Greening the Hill Mk2
Revitalizing the Broken Hill community to do it again!
To be in the vanguard again – to show Australia how it can be done
Combating the drought / fighting climate change
– a role for everyone for a more vibrant & resilient region
Simon Molesworth
Honorary President, Landcare Broken Hill
This document sets out an outline of proposals from Landcare Broken Hillto revitalize the interest of the Broken Hill community to be in the vanguard again, as it was with the Greening the Hill initiative 1936-1958, when the Regeneration Belt was created. With that Regen initiative, the City and its citizens became national and global leaders. We can do it again. Every single person can have a role to combat the drought, green-up our City and concurrently do our bit to fight the effects of climate change. Broken Hill can show the rest of Australia how it should be done – again.
The time is right!
2019 proved to be a critical year to embark upon this Greening the Hill Mk2revitalisation. In late October Broken Hill hosted the NSW Landcare Conference, providing Landcare Broken Hillthe opportunity to showcase its Initiative to a wide spectrum of Landcare groups from across the State. By the time of the conference, Landcare Broken Hillwas in a position to demonstrate that it had a comprehensive plan which was well advanced and is being actively pursued. Looking forward, Broken Hill can demonstrate it can be an exemplar again – as a leader in the Landcare movement not only in NSW, but across Australia – so as to influence others to adopt similar strategic initiatives.
However, the primary reasonfor the need for the Greening the Hill Mk2Initiativenow is the continuing extreme drought and the urgent need to redress the intolerable manifestations of it. The extraordinarily hot recent summers we’ve had; the constant concerns about water and the sustainability of the Murray-Darling River system; the large increase in the number of dust storms Broken Hill has experienced; the general browning of the City as more and more gardens are disappearing under cracker-dust gravel alternatives; and as plants and trees are seen to be dying all over the district – these are all unacceptable conditions which demand tackling now. The urgent reasons for this Initiative are many – all of which provide Landcare with a duty to act now – to enlist the widest community support across all of Broken Hill.
Worthwhile discussion across the whole community will lead to better awareness of the issues and the identification of the needed actions. A true call to action!
Awareness raising
Since the announcement of Landcare Broken Hill’s Greening the Hill Mk2InitiativeLandcare’s membership has massively increased, confirming that the Broken Hill community wants action. Uniquely Landcare Broken Hillis based in an urban settlement – our City. Most Landcare groups are based in small farming communities or comprise just the farms within a designated region. Being based in a city is both a challenge and real opportunity. So an important task should be to raise awareness of key Landcare issues, through a diverse range of interlocking projects, so as to generate support across the whole community. We aim to reach all Broken Hill’s 17,500 people.
The membership of Landcare will continue to grow as more and more people support the imperatives of Greening the Hill Mk2. With new members come new energy, ideas and the capacity to achieve real outcomes. Awareness raising of relevant issues is key to the success of the Initiative. With the support of ABC Radio Broken Hill, providing Landcare with a weekly radio interview, and through its popular monthly public consultation meetings, the movement in support of Greening the Hill Mk2 is continually growing. The many identified ‘on the ground’ more labour-intensive activities, all of which provide real opportunities for the Broken Hill community to get involved, getting their ‘hands dirty’, have progressively commence with the growing community awareness providing more and more “troops on the ground”. Funding remains a constant challenge in a community suffering all the effects of many years of drought, however every innovative way of sourcing funds for the purchase of trees, plants and other essential supplies will be pursued.
As Greening the Hill Mk2 seeks to promote an attitudinal change to embrace more sustainable practices, Landcare Broken Hill is determinedly seeking to be an ‘influencer’ and so become an agent for change. Consequently, the greater the membership of Landcare Broken Hill the more influential will be its ‘voice’.
Every opportunity to raise awareness has been and will be pursued. Developing an on-going close relationship with the public media in Broken Hill, and through social media, is an essential strategy. Equally important is awareness-raising via supportive organisations, such as community groups and service clubs across Broken Hill. Reflecting on the breadth of the Initiative, there is no person or organisation in Broken Hill that does not have a role to play. Hence the 39 initial Greening the Hill Mk2projects are concurrently ambitious and a strength – building community involvement across the whole community.
Partnerships
This project will succeed when Landcare Broken Hillsecures partnerships with as many organisations as possible, both local and from ‘away’ – partners who will share the vision, the benefits and opportunities offered. Greening the Hill Mk2,albeit coordinated by Landcare Broken Hill, is truly an Initiative which will be by the community for the community. These partners will join with Landcare Broken Hill to give exposure to the environmental issues which Landcare believes must be addressed. Through their support, the partnerships will enable Landcare and the broader community to have the means of achieving the vision and objectives of the Initiative, effectively tackling and abating the identified issues.
Using the by-line “Greening the Hill Mk2”, participating organisations are described as Landcare Greening the Hill partners. Each partner is invited to play a role which is within their capacity: perhaps as an influential supporter, perhaps as a sponsor, perhaps as a supplier of materials for a Landcare project. From partner to partner, what can be offered will vary. It can be as large or as small, by way of resources, support or profile-raising, as the contributing partner considers appropriate. It may be a supporter partner who simply raises awareness of the Initiative and encourages members of the public to join Landcare Broken Hill. The key to success will be that each partner will know that they are positively contributing – as a partner in Greening the Hill Mk2– to ensure a better future for this City, its environment and its people.
Amongst the first supporters of Greening the Hill Mk2 has been the media, particularly the local ABC Radio and the BDT newspaper. ABC Radio interviews of Landcare’s President are broadcast weekly. Social media is actively utilised via Facebook, a website and a SoundCloud Station (providing access to all past interview podcasts). All social media options will be progressively pursued. Every story increases awareness, spreading the word and encouraging action. Some stories will be full of advice on how each individual can help – effectively empowering the individual to contribute to the success of Greening the Hill Mk2. There will be at least 50 news items or stories over the course of a year – opportunities for interviews and articles. The key objective is to seek and maintain a high public profile for the Initiative, so that the widest audience possible can be engaged. With engagement will come support.
At our regular public events, guest experts and inspirational leaders in relevant fields are invited to talk about how they’ve made a difference – how they’ve made their part of their world greener, more sustainable. From scientific information, to clever ideas, to simple suggestions for us all to adopt in homes, through to more complex big projects that might be City-wide. Beyond better land management involving rehabilitation through planting, the Greening the Hill Mk2projects traverse water management, energy initiatives, waste management (including litter reduction), sustainable living initiatives, biodiversity protection and sustainability educational programs.
Amongst others who have committed to be a partner is Broken Hill City Council – protentially the most important partner. Other partners will hopefully include all the schools in Broken Hill, the mining companies, the Barrier Industrial Council, the Broken Hill Environmental Lead Program and all those organisations in Broken Hill interested in this City’s environment and heritage. The service clubs and sports clubs, scouts and youth groups all have roles they can perform. Local heritage and environmental societies, the garden clubs, organisations focussed on outdoor activities and many more are potential partners, if they are not already. As the months have passed since the launch of Greening the Hill Mk2, a true momentum has built with all those approached confirming that they support the concept ofGreening the Hill Mk2. To date, everyone agrees that the time is ripe for greater exposure to be given to Landcare issues so as to bring within the fold a wider, non-traditional, audience far beyond the usual rural agricultural sector. Local businesses – such as suppliers of relevant materials that are used in Landcare ‘on-the-ground’ projects, such as plant and tree planting – are welcoming the opportunity to become partners.
Outside the City there are numerous organisations that are likely to be willing to become partners. One such prospect is Compost Revolution,a Green Globe Award-winning NGO social enterprise that is forming partnerships across Sydney municipalities prepared to subsidise initiatives to reduce waste and land fill, by promoting home composting and home-managed worm farms creating home fertiliser. Horticultural organisations are prospective partners likely to be interested in assisting our community with arid zone seed and plant selections which would be viable in the gardens of Broken Hill. Professional organisations, such as the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects and the Australian Association of Bush Regenerators, as well as researchers within universities, could assist. Renew, the Alternative Technology Association, and the Clean Energy Council, together with renewable energy companies are to be, or have been, invited to be supportive. Relevant Government agencies are also likely to identify synergies between their work and Greening the Hill Mk2. All will be approached as this is truly an opportunity for all to demonstrate how a community can work together to ensure a more resilient and vibrant region.
