"When I saw the email, I thought it was silly and just moved on," Mr Barrett said. "It took us quite a bit of checking but we eventually realised it was fair dinkum."

The couple have each been awarded Medals of the Order of Australia for service to sustainable urban design and to environmental conservation.

Their long list of work in central Victoria includes creating The Paddock Eco Village in 2019 - a new-look housing estate where every home is sustainable.

Read more: Meet the locals being honoured this Australia Day

The Barretts are also the founders of The Hub Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation which looks at ways to tackle climate change at a local level.

They have also been involved in groups like the Mount Alexander Sustainability Group and Mount Alexander Solar Homes.

Ms Barrett said the Australia Day honour came at a complete surprise.

"We had no idea that a group of people we know nominated us," she said. "We almost fell off our chairs. We were just blown away."

Mr Barrett said while they "very gladly" accepted the awards, the Barretts were also aware there were many others in the sector who deserved recognition.

Ms Barrett said the couple wanted to use their awards to push for more action on environment issues.

Read more: Castlemaine's The Paddock eco village opens

"We really believe climate change is one of the most important things facing our planet," she said. "You don't feel much reward when you hear things like 50 per cent of the globe's wildlife has disappeared in my lifetime.

"We are hoping that this is some inspiration for people, especially the young people coming through.

"We think it's fantastic to see the climate activism of young people in Castlemaine - there are some terrific young leaders. Us oldies are trying very hard to do our best and be some inspiration."

Mr Barrett said there were plenty of ways that people could make a difference for the environment.

Related story: A guide to the central Victoria events marking Australia Day 2021 | What's On

"One of the best ways is to put solar panels on your roof," he said. "It's so inexpensive for people to do it, especially with the state government incentives.

There are also things like reducing your waste and improving your house so it's more energy efficient.

"On a bigger level, people can join organisations that are taking action on a national and global level."

Mr Barrett said while the awards had forced the couple to reflect on their achievements, their work was far from over.

"We still have a lot of work to do to complete the Paddock Eco Village," he said.

"We're also increasingly looking at organisations that are working on climate change around Australia and finding ways to financially support them."

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