THE FOUNDATION – THE LOW CARBON GROWTH PLAN FOR GEELONG In the early days of Future Proofing Geelong a collaboration with ClimateWorks Australia produced a Low Carbon Growth Plan for Geelong1, which was released in 2011. Geelong was the first municipality to generate a Low Carbon Growth Plan, which outlined how greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced for the lowest costs within the municipal boundaries. An update of the Low Carbon Growth Plan was prepared in 2015, to reflect changes in the local economy, most notably significant changes due to the planned closure of industry. It also highlights some of the achievements of Future Proofing Geelong and sets the direction that needs to be followed to achieve greater emissions reductions. A COLLABORATION – THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING Following the expiry of the Sustainability Covenant, which united the partners of Future Proofing Geelong from 2011-2014, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed every three years to further cement a partnership to deliver the objectives of Future Proofing Geelong. The partners to the MOU commit to working together to foster sustainability through the facilitation and promotion of integrated environmental, economic and social activities. This partnership assists the City of Greater Geelong to take a leadership position in Victoria to foster partnerships with other government agencies, the private sector and community. Working in collaboration enables the group to identify and implement sustainability opportunities relevant to the region. See Reference 1 for a summary of the Low Carbon Growth Plan for Geelong 2011
CitySwitch PROJECTS Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Green Office Program Earth Hour Energy Assessment Project Sustainable House Day Victorian Centre for Climate Change Adaptation Research Conference Procurement for Innovation Greening Your Heritage Caring for the Bays Green Roofs Geelong Local Supplier Network Eco-Challenge @ Home Green Light Program Northern Suburbs Transition Towns Australian Youth Climate Coalition Forum Smarter Homes, Smarter Living Cleantech Local Government Federal Government Industry and Manufacturing Development, Industry and Advocacy Agencies State Government Schools Health Sector Building Owners, Tenants and Operators Tertiary Education Food Map Barwon Heads Community Solar Better Blocks Sustainable Network Sustainable Living Festival Innovations Geelong Real Estate Agents Industry Associates Sector Lets Connect Project Armstrong Creek Sustainable House Business Community and Medium Enterprises Community Groups The People’s Solar Living Greener Courses Integrated Water Catchment Not For Profit Agencies The Black Shed Project
FUTURE PROOFING GEELONG HAS MOVED FROM BROAD AWARENESS RAISING TO FOCUS ON DEEPER ENGAGEMENT TO ACTIVATE ACTION ACROSS THREE PILLARS: ECONOMIC STIMULATION FUTURE PROOFING GEELONG GOALS Renewable energy generated Homes more efficient -Star rating New skills and jobs created (number of jobs), sector investment ($ funds, $ turnover) increase in revenues Emissions reduced (tCO2) Renewable energy generated (kwh) Waste diverted from landfill (kgs/CO2) Actions by owners and tenants to improve EE and to improve EE andRE Improved energy efficiency of Commercial buildings (NABERS Ratings) Increased engagement sustainability in the and sustainable business practices awareness and Direct community engagement by hosting awareness raising events Grants to enable community organisations to engage the community Development of the Smarter Homes, Smarter Living Program and the ESD Pilot program Providing support and grants for interested companies to develop clean technologies in Geelong, and supporting companies to secure grants from other sources Raising awareness amongst Geelong industrial companies about opportunities in cleantech Actively engage and support owners and tenants to reduce emissions by improving energy efficiency or resource recovery and considering renewable energy. Increase capability and connect local energy efficiency service providers to businesses and commercial building owners Provide grants and or support to seek funding to businesses and building owners seeking to reduce carbon emissions. 14
HEATING AND COOLING SYSTEM UPGRADE HELPS SAVE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS AT KEY COMMUNITY FACILITIES DEAKIN UNIVERSITY LEADERS IN SUSTAINABILITY DATA COLLECTION THE OUTCOME Since the implementation of the tool, Deakin University has been able to establish an emissions baseline from which they have developed a detailed Leisurelink Aquatic Centre and Corio Library will significantly improve their energy efficiency thanks to upgrades to heating and cooling systems. With funding assistance from Sustainability Victoria, the City has undertaken a $340,000 project to upgrade the chillers at Corio Library and Anakie Road depot as well as the boiler (pool heater) at Leisurelink Aquatic Centre. The City thanks Sustainability Victoria for funding $170,000 towards the project. The upgrades undertaken last October and November would result in savings of around $35,000 per year. “Not only will it save thousands of dollars per year, but importantly, it will offset around 239 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, that is the same as flying return from Melbourne to Brisbane 223 times.” The City was determined to ‘walk the talk’ when it came to sustainability efforts in the region and make all of Council’s buildings more sustainable. Deakin is the first university in Australia to use Kinesis software, an integrated data management and reporting system that helps understand how to build on sustainability initiatives. It works by receiving data directly from Deakin’s metering and services to monitor, measure and report on the sustainability performance of campuses. Kinesis feeds live sustainability data via digital screens to staff and students, providing information about energy usage, water consumption and other resource management, to influence how Deakin University uses these supplies. This system is now Deakin’s single source of truth for sustainability metrics and allows the Sustainability and Facilities teams to monitor the performance of the built environment. Carbon Management Strategy. Engagement with sustainability data has increased significantly across Facility Managers and Service Providers, and data is now trusted as CCAP provides a ‘single source of truth’ that can be relied upon. In 2017 Deakin University plan to use this data and develop engaging digital information screens to communicate performance and impacts at a campus and building level.