As for individuals beyond the City, the diaspora of Broken Hill is spread far and wide and the majority retain an affection and interest in their ‘home town’. These people are to be invited to become ‘City Landcare Mates’ of Greening the Hill Mk2. Further, given the vision inherent in the Initiative to demonstrate to the Nation how widespread environmental challenges of today can be addressed, it is expected there will be support across Australia to assist Landcare Broken Hill to become an exemplar, demonstrating how its many interlocking projects within the Initiative will achieve the vision which underpins it and thereby demonstrate the paths that other places might similarly follow.
Revitalizing the Broken Hill community to do it again!
To be in the vanguard again – to show Australia how it can be done
Combating the drought / fighting climate change
– a role for everyone for a more vibrant & resilient region
Simon Molesworth
Honorary President, Landcare Broken Hill
This document sets out an outline of proposals from Landcare Broken Hillto revitalize the interest of the Broken Hill community to be in the vanguard again, as it was with the Greening the Hill initiative 1936-1958, when the Regeneration Belt was created. With that Regen initiative, the City and its citizens became national and global leaders. We can do it again. Every single person can have a role to combat the drought, green-up our City and concurrently do our bit to fight the effects of climate change. Broken Hill can show the rest of Australia how it should be done – again.
The time is right!
2019 proved to be a critical year to embark upon this Greening the Hill Mk2revitalisation. In late October Broken Hill hosted the NSW Landcare Conference, providing Landcare Broken Hillthe opportunity to showcase its Initiative to a wide spectrum of Landcare groups from across the State. By the time of the conference, Landcare Broken Hillwas in a position to demonstrate that it had a comprehensive plan which was well advanced and is being actively pursued. Looking forward, Broken Hill can demonstrate it can be an exemplar again – as a leader in the Landcare movement not only in NSW, but across Australia – so as to influence others to adopt similar strategic initiatives.
However, the primary reasonfor the need for the Greening the Hill Mk2Initiativenow is the continuing extreme drought and the urgent need to redress the intolerable manifestations of it. The extraordinarily hot recent summers we’ve had; the constant concerns about water and the sustainability of the Murray-Darling River system; the large increase in the number of dust storms Broken Hill has experienced; the general browning of the City as more and more gardens are disappearing under cracker-dust gravel alternatives; and as plants and trees are seen to be dying all over the district – these are all unacceptable conditions which demand tackling now. The urgent reasons for this Initiative are many – all of which provide Landcare with a duty to act now – to enlist the widest community support across all of Broken Hill.
Worthwhile discussion across the whole community will lead to better awareness of the issues and the identification of the needed actions. A true call to action!
Awareness raising
Since the announcement of Landcare Broken Hill’s Greening the Hill Mk2InitiativeLandcare’s membership has massively increased, confirming that the Broken Hill community wants action. Uniquely Landcare Broken Hillis based in an urban settlement – our City. Most Landcare groups are based in small farming communities or comprise just the farms within a designated region. Being based in a city is both a challenge and real opportunity. So an important task should be to raise awareness of key Landcare issues, through a diverse range of interlocking projects, so as to generate support across the whole community. We aim to reach all Broken Hill’s 17,500 people.
The membership of Landcare will continue to grow as more and more people support the imperatives of Greening the Hill Mk2. With new members come new energy, ideas and the capacity to achieve real outcomes. Awareness raising of relevant issues is key to the success of the Initiative. With the support of ABC Radio Broken Hill, providing Landcare with a weekly radio interview, and through its popular monthly public consultation meetings, the movement in support of Greening the Hill Mk2 is continually growing. The many identified ‘on the ground’ more labour-intensive activities, all of which provide real opportunities for the Broken Hill community to get involved, getting their ‘hands dirty’, have progressively commence with the growing community awareness providing more and more “troops on the ground”. Funding remains a constant challenge in a community suffering all the effects of many years of drought, however every innovative way of sourcing funds for the purchase of trees, plants and other essential supplies will be pursued.
As Greening the Hill Mk2 seeks to promote an attitudinal change to embrace more sustainable practices, Landcare Broken Hill is determinedly seeking to be an ‘influencer’ and so become an agent for change. Consequently, the greater the membership of Landcare Broken Hill the more influential will be its ‘voice’.
Every opportunity to raise awareness has been and will be pursued. Developing an on-going close relationship with the public media in Broken Hill, and through social media, is an essential strategy. Equally important is awareness-raising via supportive organisations, such as community groups and service clubs across Broken Hill. Reflecting on the breadth of the Initiative, there is no person or organisation in Broken Hill that does not have a role to play. Hence the 39 initial Greening the Hill Mk2projects are concurrently ambitious and a strength – building community involvement across the whole community.
Partnerships
This project will succeed when Landcare Broken Hillsecures partnerships with as many organisations as possible, both local and from ‘away’ – partners who will share the vision, the benefits and opportunities offered. Greening the Hill Mk2,albeit coordinated by Landcare Broken Hill, is truly an Initiative which will be by the community for the community. These partners will join with Landcare Broken Hill to give exposure to the environmental issues which Landcare believes must be addressed. Through their support, the partnerships will enable Landcare and the broader community to have the means of achieving the vision and objectives of the Initiative, effectively tackling and abating the identified issues.
Using the by-line “Greening the Hill Mk2”, participating organisations are described as Landcare Greening the Hill partners. Each partner is invited to play a role which is within their capacity: perhaps as an influential supporter, perhaps as a sponsor, perhaps as a supplier of materials for a Landcare project. From partner to partner, what can be offered will vary. It can be as large or as small, by way of resources, support or profile-raising, as the contributing partner considers appropriate. It may be a supporter partner who simply raises awareness of the Initiative and encourages members of the public to join Landcare Broken Hill. The key to success will be that each partner will know that they are positively contributing – as a partner in Greening the Hill Mk2– to ensure a better future for this City, its environment and its people.
Amongst the first supporters of Greening the Hill Mk2 has been the media, particularly the local ABC Radio and the BDT newspaper. ABC Radio interviews of Landcare’s President are broadcast weekly. Social media is actively utilised via Facebook, a website and a SoundCloud Station (providing access to all past interview podcasts). All social media options will be progressively pursued. Every story increases awareness, spreading the word and encouraging action. Some stories will be full of advice on how each individual can help – effectively empowering the individual to contribute to the success of Greening the Hill Mk2. There will be at least 50 news items or stories over the course of a year – opportunities for interviews and articles. The key objective is to seek and maintain a high public profile for the Initiative, so that the widest audience possible can be engaged. With engagement will come support.
At our regular public events, guest experts and inspirational leaders in relevant fields are invited to talk about how they’ve made a difference – how they’ve made their part of their world greener, more sustainable. From scientific information, to clever ideas, to simple suggestions for us all to adopt in homes, through to more complex big projects that might be City-wide. Beyond better land management involving rehabilitation through planting, the Greening the Hill Mk2projects traverse water management, energy initiatives, waste management (including litter reduction), sustainable living initiatives, biodiversity protection and sustainability educational programs.
Amongst others who have committed to be a partner is Broken Hill City Council – protentially the most important partner. Other partners will hopefully include all the schools in Broken Hill, the mining companies, the Barrier Industrial Council, the Broken Hill Environmental Lead Program and all those organisations in Broken Hill interested in this City’s environment and heritage. The service clubs and sports clubs, scouts and youth groups all have roles they can perform. Local heritage and environmental societies, the garden clubs, organisations focussed on outdoor activities and many more are potential partners, if they are not already. As the months have passed since the launch of Greening the Hill Mk2, a true momentum has built with all those approached confirming that they support the concept ofGreening the Hill Mk2. To date, everyone agrees that the time is ripe for greater exposure to be given to Landcare issues so as to bring within the fold a wider, non-traditional, audience far beyond the usual rural agricultural sector. Local businesses – such as suppliers of relevant materials that are used in Landcare ‘on-the-ground’ projects, such as plant and tree planting – are welcoming the opportunity to become partners.
