Tree group wins regional environmental award

A Umina tree advocacy group has been named Community Environment Network's Most Outstanding Community-based Organisation of the Year.

Grow Urban Shade Trees received the award for their work in making the Peninsula a greener, cooler place to live.

The group works under the umbrella of the Umina Community Group,

Group member Ms Melissa Chandler said their award was a reminder to all Peninsula residents that grassroots activism can have an impact.

"This award provided a timely reminder of how three individuals Jennifer Wilder, Debbie Sunartha and myself started this journey simply by putting fingers to keyboards and pens to paper to contact the then Gosford Council to say 'we need more trees on the Peninsula'.

"We were solo keyboard warriors until we all joined together, but it's true that three heads are better than one because the second we started sharing our ideas we started making progress.

"Having our efforts to green the Peninsula acknowledged by the board and members of the Community Environment Network, many of whom we highly respect, is a massive honour for us, but it's just early days and we are still learning.

"We will do our best to be worthy of this award," Ms Chandler said.

SOURCE:

Social media, 28 Nov 2019

Melissa Chandler, Grow Urban Shade Trees