The credit union sponsorship means that the sustainable living workshops at the Armidale TAFE campus will be free to attend for members of the community.

The pilot program has come about through a partnership arrangement between the local New England Institute of TAFE and the credit union.

The six-hour workshops will be held at Armidale Campus on Saturdays, once a month starting at 10am on Saturday February 28.

Each workshop will be held twice in consecutive months on issues associated with living more sustainably in our community. The first, titled Green Me Up, will focus on reducing the eco-footprint by cutting household waste, recycling more efficiently and influencing others to follow suit.

The other topics include retrofitting homes and reducing winter heating bills; backyard sustainability including vegetable gardens, composting and worm farming; natural household cleaners and personal care cleaners; ecosystems, biodiversity and how people can contribute to a more healthy local environment. The final workshop is on small scale farming from keeping chooks, bees and even a sheep or two in the back yard or hobby farm. Participants may choose to attend any one or all of the workshops.

“This is a great initiative from the New England Institute and one we are very pleased to support in partnership with other community organisations,” said credit union CEO Kevin Dupé.

“It is the issue of the day and there is now a much greater awareness that all of us can make a difference if we adopt more sustainable practices. These workshops will provide the know-how and link in well with other community initiatives like the Sustainable Living Expo (SLEX) which NECU also proudly supports.”

Workshop coordinator Vivienne Nano said Marrickville Council in Sydney had been holding similar workshops since 2003 with great success.

“They have been very popular with the community, have raised awareness and led to some really significant changes in lifestyle choices and sustainable practices,” she said.

“There is a demand for similar workshops here on practical topics where people can learn from the experts on how to incorporate more environmentally sound practices into their everyday lives.”

All participants will be enrolled in a free TAFE course which will provide them with access to the TAFE library and other TAFE facilities including other free courses.