Member for Benalla, Bill Sykes encourages towns throughout north east Victoria to consider nominating for the 2013 Keep Australia Beautiful Victoria Awards which have now opened.
Dr Sykes said locals should consider entering their community in this year’s Tidy Towns - Sustainable Communities Awards or Sustainable Cities Awards.
Communities can compete for awards in a diverse range of categories including clean beaches, waste reduction, heritage and culture preservation, energy saving, improving biodiversity and water conservation.
The Tidy Towns - Sustainable Communities Awards are for communities in regional Victoria and the Sustainable Cities Awards are for communities in metropolitan Melbourne and satellite cities including Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong and Shepparton.
Dr Sykes said, “A number of local communities and organisations were finalists in the 2012 awards including Ovens and King Community Health Service (Community Action – Remembering Trees) and NevRwaste (Resource Recovery and Waste Management – Public Place Recycling at sporting venues in north east Victoria).
Minister for Environment and Climate Change Ryan Smith said the awards were a great way to recognise Victorians taking practical action to improve their local environment.
“If you think your community may be one of the tidiest in Victoria, I encourage you to submit a nomination,” Mr Smith said.
“For thirty years these awards have been encouraging Victorian communities to look after their local environment and be proud of the community they live in.
“These awards are a great way to encourage practical and local efforts to improve our environment and support the Victorian Coalition Government’s commitment to fostering on-ground activities through meaningful partnerships,” Mr Smith said.
This year’s awards feature a new litter prevention category to recognise communities taking action to tackle litter. The new category supports the Coalition Government’s offensive on littering, which includes its summer anti-litter campaign – A cleaner Victoria is in your hands, and the doubling of litter fines.
Entries for the Sustainable Cities Awards close on 10 April 2013.
Entries for the Tidy Towns – Sustainable Communities Awards close on 10 May 2013.
To find our more information about the awards or to enter, please visit www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/kabv. 

Ovens and King Community Health Service and north east Victoria’s NevRwaste have been named finalists in the Keep Australia Beautiful Victoria (KABV) Tidy Towns – Sustainable Communities Awards.
Member for Benalla, Bill Sykes congratulated Ovens and King Community Health for their Remembering Trees Community Action group which was recognised in the Community Action category and NevRwaste for their Public Place Recycling initiatives at sporting venues in the Resource Recovery and Waste Management category.
“I strongly support the everyday actions these groups are taking to forge a more sustainable future for our state,” said Dr Sykes.
This year KABV received 163 initiatives from 53 individual entrants, such as councils and shires, local community groups, schools and individuals. Initiatives included a sustainable food guide, student-driven environmental activities, a museum opening, wetlands regeneration project and sustainability festivals.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Tidy Town Awards in Victoria.
“It is wonderful to see communities and groups within the Benalla electorate taking up the challenge of creating a sustainable future for north east Victoria.
“We are lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world and ensuring our regions remain that way is very important,” Dr Sykes said.
This year’s Tidy Towns – Sustainable Communities categories focus on community action, cultural heritage, protection of the environment, community government partnerships, water efficiency, energy efficiency, active schools, young leaders and community leadership.
Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Ryan Smith, has congratulated all the finalists.
“This year’s finalists have once again demonstrated new and clever ways to protect and enhance their regional communities,” Mr Smith said.
Mornington won the Victorian title of Tidy Town of the Year in 2011 and will therefore host the 2012 KABV Tidy Town – Sustainable Communities Awards. This is to be held at the Peninsula Community Theatre on Saturday 22 September, 2012.
Tickets to the KABV Tidy Towns – Sustainable Communities Awards ceremony are on sale at www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/kabv. For further information about the awards or finalists visit www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/kabv.

Member for Benalla, Bill Sykes is urging members of the community to vote for their town and get ready to tidy up for this year’s Tidy Town – Sustainable Communities Awards.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Tidy Town – Sustainable Communities Awards that now incorporates a major sustainable-communities component.
Dr Sykes said, “The awards have grown over the years to encompass sustainability activities as diverse as reducing waste, preserving heritage and culture, saving energy, improving biodiversity and conserving water.”
Dr Sykes said the Tidy Towns - Sustainable Communities Awards were a great way to recognise those who made a real difference in their community and to help create a healthier and more sustainable Victoria.
“The Awards recognise and celebrate the many different ways that regional Victorian communities have taken action to keep their community tidy and to improve their environment,” he said.
The Tidy Towns – Sustainable Communities Awards’ judges will be looking for:

• Instigation and Innovation - how the initiative has come about and what makes it different.

• Community Action - how the organisers have excited and engaged the local community and how the community has participated.

• Commitment and Management - how the initiative has been managed, whether it's still active and what the community's perception is.

• Public Awareness and Education - how the local community has been kept informed of the initiative and what the community has learned.

• Overall Result - what the community and environmental benefit is and the overall result of the initiative.

• Ongoing Maintenance and Development - what the future plans are for the initiative.
The Tidy Town - Sustainable Communities Awards are for communities in regional Victoria and last year 95 entrants from across the state competed for the awards.
Dr Sykes encourages communities across the Benalla Electorate to become involved and wishes all those entering the awards the best of luck.
Entries close on May 11 2012 and to enter online visit www.sustainabity.vic.gov.au/kabv.