Get active: participate in Wollongong City Council's Environmental Sustainability Review!

Do you want to see more local native plants grown in Illawarra gardens? How about more local native street trees? Better protection for the Illawarra escarpment and the remnant bushland still growing in our suburbs? And how about local policies and strategies that put environmental sustainability first and foremost?

Then (if you live in the Wollongong local government area) you've got a chance to have your say on these issues and more?

Wollongong City Council is reviewing its Environmental Sustainability Policy and Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2014-22.

The consultation process starts with a community workshop on May 29 - you can sign up here. After that, once updates have been drafted by Council staff, there should be an opportunity for public comment.

This is a good chance to advocate for more local native street trees, more effort to conserve and protect remaining areas of natural vegetation and for stronger efforts to reduce Council carbon emissions and waste. Gratuitous plant images below, seeing as you've read this far!

Grey Ironbark (Eucalyptus paniculata) growing in Towradgi, and providing at least a bit of shade on a wide street. Image by Emma Rooksby.

One of the more commonly-grown native trees is Blueberry Ash (Elaeocarpus reticulatus). These trees are growing in Mount Pleasant, flanked by Coastal Rosemary (Westringia fruticosa), native sedges and (yes sorry) some Murraya (M. paniculata). Image by Leon Fuller.

Rarely seen in cultivation, but still a magnificent tree, Ribbonwood (Euroschinus falcatus) could be much
more widely grown in the region. Image by Byron Cawthorne-McGregor.