Ebooks now available at the library!

NEW today!

The library has now added eBooks to its Overdrive Download service. There is a range of both fiction and nonfiction titles for you to select from.

Browse – Checkout – Download.

Enjoy immediately or transfer to your iPod, eBook reader, such as iPad or Kobo, and other compatible devices.

Locate directly at http://penrith.lib.overdrive.com

OR via the Overdrive link on the Library Catalogue: http://opac.penrithcity.nsw.gov.au

To checkout you will need to have your Penrith City Library card membership number together with your PIN [i.e. full date of birth – 8 characters – no dashes]

The popular audio download service will still be continued.

Neighbours Day - This Sunday

Good neighbours are vital to any community, but with increasingly busy lives we often neglect to build relationships with those living nearby.

Sunday 27th March is Neighbour Day to celebrate our neighbours.

Participating in Neighbour Day is easy: just say g’day to the people living next door, or make a special effort to introduce yourself to the older residents in your street and anyone living alone. Swap telephone numbers for use in an emergency and help us build a safer, more connected community.

Some other suggestions for getting involved -invite them for a cup of tea, barbeque or picnic at a local park.

The sense of community that comes from being connected with your neighbours can provide many benefits including an increased sense of security, particularly for older or vulnerable people and developing friendships amongst children and adults.

Enjoy NEIGHBOUR DAY on Sunday!

The Garage Sale Trail is coming to Penrith!

Rocky Elsom, captain of the Wallabies, is just one of the supporters of the Garage Sale Trail.

Need to clear out some of that stuff that’s cluttering up the garage or the spare room? Why not have a garage sale as part of the national Garage Sale Trail which is on Sunday April 10? It’s simple, just register online and your sale will show up on the Garage Sale Trail website and also in a map which will be printed in the Penrith Press – no need to put up signs everywhere! Best of all it’s free!

The first 100 garage sales to register across Penrith will also be eligible to receive a free pack which consists of a t-shirt, cap, balloons, and an information pack chock full of hints and tips to ensure you make the most out of your sale.

To find out more about how to get involved in the Garage Sale Trail, why not check out this quick video or visit www.garagesaletrail.com.au for more information.

The Garage Sale Trail is proudly supported in Penrith by Penrith City Council and Stocklands.

Earth Hour – Saturday 26 March, 8.30pm

Saturday 26 March will see both individuals and organisations from across the world stand together in a show of support for action on climate change. Since it’s beginning back in 2007 (right here in Sydney!), Earth Hour has grown into one of the single largest community driven sustainability events in the world.

We reckon the best way to get involved in Earth Hour is to share it with your family and friends. If you’ve got kids, why not have some fun with it? Use it as an excuse to go camping and set up a tent in the backyard or even put out some sleeping bags in the loungeroom. Play spotlight in the backyard or what about some board games and card games by candlelight. If you don’t have kids, there’s no reason you can’t invite some mates over for a barbeque and do the same things! Or how about a romantic candlelit dinner with someone special?

We’d love to hear about how you will be celebrating Earth Hour this year. All of the submissions will go in the draw to win a $100 voucher to online eco store ‘Todae’. To get involved in the competition email chamilton@penrithcity.nsw.gov.au or call Council’s Sustainability Unit on 4732 7803 and let us know what you’re doing for Earth Hour – make sure you include your contact details in case you win!

This year the message for Earth Hour is to ‘go beyond the hour’ – this is a good as time as any to take that next ‘sustainability step’ you’ve been thinking about taking for a while. Not sure where to start? Earth Hour have a bunch of suggestions on things you can do:

http://www.earthhour.org.au/take-action/take-action-beyond-the-hour/

If you’re unsure about what impact that little step that you’re taking will have, just imagine how far the world would come if the millions of people across the world who participate in Earth Hour took a similar step as well?

For more information on Earth Hour itself, please visit www.earthhour.org.au/

Penrith free shuttle bus service

The free Penrith Shuttle Bus runs every 15 minutes, seven days a week.

