Business Award – Small Business

Dugine Native Plant Nursery, a small Queensland nursery with only four staff, has proactively addressed the need to preserve potable water and by implementing various initiatives, has reduced its consumption by 100%.

With support from the Nursery & Garden Industry Queensland (NGIQ) and Department of Primary Industries (DPI), the nursery aimed at becoming as water wise and environmentally friendly as possible. Eight rainwater tanks were installed and connected to feed the nursery irrigation shed and manager’s house.

Previously, the nursery relied on delivered potable water and blended it with bore water, but after the installation of rainwater tanks, potable water is not needed. The nursery now uses a combination of bore and rain water to irrigate.

To further improve the water efficiency of the nursery, sprinkler heads have been updated, cistern weights installed and the sinks have been connected to bore water to reduce the amount of tank water used. Dugine’s are also constructing a wetland and sediment trap where all their waste water will go before exiting the property.

In conjunction with the NGIQ, Dugine actively promote their nursery as an environmentally friendly nursery and hold workshops for other growers to see the benefits of undertaking such initiatives.

“The team at the nursery is thrilled to be recognised in the national 2009 savewater! awards®,” said Erin Couper, Dugine Native Plant Nursery’s Nursery & Revegetation Manager.

“Environmental sustainability is our top priority; we use local suppliers where possible and incorporated recycled materials in the construction. We worked extremely hard to ensure our nursery is above standard and it is great to see these benefits are paying off,” she explained.

Venue of the renowned Geelong Cup, the Geelong Racing Club has successfully undertaken a number of innovative water saving initiatives to reduce the amount of potable water used at its facility. The club consists of three tracks and in 2007 they replaced a grass surface with a ‘Thorough Track’, a new synthetic racing surface that doesn’t require watering to maintain a safe standard of racing.

Prior to its installation, Geelong Racing Club required approximately 80 ML of water annually to maintain its tracks. For the awards period (May 2008 – May 2009), the club reduced potable water consumption by 69%.

In addition to this initiative, the club installed a groundwater bore to provide water for general maintenance of the sand track and rainwater tanks have been installed with this water used for washing the horses. Furthermore, the club introduced drought tolerant plants and mulch in its gardens as well as a Siemens data logging system, which allows staff to monitor water consumption and be alerted to potential leaks.

Barwon Water, Racing Victoria Limited, Country Racing Victoria, the State Government of Victoria, the City of Greater Geelong, Southern Rural Water, Utility Services, trainers and jockeys have all contributed to the water conservation efforts at the Geelong Racing Club.