Progress Report: Extending & Completing NESS

Progress Report
2
NESS
~ Extending & Completing NESS ~
New England Sustainability Strategy
funded by the
an initiative of
supported by
August 2010
NESS2 Progress Report
Table of Contents
Executive Summary................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Objectives & Activities............................................................................................................................................................................................. 4
Outcomes........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 7
Partner & Stakeholder Communications..................................................................................................................................................... 7
Stakeholder Engagement & Participation................................................................................................................................................. 8
Embedding Sustainability...................................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Delays & Difficulties................................................................................................................................................................................................. 12
Modifications.............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 12
Finance Report.......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 12
Other Developments............................................................................................................................................................................................. 13
Appendices................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 14
Media Coverage.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 14
Vision New England Summit...................................................................................................................................................................... 18
Armidale Dumaresq Council Calendar............................................................................................................................................. 20
Key Stakeholders Mapping........................................................................................................................................................................ 22
Finance Report................................................................................................................................................................................................... 23
Bundarra Community Sustainability Forum & Plan...................................................................................................................... 24
Uralla Community Sustainability Forum & Plan.............................................................................................................................. 26
Integrating Local Government Business & NESS........................................................................................................................... 28
DotNESS (Website)............................................................................................................................................................................................ 29
Status Report – Farming the Sun............................................................................................................................................................. 30
NESS2 Communications Strategy........................................................................................................................................................... 31
Bundarra Community Sustainability Forum
www.ness.wikidot.com
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Executive Summary
This Progress Report is the first of two Reports required for the NSW Environment Trust detailing
the outcomes and work completed during the first five months of NESS2 – extending &
completing the New England Sustainability Strategy (NESS).
NESS is a whole-of-region governance model and approach to sustainability ~ bringing

together the wide array of stakeholders across the community to foster their shared vision for
a sustainable New England; identify the strategies and initiatives to achieve this vision; and,
the measures to assess performance and progress.
The work on NESS2 to date has been able to:

• Galvanise leadership and engagement ~ such as successfully developing the Uralla
Community Sustainability Plan only 48 hours after the Kibble Review recommended a
forced amalgamation of their Shire Council;
• Strengthen existing and build new partnerships ~ such as with Regional Development
Australia Northern Inland (RDANI) and the High Country Urban Biodiversity Project
(HiCUB);
• Enhance community networks and understanding ~ such as through aligned media
and communication strategies, infrastructure and tools; and,
• Catalyse major new sustainability initiatives ~ such as the Sustainable Heating Initiative
and Slow Food New England Convivium.
The project outcomes, activities and milestones have significantly exceeded the original
scope of work, with several substantial opportunities realised that build upon the intended
outcomes for NESS2. One of the most complex outcomes, the “LGA Bridge” to develop and
integrate a replicable model of sustainability planning, has been boosted by RDANI's
adoption of the Starfish/NESS model for their Regional Development Plan.
The priorities ahead to complete the New England Sustainability Strategy include:
• Walcha and Guyra Community Sustainability Forums;
• Regional Stakeholder Round Table and NESS Public Forum;
• Completion of the “LGA Bridge” replicable model and governance structure for the
New England Sustainability Strategy Executive (NESSiE); and,
• Sustained work on implementing the Strategy through priority initiatives such as Farming
the Sun and the YOUth LEADing Australia Congress.
The NESS2 project is on time and on budget without any delays or variations of concern.
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Objectives & Activities

The purpose and three objectives for NESS2 in order of their relative size within the overall
scope of work are:
• Extend and complete the collaborative development of the New England Sustainability
Strategy (NESS);
• Develop a replicable model for the integration of NESS, and other similar initiatives such
as the Local Adaptation Pathways and Climate Consensus Projects, into local
government planning, management and reporting systems; and,
• Finalise the governance structure for the New England Sustainability Strategy Executive
(NESSiE).
The outcomes of this work include:

