City of Marion wins Australian Sustainable City 2013

The South Australian City of Marion has won the Keep Australia Beautiful Australian Sustainable City 2013 award. The City’s Deputy Mayor, David Speirs, yesterday accepted the award at an event in the City of Cockburn, WA.

The Australian Sustainable Cities Awards encourage, motivate and celebrate the local sustainability achievements of urban communities across Australia. The City of Marion’s award recognises its achievements in community and civic beautification, presentation, health, wellbeing and pride. It also recognises the partnerships between government, business, industry and local community networks.

KESAB environmental solutions Executive Director John Phillips OAM said, “The City of Marion presented a strong submission highlighting the complexity of managing a large and diverse urban council specific to environmental sustainability and community health and wellbeing. The submission highlighted commitment to sustainability through projects including Hallett Cove Community Library Centre, community grants, hard waste collection, food waste recycling, protection of biodiversity and coast care, and partnering neighbouring council City of Holdfast Bay with a $123m stormwater management plan.”

The City was also awarded in several other categories. It won the Heritage and Culture category award for ensuring its cultural history is preserved and celebrated by a biennial, free community festival that attracted more than 7000 visitors in March this year, an event which highlights the diversity of Marion. The judge was particularly impressed how the city preserved its Indigenous and European heritage, having recently made a public commitment to strengthening relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people after launching its Reconciliation Action Plan.

It also won the Young Legends category for delivering 40 waste education presentations on recycling, waste minimisation and food waste to local schools and kindergartens. Indigenous youth program Ngaityo Wodli has also presented sessions on food, health and culture as a means of engaging with youth on values towards caring for country and a connection to Kaurna country.

The City was also Highly Commended in Environmental Innovation and Protection, which recognised the well-equipped council nursery; and in Water Conservation for combining water conservation and re-use initiatives at the private, industrial and municipal levels.

The full list of award winners is as follows: