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.