Summary

Calendar - Watermark Australia, published by Victorian Women's Trust, 2006. Each month of the calendar features a humorous cartoon and a quote about the many issues relating to the water crisis. The rear page provides contact information about the Watermark Australia project and the cartoonist.
The cartoons were drawn by Sheila Hollingworth.
Further information: www.watermarkaustralia.org.au.
Museum Victoria was a partner organisation in the Watermark Australia project.

Physical Description

Pale blue card bound with black spiral. Hole for hanging calendar.

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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