Darebin Councils’ Manager for Environment & Conservation

Darebin Councils’ Manager for Environment & Conservation, Ben Smith gave an informative talk to Preston Rotarians recently. Did you know that in 2016 Darebin was the first Council in the world to declare a Climate Emergency?! Ben’s team is passionate about bringing Biodiversity to the urban landscape. Planting Indigenous trees/grasses helps to do this. So far, 300,000 indigenous plants have made their way into the earth, ably assisted by Council staff, and many, many volunteers, including Rotarians from Preston.Past President of Rotary Preston, Lisa Defazio instigated our adoption of an Environment & Conservation Committee. We loved giving a hand in the re- wilding of Darebin Creek. Ben aims to promote Conservation efforts to local schools, & various Community groups. Not only is this great for our environment, but it helps to build connections within the community. Rotarians look forward to future collaboration with the Environment & Conservation arm of Darebin Council.