Hornsby Shire Council

“By working together councils will have a better chance of identifying strategies that will help us all reduce energy consumption”

Mayor Philip Ruddock

What council has achieved in the past in energy efficiency, renewable energy, sustainable transport or broader sustainability

Council has a strong history of energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainability initiatives for both our own corporate assets and working with the broader community. Actions undertaken in the past include:

• Installation of LED lighting and more energy efficient HVAC in Council buildings and offices
• Fitting over 192kW of solar panel systems and one 15kW wind turbine on Council buildings, libraries, works depot and park facilities
• Working with SSROC and its member councils on the Street Lighting Improvement Program and accelerated deployment of LED street lighting
• Community workshops on energy efficiency, renewable energy, sustainable design and retrofits
• Propagation and distribution of over 28,000 plants from Council’s community nursery for planting on public land or given to residents and schools
• Free guided bushwalks program highlighting our Shire’s diverse flora and fauna
• For 22 years we have been running an extensive water quality monitoring program. The program monitors the health of the Shire’s waterways and provides current water quality monitoring data to our community.

What council hopes to achieve in the future in energy efficiency, renewable energy, sustainable transport or broader sustainability

In Council’s Community Strategic Plan 2013-2023, considerations for our future include improving Council’s resource consumption and assisting our community to improve resilience to climate related vulnerability. In particular we are looking at sustainable energy use and increasing the number of community members participating in Council’s sustainability initiatives.

Council also has a carbon emission reduction target of 30% below 1995/96 levels by 2019/20.

What council hopes to gain from being a member of the Cities Power Partnership

Hornsby Shire Council has joined the Cities Power Partnership seeking mentoring and partnerships, access to the CCP knowledge hub, webinars and visits from climate council experts. The Cities Power Partnership Program will support our collaboration with other councils and provide access to reliable and current information and experiences specific to local councils and our communities.