At the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development held in September in Johannesburg, South Africa, Melbourne City Council Lord Mayor, John So, presented delegates from all over the world the Melbourne Principles. The ten principles serve as a guideline to long term thinking on the sustainable development of cities around the world.
“These principles embody much of the City of Melbourne’s vision to be a leader in creating long term sustainable practices,” said Lord Mayor John So. “While it is clear that cities are vital for economic development and social interaction, they are increasingly damaging our natural environment.We are working at a practical level that includes purchasing a proportion of green power for public lighting and buildings, saving 8,500 tonnes a year; building retrofits saving 290 tonnes a year; and installing energy efficient computers saving 135 tonnes per year.”
The City of Melbourne is also believed to be the first Council in Australia to complete the Cities for Climate Protection’s program. It is currently preparing a draft Sustainable Energy and Greenhouse Strategy to further extend its commitment to achieve an ambitious target of zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.
“We have implemented more than 27 corporate reduction measures collectively reducing emissions by 8,122 tonnes per year, and eight community reduction measures, reducing emissions by almost 60,000 tonnes per year,” said Councillor Kate Redwood, Chair of the City of Melbourne’s Environment Committee. “Council aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent across the municipality by 2010.”
For information on Council’s Melbourne Principles go to www.unep.or.jp/
