Our journey
What council has achieved in the past in energy efficiency, renewable energy, sustainable transport or broader sustainability
Council adopted a Local Energy Action Plan (LEAP) in 2010, with the intent of reducing emissions generated by the Shire (corporate sector) and the community as a whole. The LEAP sought to achieve a 30% reduction in corporate emissions and 20% reduction (per capita) in community emissions below 2007 levels by 2020. This plan was updated in 2014, and to date has achieved a number of key actions including installation of approximately 60kW in solar PV across key buildings, large scale roll out of LED lighting at the Shire’s Recreation Centre, replacement of major energy equipment throughout key buildings, undertaking regular energy audits, on-going purchase of carbon offsets, and a schedule for continued improvement. The Shire achieved approximately 70% of its corporate, and 100% of its community carbon emissions target (per capita).
What council hopes to achieve in the future in energy efficiency, renewable energy, sustainable transport or broader sustainability
The LEAP has now been replaced by a broader Climate Action Plan following a community Climate Action Summit in 2019. Moving forward, the intent is to raise the bar for corporate and community emissions reduction to 65% below 2007 levels per capita by 2030 and net zero by 2050, along with sourcing 50% of corporate and community electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and 100% by 2050. In order to achieve this the Shire has identified 41 separate actions under four key focus areas; Policy and Education, Renewables and Energy Conservation, Sustainable Transport, and Waste Reduction. Importantly, the Shire seeks to improve the way we communicate information on sustainability to the community. Newly proposed actions seek to bring the community along the journey, with the objective of achieving adopted targets.
What council hopes to gain from being a member of the Cities Power Partnership
The Shire of Augusta Margaret River seek to be a leader in carbon emissions reduction within the Local Government sector. The Cities Power Partnership allows us to benchmark our efforts against local governments of a similar scale and nature to ensure that our targets meet contemporary expectations. We realise that we have a lot to learn from other Local Governments and the Partnership allows us to easily connect with like-minded people to share information.