Local community environment organisation, Grow Urban Shade Trees (GUST), has joined forces with the Peninsula Environment Group (PEG) to help focus on sustainable living on the Peninsula.
Having worked with Umina Community Group for the last four years, GUST built a base of volunteers to help plant and water trees and engage with the community, along with completing several grant projects for street tree planting.
GUST now aims to focus on the Peninsula as a sub-group of PEG.
GUST credited PEG’s work in “being the tree that strengthens their growth”, with the group becoming the main voice for local issues that threaten the landscape.
Founding member, Jennifer Wilder, said the group was excited to partner up with another organisation whose primary focus was on sustainability and the environment.
“GUST is grateful to the Umina Community Group for helping us establish ourselves as a group by auspicing our grant applications and for sharing our vision of cooler greener streetscapes,” Wilder said.
“GUST’s focus is wider than just Umina, however, and we felt that the Peninsula Environment Group aligned more closely with our objectives.
“We are greatly encouraged by the members of PEG who have driven wonderful projects like The Woy Woy Peninsula Community Garden in Moana Street and the much-loved Woytopia event.
“We look forward to combining our acquired knowledge and skills to bring about new projects that will deliver a healthier, happier and more liveable Peninsula into the future.”
Wilder said GUST hoped to collaborate with PEG to promote ‘nature play’ with tree planting and care.
“GUST will continue street, park and garden planting and building community awareness of the enormous benefits of urban trees,” she said.
“Hands-on experiences are a wonderful opportunity for children to learn about the importance of our precious natural assets.
“Other ideas in the pipeline include a possible collaboration with local First Nations community members in the formation of a bush-tucker garden.
“[We] aim to get trees into the ground throughout the entire Peninsula, most of which is suffering from a now well-documented Urban Heat Island effect.
“While Council nursery staff have been most helpful, there has been a frustrating lack of collaboration from some elements within Council.
“This, along with Covid restrictions, has slowed tree planting projects for National Tree Day this year unfortunately.”
GUST have put the call out to encourage locals to get in touch if they are looking to plant a tree on their verge.
Their new contact details are: gust@peg.org.au
Maisy Rae