Melbourne, capital of Australia’s southern state of Victoria, has set itself on a path to a more resilient and self-sufficient future with the endorsement of two key city council documents.
The Zero Net Emissions and Total Watermark strategies identify new targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the municipality over the next four years, and build on efforts to capture and use water in a smarter way.
Environment Councillor Arron Wood said the strategies were released for public feedback last year and endorsed at this week’s Future Melbourne Committee meeting, setting a clear direction for city council over the next four years.
“Change starts at home and the Zero Net Emissions Strategy outlines our commitment to making changes in our own operations such as trialling low emissions technologies and increasing the uptake of carbon neutral services,” Cr Wood said.
“What became very clear in the development of these strategies was that we can’t achieve change on a large scale alone.
“We have set the ambitious municipal goals of becoming a zero net emissions city by 2020, and switching our electricity supply to 25 per cent renewable energy.
“However, commitment to change is needed at all levels to make this happen, from the local community, business and government.”
T
he Total Watermark Strategy positions the city as a catchment, recognising the important role of both natural and man-made catchments, including roads, roofs and impermeable surfaces.
“In recent years our city has experienced extremes in weather conditions and we recognise that water and the way we use it plays a fundamental role in helping our city cope under all kinds of conditions.”
The City of Melbourne today launched the next of its major stormwater projects at Birrarung Marr.
The tank has a storage capacity of 2500kl and will provide 35 million litres of water to irrigate the upper and middle terraces of Birrarung Marr, Speakers Corner and the tree avenues along the banks of the Yarra River.
The City of Melbourne received funding for three stormwater harvesting projects through the federal government’s Water for the Future program in 2010.
Combined, the projects located at Alexandra and Queen Victoria Gardens, Birrarung Marr and Fitzroy Gardens are expected to save 119 million litres of drinking water.
“We know that more water falls on our city than we can use at that time.
“These projects are a perfect example of the innovative ways we can save and reuse water to ensure that our city is thriving and resilient into the future,” Cr Wood said.
