Council Corner: Case Studies, Profiles and Initiatives

Looking for new ways to address old issues?

Recently ICLEI Oceania was commissioned by the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government to develop a series of case studies for their Innovation and Knowledge Exchange Network (IKEN). The case studies highlight practices and initiatives that are working for particular Councils and are featured below.

Member councils have also provided the following profiles to share with other councils on what is working for them. Throughout 2012 we will feature council contributions here and in our monthly eNews. If you like to contribute to this knowledge base please contact us.

Council Profiles

Cairns Regional Council

Title: Sustainable Tropical Building Design Framework

Program Summary: In October 2011 Cairns Regional Council adopted a Sustainable Building Design Policy which means that all new and renovated Council buildings need to meet a set of sustainable design requirements.

The Policy is part of a framework which also includes a Sustainable Building Design Checklist and Guidelines. The Checklist is designed to ensure that the objectives of the Policy are met, and the Guidelines provide background information on sustainable tropical building design to assist Council staff to implement the Policy.

Outcomes:

Council buildings:

- surpass minimum statutory requirements for energy and water efficiency where possible;

- incorporate materials with lower environmental impacts;

- provide a high quality indoor environment;

- are fitted with electricity sub-metering devices; and

- maximise opportunities for public and active transport acces

Council is recognised as a leader and develops knowledge, resources and capacity in the area of sustainable tropical building design.
Council drives improvement in sustainable building design within local industry and the community.

The documents are available on Council’s website.

Download the full case study profile.

Lake Macquarie City Council

Title: 10/10 Challenge

Program Summary: The aim of the 10:10 Challenge was to engage large numbers of people in 2010 to take action to reduce their ecological footprint. The 10/10 Challenge encouraged residents, community groups, business, and industry to make a pledge to change their behaviour across areas such as energy and water usage, waste, consumption and transport. The 10:10 Challenge was launched in April 2010 with 80 key stakeholders (political representatives, business, community groups and individuals) urging others to join the Challenge. Council provided support to assist people to carry out their pledges. A number of businesses, as well as making pledges around their own operations, also provided discounts on sustainable purchases to assist others to carry out their pledges. For example, solar providers gave discounts to Challenge participants, and a local building society created a low interest loan for green initiatives.

Outcomes: Some seven months later with media, on line, and face-to-face engagement opportunities Council had more than 13,750 pledges, estimated to save almost 9,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, amounting to savings for participants of over $570,000.

Download the full case study profile.

CASE STUDIES

Recently ICLEI Oceania was commissioned by the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government (ACELG) to develop a series of case studies for their Innovation and Knowledge Exchange Network (IKEN). Fortnightly, we will add more to the series below.

City of Melbourne

City of Melbourne 1200 Buildings Program: Grappling with the Complexities of Retrofitting Melbourne’s CBD

The focus of the 1200 Buildings Program is to lead and support innovation for the retrofitting of over two-thirds of the City’s 1800 commercial buildings with a potential carbon saving of 383,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas per year by 2020.

This is being achieved through a whole-of-building approach, with practical financial funding mechanisms to drive investment and innovation in the commercial sector. There is a strong emphasis on building relationships between key players including tenants and building owners. As commercial buildings are retrofitted they become centres of environmental innovation and showcase engineering excellence. View the full case study.

Mornington Peninsula Shire

Adapting to Climate Change: Council Focus on Cultural and Behavioural Change as a Key to Building Community Resilience

The Council has focused on cultural and behavioural change as a key to building community resilience. Their ‘Climate Change Conversations’ community engagement program was attended by more than 3,000 people and, is an excellent example of how to address global issues with the local community to ensure that council actions reflect community expectations. View the full case study.

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