Monday to Friday
Between 9.00am and 2.30pm
Saturday and Sunday
Between 9.00am and 5.30pm

The free 787 Shuttle Bus is a great way to get around Penrith – it’s fast, free and easy to find. The Penrith free Shuttle Bus will operate on a continuous loop around the city centre – connecting the train station and transport interchange with local shops, the TAFE, entertainment and community hubs. You don’t need a ticket or a timetable – just look out for the green bus and jump on board.

For more information visit
www.131500.com.au or call 131500.

NRMA Community Grants

The NRMA have announced funding for improving our communities, with funding of up to $5000 available for a project. Funding is available for the key areas of crime prevention, road safety, emergency readiness and response, and the environment. To find out more about the funding and how to apply, please click the link below:

Help your community save money and cut its carbon footprint

There is a new opportunity for you to inspire your community, help reduce their power bills and take action on climate change. All you need to do is promote the NSW Energymark program to your community using a suite of materials available to you now.

NSW Energymark is now recruiting 500 volunteer convenors across metropolitan and regional New South Wales to host small-group discussions that could cut participants' power bills by up to 37 per cent and lighten their carbon footprint by 27 per cent.

What is NSW Energymark?
NSW Energymark is an effective education program initiated by CSIRO and delivered in partnership with the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW, that can achieve significant energy, water and waste savings in your community.

Energymark's grassroots, bottom-up approach increases people's understanding of climate change, awareness of energy use and generation, and inspires the adoption and maintenance of habits conducive to a better environment.

How does it work?
The convenors don't need to be experts on the environment to take part. All they need do is gather one small group of 10 family, friends or workmates and host eight kitchen-table discussions on energy, climate change, water and waste. All meeting hosts will be given a range of materials that guide the sessions and receive support from a locally based coordinator.

How you can help
We ask that you promote this opportunity between now and the end of February 2011. To assist you with this, we have prepared a suite of materials for your council to use, including:

• Web button for your website


• Brochures – email and print


• Editorial for your website or newsletters


• Media release template


• Advertisements – web and print.

Download promotional materials >

Queensland Flood Appeal

Many of us have either friends or relatives that live in Queensland. A practical way for the Penrith community to assist our Queensland neighbours in their time of need is to make a donation to the Queensland Government Premiers Flood Relief Appeal. Anyone wishing to make a donation can do so at their local bank branch, online or via telephone. For more information on how to donate click here.

How about an early Spring clean?

Now is the perfect time to get in and have a clean up around your house. How come? Because in February Penrith is hosting two FREE drop off services – an E-Waste disposal day and the Chemical Clean Out and – so get in now and clean up around the house!

The E-waste drop off day is being held on Saturday 19 February 2001 at Jamison Park, from 9am to 3.30pm. This is a perfect opportunity to dispose of items such as including televisions, computers, and small kitchen and household appliances. They will pulled apart, sorted and the materials will be recovered to be recycled into new items. For more information, please click here


The Chemical Clean Out is being held on Saturday 26 February 2011 at Jamison Park, from 9am to 3.30pm. The Clean Out allows you to safely dispose of items like solvents & household cleaners, floor care products, ammonia based cleaners, fluorescent globes and tubes, household batteries, car batteries, motor oils, fuels and fluids, paint & paint related products, pesticides, herbicides, poisons, gas bottles, fire extinguishers, pool chemicals, hobby chemicals, acids and alkalis. For more information, please click here

So get in and now and have a clean up in the house and the garage so you’re ready to take your items down to the clean ups!

Library Carpet Continues to Clean Up

Most people have probably never thought about the carpet in Penrith library. To be honest, we hadn’t either. The good news is the library staff have - and the result is some amazing savings in energy and water use.

The carpet was replaced when the library was refurbished back in April 2008. When choosing the new carpet, the library staff made sure it was environmentally friendly and also cost effective. The new carpet is made from fully recyclable materials, so it can be remade into new carpet at the end of its lifespan. Also, due to its design it only requires ‘dry’ vacuuming. A traditional carpet requires a wet shampoo style cleaning, which uses a lot of water and energy. So far, by only having to use the dry vacuum the library has saved:

* 8710L of water – that’s the equivalent of 120 x 4 minute showers!
* 0.43 tonnes of CO2 emissions – that’s the equivalent of running 10 x 25W compact fluoro globes for 1500 hours!