Sustainability & The Environment

 
We are full of enthusiasm as this recently added Area of Focus - Supporting the Environment - underlies all six of Rotary’s established Areas of Focus:
 
Promoting Peace, Providing Clean Water and Sanitation, Fighting Disease, Saving Mothers and Children, Growing Local economies and Supporting Education.
 
This new Area also aligns with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. And issues relating to the environment feature every day in the media and are an important focus for all levels of government in Australia. It is essential for Rotary to remain relevant and this Area will assist this and hopefully broaden Rotary’s appeal.
 
To begin with, our committee conducted  a survey of our members to learn how concerned they are about environmental sustainability issues generally, and what specific ones are of most concern. The data collected will help shape our future courses of action.
 
Projects we are currently considering are:
 

  • reducing the Club and individual members’ carbon footprint

  • engaging in clean-ups such as Clean-up Australia Day

  • Sycamore Blitz with Friends of Emerald Lake Park (FELP)

  • helping the Lions Club rehabilitate the Telopea Steps

  • adopting a road

  • assisting with feral rabbit management

Current Activities

This was a new avenue of service that will roll out during the 2021-2022 Rotary year and will be built on in the 2022-2023 year.

District Initiatives

Sustainability is seen as having several wide-ranging, yet connected meanings. These include something that is self-sustaining or self-efficient, something planned for long-term use or something ‘good for the environment’. These multiple meanings of sustainability are relevant to Rotary in many ways.
 
Our Rotary District which have an environmentally sustainable focus. This includes projects which aim to protect or restore the local environment and ecosystems, those which make use of sustainable technologies or those promoting the uptake of everyday sustainable practices.
Vicki Van Den Bergen
Chair 2022-2023
PP PHF Russell Marnock
Chair 2021-2022