The Alevi Community Council of Australia in North Coburg will have two 5,000 litre rainwater tanks installed next week, as part of a project to lead the Turkish speaking and Alevi communities of Melbourne’s north in adopting more sustainable lifestyles.
Environment Victoria partnered with the Alevi Community Council of Australia for the project, called GreenTown.
The Alevi Community Council of Australia provides funeral services in line with Alevi belief, a Turkish Language school for children, cultural activities, training and education workshops, playgroup sessions, theatre performances and activities for young people and the elderly, and teaches musical instruments and folk dancing.
“The water tanks will help this thriving community hub have a minimal impact on our dams when dry times return to Victoria,” said Michele Burton from Environment Victoria.
Alevis are a sub-ethnic and cultural community, who mainly come from Anatolia (modern day Turkey) and number in the millions. Their beliefs are based on love and respects for all of earth and its inhabitants, and
connecting, respecting and have knowledge of nature. “GreenTown has skilled up the Turkish speaking community to do their bit to address climate change,” said Surmeli Aydogan, President of the Alevi Community
Council of Australia. “We’re proud and happy to lead in sustainability in our community.”
Last year, Green Town trained 13 Turkish-speaking residents as sustainability assessors, and they visited 70 Turkish-speaking households in the area to advise the families about energy use and reducing their environmental impact. “GreenTown participants in the area have already saved tonnes of greenhouse gases and hundreds of thousands of litres of water,” said Ms Burton.
In 2011 the assessors will be visiting more homes. The Alevi Community Council of Australia will be running their own project, as an extension of the successful Turkish Green Town project. The new project will work with Turkish speaking families in Moreland, Dandenong and Mildura. The Turkish speaking community in these areas will receive information and advice – in their own languages – to help make their homes more sustainable and spread the climate change message to the wider community.
GreenTown works with diverse cultures to promote sustainable lifestyles for all Victorians. Since it began in 2008 the project has involved communities ranging from the Indigenous community around Northcote to the East African community in Flemington.
Green Town is funded by the Victorian Government’s Sustainability Fund and run by Environment Victoria, the state’s leading not-for-profit environment organisation.
Thursday, 17 February from 1:30pm
Alevi Community Council of Australia
28 – 32 Williams Road, North Coburg
For more information, contact:
Michele Burton, GreenTown Project Manager at Environment Victoria on 0439 369 209
Surmeli Aydogan, President of Alevi Community Council of Australia on 0430 342323