2015-05-26 Planning & Organisation Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                     26 MAY 2015


Is the program continuing to meet user expectations?

    A survey was conducted with LS members in 2014 and as previously reported to Council it
     identified the following suggestions for improving the program :
     - More frequent info emails/information/ newsletters;
     - Reminders or prompts to complete modules (email campaigns and communications-many
         members fail to complete modules);
     - More workshops and events;
     - A face book page, more info on social media;
     - More local information, smaller amounts of information like tips that are achievable;
     - Simplify the modules;
     - More consistency, more frequent communication; and
     - More local case studies

Action has been taken by the Sustainability Officer to promote sustainability using different
means including:
 A Sustainability resource page was added to Council’s website on 12 March 2015. These
   pages have practical information with lots of links so that if someone wants to find out further
   details they can. The main page received 43 visits in March with the Sustainable food page
   receiving the most visits, then Living Smart followed by Sustainable Homes. In April it
   received 74 visits with 13% of the visits going to the Living Smart page followed by the
   Sustainable Food page.
 The sustainability page was mentioned on Council’s Facebook page in March with tips on
   lighting efficiency. This is the only promotion the page has received. The “Bright Ideas”
   lighting tips page reached 710 people engaging with 74 people, who either liked, commented
   or shared the page. This is over 12%, which is a high percentage.
 The Earth Hour video was shared on Council’s Facebook page in March, it reached 1,173
   people engaging with 390 people who watched the video and then either, liked, shared or
   commented. This is over 10%, which again is a high percentage.
Both of these examples reached a large amount of local people within Noosa and the Sunshine
Coast.

Noosa Council Sustainability Page

Website Visits                         12 Mar – 31 Mar      April 2015

Noosa Council Sustainability Page      43                   74


Conclusion

The Living Smart program was an innovative program when it was developed in 2004, however
the way people engage on the internet is now completely different. Research shows that
individuals are using more social media, they want quick tips, 2 minute videos that engage them
and teach them something rather than reading pages of information. People want up to date and
local information that is relevant to them.

It is envisaged that the development of the Sustainability Plan will identify initiatives to enhance
our engagement with the community. It will be an important step in building community capacity
and resilience to collectively address the sustainability challenges facing Noosa in the future.
The proposed process for developing the strategy and key focus areas is planned to be
discussed with Council within one month.



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