The Minister for Tourism, Arts and the Environment, the Hon Paula Wreidt MHA, presented the awards at a formal dinner held at Wrest Point Hotel Casino in Hobart, Tasmania. The major award is the Minister’s Award that recognises the company or organisation making the most significant contribution to environmental management within Tasmania. The 2006 winner was Woodbridge School “Footsteps for the Future".
Winners in each category are:
Summary of Award Winners
Sustainable Business Award
Winner - Hydro Tasmania
Hydro Tasmania is committed to sustainability. It views it as a proactive strategy that will enable the organization to achieve long-term business success and meet community and stakeholder expectations through the transparent and balanced application of economic, environmental and social considerations.
Hydro Tasmania’s commitment is being realised through an internationally accredited Environment and Sustainability Management System (ESMS) that encourages a strategic and systematic approach to sustainability and environmental management, and provides a clear process for continual improvement in performance.
The Sustainability Policy is implemented broadly through the organisation’s general business management and annually, some $8.3 million is spent on environmental and sustainability management. Hydro Tasmania’s performance and activities are measured against the principles of sustainability and benchmarked against industry best practice, with 15 percent of employees directly involved in conducting the annual sustainability assessment.
Hydro Tasmania’s sustainability assessment and reporting was recognised by the Energy Supply Association of Australia awarding it the 2005 award for sustainability reporting.
Sponsored by:
Community Award
Winner - West Coast Weed and Fire Management Group "Implementation of West Coast Weed and Fire Strategy"
The West Coast Weed and Fire Management Group (WCWFMG) has made significant contributions to the protection and enhancement of the Tasmanian environment through their continued efforts to implement the West Coast Weed and Fire Strategy (WCWFS). Through consistent efforts over many years aimed at building effective, cooperative, partnerships, WCWFMG has become a respected, well-managed organisation with representatives from all levels of the community. It is also well funded, is implementing a dynamic suite of on-ground environmental projects throughout the municipality and has a long-term future. WCWFMG is transforming the West Coast landscape, improving the amenity and experience of residents and visitors and returning degraded land to a productive state. Processes designed to promote participation and ownership of the strategy at all levels of the West Coast community will continue to be the cornerstone of success of WCWFMG.
Sponsored by:
Mining and Minerals Processing Award
Winner - Cement Australia "Railton Oil Mine Buttress Construction Project"
The eastern wall of the Old Mine at Cement Australia’s Railton operations was unstable and two wall failures had occurred in 1996 and 1998. There was concern that the wall would continue to fail which could impact on the railway line further east of the old pit. Cement Australia has established policies and procedures to ensure that abandoned mines are rehabilitated to an acceptable standard. As part of our ongoing commitment towards safety and the environment a solution to wall stability issues in the Old Mine was required.
Consultants were employed to assess the geotechnical characteristics of the wall. They recommended and provided a design for the construction of a rock and clay embankment to be built against the existing eastern wall. Construction of Old Mine Buttress, as the embankment came to be known, commenced on 26th April 2005.
Construction of the Old Mine Buttress was completed on 20th December 2005. A total of 458,013m3 of material was moved. Completion of this project allows further rehabilitation works to commence as the geotechnical stability of the eastern wall area is now assured.
Sponsored by:
Tasmanian Minerals Council Limited
Professor Harry Bloom Memorial Award
Winner - Nel Smit
Nel is a dynamic, energetic leader and advocate for environmental education in Tasmania. Nel has been proactive in identifying opportunities for Tasmanian educators to be empowered at the local level. These include the Adopt a Patch Program, Leapfrog, the Swift Parrot Habitat Program and Whole Farm Planning for School Farms. Her book My Patch helped educators seeking a starting point to involve children in becoming aware of and taking responsibility for their local habitats.
She inspires by example. Her work in establishing the Whole School Sustainability Program at Woodbridge School provides a foundation for schools and teachers to address sustainability issues through biodiversity, water conservation, energy efficiency, waste management and wise resource use, in a whole school context.
Nel convenes the Australian Association for Environmental Education (Tas.) and the Sustainable Schools Network (Tas.) to create networking opportunities and further support sustainable management of natural resources.
Nel Smit is dedicated to the importance of empowering future generations to become competent and involved caretakers of the planet.
Sponsored by:
Education for the Environment Award
Winner - Woodbridge School “Footsteps for the Future"
Footsteps for the Future is the new direction of the Whole School Sustainability Program at Woodbridge School and focuses on water conservation and coastal foreshore rehabilitation. By restoring wetlands, creating organic gardens and rehabilitating foreshore habitats, students at Woodbridge are organising, developing skills and taking action for a sustainable future. It is estimated that water conservation measures save the school 1.5 million litres of water per annum.
The partnership with Green Corps and the Australian Conservation Volunteers has been a vital part of the success of the program. This collaboration has produced positive outcomes for natural resource management. Students see their involvement with the conservation teams as a relevant and authentic contribution to a community vision.
Footsteps for the Future has resulted in significant improvement in the awareness and involvement of the school, in collaboration with the community, in sustainable practices for biodiversity and water conservation. Future generations of decision makers will be better equipped to manage issues for a sustainable future.
Sponsored by:
Local Government Award
Winner - King Island Council- “Currie Sewage Treatment Wetlands”
Currently, 40% of all Tasmanian sewage ocean discharges only receive primary treatment or less before release to the environment (DPIWE 2006). This represents a substantial pollutant load to the marine environment, where it can have detrimental impacts resulting in the loss of biodiversity and habitat change. In extreme cases, increased nutrient loads can cause nuisance algae growth sediments can smother reefs and seagrass beds, while shellfish destined for human consumption may become contaminated with pathogens posing potential human health risks. Management of sewage discharges are therefore vitally important for the ongoing health of Tasmania's marine environment.
The Council believes that the Currie Sewage Treatments Wetland provides an environmentally' and economically sustainable solution to the treatment of wastewater for small residential developments throughout Australia that meets the expectations of authorities without the need to construct highly sophisticated and expensive systems.
Sponsored by:
For Further Information:
Contact: Project Manager - Tasmanian Awards for Environmental Excellence
Environment Division, 7th Floor, 134 Macquarie Street
PO Box 1751
Hobart TAS 7001
Phone: 03 6233 3373
Fax: 03 6233 3800
Email: EnvironmentEnquiries@environment.tas.gov.au