Georges River Council is the first council in NSW to set five new sustainable goals after meeting all of its initial commitments in the Cities Power Partnership, Australia's largest network of cities and towns taking action on climate change.
The new pledges will support the community to reduce their carbon footprint as well as continue the council's ongoing work to drive changes within its operations to achieve its goal of net zero carbon emissions and 100 per cent renewable energy by 2025.
Georges River Council mayor Kevin Greene said that the pledges will focus on fast-tracking the uptake of renewables in the Georges River community.
"I am proud to share that Georges River Council was one of the first councils to achieve all pledges out of 128 councils in the Cities Power Partnership," Councillor Greene said.
"This has seen Council implement a number of sustainable changes to its operations across the past year, including increasing its use of solar panels by 100 per cent, which is saving Council around $22,000 in energy bills per year.
"Council has also promoted the uptake of renewable power options in households, purchased two electric vehicles and certified its summer events as Carbon Neutral.
"While these are significant achievements, there is still much work to do as Council works towards a more sustainable future, and by committing to five new climate pledges, Council is ensuring continued progress.
"Council will now focus on promoting sustainable practices at a community level, as it is only with this collective support, that we will truly be able to realise our goals for a sustainable future that is more resilient to climate and economic shocks,"Cr Greene said.
Director of the Cities Power Partnership, David Craven congratulated Georges River Council for the number of actions they are taking to reduce their greenhouse gas pollution and tackle climate change.
"Not only are they the first council in our program to complete all five climate action pledges, it's fantastic to see them quickly commit to five new pledges.
"We know that councils are the engine rooms for meaningful action on climate and their leading role in reducing emissions while educating communities should not be underestimated."
Georges River Council has pledged to:
1. Support community facilities to access renewable energy through incentives, support or grants;
2. Provide fast-charging infrastructure throughout the city at key locations for electric vehicles;
3. Develop education and behaviour-change programs to support local residents and businesses to tackle climate change through clean energy, energy efficiency and sustainable transport;
4. Develop a procurement policy to ensure that the practices of contractors and financers align with Council's renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable transport goals:
5. Support the local community to develop capacity and skills to tackle climate change.
The council's pledges will form part of its the Environmental Resilience Strategy.
