Here in Australia and all over the world, it’s local governments and communities that are leading the switch to clean energy. Our communities are full of local heroes who are busy getting on with the job. Town by town, city by city, these Australians are tackling climate change and transforming Australia’s energy future from the ground up. It’s truly inspiring stuff.
The Cities Power Partnership is a free national program that exists to celebrate and accelerate the emission reduction and clean energy successes of Australian towns and cities. It’s a coalition of the willing – made up of Mayors, councillors and communities who are committed to a sustainable, non-polluting energy future.
Local councils who join the partnership pledge to take 5 key actions across renewable energy, efficiency, transport and working together. There are dozens of actions: whether it’s putting solar on the local library, switching to electric buses, or opening up old landfills for new solar farms. The possibilities are endless!
And at the heart of the Cities Power Partnership is connection and sharing between participants. Let’s say your council wants to set a benchmark for new housing developments to put solar on the roof of every new home. The partnership will connect you to other councils who are already doing it, through our website and buddying system. You will receive access to our national knowledge hub to help with emissions reductions projects, our Power Analytics tool to help track emissions, energy and costs savings and you’ll be buddied with other participating councils to knowledge share.
Participants will also get exclusive access to domestic and international experts, events with other local leaders and potentially exclusive access to small grants and renewable energy incentives as they become available. The partnership also has a team dedicated to getting the clean energy successes of councils and communities publicised in the media and online. As the number one organisation communicating in the media on climate change last year, and with an online reach of over 8 million people per month, the Climate Council is well placed to help councils profile their clean energy and sustainability successes to their community and Australians around the country.