• Improved community knowledge of sustainability;
• Improved sustainability performance of key stakeholders;
• Improved sustainability performance of local government stakeholders by integrating
major sustainability strategies and initiatives into planning, management and reporting
systems; and,
• Improved sustainability of the New England Region ~ environmental, social and
economic ~ through continued implementation of priority initiatives such as Farming
the Sun.
The project activities and milestones have significantly exceeded the original scope of work,
with several substantial opportunities realised to build upon NESS2.
The table on the following page summarises delivery of specified project activities, including
the future project timetable. Highlights include:
• Bundarra & Uralla Community Sustainability Forums completed. Copies of the Reports
and Plans are included in the Appendix;
• “LGA Bridge” Workshop completed. A copy of the Outcomes Report is included in the
Appendix;
• Media and Communications Strategy developed (as part of an alliance with HiCUB,
detailed below). A copy of the Strategy is included in the Appendix;
• Legal Briefing submitted to LegalMinds to initiate work on the governance structure for
NESSiE;
• Regular media, stakeholder and community communication throughout project,
including regular updates to the DotNESS website (www.ness.wikidot.com). Copies of
various communiques and media clippings are included in the Appendix;
• Briefings and meetings held with NESSiE and LGA Steering Committee; and,
• Thorough documentation of activities, records and outcomes, as reflected throughout
this Progress Report.
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The activities detailed below have further built upon NESS and extend on the specific
requirements of the funded NESS2 project:
• Partnership with Regional Development Australia Northern Inland (RDANI) to:
◦ Integrate the outcomes from NESS1 and NESS2 into the RDANI Regional Plan for
submission to the Australian and NSW Governments; and,
◦ Utilise the Starfish/NESS model for an additional fourteen local community dialogues
and plans;
• Formation of a strategic alliance with the NSW Environmental Trust funded HiCUB
project, specifically to collaborate in regards to:
◦ Establishment of a sustainability fund;
◦ Development of internet based community networking tools;
◦ Stakeholder engagement for the Regional Sustainability Round Table & Scorecard
and the “LGA Bridge” model; and,
◦ Creation of aligned media and communication strategies.
• Media and Communications Workshops held with HiCUB to develop strategies for NESS2
and HiCUB; and,
• Farming the Sun expanded to launch the Sustainable Heating Initiative with new solar
thermal heating and cooling technology now available in the Region.
Public Launch ~ Sustainable Heating Initiative (solar thermal heating & cooling)
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Outcomes
Together, the project and expanded activities detailed above, have achieved project
outcomes meeting and significantly exceeding the original scope of work. The major highlights
include:
• Integration of NESS1 & NESS2 into the RDANI Regional Development Plan (addressing
economic development that is environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive);
• Replication and use the Starfish/NESS community dialogue and planning model, a
project outcome identified for Local Government, for the RDANI local community
planning dialogues;
• Creation of Local Sustainability Plans for Uralla and Bundarra (see Appendix);
• Outcomes in alliance with HiCUB including:
◦ Workshop and agreement with key stakeholders to use a range of common
communication tools for sustainability and community engagement, namely:
▪ NEON (New England On Now) for all events and activities;
▪ Spatial Vision to enable 'crowd mapping' of biodiversity and other
spatial/biophysical attributes of the region;
▪ Sustainable Living Guide to list information, products and services;
▪ Northern Inland Sustainable Business Network (NiSBN) as the primary directory of
sustainable businesses;
▪ LinkedIn to provide a network for sustainability practitioners;
▪ Place Stories for publishing digital stories about sustainability; and,
▪ Posterous as a medium to share relevant information about biodiversity.
◦ Creation of aligned media and communication strategies (including the above
tools);
• Expansion of Farming the Sun with solar thermal heating and cooling technology (in
addition to sustaining existing priorities of solar power, solar hot water and home
sustainability assessments);
• University of New England (UNE) agreement to host YOUth LEADing Australia Congress
2010; and,
• Expansion of the NESS community sustainability network to exceed 2% of the regional
population.
Partner & Stakeholder Communications

The membership of NESSiE includes a diversity of key stakeholders and partners, embedding
collaboration and communication within the core governance structure for NESS.
Additionally, there has been a constant attention to communication (internet, media, email
and interpersonal) as well as meetings (detailed below).
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A comprehensive communications strategy is in place (refer Appendix) for NESS2. A selection
of media coverage is included in the Appendix, as well as a screen shot from the DotNESS
website.
These broad streams of communication are deepened with targeted mediums including:
• Local Government Newsletters to residents (Uralla, Walcha and Guyra);
• Community Network Newsletters including SNELCC, SLA, CWC and Bundarra
Community Progress Association; and,
• Regular NESS eNews email reaching 2%+ of the regional population.
Stakeholder Engagement & Participation

