Vietnamese homes in western Melbourne will be able to save money and help their community in a new project being launched this Sunday at Footscray’s Moon Lantern Festival.
The project, called nha dep, is a Victorian first and aims to help Vietnamese homes reduce energy and water, said Michele Burton, nha dep program coordinator.
“The home plays an essential role in all our lives,” said Ms Burton.
“Managed properly, a home is a place of security, prosperity and harmony for your family and community. Managed poorly, a home can cost your family money and can cause pollution, harming both you and your community.”
Nha dep has easy tips to save money such as using cold water for clothes washing, showering with a water-efficient shower head, switching off lights when leaving a room and washing your car with a bucket.
Nha dep will be launched at Footscray’s Moon Lantern – or Mid-Autumn – Festival and will continue through 2005, helping homes to save money and the environment.
“We will have a nha dep stall at the festival with activities for kids that will highlight environmental issues. We are interested in hearing about what green issues are important to local people and how we can help them save money in their homes,” said Ms Burton.
Festival organizer Trang Do, project officer at Vietnamese Community Australia (Victoria division) said nha dep tied in well with the philosophy of the festival.
“Conservation is a very forward-thinking philosophy, tying in well with the festival theme of children and the future,” said Ms Do.
Nha dep is run by the state’s peak non-government conservation group Environment Victoria.