As part of its push to save energy, Wingecarribee Shire Council has recently installed a solar power system on the roof of the Southern Highlands Information Centre (SHIC) in Mittagong.

Council estimates the installation of the 9kw solar power system will save the organisation around $2,700 per year and subsequently reduce the organisation’s carbon footprint by approximately 13 tonnes each year.

“The Information Centre is the perfect site for this solar installation as it operates seven days a week, 52 weeks of the year,” said Barry Arthur, Council’s Manager of Environment and Sustainability. “This means that the majority of the solar energy generated by the installation will be used on site by the SHIC.”

Mr Arthur further explained the benefits of the scheme. “The system installed takes full advantage of renewable energy,” he said. “Because we’re using the energy directly on site from where we captured it, the money saved in reduced power costs is actually much higher than what Council would receive from the power company if we supplied the energy back into the electricity grid.”

Steve Rosa, Acting Group Manager of Tourism, Economic Development and Events said the introduction of the solar panels builds on the work already undertaken to develop the Information Centre as a leading edge Information Hub.

“The installation of the solar panels complements our new branding of Destination Southern Highlands as a must-see environmentally sensitive region,” he said. “Apart from making great economic sense, it’s also an endorsement of our organisation’s sustainability aspirations.”

Further solar panel installations are being investigated on Council facilities including the soon-to-be opened Moss Vale War Memorial Aquatic Centre.

“It was very heartening to see so many people, especially children and young people, give up their Saturday morning to plant native trees, shrubs and groundcovers along Whites Creek,” said Paul Marshall, Council’s Natural Resources Officer. “It was an especially great turn out given the smoke haze that enveloped the district.”

In total 53 volunteers turned up to the Whites Creek site to help plant over one thousand native plants.

In the space of four hours volunteers planted hundreds of groundcovers to help stabilise the creek banks from erosion, 70 trees and more than 300 shrubs. Species planted included Lomandra, Banksias, Bottle Brush, Paper barks, Tea trees, Hakeas and Wattles.

“I must pay a special thanks to the Scouts who were again out in force and who were joined by families with young children who each planted dozens of plants,” Mr Marshall added. “One seven year old girl was very pleased to have planted 63 plants by herself, and her father was even more proud of her efforts.”

Following the plantings a free BBQ lunch was provided by the Moss Vale Lions Club.

Wingecarribee’s National Tree Day planting event was a partnership project between Moss Vale Landcare, Wingecarribee Shire Council and the Sydney Catchment Authority and was organised under Planet Ark’s National Tree Day banner.

Moss Vale Community Garden 
Volunteers have recently been inspired to develop a community hub to promote food security and the relationships they have with their neighbours, including the Queen St Centre, Meals on Wheels, Volunteering Wingecarribee, Moss Vale Tennis Club, Senior Citizens Centre and the Christian Centre. In support of the vision of a community hub the garden provides fresh food for Meals on Wheels, assists youth to get back into the workforce and provides companionship for many local residents.

MVCG has also successfully applied to Council for an extension of the fenced and un-fenced perimeters of the garden site. To celebrate this milestone the volunteers have planted 6 hazelnut trees available for community access. The hazelnuts will grow to a height of around 4.5m and a maximum diameter of around 5m, and are easily pruned for shape.

The garden has also benefitted from the installation of a new driveway to replace the boggy goat track that previously greeted visitors to the gardens. A big thank you to Council!

Volunteers from the garden also recently supported Schools Environment Day at Lake Alexandra. The activities taught by the community garden members included beneficial bugs and worm farm worm towers.

Bundanoon Community Garden 
Bundanoon Community Garden recently became the first food garden to be displayed at the Bundanoon Garden Ramble. A team of Fairies and Gnomes were recruited from Bundanoon Public School to join the community garden volunteers in celebrating this fabulous weekend. Pop along to the garden to see the old Bundanoon bus Shelter Up-cycled to provide shade for volunteer gardeners. You can also see the new recycled poly tunnel shade house Aluminet shade cloth and its propagation benches built from recycled fencing.

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