Outside the City there are numerous organisations that are likely to be willing to become partners. One such prospect is Compost Revolution,a Green Globe Award-winning NGO social enterprise that is forming partnerships across Sydney municipalities prepared to subsidise initiatives to reduce waste and land fill, by promoting home composting and home-managed worm farms creating home fertiliser. Horticultural organisations are prospective partners likely to be interested in assisting our community with arid zone seed and plant selections which would be viable in the gardens of Broken Hill. Professional organisations, such as the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects and the Australian Association of Bush Regenerators, as well as researchers within universities, could assist. Renew, the Alternative Technology Association, and the Clean Energy Council, together with renewable energy companies are to be, or have been, invited to be supportive. Relevant Government agencies are also likely to identify synergies between their work and Greening the Hill Mk2. All will be approached as this is truly an opportunity for all to demonstrate how a community can work together to ensure a more resilient and vibrant region.
As for individuals beyond the City, the diaspora of Broken Hill is spread far and wide and the majority retain an affection and interest in their ‘home town’. These people are to be invited to become ‘City Landcare Mates’ of Greening the Hill Mk2. Further, given the vision inherent in the Initiative to demonstrate to the Nation how widespread environmental challenges of today can be addressed, it is expected there will be support across Australia to assist Landcare Broken Hill to become an exemplar, demonstrating how its many interlocking projects within the Initiative will achieve the vision which underpins it and thereby demonstrate the paths that other places might similarly follow.
Project underway and being assessed...
Revegetation Projects
#1 Reinstate a healthy Regen
Landcare will continue its key support role in assisting with the sustainable management of Broken Hill’s heritage-listed Regeration Belt that encircles the City. Key focus is the revegetation of degraded areas and weed removal, so as to maintain the City’s green perimeter in good condition. Degraded areas should be reinstated using carefully selected indigenous species through reseeding and replanting. Erosion control through swale treatment and renewal of some protective perimeter fencing will be necessary. Educational Regen fieldtrips will be hosted and strategically foster community engagement.
Associated litter and rubbish removal projects will be recurrently run (eg Clean Up Australia Day) – see Project 16 below
Potential partners; BH Council, Field Naturalists, BH Lead Centre, Mining companies, Aust Assoc of Bush Regenerators, NSW Corrections
#2 Propagation nursery
Objective is to establish a major community nursery to grow native plants for the Regen, public reserves, the arboretum, the City’s schools and the grounds of community organisations, such as scouts, sporting clubs etc. On a fee-for-supply contract basis, plants will be grown for Council giveaways, mining companies, station owners and other regional Landcare groups etc.
Target propagation in the order of 100,000 plants per annum.
Workshops will be run enabling Landcare & community members to learn the skills to propagate plants from seeds and cuttings.
Potential partners; BH Council, Mining companies, Garden suppliers, NSW Corrections, CWA Broken Hill
#3 Backyard Bush Nurseries
Commenced in August 2019 with the first tranche, willing community members are trained to propagate in their own backyards plants from seeds and cuttings supplied by Landcare. Each community member is provided with the propagation essentials, such as tubes, tube trays, potting mix, fertiliser and seeds and/or cuttings. With this coordinated growing-at-home project in their own backyards, dozens, if not hundreds, of people can join forces to produce plants for Greening the Hill Mk.2 projects & for gardens.
Potential partners; Whole Broken Hill community, BH Council, BH Field Naturalists
#4 Creation of Aboriginal garden of useful/edible plants
A dedicated public reserve or bush garden is proposed to be created with Landcare’s assistance, in partnership with and under guidance from the aboriginal community. This new reserve is to be designed to display traditional Aboriginal Arid Zone native plants useful for medicine, food and craft. Target for commencement: 2nd quarter 2020.
This new reserve would be planted so as to be a place of education, contemplation and understanding, hopefully becoming a special place for the Broken Hill Aboriginal community, whilst adding a further attraction for visitors to town.
Potential partners; Traditional owners, BH Council, Aust Assoc. of Bush Regenerators, BH Field Naturalists
#5 Green schools “For every child a tree, for every school a garden”
Introduce a programme aimed at primary school kids, via their schools, for each child to be associated with a tree planted by them in a nominated location. Annually conduct tree planting events on both Schools Tree Day and National Tree Day, as an awareness-raising exercise focused on the importance of trees.
Each school or grade in each school might be associated with a particular revegetation plot in a new area to be planted within school grounds, so that an ongoing association is created.
The Green Schools Project could incorporate the creation of a kitchen garden in each school, educating children on the source of food plants. Stephanie Alexander’s Kitchen Garden Foundation schools program provides relevant grants, with Alma Primary Public School having already received a grant. https://www.kitchengardenfoundation.org.au/
Other potential environmental programs include Kreative Koalas which fosters environmental awareness in schools and learning about the UN Sustainable Development Goals (http://www.kreativekoalas.com.au).
Woolworths have a schools grants program for Junior Landcare projects https://landcareaustralia.org.au/woolworthsgrants/
Broken Hill’s Sacred Heart Primary School has received a grant under this scheme to establish a school garden.
Potential partners; All BH Schools, Kreative Koalas, Stephanie Alexander’s Kitchen Garden, Foundation, Woolworths Junior Landcare
#6 Community Tree Care
Street tree campaign intended to achieve a “filling of the gaps”, leading to greater tree cover. Many alternative approaches.
All clubs and organisations will be encouraged, as a Greening the Hill partner, to adopt a road or street as the focus of a greening project planting and caring for trees and plant species selected for Arid Zone survival potential. This project is modelled on the approach of Keep Australia Beautiful’s Tidy Towns sustainable communities initiative wherein service and community clubs like Rotary, Lions, Apex or Probus, adopt an area to keep it clear of waste. https://www.kabnsw.org.au/
Planting more trees in more naturestrips would be part of the general re-greening of nature strips with groundcover plants and shrubs adopting landscaping approaches which are feasible for the Arid Zone – see Project 13
Potential partners; BH Council, Service Clubs e.g. Rotary, Keep Australia Beautiful NSW, the whole BH community
#7 Sporting facilities & recreational parks
There is widespread concern across the community about the impact of extreme Arid Zone climatic conditions on sporting areas and playing fields around town. People are interested in finding the means to keep them greener.
There is an increasingly urgent need to suppress dust and retain ground moisture. These issues have both environmental and health consequences. More plants are required for shade and shielding from drying winds.
Proposal that community Friends Groups, focussed on individual parks and playing fields, be established across the City, so as to enlist more volunteer effort, engender a sense of pride and community spirit, in order to assist Council with its challenging tasks maintaining its many parks & reserves.
Potential partners; BH Council & sports ground subcommittees, Sports Clubs, BH Environmental Lead Project, to be created Friends Groups for each park & reserve
#8 Joint Ventures to assist major rehabilitation projects
Explore whether opportunities are feasible for Landcare Broken Hill to assist private corporations, such as the mining companies, or government agencies such as the Council and the Broken Hill Lead Centre, to rehabilitate problem areas through revegetation & establishing sustainable land management practices. Within a year of the proposed Landcare propagation nursery (Project 2) being established, it should have the capacity to supply planting projects. In the interim, wholesale plant nurseries will supply.
Potential partners; Mining companies, BH Lead Centre, BH Council
#9 Re-greening community places
Numerous community organisations in Broken Hill have properties they own and manage. Many of these properties are suffering under extreme drought conditions and the community organisations do not have the expertise or experience to address the problem. Landcare will assist in redressing this problem.
Commencing with Landcare’s 2019 National Tree Day event ‘Scout Hall Landscaping Project’, in partnership with the 3rd Broken Hill Sea Scouts, Landcare will progressively form partnerships with community groups to assist them to re-green their properties, by providing expert advice, sourcing sponsorships and facilitating each project.
Potential partners; BH Community Groups
#10 Trees for Travellers - This is a re-greening funds facilitation project.
