Fostering sustainable lifestyles

Governments and organisations have started becoming proactive about changing the way people think about and use energy and water.

A variety of programs across Australia and the world have fostered increasing awareness of the need to conserve and protect our water supplies, and modify our energy use to reduce environmental impacts and support sustainable ongoing use of our resources.

In the ACT some of these initiatives have included:

• Water restrictions and conservation measures to actively encourage people to reduce their water use
• The Stop the Drop campaign , providing strategies for people to further save water and save money
• The Eco-living Exhibition , which demonstrates practical ways to save energy and water in homes through effective home and garden design
• The Greenchoice program that allows people and businesses in the ACT and around Australia to purchase their electricity from renewable energy sources
• The ACT government's Think water, act water website, which provides information on water conservation
• The ACT government's Home Energy Advice Team , which provides expert advice on ways to improve household energy efficiency
• Rebate programs to encourage the installation of rainwater tanks, tune-ups to improve indoor and outdoor home water use and water-efficient showerhead programs

The ACT government also has a permanent Office of Sustainability that sets policy and provides education and support to other areas of the government, businesses and households in setting and achieving sustainability goals.