Great Gardens and Landcare Solutions (the company)
Project Profile
| Name of Project | Synergy Energy Efficiency Workshops |
| Name of group(s) involved | Great Gardens and Landcare Solutions (the company) |
| Location | Statewide |
| State | Western Australia |
| Corporate Partners involved | Synergy |
| Level of Funding from LAL | $266,226 over two years |
| Funding from other sources | The WA Water Corporation and the Swan River Trust have also provided sponsorship to the workshops, plus the inkind time resources of participants who attend the workshops. Large media support provided including Channel 9 and the ABC radio Substantial inkind support from 41 Local Government Authorities |
Issues
To assist the community to reassess their approach towards a more comprehensively sustainable way of life by introducing techniques that will help them save on their energy bills, lessen the impact on the environment and can be easily implemented.
Project Detail
| Background to Project | The workshops were developed by the Great Gardens team, under the banner of the Landcare Solutions company, to build on the Great Gardens concept of sustainable gardening techniques. Since 2003 there have been almost 24,000 people who have attended one of these workshops. In 2007 Synergy and Landcare Australia joined with the Great Gardens team to develop a pilot series of Synergy Energy Efficiency workshops that included the Great Gardens workshop objectives but expanded to include the whole household environment. |
| Key Objectives | •To develop and implement a community education program focusing on Energy Efficiency in the house and garden, with particular emphasis on the role that clever garden design can play in reducing household energy usage and how the garden can be designed as a natural air conditioner. |
| Description of Project | To deliver the following:
71 Synergy Energy Efficiency Workshops in the Perth Metropolitan Region and in regional centres throughout WA over two years. Surveys of behavioural change and household audits were also undertaken. |
| Project Outcomes – Qualitative | Collaboration with State agencies, local government, developers, landscape designers, community groups, industry and others to reinforce a sustainable gardening ethos far beyond the original project brief.Regular appearances as the sustainability presenter on the Channel 9 TV show, ‘Garden Gurus’, featured in a special 7 part series called ‘Battled of the Burbs’ where the average audience per show was 75,000 people.
The launch of the updated Garden Gurus book, ‘Gardening Western Australia’ which featured a chapter written by Chris Ferreira on sustainable gardening and how to turn your garden into a natural air conditioner. Regular radio interviews with 720 ABC, with an average listener audience of over 10,000 (see photo). Content for the ABC blog – Top 10 Small trees for urban blocks |
| Project Outcomes – Quantitative | Over 4,200 people have attended the workshops to date, with a growing number re-attending 80% of participants rated the workshop as having inspired them to make changes and subsequently participants have begun to make them for example over 50% have planted more native plants and 40% have replaced lawn with water wise plants; Over 90% of participants acknowledge a significant improvement in their awareness of the techniques that can help them become more energy efficient for example 40% have now placed solar panels on their property and 77.5% have replaced incandescent light globes with energy efficient light globes. |
| Future Opportunities | Expansion into other States by assisting sister operating programs and forming links with other sponsors such as Woodside to expand the program |
Photography
Chris Ferreira appearing on the ABC 720 Saturday Morning Gardening Show with Sabrina Hahn and James Lush
