Alcoa and Greening Australia Partnerships Wins Prime Minister's Excellence Award
VICTORIA, Australia--Dec. 1, 20038, 2003--| The following announcement was jointly issued in Australia today by Alcoa World Alumina Australia and Greening Australia |
A 21-year-long partnership between Alcoa World Alumina Australia and Greening Australia is the National Winner of a Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Community Business Partnerships.
The Award winners were announced at a special evening in Sydney last night (17 December).
Alcoa Managing Director Wayne Osborn and Greening Australia Limited CEO Carl Binning said they were delighted to receive recognition in the longevity category as the partnership had delivered long-term benefits for the community and environment, particularly in Victoria and Western Australia.
"Through this partnership, our two organisations have shared ideas, challenges and staff. We've learnt from each other and our programs have had a measurable effect - in environmental, economic and social outcomes," Mr Osborn said.
Mr Binning said Greening Australia was proud of its record of working with the business community to deliver practical solutions to complex environmental problems.
"Alcoa has made an unprecedented contribution to rural and regional Australia through their support of Greening Australia and the Landcare movement. It's imperative that we partner with the business sector, government and community to address the extensive environmental issues we face in Australia," he said.
The partnership has contributed in a practical way to repair the Australian landscape by;
-- Planting of over 10 million trees - Providing practical tools for environmental restoration and operating for 12 years, the Alcoa Revegetation Assistance scheme in Victoria gives farmers and Landcare groups access to specialist machinery and equipment. More than 700 Alcoa Landcare sites have been established and thousands of hectares of degraded land treated.
-- Extensive and ongoing environmental education - Grow Us A Home was introduced in 1992 in recognition of the changing urban landscape in the Perth metropolitan and Peel regions. The decade long program is estimated to have raised the level of environmental awareness of over 40,000 people through the involvement of teachers, parents and students.
-- Improving seed supply - The Alcoa Portland seedbank collects and houses seeds from indigenous plants for use in revegetation projects, providing the right seed for the right sites;
-- Practical knowledge transfer - a range of practical publications and resources has been produced for landholders, rural and urban audiences
The partnership began in 1982 - the International Year of the Tree and first year of operation for Greening Australia.
"Alcoa was only 19 years old when we began to work together," said Mr Osborn.
"In the ensuing 21 years, we have seen Greening Australia grow from small beginnings to become a vibrant community partner and agent for environmental change across Australia. We've also grown and, this year, Alcoa is celebrating 40 years in Australia."
"Our partnership with Alcoa is enduring, changing to suit today's needs and is a fine example of how collaboration could result in excellent outcomes for all," concluded Mr Binning.
The Prime Minister's Awards for Excellence in Community Business Partnerships 2003 are run at the state and territory level and divided into three categories: Small, medium and large business.
Two additional special awards will be made this year - one for a partnership that has had an impact on the community and the other for longevity to a partnership that has been operating for more than five years. Greening Australia and Alcoa are joint National Finalists in the Longevity category.
The Award winners will be announced at a special evening hosted by the Prime Minister in Sydney this Wednesday night (17 December).
---------------------------------------------------------------------- File pics available on request. For more information or to arrange interviews please contact: Mary-Anne Scully, Greening Australia Limited, on 02 6281 8585 or 0408685225 OR Brian Doy, Alcoa World Alumina Australia, on 0404 800 027 Kevin Lowery, Alcoa Inc. 412-553-1424 Attached: Major milestones from 1982 - 2003 Media Backgrounder Major milestones - Alcoa and Greening Australia 21 year partnership ------------------------------------------------------------------- 1982 - partnership established in Western Australia 1982/1983 - Alcoa Community Tree Planting Program established - this evolved into the Greening Australia Support Scheme that provided trees to community groups for tree planting projects 1983 - `Leaflet' newsletter introduced as a means of providing the community with up to date information on their local environment and revegetation issues and achievements. 1990 - partnership extends to Victoria with initial funding supporting the Treeline Project (forerunner to the state Rail Trails program) in the Hamilton area and the first 90 kilometres of direct seeding on farmland adjoining the disused Branxholme to Miakite railway line. 1990- 1997 - establishment of key projects in Western Australia - Ribbons of Green (which went on to inspire the National Corridors of Green Project) and the Plants for Conservation Program. During this period, the partnership was heavily committed to raising awareness and working with communities and individuals in the establishment of substantial corridors of bush in urban and rural landscapes to provide habitats and movement for fauna in Western Australia. 1991 - Alcoa commenced support of seed supply in Victoria with renovation (including a walk-in refrigerator) of an old bluestone primary school in Portland, Victoria. The Alcoa Portland Regional Seedbank was born, together with provision of a Kimseed Clarke Seed Cleaner for the embryo Melbourne Indigenous Seedbank. In following years, this support of seed supply extended to the South Gippsland Indigenous Seedbank with support for collection for the initial seed stocking and, in 2001, the provision of a Daniell Seed Scarifier and Kimseed Clarke Seed Cleaner. 1992 - 2003 - Educational program, Grow Us A Home, was introduced in recognition of the changing urban landscape in the Perth metropolitan and Peel regions. Land clearing for urban development purposes to accommodate Perth's population doubling over 20 years has led to immense urban bushland destruction. Grow Us A Home aims to educate, enthuse and empower the Perth and Peel school community about the value and importance of native vegetation and biodiversity through them submitting revegetation plans for their school or local community using local native plants.
With the main focus on participation, school projects must demonstrate a benefit to the environment, such as:
-- Providing habitat for birds, reptiles and other animals.
-- Protecting a place under threat from land degradation.
-- Preserving wetlands.
-- Providing corridor linkages between areas of remnant vegetation.
-- Providing shade in school grounds.
There is also a large component of professional development for teachers that provides access to learning/teaching opportunities on the value of re-establishment of habitat for biodiversity in urban landscapes. Over 11 years, the program is estimated to have raised the level of environmental awareness of over 40,000 people through the involvement of teachers, parents and students.
1993 - the Alcoa Woady Yaloak Catchment project commenced in Victoria. This was followed by the Warrambeen Landcare Demonstration Farm and renovation of run-down bluestone shearers quarters to produce the Warrambeen Landcare Education Centre 1993 -1994 - Development of the highly regarded publications: Growing Understory Seed and Regional Natural Resources Identification Kits 1994 - Chain of Diamonds - this WA project aimed to enhance community perception of wetlands in order to preserve them for the future, and providing funding to metropolitan community groups for education and revegetation projects. 1996/1997 - More new WA publications: Bush Plants for your Garden/ Perth Plants for Your Garden (now on its second publication) 1997 - Rural Towns Program (WA) - An extension of the Regional Seed Production Farm, this project aimed to create a rural revegetation program as support for the State government's Rural Towns Program. 1998 - Regional Seed Production Farms - the objective of this program of which was to secure a long term reliable supply of local understory seed for direct seeding revegetation projects. This year also saw the start of the Fairbridge Consultancy in Western Australia to support - supporting teacher and student education programs that focus on sustainability in industry and agriculture. 1998 - current : The Living Landscapes project is working with farming communities to develop landscape management practices that protect biological diversity within an economically viable and sustainable land use system. The project's current focus is on the central wheatbelt of Western Australia - an area that has suffered the effects of up to 98% land clearing. 2002: Development of Grow Us a Home Website- an interactive educational resource for teachers and students to compliment the Project.