Mayor of Singleton, Cr Sue Moore has described the announcement of Singleton as NSW’s most Sustainable Community for 2021 as due recognition for a wide range of projects, programs and initiatives in a continued emphasis on sustainability across the local government area.
Singleton was the overall winner at the Keep Australia Beautiful NSW 2021 Sustainable Communities – Tidy Towns Awards on Saturday 5 March, qualifying as the State’s representative in the National Awards to be held in Hastings, Victoria later this year.
The official trophy made a visit to last night’s Singleton Council meeting in a special presentation by Singleton Tidy Towns President Lyn McBain.
Cr Moore said the award was a wonderful accolade for the Singleton Tidy Towns Committee, everyone who was involved in the awards submissions and the wider community in a demonstration there was more to Singleton than coal.
As well as being named the overall winner, Singleton took out the highest number of award categories in the history of the Awards.
“Singleton’s application was based on local initiatives, programs and experiences as well as Council’s waste services and recycle streams, which are helping to rewrite our identity as a leader in sustainability and innovation that will drive our community, our economy and our region into the future,” she said.
“The Keep Australia Beautiful NSW Sustainable Communities – Tidy Towns Awards are highly contested, and this is a significant achievement for our community and well-deserved recognition for the members of the Tidy Towns Committee for their years of hard work.
“We are rightly proud of this Award and the acknowledgement it brings to our emphasis on the future, from investing in sustainable community infrastructure including the recently-opened Singleton Arts and Cultural Centre and $1million solar energy project, through to the Legacy Fund and Singleton Community Economic Development Fund which is leading an intergenerational approach to Voluntary Planning Agreements with mining companies to better plan for an economic evolution and the future of Singleton.”
Singleton will be assessed for the National Title in the coming months and will host the NSW awards on 5 November 2022.
“This is even greater motivation for everyone in our community to keep up the good work and look for even more opportunities to be sustainable, particularly as we continue to roll out the Singleton Sustainability Strategy,” Cr Moore said.
“Initiatives so far have helped to cut energy usage and emissions, made sustainability a key consideration in Council’s procurement process and put Singleton at the forefront of conversations about the economic evolution of the Hunter region – to name a few.
“I’m looking forward to welcoming the representatives of Tidy Towns Committees from around NSW at the 2022 Awards later this year to show off just what we’ve achieved in terms of sustainability, and the work we’re doing now for the Singleton of the future.”
For the Keep Australia Beautiful NSW announcement and the full list of winners and finalists, click here.
ENDS