*By Mayor Carol Ross and CEO, Catherine Dale
Environmental sustainability is a top priority for the City of Boroondara. Through ‘green’ initiatives Council has made huge cost savings, achieved major reductions in waste and managed vast improvements in water use.
We have been proactive in this area for some time and we are now recognised as one of the leaders and innovators in environmental sustainability.
However, while much has been achieved, there is much more that can be done. We are constantly seeking new and improved ways to counter climate change, manage our natural resources and waste, and protect our local biodiversity.
Much of the potential to deliver relies on Council and the community working together – good ideas, enthusiasm, dedication are just some of the necessary ingredients.
To this end, our team at Boroondara are encouraged to be innovative, share their ideas, learn from others and make a difference.
In fact, a number of exciting projects that we will work on together are already on the horizon for next year including:
- establishing an Eco-Living Demonstration Centre in
Boroondara - further development of wetlands
- developing a Towards Carbon Neutrality Strategy.
Our communities are looking to Local Governments – and government in general – to take the lead on this issue.
This edition of Local Government FOCUS provides us with an opportunity to share our initiatives and give an insight to the challenges in delivering on our commitment of Sustaining our Environment.
By sharing our experiences as part of a broader and continuing public discourse on environmental initiatives, we hope that we will be able to successfully respond to one of our greatest challenges of all times.
