Mr Ryan will visit Muswellbrook and Denman on Monday to spread the word about the initiative.

While in the area, he’ll also be looking for mentors to train.

Sustainability Street encourages friends, neighbours, and sporting groups to think about improving the whole world while concentrating on their own little patch.

These groups can form villages and set about improving their corner of the globe, while forming a connection with where they live.

Participants in Sustainability Street villages have reported improvement in areas such as waste, water and energy consumption, reducing their ecological footprint by up to 35 per cent.

They also report making new friends and experiencing a stronger sense of community. 

The Denman Community Garden is a Sustainability Street Village. 

A core group of 10 people got together and created a community garden, which now supplies vegetables to the local farmers’ market every month. 

Not only do they join forces to grow, care for and harvest fruits and vegetables grown in the garden, they also meet socially over coffee and cake.

They’ve begun organising workshops in sustainable living, including a recent worm farming workshop, too.

Frank Ryan’s Train the Mentor sessions will be run in both Muswellbrook and Denman.

Anyone with an interest in sustainability is encouraged to contact council and find out more.

Input is also welcome from any community groups with an idea about an environmental improvement they could make to their street, local park or community area.

The Sustainability Street program is a Muswell-brook Shire Council activity, supported by Coal & Allied’s Community Development Fund.

To find out more about the Train the Mentor sessions or Sustainability Street, contact Tracy Ward at council on 6549 3700.