Tammy van Wisse launches Living For Our Future Program

April 2005

Marathon swimmer Tammy Van Wisse, described as the ‘Human Water Quality Tester’, recently launched the Living For Our Future program for City of Boroondara residents.

Swimming over 60,000 kilometres (over 1½ times around the world) requires amazing determination, stamina and strength but it has also compelled Tammy to raise awareness about environmental issues.

Linda Condon (NCS-Swinburne), Tammy van Wisse, Cr. Heinz Kreutz (City of Boroondara), Anne Tourney (City of Boroondara)

As the first person to swim the entire length of the Murray River in 2001, a distance of 2438 kilometres from the Alps to the ocean, Tammy confronted the degradation of the river due to issues such as poor environmental flows, salinity and toxic algal bloom.

Tammy’s inspirational address showed that making simple decisions and changes to the way you live can reduce your impact on the environment, and lead to a healthier lifestyle.

Living For Our Future is a series of community workshops on sustainable living being coordinated jointly by the City of Boroondara and the National Centre for Sustainability at Swinburne University.

Participants will learn how to incorporate principles of sustainability into their lifestyles, track their progress and receive a range of practical resources to assist them.

The program has received funding and support from the Department of Sustainability and Environment, the Australian Greenhouse Office, and from Origin Energy Pty Ltd.

Other assistance and guest speakers have been provided by GreenPlumbers, Sustainable Gardening Australia, Savewater, EcoRecycle, and the Victorian Indigenous Nursery Cooperative.

The first workshop in the series considered ‘Water in the home and garden’. Other topics in future workshops are: Energy in the Home; Waste in and around the house; Transport; healthy Homes; and Sustainable Consumption. Living For Our Future runs from February to July 2005.