Water education for the property sector

Background and objectives

Commerce and industry use around 22% of Sydney’s drinking water. This partnership with the Property Council of Australia (NSW) builds on and extends other business programs by developing a targeted water efficiency training package, delivering workshops, and disseminating water efficiency information to the Property Council members which will help reduce water use.

Project activities

Target groups
This project promotes water efficiency in the retail, commercial office and residential property sectors by showcasing water savings initiatives by the private sector and identifying partnership opportunities with government agencies to achieve water efficiency in the built environment.

Delivery methods

The projects activities are focused in three key areas:

Seminar series
A three part seminar series bringing together key industry experts to present case studies showcasing where they have achieved water efficiencies. These seminars took place in March, April and May 2007. Sydney Water was a project partner for these events. Detail on the seminars can be found under the events section of the Water for Life site.
Educational materials
Following each seminar series, PowerPoint presentations and/or speaking notes are available to industry members keen to learn from the ideas presented at the seminars and who want to implement these strategies. This material is available via the Water for Life website, the Property Council's website and through the Property Council’s fortnightly e-news which goes to over 7,000 individuals in the property industry. Links to the materials are below in the resources section.
Promotion of water efficiency initiatives
The Property Council will implement an industry awareness campaign about water efficiency initiatives and the programs run by the NSW Government through the Property Council’s fortnightly e-news and the Property Council’s monthly magazine, Property Australia.

Current project progress

A committee of industry representatives has been established to oversee the project design and implementation. All three seminars have now been held - for the Commercial, Retail and Residential Property sectors. Further detail on the seminars can be found under the events section of the Water for Life site.

Outcomes & successes

These programs are currently being evaluated and outcomes will be reported here shortly.

Resources & tools

Resources from this project include:

Production of speaking notes and PowerPoint presentations arising from the seminar series
Presentations and resources to engage the Property sector or get started on water efficiency in your business.

The resources can be downloaded by clicking in the links below:

How to get involved & find out more

For more information on the seminar series or to contribute to the project, please contact Meagan Phillips, Project Manager of the Water for Life series, via email: mphillips@nsw.propertyoz.com.au or visit The Property Council website.

Project partner

The Property Council of Australia is the national representative of the property industry. Our members help shape, build and finance our cities and have a long term interest in the future of our urban areas. Our members cover all property types and they include the bulk of the state’s investors in office towers, shopping centres, industrial parks, tourism accommodation and infrastructure, and major developers of commercial and residential property.