To be promoted as a carbon off-set programme for travellers visiting Broken Hill following the precedent of “Trees for Travellers” in Kiakoura in New Zealand, visitors are to be encouraged to voluntarily contribute to greening Broken Hill.
Tourists would be encouraged to “buy” a tree or plant from a selected range of species that would be shown on tourism websites and physically displayed at the Visitor Information Centre together with a photographic display of images of the reserves and parks to be benefited by planting and images of the plant species available for planting. The plant purchased (in effect via a donation) would then be planted in a Broken hill public reserve or park. The visitor would be given details of the plant/tree they selected and the reserve selected, so that in future they can return to admire progress.
Potential partners; BH Council, Tourism networks, BH based travel franchise agents, Regional Express, Indian Pacific,
Tri State Safaris, BH Tourist Park, photographer Boris Hlavic
#11 City Landcare Mates - This is a re-greening funds facilitation project.
A “City Landcare Mate” campaign will be launched aimed at encouraging people in capital cities and Canberra to support and effectively ‘donate’ to the “Greening the Hill Mk.2” initiative by joining as a member ‘away’ and buying a local plant/tree on-line from a range of species provided by Landcare, and viewable on its web site. Broken Hill diaspora across Australia is the primary target group to be invited to re-connect with their home town.
Potential partners; City Landcare groups, BH diaspora across Australia, ATA (Renew)
Behavioural Change Projects
#12 Keeping trees
(Also see Project 6 – Community Tree Care)
There is an urgent need to educate all in the community on the value of retaining existing trees, highlighting the years of effort and water required to grow a mature tree in a particularly harsh environment which is worsening.
This Project is a campaign to convince everyone that any tree removal should always be the last option in this Arid zone environment and if removal is unavoidable then it should be required that any replacement trees be best suited to the location and that for each mature tree removed, multiple new plants to compensate should be required.
Potential partners; Community, BH Council, Media, BH Schools
#13 Demonstration nature-strips
Kerbside nature strips – reinstate the demonstration nature strips maintained by BH Council, such as in Beryl Street, planted to illustrate different approaches with plant selections, focusing on understanding water requirements of each plant choice.
Project’s aim is community education on options to reinstate and replant nature-strips. Landcare will adopt the Council’s earlier model & create a selection of demonstration nature-strips.
Potential partners; BH Council, Centre for Community Inc., Institute of Landscape Architects, Essential Water
#14 Demonstration public park to assist in water-wise plant selection
Lions Park & its associated ‘Conservation Gardens’ opposite the BH Information Centre were designed, some 20 years or so ago, to perform an educational role, by demonstrating which trees & plants grow well in the City, displaying resilience and other environmental sustainability characteristics. Differing plant water requirements were identified and advisory information made available via instructive panels installed along park trails.
This Park is in a degraded and tired state, with many dead plants. This concept of a park used to informatively showcase Arid Zone plant species needs to be reinvigorated, refreshed & promoted.
Potential partners; BH Council, BH Lions Club, Essential Water, BH Field Naturalists & the Riddiford Arboretum Committee
#15 Assisting Public Authorities with environmental management, particularly with arboriculture & horticulture
Concerns have been expressed about public authorities in our remote Far West Region being insufficiently assisted in matters of environmental management. These matters include tree maintenance, plant selection for revegetation and horticultural responsibilities. It is observed that in such a remote location, authorities have less financial resources and less opportunity to avail themselves of skilled human resources.
Landcare will create and maintain a dialogue with all public authorities with environmental management responsibilities within the Region, with a view to providing direct assistance by way of advice and providing pathways to both resources and expertise outside the Region that would not otherwise be available.
Potential partners; BH City Council, Essential Energy, RMS, LLS, public authorities generally, ATA, RBG (NSW), EIANZ, Institute of Landscape Architects, Arboriculture Australia
#16 Litter removal
Litter reduction campaign embracing two prongs:
NSW EPA Litter Control grant sought for multi-site/multi-year project to be co-ordinated by Landcare in partnership across the entire Broken Hill community.
Potential partners; NSW EPA, Corrections NSW, Community groups, BH Council
#17 Renewable Energy transition campaign
Campaign for Broken Hill to become a renewable energy hub, by adopting a range of projects beneficial to the wider community. Broken Hill should aim to become an exemplar for the Nation by proactively embracing all known renewable energy technologies.
Explore partnerships with corporations in the clean energy field, renewable energy suppliers and external expert advisory entities such as Renew (the Alternative Technology Association) & the Clean Energy Council to determine citywide strategies for the community to adopt. Suggested promotion: electric car charging stations; community buses/cars powered by renewable energy; electric share bike & share scooters; greater uptake of roof top solar, small property-scale wind generators and battery storage.
Potential partners; AGL, Essential Energy, Cobalt Blue, Bromson Energy, ATA (Renew), Clean Energy Council, BH Council
#18 Sustainable Living & Housing
The City’s existing building stock comprises ‘embodied energy’, being the materials & energy input at the time of construction. With Broken Hill being Australia’s first city to be listed on the Commonwealth’s National Heritage List, adaptation & renovation of existing buildings adopting best practice sustainable building methodology is to be promoted. Proposal for annual Outback Sustainable House Expo to promote & encourage exemplars which reuse, recycle & seek a low carbon & resource footprint.
Potential partners; Renew – Alternative Technology Assoc., Michael Mobbs
Private Patch Improvement Projects
#19 Backyard gardening
Backyards – there is great interest in people being shown by experienced BH gardeners how to achieve sustainable gardening in Arid zone conditions. Who are the City’s most successful vegetable growers? Who are the City’s most successful fruit tree growers? We need to identify those skilled individuals within Broken Hill and invite them to share their knowledge.
Partnerships with external expert advice providers, like The Diggers Club, will sought by Landcare.
Potential partners; Garden suppliers, BH Garden Club, Gardening Australia, The Diggers Club
#20 Sharing knowledge – composting
People are to be encouraged to understand and adopt sustainable land management practices tailored to the city’s challenging Arid Zone conditions – inc. composting & maintaining worm farms for home fertiliser. Associated benefit is the reduction of household waste going to landfill.
Partnership proposed with the award-winning NGO, Compost Revolution, adopting the model that has succeeded with Sydney municipalities, securing subsidized compost bins & worm farms. Requires an innovative, purpose-designed, approach to composting in the extreme temperatures of the Arid Zone.
Potential partners; BH Council, BH Garden Club, Compost Revolution
#21 Communal community garden(s)
Community gardens, such as food-production gardens, are proposed to be established in different precincts of Broken Hill, convenient to local hubs, the focus of each local community.
The aim is for people to learn from experts how to grow in Arid zone conditions and then enable citizens to collectively garden. The community together would grow vegetables and fruit trees, engendering community spirit. Many precedents of this approach exist in urban areas around Australian & overseas.
Potential partners; Centre for Community, BH Council, CWA Broken Hill, NSW Corrections, BH Garden Club, the BH community, Michael Mobbs, The Diggers Club
#22 Annual Landcare BH Awards
Annual award scheme needs to be created under the auspices of Landcare focussing on achievements in creating Arid Zone nature strips and sustainable gardens. Possible categories “Best Garden growing Arid Zone plants’, ‘Best Nature strip using Arid Zone plants’, ‘Best garden displaying water conservation efficiency’, ‘Best vegetable garden displaying water conservation techniques’
Potential partners; Landcare, Garden suppliers, Tank suppliers, Essential Water
#23 Reopen Council’s former green waste facility
In order to provide the community with a ready supply of bulk mulch material, seek the re-establishment of the former green waste mulch/compost facility at the Council Waste Depot.
Re-establishing a green waste mulch/compost facility also has the tangible benefit of lessening green waste becoming mere landfill.
Potential partners; BH Council, potential external contractor
Knowledge Sharing Projects
#24 Inspirational and educational meetings
Landcare Broken Hill will convene monthly meetings open to the public. Each meeting agenda will include an update on current Greening the Hill Mk.2 projects and consultation with the community to encourage fresh ideas. It is proposed to organise presentations from skilled Landcare members or an expert guest speaker addressing a topic that will upskill members, engage and inspire the public.
