One million fewer pages of paper were used by the City of Stirling in 2014-15 when compared with the previous year, thanks to a range of actions taken by employees from right across the organisation.
The Million Pages Project was initiated in 2014 and a target of reducing paper consumption by 1 million pages was set. In fact, 1.1 million pages and more than $13,000 were saved in the 2014–15 financial year as a result of many small actions with a large cumulative effect.
Moving to e-business solutions for internal and external customer interactions enabled significant paper savings through the introduction of on-line lodgment and processing of planning applications and transitioning to electronic agendas for council and committee meetings.
1 million down, 1 million more to go! A new target to save 1 million more pages has been set for the 2015–16 financial year. The City will focus on achieving further savings through behavioral changes in relation to printer use as well as continuing the implementation of more e-business solutions.
A key energy project at the City has included the installation of a 30kW solar array and the upgrade of inefficient lighting at the Scarborough Civic Centre, saving $22,000 in energy costs per year. The new LED lights have reduced the library’s electricity consumption from lighting by 66 percent and improved the illumination levels and quality throughout.
The City has plans to roll out further sustainable energy projects as part of its commitment to being an Energy Wise City, including the installation of a further 55kW of solar panels.
The first upgrade completed this year was the installation of variable speed drives (VSDs) on the pool pumps at the City’s aquatic centre, Leisurepark Balga. The project has resulted in substantial reductions in the pumps’ energy use and is expected to reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions by 136 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.
At the Works Depot, upgrades are expected to reduce energy used by the air-conditioning system by at least 19 percent, cutting the Works Depot’s energy bills by around $4700 a year. Further upgrades underway include efficient LED lighting at Leisurepark Balga, Mirrabooka Library and the Works Depot; installing VSDs at Terry Tyzack Aquatic Centre and upgrading the Building Management Systems at the aquatic centres.
