Sustainability Report 2006/07Educating and informing
Melbourne Water continued to build on our successful education programs during the year, many of which are carried out in partnership with the retail water businesses, environment and community groups.
We continued our support for the Victorian Government’s Our Water Our Future behavioural change campaign by developing and distributing communication and education materials, and providing water conservation and consumption information to the community and media. We also continued to support the campaign’s schools program, Water Learn it, Live it, which is implemented by retail water businesses.
Much of our communication is via our websites. A total of 3.34 million visits were made to these sites this year. This is an increase of more than 50% on the previous 12 months. Most visits were to melbournewater.com.au (2.3 million), but more people also sought information about saving water through melbournewater.com.au/conservewater (275,980) and accessed educational resources by visiting melbournewater.com.au/education (189,203). An 88% increase in visits to Melbourne Water’s land development manual online (85,500) underlines the health of the development industry.
We worked with South East Water and the other metropolitan retail water businesses on a community sewerage education campaign, including promotion of joint improvement projects, a theatre education program for schools and the community, comprehensive information on websites, and an awareness campaign about sewerage system management.
More than 1230 people took part in our Open Days and tours of the Eastern and Western sewage treatment plants. About 80 students and adults from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities attended a special open day at the Eastern Treatment Plant in March 2007, while more than 1150 people toured the Western Treatment Plant during its annual open weekend in early May 2007 and at a special day for CALD communities (including students from ethnic schools) that month.
One of the most successful events was the inaugural Melbourne Water Yarra River Youth Conference in June 2007. More than 350 students and teachers attended from 38 schools, and each school presented its own river health project. Students received information and discussed the value, history and health of the Yarra River and its tributaries and were asked for ideas about the best ways to protect and improve it for the long term.
Educational posters produced in partnership with The Age newspaper’s Education Unit provided vital information on drought, water cycle and climate change to the community and schools.
Design was completed for the construction of the Melbourne Water Wetlands Discovery Centre at the Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands. The centre was planned with key stakeholders including the Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands Community Liaison Committee, councils, schools, and community and environment organisations. It is scheduled to open in late 2008.
The Melbourne Water Discovery Program at Melbourne Zoo and the educational Water Trail at the National Gallery of Victoria, supported by Melbourne Water and South East Water, were launched in 2006/07. These provide stormwater and river health education for schools and the community.
Melbourne Water and Melbourne City Council jointly funded an educational mural entitled Parched, by local artist Ash Keating, at the Mockridge Fountain in Melbourne’s central business district. The mural was updated weekly as a stark reminder of our dwindling water storages and the community was encouraged to use our precious drinking water wisely. We also supported the Moomba Waterfest in March, again in partnership with Melbourne City Council, where the 600,000 Melburnians attending received important river health messages.
Drain stencils featuring platypus and frogs were launched in 11 council areas to spread the anti-litter message, and educate the community that litter dropped in streets can get washed into stormwater drains and into rivers, creeks and bays, impacting on water quality and native animals and plants.
Melbourne Water continued to make widely available flood education resources such as the Melbourne Water Floods Explorer (an animated multimedia interactive) and Water Water Everywhere (a secondary education textbook produced in partnership with the Geography Teachers Association of Victoria). Community information advertisements about stormwater drain safety and stormy weather were placed in local newspapers across Melbourne several times during the year, and drain safety posters and brochures distributed to schools.
Students participating in the Melbourne Water Yarra River Youth Conference.