Media release
Friday 30 October
Melbourne Uni's Growing Green Guide wins Premier's Sustainability Award
A free, comprehensive and practical guide to the construction of green walls, roofs and facades, known as the
Growing Green Guide for Melbourne, developed by the University of Melbourne and partners, has won the
Education category in this year's Premier's Sustainability Awards.
Community group St Kilda Mums, Geelong Mums and Eureka Mums won the top honour of the night - the
Premier's Recognition Award - for its program recycling, reusing and re-homing babies and children's gear,
sharing the joy of parenthood and saving the earth's precious resources.
The Growing Green Guide for Melbourne project is a partnership between the University of Melbourne, Inner
Melbourne Action Plan and the State Government as a free, comprehensive and practical guide to the
construction of green walls, roofs and facades.
Innovative methods are required to help Melbournians adapt to climate change and keep our mantle as the
world’s most liveable city. Incorporating vegetation on buildings, such as green roofs and walls, can greatly help,
but is hampered by a lack of knowledge and skills around how these technologies can be used successfully. The
Guide addresses these issues and is available @ www.growinggreenguide.org
Sustainability Victoria CEO, Stan Krpan says the Awards Ceremony is a special night, rewarding and
recognising Victorians who have made a difference to the environment by implementing sustainable
measures to better manage their waste, water and energy consumption.
“Sustainability Victoria has managed the Awards since 2007, and since then, they have become a flagship
event for industry and practitioners, attracting many creative minds over the years.”
“Congratulations to all of this year’s finalists and winners. These projects continue to deliver economic,
environmental and social benefits, as well as inspire more organisations to think about their own
sustainability efforts,” Mr Krpan said.
The Premier also chose Barwon Health as winner of the Premier's Regional Recognition Award for their
innovative Food Services Central Production Unit Recycling Initiatives program.
Winners of the 2015 Premier’s Sustainability Awards are:
Built Environment Award:
 Goulburn Broken Greenhouse Alliance - Watts Working Better
Innovative street lighting project replacing over 13,000 energy inefficient lights, reducing energy
use and saving landfill across nine Victorian regional councils.
Community Award:
 St Kilda Mums, Geelong Mums and Eureka Mums - Recycle, Reuse, Rehome
Volunteers collect, reuse and recycle pre-loved babies and children's gear, sharing the joy of
parenthood and saving the earth's precious resources.
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Winners - 2015 Premier's Sustainability Awards - Page 2
Education Award:
 The University of Melbourne - The Growing Green Guide for Melbourne
Free, comprehensive and practical guide to the construction of green walls, roofs and facades,
funded by government, industry and universities in response to changing climate.
Environmental Justice Award:
 Darebin City Council - Darebin Solar Saver
Making solar power more accessible to low income residents - households install solar PV systems
and pay them off through Council rates, interest free over 10 years.
Environmental Protection Award:
 Robert Bosch Australia- Reclamation of Copper from Prescribed Industrial Wastewater
In-house treatment process reclaiming dissolved copper from manufacturing wastewater, recycling
it and using the treated wastewater onsite, eliminating hazardous waste to landfill.
Government Award:
 Goulburn Valley Waste and Resource Recovery Group and Moira Shire Council - Overcoming
Barriers to Effective Household Kerbside Garden and Food Organics Recovery
A small rural council introduces an integrated, well-researched service to remove organic waste
from landfill and develop sustainable, productive uses for it.
Health Award:
 Monash Health - Cleaning without chemicals in Healthcare
A large Melbourne health service transforms its environmental cleaning practices by cleaning
without chemicals across all of its sites.
Innovative Products or Services Award:
 Living Fundraisers - Closet Cleanout
An initiative that helps schools and organisations raise money through ethical fundraising and ships
unwanted clothes and goods to developing countries.
Small and Medium Enterprises Award:
 Yarra Valley Estate - Yarra Valley Estate
Conference, wedding and accommodation centre conducts certified sustainability programs
spanning energy, water, waste and community development.
For photographs from the Awards dinner and more information on the winners, visit
www.sustainabilityawards.vic.gov.au.
Media contact - Cath Newell on 0423 587 478