The core principles of NESS are engagement and participation, bringing together the wide
array of stakeholders and community members to collaboratively design a shared vision and
strategy for sustainability.
The membership of NESSiE reflects this diversity, embedding engagement and participation
within the core governance structure for NESS. The current membership of NESSiE includes:
Starfish Enterprises; PeaceWorks; Armidale Dumaresq Council and Southern New England
Landcare.
A Steering Committee has

been established to
oversee NESS2 with
representatives from each
of the four LGA partners.
The mapping of key

stakeholders receiving
regular communication
and invitations to relevant
NESS2 forums is included as
an Appendix.
Awakening the Dreamer, Mini-Symposium ~ June 2010
The major community meetings and events, with participation numbers, include:
• Uralla and Bundarra Community Sustainability Forums (45 people);
• Stakeholder Dialogue to finalise the Sustainable Heating Initiative (30 stakeholders);
• “LGA Bridge” Workshop (7 participants from across the four LGAs);
• NESS2 & HiCUB Stakeholder Engagement Workshop (14 participants);
• NESS2 & HiCUB Communications Workshop (14 participants);
• Public Launch of the Sustainable Heating Initiative (20 people); and,
• Awakening the Dreamer, mini-Symposium supporting Uniting Church Armidale (35
people).
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There have also been frequent meetings with stakeholders, groups and individuals, the most
key including:
• Partnership development with RDANI Directors, EO and senior staff;
• Strategic alliance negotiations with HiCUB, including meeting with the Steering
Committee and Southern New England Landcare (SNELCC, HiCUB project manager)
Directors and senior staff;
• Presentations at Board, Committee and Member Meetings for SNELCC, RDANI, HiCUB
Steering Committee and Advisory Committee, Sustainable Living Armidale (SLA), Uralla
Climate Change Consensus Forum (U3CF); Talloires Declaration Committee;
• Negotiation meetings with key stakeholders (such as the UNE regarding YOUth LEADing
Australia and the Pachamama Alliance regarding the Awakening the Dreamer
Symposium; and,
• Briefings and meetings held with NESSiE; and,
• Briefings and meetings with the NESS2 LGA Steering Committee.
Embedding Sustainability
NESS, and this second stage of work on NESS, is effecting the embedding of sustainability for
the New England Region on two levels:
1. Direct outcomes from NESS2; and,
2. Through being part of a broader shift to sustainability taking place across the New
England Region and beyond.
Embedding is a high level outcome from a process of connection, awareness raising,

engagement, participation and capacity building. Across this continuum of social change
NESS2 is contributing to the substantial starburst of sustainability initiatives and efforts
throughout the New England Region.
This 'starburst' was mapped during the “LGA Bridge” Workshop and is presented on the
following page. It is worth noting this is still the tip of a larger iceberg so to speak.
NESS2 is only a partial contributor, though perhaps it is fair to say a significant contributor,
towards the following outcomes which evidence sustainability being 'embedded':
• Enhanced Local Government capacity for sustainability through:
• Direct involvement in the various stakeholder and community workshops;
• Wider perspective on magnitude of sustainability activities throughout the Region;
• Outcomes from “LGA Bridge” Workshop (included in the Appendix), particularly
recognition of the different roles fulfilled by LGA's, namely:
• Providing and maintaining economic-social infrastructure and service delivery;
• Helping initiate, support, enabling and partnering with regional sustainability
initiatives; and,
• Helping facilitate sustainability guidelines, strategic planning frameworks, eco-
efficiency tools; and,
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• Recognition by Armidale Dumaresq Mayor, Peter Ducat, of the community's
defining vision as 'sustainability' (refer Appendix for copy of Mayor's column in
annual calendar); and,
• Opportunities for collaboration with key stakeholders ~ such as NESS and SLA for the
weekly newspaper column (refer example in the Appendix) and with HiCUB/NESS for
the Sustainable Living Guide;
• Use of Starfish/NESS model for RDANI Regional Development Plan, with development
including 'environmental solutions' and 'social inclusion';
• Identification of New England as a high potential site for NSW's first community-owned
wind farm (refer earlier remarks about successful Starfish/NESS led consortium tendering
to commence work on this initiative);
Uralla Community Sustainability Forum

