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Water for Life Forum 2007
Leading practice in water education
The Water for Life Forum was held on 19 September 2007 at the Sydney Masonic Centre, and was opened by The Hon. Nathan Rees MP. Feedback from participants indicates that it was a very successful and useful event.
The Water for Life Forum was an opportunity for those involved in water management and education on water issues to:
- share and discuss leading practice projects engaging the community on water
- participate in the development of a collaborative action plan for all metropolitan water education for 2007-2011
- set the directions and understand opportunities for future support and professional learning provided by Water for Life and across the network
- explore the changing landscape of water education and its implications for state government, local government and non-government organisations.
Presentations from the Forum
Keynote
Stevie Clayton, OAM, Chief Executive Officer, AIDS Council of NSW (ACON)
Key learnings from the HIV/AIDS campaign and their relevance for education on water
Action Plan Session
Why is education on water a priority? - Mr Graeme Head, Assistant Director General, Performance Review Unit, Department of Premier and Cabinet
Coordinated water education and its role in leading toward sustainability
Outline of the draft Water for Life Action Plan for all Metropolitan Water Education 2007-2011
Workshops Theme 1: Leading practice
1. Evidence: for program design, evaluation and gaining support
How can a focus on evidence drive success within water education projects?
The Love Your Garden program is the most recent addition Sydney Water's portfolio of residential water conservation initiatives. This innovative and unique program aims to influence gardeners to more closely match their irrigation practices to their garden's irrigation demand.
Early in the program's development we found the irrigation behaviours of many gardeners were out of step with their soil's ability to absorb and store water and/or the rate that their garden consumed or lost that water. By utilising best practice agricultural and irrigation science, Sydney Water has developed a methodology of assessing virtually any landscape area to determine its irrigation needs. This information is then available to influence gardener's irrigation habits and behaviours.
The challenge now lies in how Sydney Water can elicit a behavioural change with an audience that may not necessarily believe they are over watering their gardens.
Using focus group market research to develop new approaches for water conservation messages and behaviour change for 18-35 year olds.
2. Working together: partnerships for more effective programs
How can partnerships strengthen program effectiveness?
The $340 million Climate Change Fund was established in July 2007 to support water and energy savings by NSW businesses, households, schools and government. The presentation will outline the seven different program components under the Climate Change Fund and opportunities for educators to gain leverage from them in their water education initiatives. It will also scope the potential for partnerships using NABERS HOME and OFFICE, the national building rating program administered by the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change.
Urban Stormwater Integrated Management (USWIM) Project - Jean Brennan, Marrickville Council
The Urban Stormwater Integrated Management (USWIM) project partnership between Marrickville Council and Monash University has tested a new collaborative methodology for urban water planning. It addresses the identified barriers in planning for sustainable urban water management:
• Limited social and institutional knowledge of the local context
• Lack of broad participation in decision-making
• Mono-disciplinary focus
• Too broad a spatial focus (whole catchment)
The project’s multidisciplinary team works within Council, the community, and agencies to identify subcatchment level solutions reflecting sustainable urban water management principles. Cooperation between people from varied disciplines and sub catchment stakeholders has meant early identification of potential problems and finding more context-based holistic solutions.
Developing Pittwater's Community Water Conservation Plan - Jennifer Pang, Pittwater Council
Pittwater Council has a draft Community Water Conservation Plan that will soon be publicly exhibited. The draft Plan sets targets for the reduction in potable water use within the LGA and recommends community education and recycled water project initiatives to reduce water consumption. Partnering with the community has been fundamental to the Plan's development, with feedback from a Water Conservation Working Party (made up of community group representatives, the general community, government agencies, Councillors and council staff) and the results of a community-wide Web-based Water Survey used as key drivers in formulating the draft Plan.
3. Reflection: refining and strengthening, not reinventing the wheel
What role does reflection play in establishing leading practice?
What is Leading Practice? – Lynne McLoughlin, Department of Environment and Climate Change
In the past leading practice has been understood very much at the level of effective projects and programs. Recent program evaluation has shown that effective practitioners are active at the project level, organisational level and institutional level. Using concrete examples drawn from a range of programs, learnings will be shared about how we can be work at project level, organisational level and institutional level.
Creating Communities of Practice - Reid McNamara Water for Life, Department of Water and Energy
This workshop will start with a brief presentation of a practical examples of how using communities of practice for reflection has led to significant benefits for improved education for sustainability practice. After a brief introduction to the theory of communities of practice a workshop will be led that allows participants to explore for themselves the value of reflection in leading to successful projects.
