Sunshine Coast Lightning players join Local Water Legends campaign
by Water Source
Members of Super Netball team Sunshine Coast Lightning are supporting south-east Queensland utility Unitywater in encouraging local residents to be responsible in their water use.
The team is helping to spread the message as part of Unitywater’s Local Water Legends community education campaign, which was started after the region’s dam levels dropped below 60%.
The campaign coincides with National Water Week, held in the third week of every October, which encourages Australians, as well as communities and organisations across the country, to protect water environments and resources and use water wisely.
Among the campaign’s water-saving recommendations are for residents to only use dishwashers and washing machines when they’re full, water gardens at cooler times of the day, and to fix taps and toilets, and check for other hidden leaks.
Lightning midcourt player Laura Scherian said she was excited to join the community education campaign.
“I’m very passionate about protecting our water supply and excited to be a Local Water Legend,” Scherian said.
“Water is an important part of our region’s lifestyle and we can all do our bit to help save water for the community that we love and call home.”
Scherian’s team-mate, shooter Steph Wood, echoed her sentiments.
“We all have to play our part in creating a winning result, and it’s the same for saving water,” she said.
“At Lightning, we’re encouraging the community to join us in shooting for shorter shower times and defending the region’s dam levels, using all the tips and tricks from Unitywater.”
Positive changes
Jane Dore, Unitywater’s Manager of Communications and Engagement, said the campaign celebrated community members who made positive changes about how they used water.
“Local Water Legends is a really empowering campaign that encourages everyone to take small steps to make a big, collective difference to our water use in our region,” she said.
“It’s been a dry year and with dam levels dropping, we can all work together to save water.”
Sunshine Coast Lightning is a beloved team in the region, Dore said, and Unitywater is thrilled to partner with it.
“Having the team and their highly regarded players on board to advocate and help educate their fans on how to save water, will help us spread that important message across the region,” she said.
“We’re asking the community to think about how they use water inside and outdoors, particularly as we approach the warmer months.”
Among the region’s residents who have taken the message on board is the Garland family of Dicky Beach.
“We’ve started to make small changes to reduce our water use,” said Nicki, the mother of the family.
“We have three kids and a pool. We have some room for improvement, but we know we can all help to make a difference.”
Alice, 12, also saw an opportunity to contribute.
“I think my brother, sister and I could challenge each other to see who can have the shortest showers!” she said.
Unitywater does advise that residence keep their showers to four minutes, as well as turning taps off when brushing their teeth and using pool covers to reduce evaporation.
For more water-saving resources and advice, visit the Unitywater website.
