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:

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.

Why Participate?

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.

Please register your interest for 2023-2024 here.

Entry Information

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:

• Sustainable Communities Criteria (pdf, 309 kb)

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:

• Sustainable Communities Submission Form (pdf, 310 kb)
• Sustainable Communities Submission Form (word, 401 kb)

Submissions

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

Dates

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.