This year Merri-bek celebrates 10 years carbon neutral under the Federal Government’s Climate Active program.
As one of the first councils in Australia to become certified carbon neutral, we are proud of our investment in clean energy.
Some of our key actions in this space include:
- Purchasing 100% of Council’s electricity needs from renewable energy through the Crowlands Windfarm in regional Victoria
- Installing 1.14 megawatts of solar across 37 Council buildings,
- Maintaining the largest electric vehicle fleet of local governments in Victoria, including e-bikes
- Transitioning Council buildings to all-electric, and
- A wide range of energy-efficiency initiatives.
Taking climate action as a community
“Taking climate action is crucial to protect our environment and ensure we have a safe and healthy place to live. We know that climate action prevents pollution, creates security, produces jobs, improves health and saves money for our community,” says Merri-bek Mayor Mark Riley.
“Council’s operational changes have really kick-started Moreland’s transition to clean energy, and now we need to work closely with the community to continue making an impact.”
“It’s great that almost 8900 Merri-bek households have already installed solar in their homes. There are council and government programs available to help Merri-bek residents switch to solar power – investing in a clean energy future for our community.”
“I’m proud that Council is celebrating 10 years carbon neutral. Our continued investment in clean energy will see us further reduce emissions as we work towards ambitious targets in the next decade.”
Towards zero emissions
For Council (corporate/operational) emissions we have a highly ambitious target range of an 80 to 100% reduction by 2030 (precluding offsets, against 2011/12 baseline). We are tracking well against our 2030 targets. Our footprint in 2020/21 was 70% lower emissions than 2011/12, and 4% lower than 2019/20.
To achieve the remaining carbon reduction we are continuing to convert our vehicle fleet to electric, expanding our public EV charging network, improving the energy efficiency of our facilities and installing solar power where feasible.
We are also engaging with our suppliers to reduce their emissions and prioritise low-carbon products, particularly for infrastructure works.
