Comment sought on environmental sustainability strategy

The Greater Shepparton Environmental Sustainability Strategy – Discussion Paper is currently open for public comment.

This document has been written by the Greater Shepparton Environmental Sustainability Strategy Stakeholder Reference (Steering) Committee (SRC) to instigate community, stakeholder and Council staff discussion about Greater Shepparton City Council’s environmental sustainability management activities.

The contents of this paper have been collated from relevant literature reviews, discussions held in SRC meetings, and responses to internal staff and community environmental sustainability surveys.

Feedback and discussions generated from this paper will be used to guide the development of the Draft - Greater Shepparton Environmental Sustainability Strategy (to be completed mid-year).

Four community workshops have been organised and I strongly encourage anyone interested to attend. Please make yourself familiar with the discussion paper before these dates as we will be focusing on gathering responses to the contents, rather than explaining the contents during these sessions.

Location	Time/date	Venue
Dookie	5:30pm 18th March	Dookie Community Centre
Shepparton	5:30pm 20th March	Shepparton Senior Citizens
Mooroopna	7:30pm 20th March	Mooroopna Education and Activity Centre
Tatura	5:30pm 21th March	Tatura Senior Citizens

 

The discussion paper and feedback form are available via this website: http://www.greatershepparton.com.au/council/communityconsultation/consultation/environmentstrategypaper/

 

The feedback form can be used as a guide to writing your submission or feel free to provide any feedback that you like.

Feedback on the discussion paper will be received until 5pm, 1^st April 2013 via a number of ways:

1. Mail:  Greater Shepparton City Council, Locked Bag 1000, Shepparton VIC 3632

2. Email: Council@shepparton.vic.gov.au 

3. In person: 90 Welsford St, Shepparton 3630

4. Online: www.greatershepparton.com.au

Intricacies and diffulties of discussion paper explained

The intricacies and difficulties of assembling a discussion paper about environmental matters and sustainability were outlined at today’s (Saturday, February 23) Beneath the Wisteria.

Travis Turner, the Environmental and Sustainability Officer with the City of Greater Shepparton, explained personal background and then outlined how he and his small team had created the impressive 144 page discussion paper.

Comments about the paper varied from praise to criticism, but all the nearly 20 at the gathering seemed delighted council had taken the initiative to first publish the paper, seek comments and then conduct a series of workshops throughout the city encouraging public input, from which a draft paper will be distilled and published.

Mr Turner, who had brought copies of the discussion paper with him, encouraged all Beneath the Wisteria supporters to comment, something they can do via writing on a form included with the paper, on online via the city council website at: http://www.greatershepparton.com.au/council/communityconsultation/consultation/environmentstrategypaper/.

Council has organized four workshops at which City of Greater Shepparton residents can comment on the discussion page with the first at Dookie on Monday, March 4, followed by similar workshops at Shepparton in the Senior Citizens Rooms at 5:30pm on Wednesday, March 6, followed by another the same day at Mooroopna at 7:30pm in the Sir Ian McLennan Centre, and with the final of the workshops at the Tatura Seniors Citizens Rooms at 5:30pm on Thursday, March 7.

Whether we feel this whole project is adequate or otherwise, we have a responsibility, not just as citizens of Greater Shepparton, but as citizens of the world, to involve ourselves helping make it say what we believe is necessary.