Combined with hands-on projects & securing change-facilitation incentives, the objective is to lead to behavioural change, leading to community-wide adoption of sustainable living practices.
Possible grant applications for community education
#25 Facilitating public awareness
Greening the Hill Mk.2 will only succeed if its objectives are embraced by the widest Broken Hill community. Accordingly, Landcare Broken has established an on-going public media and social media presence, constantly disseminating information on the greening projects so as to engender greater support.
Approaches embraced include: a weekly ABC Radio Broken Hill interview programme; a dedicated Landcare SoundCloud Station where podcasts can be publicly accessed and heard at any time; a dedicated Landcare Broken Hill Facebook page; a dedicated website, any other social media opportunity as it arises, and a steady feed of news reports for the Broken Hill’s only paper, the Barrier Daily Truth.
Potential partners; ABC Radio Broken Hill, Barrier Daily Truth, social media platforms, 2 DRY FM Radio
#26 Caring for country
Strong interest expressed in gaining knowledge of how the traditional owners, the aboriginal people in the Far West, cared for Country. Potential workshops, field trips and publications.
Former Catchment Management publications had some such material and so could be updated, upgraded and republished.
Apart from educational benefits and potential linkages to specialist tourism, this Caring for Country project is intended to engender understanding and respect of timeless knowledge.
Potential partners; Traditional owners, Aboriginal agencies, BH Schools & tourism bureau
#27 Aboriginal knowledge of native plants
There is much community interest in gaining knowledge of useful and edible plants known to the traditional owners. Bush walks and field trips would be offered to inform, imparting knowledge, not just for locals but as an attraction for visitors.
Would be promoted to visitors to the region, linking to specialized educational tourism networks.
Potential partners; Traditional owners, Tourism destination organisers, BH Schools
#28 Public art installations
Public art installations can convey knowledge about plants, environmental management and the value of water, in addition to their aesthetic and artistic benefits. With such themes, more places for the display of public art would be created where people can retreat for contemplation and relaxation, as with the current art installation proposed for Riddiford Arboretum.
The symbiotic nexus between art and the environment is often highlighted, so it has been suggested that Landcare should seek to partner with the art community on one or more projects each year. As word spreads of the initiative, it is thought that many more artists from outside the City would be attracted to BH. Aim is to establish the City as a hub for public outdoor environment art installations.
Potential partners; Community art groups, such as the BH Art Exchange & West Darling Arts, BH Council, Essential Water
#29 Environmental Art Support
Landcare Broken Hill supports the concept of environmental art being an inspirational medium to convey critical messages about the fragility of our environment and our need and capacity to better safeguard it. Art can concurrently be inspirational, educational and a ‘call to arms’ to do more to protect our world, whilst providing the means for ‘joyous sentient escape’.
Landcare Broken Hill will work with and support the existing art groups in Broken Hill to foster a continuing interest in environmental art. In particular, the Broken Hill Art Exchange’s Desert Equinox Program – Sun Earth Water Air – with its exhibitions and art prizes – will be supported as a partner project.
With art providing a platform for understanding the underlying rationale for Greening the Hill Mk2, Landcare will foster an understanding of the nexus between the environment, art and community well-being, whenever opportunities arise.
Potential partners; BH Art Exchange, BH Regional Art Gallery, West Darling Arts and the community
Water Management Projects
#30 Education on grey water reuse
Aim is to educate people on the different approaches to water saving, particularly the reuse of “grey water”. Promotion of plumbing diverters taking grey water into domestic tanks & investigation of new grey water technology – to water gardens & nature strips. Landcare will seek better public dissemination of information on the use of greay water and encourage the creation of incentives for property owners to use their grey water
In partnership with Essential Water, create an annual Landcare BH Water Conservation Award, aimed at rewarding an innovative approach to environmentally-beneficial water conservation.
Potential partners; BH Council, Essential Water, Researchers in water & waste technology, Renew (ATA)
#31 Water Manual on water-wise practices
Campaign to promote water usage best practice in the Arid Zone. Including review, updating and republishing online and then promoting of the ‘The Water Manual’, dated June 2006, the joint venture publication of the then Country Water (now Essential Water) and Broken Hill Council.
Examine the best means to promote water conservation through social media and other means, such as Essential Water communication channels.
Potential partners; BH Council, Essential Water
#32 Water Tanks Uptake Project
Support a campaign to work towards a major uptake in water tanks for every household to catch rainwater thereby providing a water source for use on private gardens and nature strips.
Accepting that incentives are often required for people to accept the capital cost of water tank purchase, campaign for the reintroduction of subsidies from the State Government to encourage the purchase of water tanks – on the basis the Broken Hill should be considered a special case, being remotely located and experienced the worst drought ever recorded.
Potential partners; BH Council, Essential Water, Tank suppliers, NSW Government
#33 Promoting moisture retention gardening – such as via mulching
People are interested in learning about differing approaches to retain ground moisture. Eg promoting mulching practices.
Green waste sent to the Council tip is a loss of a valuable resource that private owners should retain. Consider mulching options such as community-shared chippers/mulchers available for people, or a community hub, to have their green waste mulched in situ and reused onsite.
Potential partners; BH Council, BH Garden clubs, Essential Water
#34 Mine dewatering & re-use of mine water to green Broken Hill
Investigate whether there is an opportunity to access excess mine water to re-green Broken Hill by promoting scientific research into the de-contamination and rendering safe for wider use such as Landcare’s greening projects in the City.
Determine whether latest scientific water technology is available to the mining companies. Facilitate linkages between the mining companies and water scientists to facilitate research.
Potential partners; Mining companies, Water scientists, Universities, EIANZ
Miscellaneous Major Projects
#35 Reopen public reserves and natural attractions
With the aim of improving and increasing recreational facilities for the BH community and providing a greater range of natural attractions to promote for tourists, there is a strong desire to
reopen and maintain as recreational attractions currently closed reserves, particularly Imperial Lakes, and to give greater support and focus to under-promoted or lesser known reserves, such as the Sundown Trail.
Potential partners; BH Council, Essential Water, 25 by 25, Tour operators, BH Field Naturalists, Premier’s Public Spaces initiative
#36 Scientific Studies
Initiate and participate in scientific-based vegetation research.
Broken Hill should aim to become a centre of tertiary research so as to become an exemplar for land management best practice.
Landcare Broken Hill’s current Eucalyptus gillii project, which investigates and documents this rare tree (initially assisted by Eucalypt Australia Foundation funding), is an example.
Landcare Broken Hill will participate in a trial phytoremediation project, in partnership with university research teams, by growing beds of different plants so as to identify those plants with the best lead hyperaccumulator characteristics which are concurrently capable of growing in harsh arid zone conditions.
Potential partners; Universities – e.g. Fowlers Gap Arid Zone Research Station, Botanists, BH Env. Lead Programme
#37 Carbon Offset - This is a re-greening funds facilitation project.
Investigate the means by which the re-greening of Broken Hill and its surrounds can be approved as a carbon off-set scheme under Commonwealth and/or NSW Government arrangements. The Greening the Hill Mk.2 re-greening projects which are considered having carbon off-set capability are Projects 1 to 9, 13, 14, 21 and 23.
If successful, with Greening the Hill Mk.2 as an approved carbon offset project, a significant source of funding may become available for a range of re-greening projects – including the large-scale purchase of plants and trees.
Potential partners; Commonwealth Government, NSW Government, Potential expert legal advisers
#38 Promoting sustainable conference management - This is a re-greening funds facilitation project.
Broken Hill is a popular conference-hosting destination.
As both a carbon offset initiative and a potential income stream for greening projects, starting with the State-wide Landcare/LLS Conference being convened in Broken Hill in October 2019, Landcare Broken Hill will proactively encourage all conferences convened in Broken Hill to be conducted in accordance a Sustainable Events Strategy utilizing the best internationally recognized systems such as the ISO 20121 Event Sustainability Management System.
Akin to the ‘Trees for Travellers’ Project (Project 10), conference attendees will be encouraged to donate a contribution to greening Broken Hill by buying plants to offset their travel carbon footprint. Plants could be taken away by conferees as a tangible link to the City, or preferably left with a expressed preference to be planted by Landcare in a selected reserve or park in the City.
