When did the environment go mainstream in Blacktown?
Blacktown residents are doing things today that just 3 years ago would have been considered only for the serious conservationist. Of course we have recycled for years, we conserve water where we can and have energy efficient lights. However, for the first time, many are seriously thinking about their daily electricity consumption and possibly even installing a solar electricity system. How did this happen?
Since the Blacktown Solar City project was launched in 2007 a dramatic shift has taken place amongst the Blacktown community towards more environmental engagement. We were well down this path with Al Gore and An Inconvenient Truth hitting the global stage in 2006.
However, the intense local focus provided by Blacktown Solar City has ensured that the community has maintained its awareness of environmental issues. Along with a continued reduction in cost barriers, the community is finding more ways to make tangible changes in their daily lives.
Jody McGann, the Blacktown Solar City Project Manager says that at the start of the project the Solar Home Offers were mostly taken up by people who were already environmentally aware early adopters.
With the falling costs, the NSW gross feed in tariff and ongoing community engagement activities of the project, the number of people seriously considering solar electricity will continue to broaden. We think that is great news for Blacktown.
