Community Billboard July 6 – July 13

As part of their environmental action plan, the City of Sydney has turned a previously unused intersection at Colbourne Avenue into a plush nature oasis. It is now a lush, green space with around 2,000 native plants, 11 trees, and an additional 300 square metres of garden beds.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore praised the city's tree team for their continued effort to find pockets of underused city space and transforming them into natural, green spaces for the community to enjoy.

"The City's growing urban forest adds to our city's beauty and character, as well as improving air, soil, and water quality," the Lord Mayor said. "We're creating great public spaces and adding to our urban forest by planting the appropriate trees for parks and streets and increasing the diversity of species in our local area."

The City plans to increase the urban canopy by 50 percent by 2030, with that work well underway. This much increase in canopy would have a huge impact on reducing air pollution - almost more than cutting cars. A study by UTS showed that not only would air quality be improved, but that it would result in a huge number of community health benefits.

"Street trees can also improve wellbeing and reduce stress levels," the Lord Mayor said. "They also help beautify our streets, cool buildings, reduce the urban heat island effects, and provide habitat for our city's birds and animals. Every year one mature tree can absorb 3,400 litres of stormwater, filter 27 kilograms of pollutants from the air, and provide a significant cooling effect."

Since 2005 more than 11,000 new street trees have been planted, and 600 new ones will be planted annually until 2021 - alongside 1,300 new trees and shrubs annually for the city's parks and open spaces.

Next month, over 450 national and international experts will convene in Sydney to tackle the growing crisis in housing affordability and homelessness, with a particular focus on inner Sydney suburbs.

This Affordable Housing Conference is co-hosted by Homelessness NSW Inc. and NSW Federation of Housing Associations, with a $12,000 sponsorship from the City of Sydney.

Discussions will deal with the important work or how to deliver 100,000 additional affordable homes in NSW and the importance of providing additional affordable housing specifically in inner Sydney.

Experts will include representatives from state and federal government, not-for-profit organizations, community members, and social housing tenants. The Lord Mayor Clover Moore will join the experts to work towards a solution to growing issues.

"All levels of government must work together in delivering a better range of housing choices in the inner city as a growing affordability crisis threatens Sydney's economic and social sustainability," The Lord Mayor said.

"There is an urgent need to find opportunities to provide affordable homes and increased social housing with support services in Sydney and NSW. This will reduce the number of people sleeping rough in our streets. And it isn't just people experiencing homelessness that are in need. We want to provide housing for our diverse population in Sydney's city centre and in each of our villages. The Affordable Housing Conference will help us to address the critically low supply."

The City's sponsorship of this conference is in addition to the $2.2 million already invested each year in reducing homelessness and its impacts.

Just 32% of Australian adults are currently on the national register for organ donation, but nearly 69% have responded that they are willing. DonateLife Week, held 31 July - 7 August boldly asks Australians, "What are you waiting for?"

The Register is completely voluntary and you have complete control over which organs and tissue may be donated, but DonateLife seeks to educate Australians on just how many lives can be saved by this decision.

Right now nearly 1,500 Australians are waiting for the gift of life that would come in the form of an organ or tissue donation, and DonateLife encourages each and every person to carefully consider whether they might be the one to make a difference.

The world was devastated by the news of the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida on 12 June 2016. Forty-nine people were killed, with many more physically and emotionally injured by the attack.

In order to show their support for the victims and families, the City of Sydney sponsored a star-studded benefit concert called From Sydney With Love - A Concert for Orlando. The line-up included Australia's leading stage and screen entertainers, all coming together beneath a rainbow flag and a pink-lit Sydney Town Hall.

"We're proud to now open up Town Hall's doors for From Sydney With Love and stand with the strong LGBTIQ community in Orlando and the US, in Sydney, and across the globe. We must never turn our heads away when we see prejudice or injustice of any kind in our community," The Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

Funds raised will go to the Equality Florida Pulse Victims Fund, a fund established in support of victims' families, survivors, and those who may not have suffered injury but are in need of support. So far more than US$6 million has been raised for the fund.

The City of Sydney gave proud support to the concert via a $5,000 grant and offering Sydney Town Hall as the venue free of charge.

As part of their Eora Journey Economic Development Plan, The City of Sydney is asking for your say!

The Eora Journey Economic Development Plan sets an agenda for the City to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and businesses over the next 10 years to achieve economic prosperity for these groups. It will help deliver a range of initiatives to create and maintain the conditions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Sydney area to thrive as students, employees, and business owners.

The plan includes ways the City can work more productively with community organizations, the private sector and business owners, other levels of government, and the wider community.

In the week following NAIDOC week, becoming involved in these kinds of issues is important.

There are multiple ways to have a say in the City's plan, including taking a survey, reaching out via a phone call, or emailing an idea submission to strategy@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

The City is asking for feedback to be submitted to them by 5pm Monday 18 July 2016.