Overtime, Landcare will develop a portable photographic display comprising images of the reserves and parks to be benefited by planting and images of the plant species available for planting. This portable display would be designed to be readily set up in conference venue foyers, together with living Arid Zone plants.
Potential partners; BH Council, Local Land Services & NSW State Landcare, event managers,
#39 Climate Change Emergency Resolution
Campaign to secure the passing of a Climate Change Emergency resolution by Broken Hill Council successfully concluded with a resolution being overwhelmingly carried on 25 September ’19, followed by wide media coverage across all platforms.
Potential partners; BH Council, BH community
Revegetation Projects
#1 Reinstate a healthy Regen
Landcare will continue its key support role in assisting with the sustainable management of Broken Hill’s heritage-listed Regeration Belt that encircles the City. Key focus is the revegetation of degraded areas and weed removal, so as to maintain the City’s green perimeter in good condition. Degraded areas should be reinstated using carefully selected indigenous species through reseeding and replanting. Erosion control through swale treatment and renewal of some protective perimeter fencing will be necessary. Educational Regen fieldtrips will be hosted and strategically foster community engagement.
Associated litter and rubbish removal projects will be recurrently run (eg Clean Up Australia Day) – see Project 16 below
Potential partners; BH Council, Field Naturalists, BH Lead Centre, Mining companies, Aust Assoc of Bush Regenerators, NSW Corrections
#2 Propagation nursery
Objective is to establish a major community nursery to grow native plants for the Regen, public reserves, the arboretum, the City’s schools and the grounds of community organisations, such as scouts, sporting clubs etc. On a fee-for-supply contract basis, plants will be grown for Council giveaways, mining companies, station owners and other regional Landcare groups etc.
Target propagation in the order of 100,000 plants per annum.
Workshops will be run enabling Landcare & community members to learn the skills to propagate plants from seeds and cuttings.
Potential partners; BH Council, Mining companies, Garden suppliers, NSW Corrections, CWA Broken Hill
#3 Backyard Bush Nurseries
Commenced in August 2019 with the first tranche, willing community members are trained to propagate in their own backyards plants from seeds and cuttings supplied by Landcare. Each community member is provided with the propagation essentials, such as tubes, tube trays, potting mix, fertiliser and seeds and/or cuttings. With this coordinated growing-at-home project in their own backyards, dozens, if not hundreds, of people can join forces to produce plants for Greening the Hill Mk.2 projects & for gardens.
Potential partners; Whole Broken Hill community, BH Council, BH Field Naturalists
#4 Creation of Aboriginal garden of useful/edible plants
A dedicated public reserve or bush garden is proposed to be created with Landcare’s assistance, in partnership with and under guidance from the aboriginal community. This new reserve is to be designed to display traditional Aboriginal Arid Zone native plants useful for medicine, food and craft. Target for commencement: 2nd quarter 2020.
This new reserve would be planted so as to be a place of education, contemplation and understanding, hopefully becoming a special place for the Broken Hill Aboriginal community, whilst adding a further attraction for visitors to town.
Potential partners; Traditional owners, BH Council, Aust Assoc. of Bush Regenerators, BH Field Naturalists
#5 Green schools “For every child a tree, for every school a garden”
Introduce a programme aimed at primary school kids, via their schools, for each child to be associated with a tree planted by them in a nominated location. Annually conduct tree planting events on both Schools Tree Day and National Tree Day, as an awareness-raising exercise focused on the importance of trees.
Each school or grade in each school might be associated with a particular revegetation plot in a new area to be planted within school grounds, so that an ongoing association is created.
The Green Schools Project could incorporate the creation of a kitchen garden in each school, educating children on the source of food plants. Stephanie Alexander’s Kitchen Garden Foundation schools program provides relevant grants, with Alma Primary Public School having already received a grant. https://www.kitchengardenfoundation.org.au/
Other potential environmental programs include Kreative Koalas which fosters environmental awareness in schools and learning about the UN Sustainable Development Goals (http://www.kreativekoalas.com.au).
Woolworths have a schools grants program for Junior Landcare projects https://landcareaustralia.org.au/woolworthsgrants/
Broken Hill’s Sacred Heart Primary School has received a grant under this scheme to establish a school garden.
Potential partners; All BH Schools, Kreative Koalas, Stephanie Alexander’s Kitchen Garden, Foundation, Woolworths Junior Landcare
#6 Community Tree Care
Street tree campaign intended to achieve a “filling of the gaps”, leading to greater tree cover. Many alternative approaches.
All clubs and organisations will be encouraged, as a Greening the Hill partner, to adopt a road or street as the focus of a greening project planting and caring for trees and plant species selected for Arid Zone survival potential. This project is modelled on the approach of Keep Australia Beautiful’s Tidy Towns sustainable communities initiative wherein service and community clubs like Rotary, Lions, Apex or Probus, adopt an area to keep it clear of waste. https://www.kabnsw.org.au/
Planting more trees in more naturestrips would be part of the general re-greening of nature strips with groundcover plants and shrubs adopting landscaping approaches which are feasible for the Arid Zone – see Project 13
Potential partners; BH Council, Service Clubs e.g. Rotary, Keep Australia Beautiful NSW, the whole BH community
#7 Sporting facilities & recreational parks
There is widespread concern across the community about the impact of extreme Arid Zone climatic conditions on sporting areas and playing fields around town. People are interested in finding the means to keep them greener.
There is an increasingly urgent need to suppress dust and retain ground moisture. These issues have both environmental and health consequences. More plants are required for shade and shielding from drying winds.
Proposal that community Friends Groups, focussed on individual parks and playing fields, be established across the City, so as to enlist more volunteer effort, engender a sense of pride and community spirit, in order to assist Council with its challenging tasks maintaining its many parks & reserves.
Potential partners; BH Council & sports ground subcommittees, Sports Clubs, BH Environmental Lead Project, to be created Friends Groups for each park & reserve
#8 Joint Ventures to assist major rehabilitation projects
Explore whether opportunities are feasible for Landcare Broken Hill to assist private corporations, such as the mining companies, or government agencies such as the Council and the Broken Hill Lead Centre, to rehabilitate problem areas through revegetation & establishing sustainable land management practices. Within a year of the proposed Landcare propagation nursery (Project 2) being established, it should have the capacity to supply planting projects. In the interim, wholesale plant nurseries will supply.
Potential partners; Mining companies, BH Lead Centre, BH Council
#9 Re-greening community places
Numerous community organisations in Broken Hill have properties they own and manage. Many of these properties are suffering under extreme drought conditions and the community organisations do not have the expertise or experience to address the problem. Landcare will assist in redressing this problem.
Commencing with Landcare’s 2019 National Tree Day event ‘Scout Hall Landscaping Project’, in partnership with the 3rd Broken Hill Sea Scouts, Landcare will progressively form partnerships with community groups to assist them to re-green their properties, by providing expert advice, sourcing sponsorships and facilitating each project.
Potential partners; BH Community Groups
#10 Trees for Travellers - This is a re-greening funds facilitation project.
To be promoted as a carbon off-set programme for travellers visiting Broken Hill following the precedent of “Trees for Travellers” in Kiakoura in New Zealand, visitors are to be encouraged to voluntarily contribute to greening Broken Hill.
Tourists would be encouraged to “buy” a tree or plant from a selected range of species that would be shown on tourism websites and physically displayed at the Visitor Information Centre together with a photographic display of images of the reserves and parks to be benefited by planting and images of the plant species available for planting. The plant purchased (in effect via a donation) would then be planted in a Broken hill public reserve or park. The visitor would be given details of the plant/tree they selected and the reserve selected, so that in future they can return to admire progress.
Potential partners; BH Council, Tourism networks, BH based travel franchise agents, Regional Express, Indian Pacific,
Tri State Safaris, BH Tourist Park, photographer Boris Hlavic
#11 City Landcare Mates - This is a re-greening funds facilitation project.
