Moreland City Council Mayor Councillor Lambros Tapinos has urged residents and commercial sectors, particularly building and construction, to become involved in the cleanup and greening of their city.
“World Environment Day is a good time for everyone to think about the way they do things, the processes they have in place, and ask themselves what they could change to reduce their impact on the environment,” Mayor Tapinos said.
Moreland City Council, along with Moreland Energy Foundation Ltd (MEFL) and the Moreland Solar City project, are key partners in the Northern Alliance for Greenhouse Action (NAGA). The Alliance is developing a regional emissions reduction strategy, which is a first of its kind at a local government level. Titled “Towards Zero Net Emissions”, the plan calls for zero net carbon emissions by 2030.
“The benefits of the Alliance to Council are significant,” Mayor Tapinos said. “By coordinating our efforts and pooling our knowledge and resources we can streamline allocations to where they are needed most. Councils will achieve more together than one could alone.
“This approach gives us the opportunity to initiate large scale projects, such as solar hot water systems and solar panels for our communities. Larger, more efficient projects mean the impact will be greater and will bring us closer to our goal of zero net emissions,” he said. “It is also likely to attract more interest and associated funding from commercial and government sectors.”
Mayor Tapinos said NAGA had also commissioned research to aid development of reliable community baseline emissions data.
“Baseline data allows us to calculate the carbon impact and carbon reduction potential of alternative approaches to building and design, including home and office development, local energy generation and water and energy saving technology.
“These figures help
us set realistic benchmarks for our communities, to achieve zero carbon within the next 20 years.
“Our research is focusing on stationary energy, transport and waste as the main drivers of harmful emissions,” he said. “It will also investigate potential Local Government roles in offsets provisions.”
NAGA is due to report to member councils this August for endorsement of its research and to take the next step in development of the regional strategy.
