Council places greater focus on sustainability

Being sustainable is not only good for the environment, it also makes good financial sense and Council is getting on board.

Portfolio Councillor for Sustainability, Dr Dodt stated, “This is the first time that council has supported a policy specifically directing future actions to ensure a sustainable bright future”

At today’s Council meeting, Councillors unanimously voted in support of Council’s new Sustainability Policy, which will drive change throughout the organisation and the wider community.

The policy will prompt the organisation to consider issues of sustainability and apply it to things like Council’s corporate activities, greenhouse gas emissions, facilities management and procurement in an effort to achieve balance between growth, cost efficiency and environment.  

“Action toward an energy aware future will benefit our environment as well as our pockets.  Every small action contributes, and global change must begin locally”, Cr Dodt said.

Following today’s Council endorsement of the policy, Council officers begin implementation of an Energy Management Action Plan to identify ways to reduce energy consumption, which will be good for the environment and good for Council’s bottom line. 

Further sustainability initiatives include exploring longer-term solutions to land-fill gas emissions reduction, waste minimisation, recycling and resource recovery.   

Water efficiency will also be high on the sustainability agenda with Council and the community being encouraged to consider storm water harvesting and recycled water re-use.