Support for Communities of Practice Project is one of the capacity building activities of the Water for Life Education Project. Any interested individuals, groups or topics within this workshop will be invited to provide an expression of interest for support from the Water for Life Education Program.
Workshops Theme 2: Tools and Professional Learning
4. Tools & resources: for improving practice
How can tools and resources be used to improve projects and practices?
Water Education Resources Directory Launch - Corrine Cheeseman, Australian Water Association - no presentation available
The Water Education Resources Directory is a public online searchable database of water-related education resources and programs across Australia. The directory improves access for educators to a broad range of tools and case studies to assist in the design of education projects. This presentation will be the launch of this innovative tool. The Water Education Resources Directory was been developed as a partnership between the NSW Government’s Water for Life Education Program and the Australian Water Association’s Water Educator Network.
Every Drop Counts Business Program - Fernando Ortega, Sydney Water Corporation - no presentation available
This workshop will provide an overview of Sydney Water's Every Drop Counts Business Program and how it is achieving sustainable water savings across various non-residential sectors. The program gives businesses in industrial, commercial and public sectors a competitive advantage, by helping them get the most out of the water they purchase. In partnership with our members, the program has developed a number of innovative technical solutions which save water and money. Our business partners agree - being smart with water makes good business sense. The program has been recognised both nationally and internationally. In 2006 the EDC business program was winner of the Banksia Eco Innovation Award and the Stockholm Industry Water Award.
The Ethnic Communities’ Council Home Water Action Project will offer participants an insight into water education for culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Find out how to access and engage ethnic communities, and the types of tools and resources that can assist you to do so. A highlight of this program is the success of the Water Ambassador program, which has trained and supported community volunteers to share techniques for water conservation within the broader community. A case study will be presented that will focus on the extraordinary reach of the Tzu Chi Buddhist Foundation within the wider Chinese community.
5. Building Understanding: water and how to engage
What information do educators and water managers need to engage and build community understanding on water issues?
Before looking to reduce your water consumption, it is helpful to know how you are using (or wasting) water. Broad statistics and averages are useful for developing ‘rules of thumb’, but often individual households or businesses will have markedly different water use profiles from the average. Communicating the nuances to assist individual water consumers is challenging. Rating tools such as NABERS, and models of water consumption such as the NABERS Water Explorer, allow water consumers to approximate quickly and cost effectively *how* they are using water, and also provide customised suggestions for reducing consumption.
All About Greywater Use - Melita Grant, Department of Water and Energy
Greywater is water from the washing machine, shower and bath. Water from your kitchen can also be reused as greywater if the correct treatment process is put in place. The NSW Government has released a guideline for householders to have greywater reuse systems installed safely. This presentation will provide an overview of the guideline, and will identify how educators can use the guideline and other available resources in their programs. It will also cover some of the key technical issues that educators need to be aware of such as greywater regulations across NSW, diversion and treatment systems, and maintenance issues.
What Educators Need to Know - at a Catchment Scale - Caroline Dearson, Sydney Catchment Authority
This presentation will focus on the different definitions that 'water issues', 'sustainability', 'community' and 'education' can have and how an educator can truly add value to a program being delivered at a catchment scale. The case study of a catchment education program will be drawn upon as a practical example. The case study focuses on the professional development of local councils, consultants, state agencies and internal staff working on the assessment of potential water quality impacts associated with developments within Sydney's drinking water catchments.
6. Training & professional learning: What’s out there to inspire and assist you
How does professional learning support delivery of leading practice projects?
The EfS capabilities framework describes professional learning areas and core capabilities required to be an effective sustainability educator - a world first in the field of EfS! The framework has been developed by leaders in the field of sustainability, and aims to energise professional learning, inspire educators and help shape new learning solutions.
Building Leaders - Reid McNamara, Water for Life, Department of Water and Energy
The Building Leaders Pilot Program seeks to motivate individuals and organisations to deliver and support leading practice water education projects. It forms part of the integrated capacity building elements of the Water for Life Education Program. This presentation will outline the potential program activities likely to be developed for the pilot project.
Overview of results and implications for future professional development needs emerging from the Influencing and Motivating Behaviour Change Workshop Series.
Feedback Session
Participant Feedback Presentation
Overview and limited analysis of particpant feedback from the final session of the Water for Life Forum
The Forum was developed by the NSW Government’s Water for Life Education Program in conjunction with the leading local government and non government organisations below.
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