Shoalhaven City
Mini hydro and solar
Sustainability award winning
Council has chosen the following pledges
Use council resources to support the uptake of renewable energy.
Facilitate large energy users collectively tendering and purchasing renewable energy at a low cost.
Adopt best practice energy efficiency measures across all council buildings, and support community facilities to adopt these measures.
Roll out energy efficient lighting across the municipality.
Ensure Council fleet purchases meet strict greenhouse gas emissions requirements and support the uptake of electric vehicles.
Completed Partnership Pledges
Congratulations to the City of Shoalhaven for completing the following emission reducing pledges
Encourage sustainable transport use such as public transport, walking and cycling through council transport planning and design.
Develop education and behaviour-change programs to support local residents and businesses to tackle climate change through clean energy, energy efficiency and sustainable transport.
Set minimum renewable energy benchmarks for new developments.
Investigate/recommend minimum energy efficiency benchmarks for all planning applications in consultation with the local developers forum
Install renewable energy (solar PV and battery storage) on council buildings
Install renewable energy pilot plant on water/sewer assets where viable.
Set city-level renewable energy or emissions reduction targets.
Shoalhaven City
What council has achieved in the past in energy efficiency, renewable energy or broader sustainability:
Shoalhaven City Council’s Bay and Basin Leisure Centre provides the most recent example of Councils achievements in sustainability. The Centre is the largest of Council’s four leisure and aquatic centres and operates in an industry known for its high consumption of energy.
The Centre was recently recognised as an industry leader for improving the sustainability of its operations, winning the Aquatic and Recreational Institute’s Environmental Sustainability Award (June 2017). This award acknowledges Council’s long-term commitment to continually improving sustainability processes across several key areas, including waste, water efficiency, energy consumption and purchasing.
Additionally, Council has several large scale renewable energy installations, and has invested in a mini-hydro as well as solar for our high energy using assets. Council has invested in urban cooling solutions for our central business district, and appreciates the importance of shade and evaporative cooling. Shoalhaven Council also actively engages with its community on reducing waste, and runs a substantial program targeting home sustainability. Council also offers free workshops on composting, worm farming, natural cleaning, organic veggie gardening and using leftovers.
What council hopes to achieve in the future in energy efficiency, renewable energy or broader sustainability:
Ecologically Sustainable Development is a core principle of Council, as reflected in Shoalhaven’s Community Strategic Plan (CSP). Over the next four years, Council aims to develop strategies to reduce Shoalhaven’s carbon footprint and reliance on non-renewable energy sources to meet the changing needs and expectations of its community.
Council is seeking to reduce the costs and tensions induced by the impact of climate change on its coastal infrastructure and communities. Council is also seeking to progress sustainability improvements across all of its operations and activities, and improve the integration of sustainability outcomes in the organisation’s delivery and operational plans. Council also hopes to lower its corporate energy usage, setting an example for the community.
Why council joined the Cities Power Partnership:
Shoalhaven City Council has joined the Cities Power Partnership seeking mentoring and partnerships to better enable fulfilment of the Shoalhaven community’s vision.
Council recognises that there is a complicated journey ahead to successfully adapt to a low carbon economy and it is hoped that the Partnership will offer the support and incentive for Council to rise to this challenge.