Transcript Slide 1

Baw Baw Shire Council
A case study of one Council’s actions in response to
climate change
Mayor Ruth McGowan
Women, Leadership and Climate Change National Forum
10 November 2009
•West Gippsland
•40,000 people
•4000 km2
We seek to lead
behavioural
change in our
community by
example
Local government must do what
it can locally and advocate
effectively to other levels of
government
Local government has a mandate
to protect our citizens and to
promote wellbeing
The buck starts with us
It’s called leadership
Our Commitment
Council has a strong commitment to the
environment which underpins much of our
decision making and services
Environment Management Plan 2008 - 2010.
Addresses: Greenhouse Gas Emissions,
Water, Waste and Biodiversity. Being
reviewed
We aim to be Carbon Neutral - reduce then
offset remaining energy with carbon credits
Drive behaviour Change – at both Council and
Community levels
Partnerships with: Waste Wise, ICLEI, Western
Port Greenhouse Alliance, Ecobuy
Our Climate Change
Actions
1. Rebates
2. Energy Efficient Council Offices &
Services
3. Carbon Neutral Car Fleet
4. Sustainable Recreation Facilities
5. Innovative Recycling Programs
6. Community Programs
1) Rebates
Water Efficient Washing Machines - $100
Home Compost Bin - $40 (max)
Pool Cover - $100
Solar Hot Water - $250
Solar Panels - $500
Rainwater Tanks - $300 to $600
Since July 2008:
• Over 100 rainwater tanks installed = 1 megalitre of
capacity
• Over 60 residents have installed solar PV systems
• Over 580 residents have installed solar hot water
systems (not new houses!)
•Since March 2009, over 354, 4-star WELS rated
washing machines
Solar Panels – Depot
2) Energy Efficient Offices
& Services
Drouin Office
Grey water recycling – Depot
Public Lighting
Yarragon Public Toilets
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Rainwater Tanks to flush toilets
Buildings connected to solar panels
Greywater recycling to flush toilets
Fluorescent lights replaced
Timers in water boilers
Voltage reduction units
Green purchasing - Ecobuy
Sensor lights
Encourage staff behaviour changes recycling, turn-off lights etc
Changes to heating/cooling
Energy efficient appliances
All office buildings use GreenPower
Reviewing public lighting
3) Carbon Neutral Car
Fleet
Biodiesel Tank
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Carbon Neutral Fleet
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Over 900 native trees planted each
year
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Installed Biodiesel (B20) at Council
Depot
4) Sustainable Recreation
Reserves
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All pools have pool covers
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Outdoor Pools with Heating is Solar
Heating
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Rainwater Tanks to top / fill swimming
pools
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Ovals & Reserves irrigated by tank water
& reclaimed factory water
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Heat pumps installed in footy change
rooms
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Installed water efficient shower heads
5) Innovative Recycling
Programs
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Tube Terminator - Recycles globes
containing mercury
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Electronic-Waste Recycling – diverted
from landfill & prevent ground water
contamination
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Silage Wrap Recycling
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Drum Muster
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ChemClear
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Mobile muster – old mobile phones
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‘Detox Your Home’
6) Community Programs
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Education in Kindergartens – eg. rainwater
tanks installed
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On-Line Sustainability Guide & e-newsletter
www.bawbawshire.vic.gov.au
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GreenSmart Training for building and
constructions business in the community
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Community Sessions – Farmworld, Clean Up
Australia Day, National Water Week
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National Solar Schools Program
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Elderly and disabled residents – reducing
energy and water bills, efficient shower heads,
rainwater tanks
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Heatwave response and action plan
Award Winners
Cities for Climate Change Protection – Milestone
5 - May 2009
Waste Wise Award – April 2009 – Silver
Accreditation
Regional Achievement & Community Awards October 2008 Sustainability Award
Smart Water Fund 2008
Most of these actions have happened over the past 3
years since I have had the privilege to be a local
councillor who can drive the environmental agenda
at my local council
Staff and the community have responded
enthusiastically to a change they were waiting for
When you go back home, why not ask ‘what
is my local council doing to address climate
change’?
For more information:
Contact:
Cr Ruth McGowan, Baw Baw Shire
Email: [email protected]
www.ruthmcgowan.com
Or
Nicolette Davey, Environment Officer
Ph: 5624 2570
Email: [email protected]
Visit the environment webpage at:
www.bawbawshire.vic.gov.au
‘Change will not come if we
wait for some other
person or some other time.
We are the ones we’ve
been waiting for. We are the
change that we seek’
Barack Obama
Baw Baw Shire Council Vision
Challenge the
boundaries
be the difference
Our focus is
community
education
on water
and energy
conservation
Priority projects for Baw BAw
•Water conservation and community
education
•Waste minimisation
•Land and biodiversity – conservation
management
•Climate change adaption – focus on
council’s own infrastructure and
community behavioural change
Victorian Local Sustainability Accord, Baw Baw Shire Local
Environmental Sustainability Priority Statement (2008)
Our community is engaged - Turning mobile phones into
fence posts at Labertouche Primary School after the bushfires
Our councillors are committed to meeting the challenges of
climate change
Our Staff have a passion; Raj and Nicolette
Kids are learning water doesn’t just come
from a tap but from their tank at the kinder
Our environment is
precious
Rural projects include:
Free trees for rural residents and support for landcare
From Walhalla to
Warragul – council
infrastructure is
going green
Rain water tanks at
Walhalla visitors’ toilets
Heat pumps Western
Park Oval, Warragul
Rainwater tanks and education at local kindergartens
Warragul
Erica
Yarragon
Longwarry
Neerim South
Drouin
Water from the pristine
forests of Mt Baw Baw
supplies 2/3rds of
Melbourne's Water supply
through the Thompson dam.
You have probably drunk
water courtesy of the Baw
Baw shire today!
That resource is worth
protecting for the next
generation
We installed Sun lizards at local kindergartens to
reduce heating and cooling costs
And promote energy efficiency with local schools.
Through the National Solar Schools Program we
assisted all 33 schools in the shire to apply and
implement
As a growing municipality we have applied ‘Active by
design’ and ‘Water-sensitive urban design’ guidelines for
all new residential sub divisions
Our population is predicted to double by 2050
Council Rebates are highly popular with
ratepayers
We work in partnership with our community - Drouin
Anglican Church
we aim to lead
by obvious
examples
And install highly visual projects such as at the
Drouin public library (5kw PV system)
The Baw Baw Sustainability network is a
community action group which started
early last year.
It has grown from a handful of members
to more than 200 in less than 2 years with
the aim of “generating ideas, energy,
know how and practical action to create a
sustainable world for our children and
grandchildren”.
Climate change becomes personal - February bushfires,
defending my home
What drives me is to create a better future
for my children and their generation
As women; mothers; community leaders;
we can take a vital role in local leadership
for climate change.
Right here, right now ……
like never before, the saying “think locally
act globally” is resonating with power.
We are the people we've been
waiting for. There is no-one else
coming. There is nowhere else for
them to come from. There is noone better than this, we are the
people and therefore it's time for us
to get to work on the task of
building a new world
(Former head of GreenPeace, activist, international public speaker,
and consultant to business, Paul Gilding)