2024 Tidy Towns & Cities Finalists:

Environment

Sorrento – Mornington Peninsula Shire

“The Tides of Change: Clearing the Way for Coastal Resilience” is an innovative program that challenges the historical practice of storing watercraft on the Sorrento and Blairgowrie foreshores by removing hundreds of derelict and abandoned watercrafts, delivering improved public access, and promoting coastal resilience from the impacts of climate change.

Buckley – Surf Coast Shire

Surf Coast Shire Council will plant an 11-hectare site next to Lake Modewarre in Buckley to enhance biodiversity and offset carbon. Located at 185 Walton Road, this Council-owned land will be protected for at least 50 years to ensure its success.

St Arnaud – Northern Grampians Shire

Friends of Drouin’s Trees (FoDT) is a community group established in response to a request from the Baw Baw Shire’s environment office. Their initial goal was to compile a Significant Tree Register for their town amidst the first Precinct Structure Plan for the state being developed in Baw Baw Shire. Drouin and its surrounding region boast a remarkable environmental legacy, characterised by farming and services. FoDT has tirelessly worked to raise awareness about the invaluable environmental assets in their backyard and the importance of safeguarding them.

City of Casey

Tree Coach is a fully sustainable tree planting solution. Designed using key research, it addresses tree establishment failures, ensures worker safety, and diverts waste from landfills. Competing with other practices like hardwood staking, Tree Coach reduces labour, improves planting accuracy, and promotes environmental sustainability. It won two Good Design Australia Awards and was a WorkSafe Victoria finalist in 2021.

Wyndham City

The mission of the International Peace Youth Group Inc. is to drive a cultural shift towards environmental stewardship through clean up events and tree planting campaigns. They mobilize communities and young people to restore and protect local environments, addressing pollution, deforestation, and habitat loss. By fostering ownership and responsibility, they aim to inspire widespread action and advocacy, creating a ripple effect of environmental consciousness for future generations.

Melbourne City

This Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust project is transforming unused areas into vibrant native grasslands with organic mulch and local plants. With commitment to continued partnership and engagement with indigenous and local communities. The project aims to restore endangered grasslands, providing environmental and community benefits, and reviving a lush, historical ecosystem in the heart of Melbourne.