A “City Landcare Mate” campaign will be launched aimed at encouraging people in capital cities and Canberra to support and effectively ‘donate’ to the “Greening the Hill Mk.2” initiative by joining as a member ‘away’ and buying a local plant/tree on-line from a range of species provided by Landcare, and viewable on its web site. Broken Hill diaspora across Australia is the primary target group to be invited to re-connect with their home town.
Potential partners; City Landcare groups, BH diaspora across Australia, ATA (Renew)
Behavioural Change Projects
#12 Keeping trees
(Also see Project 6 – Community Tree Care)
There is an urgent need to educate all in the community on the value of retaining existing trees, highlighting the years of effort and water required to grow a mature tree in a particularly harsh environment which is worsening.
This Project is a campaign to convince everyone that any tree removal should always be the last option in this Arid zone environment and if removal is unavoidable then it should be required that any replacement trees be best suited to the location and that for each mature tree removed, multiple new plants to compensate should be required.
Potential partners; Community, BH Council, Media, BH Schools
#13 Demonstration nature-strips
Kerbside nature strips – reinstate the demonstration nature strips maintained by BH Council, such as in Beryl Street, planted to illustrate different approaches with plant selections, focusing on understanding water requirements of each plant choice.
Project’s aim is community education on options to reinstate and replant nature-strips. Landcare will adopt the Council’s earlier model & create a selection of demonstration nature-strips.
Potential partners; BH Council, Centre for Community Inc., Institute of Landscape Architects, Essential Water
#14 Demonstration public park to assist in water-wise plant selection
Lions Park & its associated ‘Conservation Gardens’ opposite the BH Information Centre were designed, some 20 years or so ago, to perform an educational role, by demonstrating which trees & plants grow well in the City, displaying resilience and other environmental sustainability characteristics. Differing plant water requirements were identified and advisory information made available via instructive panels installed along park trails.
This Park is in a degraded and tired state, with many dead plants. This concept of a park used to informatively showcase Arid Zone plant species needs to be reinvigorated, refreshed & promoted.
Potential partners; BH Council, BH Lions Club, Essential Water, BH Field Naturalists & the Riddiford Arboretum Committee
#15 Assisting Public Authorities with environmental management, particularly with arboriculture & horticulture
Concerns have been expressed about public authorities in our remote Far West Region being insufficiently assisted in matters of environmental management. These matters include tree maintenance, plant selection for revegetation and horticultural responsibilities. It is observed that in such a remote location, authorities have less financial resources and less opportunity to avail themselves of skilled human resources.
Landcare will create and maintain a dialogue with all public authorities with environmental management responsibilities within the Region, with a view to providing direct assistance by way of advice and providing pathways to both resources and expertise outside the Region that would not otherwise be available.
Potential partners; BH City Council, Essential Energy, RMS, LLS, public authorities generally, ATA, RBG (NSW), EIANZ, Institute of Landscape Architects, Arboriculture Australia
#16 Litter removal
Litter reduction campaign embracing two prongs:
- Actual removal of litter from the roadside verges of the 7 roads entering the City and all parks and reserves, including the Regeneration Belt and all tourist attractions; and
- Encouraging the community to change behaviour, supporting the introduction of multiple recycling opportunities and incentives.
NSW EPA Litter Control grant sought for multi-site/multi-year project to be co-ordinated by Landcare in partnership across the entire Broken Hill community.
Potential partners; NSW EPA, Corrections NSW, Community groups, BH Council
#17 Renewable Energy transition campaign
Campaign for Broken Hill to become a renewable energy hub, by adopting a range of projects beneficial to the wider community. Broken Hill should aim to become an exemplar for the Nation by proactively embracing all known renewable energy technologies.
Explore partnerships with corporations in the clean energy field, renewable energy suppliers and external expert advisory entities such as Renew (the Alternative Technology Association) & the Clean Energy Council to determine citywide strategies for the community to adopt. Suggested promotion: electric car charging stations; community buses/cars powered by renewable energy; electric share bike & share scooters; greater uptake of roof top solar, small property-scale wind generators and battery storage.
Potential partners; AGL, Essential Energy, Cobalt Blue, Bromson Energy, ATA (Renew), Clean Energy Council, BH Council
#18 Sustainable Living & Housing
The City’s existing building stock comprises ‘embodied energy’, being the materials & energy input at the time of construction. With Broken Hill being Australia’s first city to be listed on the Commonwealth’s National Heritage List, adaptation & renovation of existing buildings adopting best practice sustainable building methodology is to be promoted. Proposal for annual Outback Sustainable House Expo to promote & encourage exemplars which reuse, recycle & seek a low carbon & resource footprint.
Potential partners; Renew – Alternative Technology Assoc., Michael Mobbs
Private Patch Improvement Projects
#19 Backyard gardening
Backyards – there is great interest in people being shown by experienced BH gardeners how to achieve sustainable gardening in Arid zone conditions. Who are the City’s most successful vegetable growers? Who are the City’s most successful fruit tree growers? We need to identify those skilled individuals within Broken Hill and invite them to share their knowledge.
Partnerships with external expert advice providers, like The Diggers Club, will sought by Landcare.
Potential partners; Garden suppliers, BH Garden Club, Gardening Australia, The Diggers Club
#20 Sharing knowledge – composting
People are to be encouraged to understand and adopt sustainable land management practices tailored to the city’s challenging Arid Zone conditions – inc. composting & maintaining worm farms for home fertiliser. Associated benefit is the reduction of household waste going to landfill.
Partnership proposed with the award-winning NGO, Compost Revolution, adopting the model that has succeeded with Sydney municipalities, securing subsidized compost bins & worm farms. Requires an innovative, purpose-designed, approach to composting in the extreme temperatures of the Arid Zone.
Potential partners; BH Council, BH Garden Club, Compost Revolution
#21 Communal community garden(s)
Community gardens, such as food-production gardens, are proposed to be established in different precincts of Broken Hill, convenient to local hubs, the focus of each local community.
The aim is for people to learn from experts how to grow in Arid zone conditions and then enable citizens to collectively garden. The community together would grow vegetables and fruit trees, engendering community spirit. Many precedents of this approach exist in urban areas around Australian & overseas.
Potential partners; Centre for Community, BH Council, CWA Broken Hill, NSW Corrections, BH Garden Club, the BH community, Michael Mobbs, The Diggers Club
#22 Annual Landcare BH Awards
Annual award scheme needs to be created under the auspices of Landcare focussing on achievements in creating Arid Zone nature strips and sustainable gardens. Possible categories “Best Garden growing Arid Zone plants’, ‘Best Nature strip using Arid Zone plants’, ‘Best garden displaying water conservation efficiency’, ‘Best vegetable garden displaying water conservation techniques’
Potential partners; Landcare, Garden suppliers, Tank suppliers, Essential Water
#23 Reopen Council’s former green waste facility
In order to provide the community with a ready supply of bulk mulch material, seek the re-establishment of the former green waste mulch/compost facility at the Council Waste Depot.
Re-establishing a green waste mulch/compost facility also has the tangible benefit of lessening green waste becoming mere landfill.
Potential partners; BH Council, potential external contractor
Knowledge Sharing Projects
#24 Inspirational and educational meetings
Landcare Broken Hill will convene monthly meetings open to the public. Each meeting agenda will include an update on current Greening the Hill Mk.2 projects and consultation with the community to encourage fresh ideas. It is proposed to organise presentations from skilled Landcare members or an expert guest speaker addressing a topic that will upskill members, engage and inspire the public.
Combined with hands-on projects & securing change-facilitation incentives, the objective is to lead to behavioural change, leading to community-wide adoption of sustainable living practices.
Possible grant applications for community education
#25 Facilitating public awareness
Greening the Hill Mk.2 will only succeed if its objectives are embraced by the widest Broken Hill community. Accordingly, Landcare Broken has established an on-going public media and social media presence, constantly disseminating information on the greening projects so as to engender greater support.
Approaches embraced include: a weekly ABC Radio Broken Hill interview programme; a dedicated Landcare SoundCloud Station where podcasts can be publicly accessed and heard at any time; a dedicated Landcare Broken Hill Facebook page; a dedicated website, any other social media opportunity as it arises, and a steady feed of news reports for the Broken Hill’s only paper, the Barrier Daily Truth.
