An awareness campaign to help reduce wood smoke from Tasmanian homes over the winter period will be run again this year by the Government through EPA Tasmania, in support of Local Councils.
Burn Brighter this Winter is designed to raise awareness about the problem of domestic wood smoke and to encourage wood heater owners to operate their wood heater effectively, reducing wood smoke emissions and saving money.
Now in its sixth year, the Burn Brighter this Winter campaign has been focused on areas identified as having high domestic smoke emissions in winter and where local councils are keen to get the message out.
The message is especially important in winter as there is increased use of household fires and wood heaters and the cool, still air traps the smoke, keeping it hanging around our suburbs and towns.
In past years, the Government has focused the community campaign in Launceston and surrounding towns, and this year we are collaborating closely with Glenorchy City Council.
The key message is to only burn dry seasoned wood; to burn with a flame (not a smoulder), and to burn on high after reloading, especially before going to bed.
I urge all Tasmanians to help reduce domestic wood smoke pollution through these simple checks, and by not forgetting that smoke going up the chimney is wasted fuel as well as creating a smoky environment.
Apart from newspaper advertising, the thrust of this year’s Burn Brighter this Winter campaign is the provision of educational resources to councils, including information brochures, promotional postcards, a DVD and education packages.
You can find more information about Burn Brighter this Winter on the EPA Tasmania website: http://epa.tas.gov.au/epa/burn-brighter-this-winter
More Media Releases from the Minister for Environment, Parks and Heritage