The City of Cockburn has been Highly Commended in the Cities Power Partnership (CPP) Renewable Energy Achievement Award for 2020.
The announcement was made this afternoon at the CPPs third annual national Climate Awards at a livestreamed ceremony in Canberra, hosted by media writer and personality Craig Reucassel from ABC TVs
The Fight for Planet A: The Climate Change Challenge and
Big Weather (and how to survive it).
City of Cockburn Acting CEO Daniel Arndt accepted the commendation and said the City of Cockburn had been targeting emissions reduction for more than 20 years.
“Today we have over 1.5 megawatts of solar across 21 facilities and recently achieved our 2020 renewable energy target,” Mr Arndt said.
“The Solar PV system at Cockburn ARC is the largest rooftop system in WA and has been combined with a geothermal system to create one of the most sustainable aquatic facilities in WA.”
The CPP is Australia’s largest local government climate network, made up of 139 councils from across the country, representing almost 11 million Australians.
Cockburn Council recently adopted its inaugural Climate Change Strategy, which outlines a resilience roadmap with bold aspirational targets for 2030 including corporate targets of net zero emissions and a transition to 100 per cent renewable electricity.
The City has the largest inventory of renewable energy systems of any local government in WA including 5,700+ solar panels, plus wind turbines, geothermal heating, methane gas capture and solar LED lighting.
Many of these projects have been funded by the City’s Greenhouse Action Fund established in 2011.
Allocations of $300,000 pa (2011-2020) and $200,000 pa (2020 onwards) have utilised ongoing savings from previous emission reduction initiatives to finance over $2M in projects to date.
These measures allowed the City to achieve its 2020 renewable energy target, set in 2013, to generate 20 per cent electricity from renewable sources.
The strategy will also make Cockburn the first council in WA to set a zero waste target. Its vision for responsible waste management is for 100 per cent of non-hazardous waste to be diverted from landfill by 2030, in line with the State Government-endorsed waste hierarchy where avoidance of waste generation is the most preferred option.
The strategy’s roadmap has 14 objectives, including the City, community and State Government working together to achieve net zero community emissions by 2050, which aligns with the WA government’s proposed emissions reduction target.
The objectives will be achieved with a comprehensive action plan to deliver innovative solutions for energy supply, world leadership in waste management and best practice climate change adaptation.
The strategy is the result of direction from the Cockburn community with its aspirations shared via 300+ survey responses during a consultation in May that asked locals to share their vision for a sustainable and climate resilient future.
The consultation attracted one of the City’s highest ever visitation rates on its Comment on Cockburn online project page, with more than 2,000 visitors in addition to nine digital workshops.
City of Cockburn Mayor Logan Howlett said the City had been taking decisive and responsible action on climate change since it joined the Cities for Climate Protection Program and undertook its first greenhouse gas inventory in 1999.
“Over the next 12 months, the City will undertake a green hydrogen feasibility study, an electric waste truck trial, and commence upgrades to smart, energy-efficient street lighting,” Mayor Howlett said.
“The City will also continue to offset its fleet emissions, deliver sustainability and environmental education programs and maintain its status as a Gold Waterwise Council with the Water Corporation.”
The City has already strengthened its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and tackle worsening climate change by becoming the first council in Western Australia to be a Cities Power Partnership Champion.
The 14 objectives of the Strategy’s resilience roadmap are:
- Strong Leadership
- Net zero emissions
- Zero non-hazardous waste to landfill
- 100% renewable energy
- Reduce energy consumption
- Smart city innovation
- Zero Emissions fleet
- Education and collaboration
- Waterwise City
- Conserve biodiversity
- Coastal adaptation
- Increase the urban forest
- Protect community infrastructure
- Enhance health and wellbeing.
To read the Climate Change Strategy visit the City’s
website.