GREEN

Across the globe there is a pressing need to reduce carbon emissions to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. We all have a part to play to achieve deep cuts to emissions. This requires a shared effort across residents, businesses, Council and other levels of government.

To play our part, we have a target to achieve zero net carbon emissions from Council operations by 2020, by a combination of reducing corporate carbon emissions and the purchase of carbon offsets.

We aim achieve zero net emissions for our community by 2040, we also have interim community emissions reduction targets of:

• 44 per cent below 2017 levels by 2025
• 67 – 70 per cent below 2017 levels by 2030

The urban forest, including all the trees and vegetation in our city is critically important to both mental and physical health as these cool, green environments encourage people to recreate and socialise outdoors. As the climate changes and we experience hotter, drier and more extreme weather conditions, our community will be more impacted by heat stress and flood risk. A healthy urban forest is one of the most effective ways to mitigate urban heat island and improve health outcomes in the community.

Water is critical to creating much needed green, cool, and climate-adapted spaces in our city. In 2040, our city supports healthy natural environments, waterways and green spaces, while providing sustainable water supplies to meet our needs.

What does Council do?

“We help protect our environment and tackle climate change.”

Australian households produce over 13 million tonnes of waste per year and in Moonee Valley we lead typical Australian, high consumption lifestyles. We cannot sustain this level of consumption and associated waste generation. We need to rethink our use of resources and consider the legacy we leave future generations. Over the coming decades this will require a major shift to see ourselves as stewards of our natural resources, rather than primarily consumers and producers of waste.

We need to consider the whole of life cycle of products and value durable, long-lasting materials. By first avoiding waste and increasing reuse, recycling and other forms of resource recovery, we can dramatically cut waste disposed to landfill.

Council acknowledges that the achievement of our aspirational target depends on developments in the waste industry that are outside Council’s control, such as improved resource recovery technologies and changes in the regulatory environment.

What does Council do?

“We keep Moonee Valley clean and tidy. We manage street sweeping, recycling and rubbish collection.”

As the climate changes, we expect to see more extreme weather, such as storms and floods, and generally hotter, drier conditions. This will place additional pressure on the community, impact Council assets and disrupt services. It will however, also present new opportunities, such as acting as a driver to create a cooler, more climate resilient city with a lower carbon footprint.

Climate change adaptation is about being better prepared and equipped to cope with the impacts of climate change. Adaptation planning involves improving the ability of Council’s services, our natural and built assets, and our community to be resilient to the impacts of climate change.

What does Council do?

“We keep Moonee Valley beautiful, green and leafy. We look after our local parks, gardens, nature reserves, sports grounds, and the trees in our streets.”