Potential partners; ABC Radio Broken Hill, Barrier Daily Truth, social media platforms, 2 DRY FM Radio
#26 Caring for country
Strong interest expressed in gaining knowledge of how the traditional owners, the aboriginal people in the Far West, cared for Country. Potential workshops, field trips and publications.
Former Catchment Management publications had some such material and so could be updated, upgraded and republished.
Apart from educational benefits and potential linkages to specialist tourism, this Caring for Country project is intended to engender understanding and respect of timeless knowledge.
Potential partners; Traditional owners, Aboriginal agencies, BH Schools & tourism bureau
#27 Aboriginal knowledge of native plants
There is much community interest in gaining knowledge of useful and edible plants known to the traditional owners. Bush walks and field trips would be offered to inform, imparting knowledge, not just for locals but as an attraction for visitors.
Would be promoted to visitors to the region, linking to specialized educational tourism networks.
Potential partners; Traditional owners, Tourism destination organisers, BH Schools
#28 Public art installations
Public art installations can convey knowledge about plants, environmental management and the value of water, in addition to their aesthetic and artistic benefits. With such themes, more places for the display of public art would be created where people can retreat for contemplation and relaxation, as with the current art installation proposed for Riddiford Arboretum.
The symbiotic nexus between art and the environment is often highlighted, so it has been suggested that Landcare should seek to partner with the art community on one or more projects each year. As word spreads of the initiative, it is thought that many more artists from outside the City would be attracted to BH. Aim is to establish the City as a hub for public outdoor environment art installations.
Potential partners; Community art groups, such as the BH Art Exchange & West Darling Arts, BH Council, Essential Water
#29 Environmental Art Support
Landcare Broken Hill supports the concept of environmental art being an inspirational medium to convey critical messages about the fragility of our environment and our need and capacity to better safeguard it. Art can concurrently be inspirational, educational and a ‘call to arms’ to do more to protect our world, whilst providing the means for ‘joyous sentient escape’.
Landcare Broken Hill will work with and support the existing art groups in Broken Hill to foster a continuing interest in environmental art. In particular, the Broken Hill Art Exchange’s Desert Equinox Program – Sun Earth Water Air – with its exhibitions and art prizes – will be supported as a partner project.
With art providing a platform for understanding the underlying rationale for Greening the Hill Mk2, Landcare will foster an understanding of the nexus between the environment, art and community well-being, whenever opportunities arise.
Potential partners; BH Art Exchange, BH Regional Art Gallery, West Darling Arts and the community
Water Management Projects
#30 Education on grey water reuse
Aim is to educate people on the different approaches to water saving, particularly the reuse of “grey water”. Promotion of plumbing diverters taking grey water into domestic tanks & investigation of new grey water technology – to water gardens & nature strips. Landcare will seek better public dissemination of information on the use of greay water and encourage the creation of incentives for property owners to use their grey water
In partnership with Essential Water, create an annual Landcare BH Water Conservation Award, aimed at rewarding an innovative approach to environmentally-beneficial water conservation.
Potential partners; BH Council, Essential Water, Researchers in water & waste technology, Renew (ATA)
#31 Water Manual on water-wise practices
Campaign to promote water usage best practice in the Arid Zone. Including review, updating and republishing online and then promoting of the ‘The Water Manual’, dated June 2006, the joint venture publication of the then Country Water (now Essential Water) and Broken Hill Council.
Examine the best means to promote water conservation through social media and other means, such as Essential Water communication channels.
Potential partners; BH Council, Essential Water
#32 Water Tanks Uptake Project
Support a campaign to work towards a major uptake in water tanks for every household to catch rainwater thereby providing a water source for use on private gardens and nature strips.
Accepting that incentives are often required for people to accept the capital cost of water tank purchase, campaign for the reintroduction of subsidies from the State Government to encourage the purchase of water tanks – on the basis the Broken Hill should be considered a special case, being remotely located and experienced the worst drought ever recorded.
Potential partners; BH Council, Essential Water, Tank suppliers, NSW Government
#33 Promoting moisture retention gardening – such as via mulching
People are interested in learning about differing approaches to retain ground moisture. Eg promoting mulching practices.
Green waste sent to the Council tip is a loss of a valuable resource that private owners should retain. Consider mulching options such as community-shared chippers/mulchers available for people, or a community hub, to have their green waste mulched in situ and reused onsite.
Potential partners; BH Council, BH Garden clubs, Essential Water
#34 Mine dewatering & re-use of mine water to green Broken Hill
Investigate whether there is an opportunity to access excess mine water to re-green Broken Hill by promoting scientific research into the de-contamination and rendering safe for wider use such as Landcare’s greening projects in the City.
Determine whether latest scientific water technology is available to the mining companies. Facilitate linkages between the mining companies and water scientists to facilitate research.
Potential partners; Mining companies, Water scientists, Universities, EIANZ
Miscellaneous Major Projects
#35 Reopen public reserves and natural attractions
With the aim of improving and increasing recreational facilities for the BH community and providing a greater range of natural attractions to promote for tourists, there is a strong desire to
reopen and maintain as recreational attractions currently closed reserves, particularly Imperial Lakes, and to give greater support and focus to under-promoted or lesser known reserves, such as the Sundown Trail.
Potential partners; BH Council, Essential Water, 25 by 25, Tour operators, BH Field Naturalists, Premier’s Public Spaces initiative
#36 Scientific Studies
Initiate and participate in scientific-based vegetation research.
Broken Hill should aim to become a centre of tertiary research so as to become an exemplar for land management best practice.
Landcare Broken Hill’s current Eucalyptus gillii project, which investigates and documents this rare tree (initially assisted by Eucalypt Australia Foundation funding), is an example.
Landcare Broken Hill will participate in a trial phytoremediation project, in partnership with university research teams, by growing beds of different plants so as to identify those plants with the best lead hyperaccumulator characteristics which are concurrently capable of growing in harsh arid zone conditions.
Potential partners; Universities – e.g. Fowlers Gap Arid Zone Research Station, Botanists, BH Env. Lead Programme
#37 Carbon Offset - This is a re-greening funds facilitation project.
Investigate the means by which the re-greening of Broken Hill and its surrounds can be approved as a carbon off-set scheme under Commonwealth and/or NSW Government arrangements. The Greening the Hill Mk.2 re-greening projects which are considered having carbon off-set capability are Projects 1 to 9, 13, 14, 21 and 23.
If successful, with Greening the Hill Mk.2 as an approved carbon offset project, a significant source of funding may become available for a range of re-greening projects – including the large-scale purchase of plants and trees.
Potential partners; Commonwealth Government, NSW Government, Potential expert legal advisers
#38 Promoting sustainable conference management - This is a re-greening funds facilitation project.
Broken Hill is a popular conference-hosting destination.
As both a carbon offset initiative and a potential income stream for greening projects, starting with the State-wide Landcare/LLS Conference being convened in Broken Hill in October 2019, Landcare Broken Hill will proactively encourage all conferences convened in Broken Hill to be conducted in accordance a Sustainable Events Strategy utilizing the best internationally recognized systems such as the ISO 20121 Event Sustainability Management System.
Akin to the ‘Trees for Travellers’ Project (Project 10), conference attendees will be encouraged to donate a contribution to greening Broken Hill by buying plants to offset their travel carbon footprint. Plants could be taken away by conferees as a tangible link to the City, or preferably left with a expressed preference to be planted by Landcare in a selected reserve or park in the City.
Overtime, Landcare will develop a portable photographic display comprising images of the reserves and parks to be benefited by planting and images of the plant species available for planting. This portable display would be designed to be readily set up in conference venue foyers, together with living Arid Zone plants.
Potential partners; BH Council, Local Land Services & NSW State Landcare, event managers,
#39 Climate Change Emergency Resolution
Campaign to secure the passing of a Climate Change Emergency resolution by Broken Hill Council successfully concluded with a resolution being overwhelmingly carried on 25 September ’19, followed by wide media coverage across all platforms.
Potential partners; BH Council, BH community