Backgrounder
- recipients of Community Abatement Grants 2005-06
(NB: funding includes Australian Government funding of $25,000)
Participating councils: City
of Casey, Vic; Frankston City Council, Vic; and Cardinia
Shire Council, Vic
Councils will work with a combination or primary, secondary,
public, and independent schools to raise awareness of
potential greenhouse gas reduction opportunities within
the school environment, and undertake actions to reduce
emissions.
School students will learn about global warming and climate
change issues and help them understand how they can help
reduce greenhouse gas emissions from simple changes to
their daily habits.
The Planet Savers project will include elements of the
Sustainable School's Energy Module, allowing teachers
and students to learn about energy conservation, renewable
energy and ways to reduce emissions.
Schools will be able to install more efficient equipment
and appliances to further reduce their impact on the environment.
Contact: Dan Garlick, Project Manager, City of Casey,
(03) 9705 5129 or 0438 013 168 or dgarlick@casey.vic.gov.au
Total funding: $69 000.
Title: SouthROC ecoBiz
Participating councils: Redland Shire Council, Qld; Gold
Coast City Council, Qld; and Tweed Shire Council, NSW.
Thirty small to medium sized businesses will work with
the councils to deliver the Queensland Environmental Protection
Agency's ecoBiz programme which helps businesses improve
their triple bottom line by becoming more eco-efficient.
Eco-efficiency is about improving business operations
while at the same time using less resources and reducing
waste and pollution.
The SouthROC ecoBiz project creates an environment for
businesses to influence other businesses, showing that
energy, water, and waste efficiency are profitable and
corporately responsible. It will equip local Queensland
businesses with the tools, resources, and 'know-how' to
transform the way they do business.
The six steps of the SouthROC ecoBiz project include undertaking
a baseline assessment of the business, conducting a site
audit, developing an ecoBiz action plan which sets out
the actions the business will implement to become more
eco-efficient, and undertaking the actions in the plan.
Contact: Andrew Harvey, Project Manager, Redland Shire
Council, (07) 3829 8532 or andrewh@redland.qld.gov.au
Total funding: $75 000.
Title: Business Energy Efficiency Programme - BEEP
Participating councils: City of Charles Sturt, SA; Cities
of Norwood, Payneham and St Peters, SA; and Campbelltown
City Council, SA.
Thirty businesses participating in BEEP will learn more
about the energy situation in South Australia, identify
common energy consumption problems for businesses and
the available support measures and actions, and understand
the need to collect energy consumption data for tracking
and comparison.
The councils will work closely with the businesses, and
conduct workshops that will share how businesses have
successfully reduced energy consumption and how other
companies can adopt these practices.
At the completion of the workshop, participating businesses
will have the opportunity to receive a free one-hour on-site
visit from a private sector energy consultant to identify
how their operation can benefit from implementing specific
energy conservation solutions.
Each council will also provide limited funding to businesses
to help them implement the project. The energy reduction
measures identified and implemented within the participating
businesses will be quantified in terms of energy, costs
and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
Contact: Dianne Vivian, Project Manager, City of Charles
Sturt, (08) 8408 1204 or dvivian@charlessturt.sa.gov.au
Total funding: $33 300.
Title: Biosolids Re-use and Energy Production Project
Study
Participating councils: Noosa Council, Qld; Maroochy Shire
Council, Qld; Caboolture Shire Council, Qld; and Caloundra
City Council, Qld.
Water and sewerage management account for significant
greenhouse gas emissions for Queensland councils, and
there are minimal opportunities available for emissions
reduction. The Biosolids Re-use and Energy Production
Project Study will determine if energy can be generated
from sewage treatment.
The study will determine a range of things, including
establishing a new, or retrofitting an existing, bioreactor
to handle the supply of biosolids from these councils;
and technology to capture methane and produce electricity
and local agricultural products. It will also investigate
the best economic model for the end use of any electricity
generated, and the economic and environmental benefits
that should flow to each council.
By investigating the quantity and quality of the biosolids
produced by these councils, the amount of energy that
could be produced if biosolids were combined can be determined.
Contact:Kamal Singh, Project Manager, Noosa Council, (07)
5449 5130 or ccp@noosa.qld.gov.au
Total funding: $50 000.
