[permaculture-oceania] Sydney: City leads in water conservation

[Russ Grayson]

Research applauds Sydney residents as water savers

Date: 03/07/2006

Sydney residents have become inventive when it comes to saving water,
research led by the University of Western Sydney has found.

The innovative project, Everyday Water, was undertaken by Dr Zoe Sofoulis
and Dr Fiona Allon from the University's Centre for Cultural Research, with
funding contributed by Delfin Lend Lease. Researchers from the former
Integrated Catchment and Environmental Management group also worked on the
project.

The study is the first of its kind to benchmark community attitudes and
practices around water use in Sydney and will assist Delfin Lend Lease
develop and measure strategies for engaging communities in its residential
developments in efficient use of water.

The two-part study, involved surveying more than 120 western Sydney shoppers
about their water use habits and ideas on recycling and conducting
interviews with 33 participants living within a 20km radius of a proposed
development at Ropes Crossings and asking them to keep a written and
photographic diary of their interactions with water around the home.

According to Dr Sofoulis, the project revealed that many Sydneysiders are
only too keen to do their bit in the name of water conservation.

"Our research found that about two-thirds of people surveyed had dual-flush
toilet cisterns and almost as many had low-flow shower heads. Residents were
motivated to recycle or collect water to 'green their backyard'," says Dr
Sofoulis.

"The research also uncovered an emerging trend of younger families who want
houses with self-sufficient and sustainable water technologies, without
necessarily identifying with 'green' politics or a 'green' lifestyle."

The research also looked at out what was stopping people from adopting more
water-saving technologies and techniques such as rainwater harvesting. The
reasons found were a lack of room for water tanks, relying on landlords to
install water-saving devices, uncertainty about water tank regulations, and
confusion about water-saving technologies.

"Our research found people feel left out of decisions about water. To better
manage water demand, authorities need to factor in how people think and act
around water," says Dr Sofoulis.

"To manage water sustainably, water authorities must engage, educate and
communicate with users about new water-saving technologies and give more
financial incentive to increase their take up. Water authorities need to
respect residents' existing conservation awareness," says Dr Sofoulis.

Dr Allon says, "Efforts to simply persuade people to use less water, take
fewer, shorter showers, or rip up their lawns and plant natives won't
succeed on their own."

In fact, water restrictions meant people had to curb doing one thing that
connected them to conservation - looking after their garden.

Ends

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