• Adoption and recognition of NESS model in the outcomes of Tony Windsor, MP Vision
New England Summit (refer Resolution 20 in the media coverage included as an
Appendix)
• 500% increase is grid connected solar power, 700% increase in solar power production
and four new private solar power companies in last two years. A fuller Status Report for
Farming the Sun is included in the Appendix;
• Collaboration with Richard Torbay, MP, to successfully influence a change to the NSW
Solar Bonus Scheme legislation to better accommodate agricultural and rural property
holders;
• Involvement in the formation of a new Slow Food New England convivium;
• Photo Essay and Documentary of the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM)
Sustainable City installation; and,
• Use of Farming the Sun in an Honours Student thesis considering community-scale
efforts on climate change and a local school project focussed on renewable energy.
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Delays & Difficulties
The only delay has been the deferment of the Walcha and Guyra Community Sustainability
Forums from July to September. This was agreed with the key stakeholders, particularly the two
Local Government Authorities.
The most significant difficulty experienced has been due to the impact of the Kibble Review.
The proposed amalgamation of three of these LGA's, and the boundary review taking place
at the time of writing. This has taken a massive amount of attention for the Armidale
Dumaresq, Uralla, Walcha and Guyra Local Government Authorities this project works with,
created a certain degree of local political tension within the region and considerable
uncertainty for staff. Notwithstanding this, the Councils have continued to support and
progress the NESS2 project alongside other sustainability initiatives such as the Armidale
Sustainable Living Guide.
Modifications
There are no modifications to the Project Plan requiring Environmental Trust consideration.
The deferred Walcha and Guyra Community Sustainability Forums are timed to feed into the
Stakeholder Round Table as originally intended.
The impacts of the Kibble Review and proposed amalgamation have not compromised the
specific outcomes of NESS2 to any significant degree as at the time of writing.
Finance Report
The project is on budget. The variances compared with the full project budget are broadly in
line with the 25-35% of work undertaken to date.
An additional $5,000 of funding has been added to NESS2 from HiCUB towards the shared
work on media and communications strategy, including the two workshops.
A copy of the Finance Report is included in the Appendix (page 23).
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Other Developments
Several other developments are currently in process and worthy of note:
• A Consortium led by Starfish/NESS have successfully tendered to undertake a Pre-
Feasibility Community Wind Farm Study. The Consortium members include Hepburn
Community Wind Farm, Embark, The Community Mutual Group, the UNE, the
Environmental Defenders Office, Future Energy, SNELCC and SLA;
• Starfish is negotiating further strategic alliances, which will benefit NESS, with The
Community Mutual Group and East Armidale Sustainable Living Education and
Community Centre; and,
• Negotiations with the Armidale & District Business Chamber to facilitate a series of
sustainability dialogues with members.
Adam F Blakester
Convenor, New England Sustainability Strategy
adam@starfishenterprises.org
m 61 (0)419 808 900 | t 61 (0)2 6775 2501 | skype adam.f.blakester
Page 13 of 39
Appendices
Media Coverage
The Armidale Independent, 12 May 2010
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The Armidale Independent, 17 March 2010
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The Armidale Independent, 16 June 2010
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Weekly Column, The Armidale Independent

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Vision New England Summit
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Armidale Dumaresq Council Calendar
Page 20 of 39
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Key Stakeholders Mapping
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Finance Report
Page 23 of 39
Bundarra Community Sustainability Forum & Plan
Page 24 of 39
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Uralla Community Sustainability Forum & Plan
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Integrating Local Government Business & NESS
Page 28 of 39
DotNESS (Website)
Page 29 of 39
Status Report – Farming the Sun
Page 30 of 39
NESS2 Communications Strategy
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Progress Report: Extending & Completing NESS

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Progress Report

Bundarra Community Sustainability Forum

NESS is a whole-of-region governance model and approach to sustainability ~ bringing

The work on NESS2 to date has been able to:

Objectives & Activities

The outcomes of this work include:

Partner & Stakeholder Communications

Stakeholder Engagement & Participation

A Steering Committee has

The mapping of key

Embedding is a high level outcome from a process of connection, awareness raising,

Uralla Community Sustainability Forum

A copy of the Finance Report is included in the Appendix (page 23).

The Armidale Independent, 12 May 2010

The Armidale Independent, 17 March 2010

The Armidale Independent, 16 June 2010

Weekly Column, The Armidale Independent

Vision New England Summit

Armidale Dumaresq Council Calendar

Bundarra Community Sustainability Forum & Plan

Uralla Community Sustainability Forum & Plan

Integrating Local Government Business & NESS

Status Report – Farming the Sun

NESS2 Communications Strategy

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