Title: Energy Efficient Schools
Participating councils: Ku-ring-gai Council, NSW; Manly
Council, NSW; Mosman Council, NSW; and Hornsby Shire Council,
NSW.
One primary and one secondary school in the four local
government areas will benefit from a range of measures
designed to transform the building and school ground into
an energy efficient school.
The project will seek to raise awareness of potential
greenhouse gas reduction opportunities within the school
environment, and empower the school to undertake actions
to reduce emissions.
Staff and students will participate in an energy audit,
and the students will take part in a mock council debate
or role-playing exercise to identify the inefficiencies
and develop ways to rectify them.
Through existing networks, such as the Sustainable Schools
network, participating schools will be able to communicate
to other schools the success of not only the educational
component, but also the energy reduction projects the
school implements.
Schools will be provided with seed funding to assist with
retrofitting and will be required to reinvest savings
into future greenhouse abatement actions.
Contact: Louise Hayward, Project Officer, Ku-ring-gai
Council, (02) 9424 0172 or Hayward@kmc.nsw.gov.au
Total funding: $42 600.
Title: Energy Services Sector Development - Green Electricians.
Participating councils: Moreland City Council, Vic; Hume
City Council, Vic; and City of Darebin, Vic.
Information seminars for approximately 100 electrical
contractors, trades and related services in the local
government areas will educate the participants about greenhouse
issues and build their capacity to integrate energy efficiency
advice into their services.
The seminars are designed to raise awareness of greenhouse
and climate change issues, provide latest examples of
emerging industry and local government trends, and demonstrate
leading-edge technologies and techniques.
Participants will also take part in a detailed training
session, and be provided with a range of energy assessment
techniques including an auditing, greenhouse and financial
savings calculator.
Energy efficient products, such as lighting devices, will
be provided to participants and will act as an initial
incentive for them to promote energy efficient products
to their residential and business clients.
They will also have the opportunity to recommend further
energy efficient measures based on the information supplied
at the seminar and training.
Contact: Judy Bush, Project Officer, Moreland Energy Foundation
Limited, (03) 9381 1722 or judy@mefl.com.au
Total funding: $60 000.
Title: Local Centres - Improving the Climate for Business
Participating councils: City of Canning, WA; City of Cockburn,
WA; and City of Rockingham, WA
These councils will work with approximately 36 small businesses,
from six or more local shopping centres in these local
government areas, to identify potential actions for the
businesses to reduce energy use and improve recycling.
Councils will help businesses identify inefficient air
conditioning and hot water practices and give them ideas
on ways to improve them. By learning the current practices,
councils can help businesses identify the behavioural
and technological means to become more energy efficient.
Businesses will also receive free, confidential advice
on any greenhouse abatement measures they are interested
in pursuing. This could range from providing contacts
for independent energy auditors or lighting specialists,
through to hosting meetings with other businesses to support
measures such as improved bin separation for recycling.
Contact: Chuck Ellis, Manager Communications, Southern
Metropolitan Regional Council, (08) 9316 3988 or 0410
503 301 or chucke@smrc.com.au
Total funding: $40 605.
Title: Your Home, Our Environment with easybeinggreen
Participating councils: Manningham City Council, Vic;
Banyule City Council, Vic; and Nillumbik City Council,
Vic
The councils will provide information seminars for approximately
120 local residents from these local government areas,
offering advice about how to make their homes more comfortable
and environmentally friendly.
By raising awareness of the impact of urban living upon
climate systems, water cycles, and natural systems in
general, the participating residents will learn how to
improve their homes and reduce their energy consumption
and environmental footprint.
Councils will offer residents the opportunity to have
a home consultation, with some residents who proceed with
a sustainable retrofit of their home receiving a subsidy
towards their project.
More than 100 000 households are likely to receive information
and profiles of the various projects, highlighting how
some easy real-life examples have saved residents energy
and water, and more importantly, reduced greenhouse gas
emissions.
Contact: Faye Adams, Project Officer, Manningham City
Council, (03) 9840 9325 or faye.adams@manningham.vic.gov.au
Total funding: $48 300. |