Sustainable Communities

An iconic environmental education and action program

Sustainable communities

The KESAB Sustainable Communities program started as Tidy Towns in 1978, and three decades later it had grown to be an iconic South Australian environmental education and action program. In 2008, the program moved into a new era, Sustainable Communities. Whilst the program remains community focused, it has been broadened to cover environmental sustainability, heritage or wellbeing initiatives and more.

The Sustainable Communities program is all about telling a community’s story, getting people together to help their local towns, schools and businesses and to be proud of what they have achieved.

For more information on Sustainable Communities, please contact us on: 08 8234 7255 or communities@kesab.asn.au

Sustainable Community awards

The Sustainable Communities program is focussed around awards which are both state and national. Awards recognise, reward, motivate, share stories and offer connections, so that initiatives and benefits can be shared more broadly, contributing to a sustainable future for South Australia.

Participation provides a platform to:

• recognise and reward initiatives and participants.
• raise community pride, connectivity and further involvement.
• showcase communities.
• attract tourism.
• boost or attract new businesses.
• attract potential new residents.
• support environmental action with social, cultural, health, economic and other
flow on effects.

Planned, maintained or initiated community initiatives in regional/rural South Australia within January 2022-June 2023 can enter the program. Individuals, groups, schools, businesses/organisations and councils are all welcome to participate, with single or combined entries accepted.

Entries and initiatives can be big or small, as every positive action is a step in the right direction, having the opportunity to catalyse bigger impacts.

All entries are considered with criteria available:

Award categories are broad to allow for a diversity of initiatives and to support the interconnectedness of community impacts.

Categories currently consist of:

  • Appearance, amenities & facilities.
  • Community action & partnerships.
  • Environmental sustainability & education.
  • Health & wellbeing.
  • Heritage & culture.
  • Leadership & youth activities.
  • Natural environmental management.
  • Resource recovery, waste management, litter prevention and enforcement.

 

One or more categories can be entered with submission information available here:

Please submit enquiries and entries via email to: communities@kesab.asn.au

If files are larger than 35MB, please send via WeTransfer or other relevant sharing platform so that all images and content can be assessed.

If you encounter any problems or would like assistance, please call Sarah on 08 8234 7255

The Sustainable Community Award applications are open from 30th May 2023 to 30th September 2023.

Site judging of finalists will occur in October and awards will be held in the first half of 2024.

Honour roll

Tidy Towns / Sustainable Communities Overall Winners

2010 | Waikerie
2011 | Mount Gambier
2012 | Victor Harbor
2013 | Kingston SE
2014 | Meningie
2015 |Mundulla
2016 |Barmera
2017 | Kimba
2018 | Ardrossan
2019 | Mount Gambier

2010 | Waikerie
2011 | Mount Gambier
2012 | Victor Harbor
2013 | Kingston SE
2014 | Meningie
2015 |Mundulla
2016 |Barmera
2017 | Kimba
2018 | Ardrossan
2019 | Mount Gambier

2010 | Waikerie
2011 | Mount Gambier
2012 | Victor Harbor
2013 | Kingston SE
2014 | Meningie
2015 |Mundulla
2016 |Barmera
2017 | Kimba
2018 | Ardrossan
2019 | Mount Gambier

2010 | Waikerie
2011 | Mount Gambier
2012 | Victor Harbor
2013 | Kingston SE
2014 | Meningie
2015 |Mundulla
2016 |Barmera
2017 | Kimba
2018 | Ardrossan
2019 | Mount Gambier

2010 | Waikerie
2011 | Mount Gambier
2012 | Victor Harbor
2013 | Kingston SE
2014 | Meningie
2015 |Mundulla
2016 |Barmera
2017 | Kimba
2018 | Ardrossan
2019 | Mount Gambier

2010 | Waikerie
2011 | Mount Gambier
2012 | Victor Harbor
2013 | Kingston SE
2014 | Meningie
2015 |Mundulla
2016 |Barmera
2017 | Kimba
2018 | Ardrossan
2019 | Mount Gambier

Case Studies

Learn more about our Sustainable Communities
The Rural City of Murray Bridge
Working together to test initiatives for long-term improvements is what Murray Bridge has done well, collaboratively achieving some big wins for the rural city. Their Council run aged care facility…
The Flinders Ranges Council
What makes you stop for a visit in a small town along your travels? You may not have noticed but town signage and aesthetics play a big role in enticing…
Campbelltown Repair Cafe
Crafty Campbelltown residents have been sharing their skills via the local, volunteer led repair cafe. Volunteers get together each month to sew, solder, screw and generally fix things for other…
Kingston
Ongoing, deep community engagement across multiple initiatives is what Kingston does well. Their small and mighty community have driven multiple sustainability initiatives that avoid and reduce waste, promote health and…
Copper Coast
The Copper Coast Council submitted initiatives into all eight Sustainable Community categories for 2021-22, demonstrating a commitment to sustainability as well as community wellbeing and engagement. This popular tourist destination…
Walk the Yorke
The Walk the Yorke Leisure Trail (the WTY Trail) is a continuous shared walking and cycling trail around the entire Yorke Peninsula (YP) coastline; a distance of approximately 500 kilometres…
Silo Art is just one part of Igniting Kimba!
Overview The Igniting Kimba Arts Program is several months of art and cultural events designed to celebrate the Kimba community, heritage and people, while at the same time attracting tourists…
Penong Windmill Museum
Thousands of visitors are stopping in the small Nullarbor Plain town of Penong,population 75, to visit the Penong Windmill Museum. A decade after the idea, the “Windmill Warriors” have restored…
Blue Lake Solar Pedestrian Lighting – Mount Gambier
The Blue Lake Solar Pedestrian Lighting project in Mount Gambier involved installing 90 solar powered lights along the footpath around the Blue Lake, and in adjacent car parks…
Ardrossan Town Square
OVERVIEW The Ardrossan Town Square has been developed by the Ardrossan Progress Association, with the assistance of the local community, businesses and Ardrossan Community School to provide a park for…
Kimba Sustainable Community
The small regional town of Kimba submitted into multiple categories as a collaborative effort between the District Council of Kimba & ‘Our Town’.
Want to be part of the positive change with KESAB?