Ethnic Communities
Environmental education for ethnic communities
Ethnic communities like others in NSW, care about and want to participate in activities that will improve the environment. In 1997 the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) released findings of a social research study, The Environment and NSW Ethnic Communities. The research found that:
- Ethnic communities believe that the environment is one of the top five issues facing the NSW Government, both now and in the future.
- More than 75% of the respondents surveyed were concerned about the environment.
- 64% of those surveyed felt that Australia's environment was better or much better than their home country.
- More than half the people studied had made some positive changes in their behaviour over the past five years for environmental reasons.
People from non-English speaking backgrounds were found to have less involvement in environmental programs and less access to environmental information than mainstream NSW. 23% of the NSW population are born overseas, and close to 1 million people are from non-English speaking backgrounds. Research has found that many people from non-English speaking backgrounds had little understanding that stormwater and sewage systems were different. Most thought that all the materials that go into street drains are treated and cleaned.
In response to this finding, a special program has been set up to increase the awareness and involvement of ethnic communities in environmental issues and activities. In 1999 12 bilingual educators were trained to carry out stormwater education activities. The project has reached significant numbers of people from non-English speaking backgrounds. More than 3000 people with limited English participated in one-hour community awareness sessions on stormwater issues, held in six different languages. A further 4500 people received information through participation in other cultural events.
As a result of this project, a number of organisations have recognised the need to involve ethnic communities more broadly in their environmental activities. Bankstown Council, the Cooks River catchment councils and the Lower Parramatta catchment councils now allocate stormwater program resources to focus on the needs of their ethnic communities.
Ethnic community organisations are recognising the importance of environmental issues in NSW and encouraging discussion and involvement of ethnic communities in environmental issues.
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Page last updated: 26 February 2011
