#SeaToSource gives back to the Georges River

The Georges River is the focus of #SeaToSource, Conservation Volunteers Australia’s (CVA) latest project.

As part of #SeaToSource, CVA is showcasing eight rivers and urban waterways around Australia and sharing stories about their importance to the local environment and threats the rivers are facing from plastic litter.

#SeaToSource aims to educate and inspire people to tackle litter at its source, before it reaches our waterways, and ultimately to protect the Great Southern Reef which stretches from Western Australia to Queensland and includes the full New South Wales coast.

Like many other organisations this year, CVA has moved to use online platforms to enable people to take action for nature, to complement the hands-on volunteering they’re known for in the region. The CVA Campfire, their new digital community platform, allows people to share their personal experiences and stories with the Georges River, and encourages locals to initiate their own clean-up using an app called ‘Litter Stopper’. Each individual story and litter survey can be shared on The Campfire as a virtual community river clean up, alongside the monthly clean ups that will be held at the Georges River.

CVA Project Officer, Teresa Gustowski, has been on the ground doing her part to clean the river throughout COVID-19, and says she can’t wait for more of the community to get involved.

“Having grown up here myself, I see the Georges River being a fantastic place to spend the day - swimming, fishing, bushwalking or simply taking a break from life in the concrete jungles of Sydney.”

Georges Riverkeeper Chairperson, Councillor Geoff Shelton says protection of the river is key to liveability and a thriving community.

“We work with the eight councils across the Georges River to ensure care of the river as a natural resource, and the more awareness of what residents can do to help, the better. It’s important to acknowledge that the Georges River provides us with such a rich quality of life, and that in turn we need do our part to look after it. We’re looking forward to working with CVA to encourage communities to consider their actions with litter, and to ultimately prevent it from reaching our waterways in the first place.”

We are inviting everyone who cares about tackling plastic litter to get on board and share their stories about their time spent on the Georges River. If you’re keen to take part in monthly river clean ups, you can find out more at: campfire.cva.org.au/seatosource/georges-river