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SGA - Finalist in the Premier's Sustainability Awards 2008
11 April 2008
The non profit organisation Sustainable Gardening Australia (SGA) proves that size is no obstacle to helping the environment. The organisation was advised today that it is a finalist in the prestigious Premier's Sustainability Awards for 2008.
SGA received the accolade for its many programs that educate home gardeners, landscapers and the horticultural industry in more sustainable gardening practices.
'Gardening is an incredibly popular hobby,' says SGA's CEO Mary Trigger. 'How we garden makes a big difference to the health of our local environment and the planet. Water conservation, reducing greenhouse emissions, creating wildlife habitat and reducing nutrient pollution is just the beginning. We can also grow our own food, switch to organics and tackle the spread of environmental weeds. Sustainable Gardening Australia is taking the lead to increase this awareness.'
'People are concerned about the state of the environment,' she says. 'Visits to the SGA website for sustainable gardening advice have grown incredibly in the last few years - even overseas gardeners visit the website. We now have over 30,000 unique visitors per month.'
'Home gardeners and the industry know that poor horticultural practices can have a big impact on the environment and they are looking for practical advice.'
SGA has been educating home gardeners, nursery staff and professional landscapers via their website and training courses for only 5 years. Yet in that short time SGA has influenced many thousands of gardeners to take action to improve the health of our environment.
SGA has also earned the respect of many government bodies and industry organisations for delivering programs in an efficient and thorough manner.
The SGA Certified Garden Centre initiative was the first program that SGA got up and running. This is environmental certification for garden centres that ensures that all staff are trained to provide good environmental advice. These nurseries do not sell invasive garden plants (these are plants that are still legal to sell but are causing havoc in natural environments), they also promote low environmental impact chemicals and alternative controls of pests and diseases, have modified their practices to ensure water and energy efficiency, and promote locally native plants. SGA Certified Garden Centres now operate in Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, and Tasmania. In Victoria 24 retail garden centres have achieved certification with an additional 26 in the process of becoming certified.
The Green Gardener Training Program was launched in 2003 and more than 2,500 professional horticulturists have been trained in sustainable gardening practices. This professional training is going online as part of ECLIPs (Environmentally Certified Landscape Industry Professionals) to make it easier for regional and interstate professionals to undertake training.
SGA ECLIPs (Environmentally Certified Landscape Industry Professionals) was launched to the industry at the 2008 Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show after its one year trial phase. It will be launched to the general public in spring 2008. ECLIPs members are required to design, construct and maintain landscapes utilising environmentally sustainable practices.
SGA produces Sustainable Gardening Booklets for local councils to send out to their residents. These 40 to 60 page booklets are customised for each area and so far have been produced for 12 councils.
Each month over 5,300 people receive Cuttings, SGA's free email newsletter, which features an invasive garden plant, a great landscape plant (an Australian native species), and features on pests, diseases, produce gardening, and sustainable gardens.
SGA also works closely with local government, water authorities and the horticultural industry in developing and delivering a wide range of home gardener (community) workshops. In late April 2008 SGA will launch the first of its Ground-up Gardening Workshops at Burnley College.
SGA's website at www.sgaonline.org.au contains a wealth of information and advice on sustainable gardening. Its ease of navigation and upbeat style has earned it high praise from its many visitors - an average of 30,000 unique visitors a month.
SGA has also won numerous awards. In 2007 SGA was awarded a Weedbuster Certificate of Appreciation for Outstanding Weed Management for its 'Habitat Heroes' initiative, which promotes indigenous plants.
At the 2007 Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show, the SGA-designed show garden, which was a cottage garden using native and indigenous plants designed to survive Stage 4 water restrictions once established, was awarded the Premier's Waterwise Garden Award.
SGA was also a finalist in the 2007 Horticultural Media Awards in the Education Category.
'For an organisation with a small team these achievements are even more outstanding,' says Mary Trigger.
SGA has recently expanded into Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania, and has begun delivering the same high quality programs in these States.
SGA's three patrons, Jane Edmanson, Josh Byrne and Sophie Thomson are amongst the highest profile horticultural media personalities in Australia, which is also testament to how seriously the gardening industry takes SGA and its work.
Image: SGA's Victorian team from left, Helen Tuton, Bruce Plain, CEO Mary Trigger, Frances Saunders, Elaine Shallue, Paul McMorron, and Mac McVeigh.
For further information and images contact:
Mary Trigger, CEO Sustainable Gardening Australia
Phone: (03) 9850 8165
Fax: (03) 9852 1097
Email: mary@sgaonline.org.au