Mayor urges residents to sign on for Water Night

09 October 2020

National initiative designed to help switch off using water on autopilot

All Tweed residents are being encouraged to register to participate in the first ever national Water Night to be held across Australia on Thursday 22 October 2020.

Tweed Shire Council has sponsored the water awareness initiative being conducted by not-for-profit water efficiency experts Smart Approved WaterMark to help Tweed residents become aware of just how addicted they are to using their taps.

On Water Night, Tweed households are being asked to stop reaching for the tap and instead use just one 10-litre bucket of water for all household needs between 5pm and 5am (with the exception of drinking water, hand washing for Covid care, religious purposes and flush if you must).

“Council has sponsored this national awareness campaign as we are very conscious that the Tweed’s water is a limited and precious resource and that we waste water if we use it on autopilot,” Mayor of Tweed Cr Chris Cherry said.

“What we want everyone to learn is just how often they unconsciously reach for those taps, taking for granted that water will always be available. We want them to switch from water mindlessness to water mindfulness,” she said.

In the Tweed, our recent experience on Level 2 water restrictions from November 2019 to February this year showed that the average Tweed resident typically uses 40 to 60 litres more than Council’s target of 160 litres per person per day.

Smart Approved WaterMark’s research shows that 55 per cent of people say they are addicted to their taps and 69 per cent would ‘freak out’ if their taps stopped working.

“They also tell us that most people (63 per cent) think they could save more water than they do now,” Cr Cherry said.

To encourage Tweed residents to sign on for Water Night, Council will be sponsoring radio ads by TV Gardening Australia personalities Costa Georgiardis, Sophie Thomson and Jane Edmanson who have all joined the challenge.

Council also will be giving away four booklets to every primary school library in the Tweed to help teach the younger generations how water works and how precious it is.

“We’ve asked all our schools to participate in Water Night because, again, Smart Approved WaterMark research shows the older generation is more conscious than the younger generations about water use - but that young people are very willing to learn,” Cr Cherry said.

To register and download all the tips and aids to help switch off your water-using autopilot, go to www.waternight.com.au

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Caption: Mayor of Tweed Chris Cherry encourages residents to sign up for Water Night.