Summary

3 fold brochure, 'Helpful Hints for Waterwise Gardeners', with comic graphics and information about saving water in a garden, including '7 secrets from the experts to help your garden thrive using less water'. The brochure is part of the community education program to 'help gardeners reduce their water consumption'. It indicates that 'Victorians gardeners use 406,800,000 litres of water a day', and identifies the benefits of being waterwise as: saving money, low maintenance and is 'more natural and helps save our environment'. Published by City West Water and the Nursery Industry Association of Victoria, 1996.

Physical Description

3 fold square brochure on matt white paper, multicoloured printing in low sheen inks.

Significance

These items were collected during the Water Smart Home project and document the developing strategies used by the Victorian Government, water authorities, private industries and communities in confronting the emerging water crisis from 1995 to 2007. It captures the increasing urgency to address the growing imbalance between water supply and demand. It demonstrates a shift in government strategy away from an investment in major infrastructure to a campaign focused on behaviour change methods to reduce water consumption and secure Melbourne's water future.

An interesting feature of this material is the focus on gardening. Prior to water restrictions, Melbourne households used up to 50% of potable water for gardening - a significant focus of the public education campaign was therefore directed to this popular cultural activity and offered many ways to preserve this activity within the limits of Melbourne's water supply.

The Smart Water Fund was set up as part of the 'Our Water Our Future' campaign to support innovative water conservation projects, including Museum Victoria's Water Smart Home project. This material was collected as part of the Water Smart Home project. It shows how the 'Our Water Our Future' campaign infiltrated households in Melbourne, and documents the broader community messages and education strategies.

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