Interactive tools in Newcastle are reducing electricity and water consumption

New initiatives in Newcastle City (Australia) are helping businesses, councils and the community to measure their electricity and water consumption.

The two initiatives are TogetherTODAY, a Hunter business and community environment initiative launched earlier this year, and Newcastle City Council’s ClimateCam® Billboard in Wheeler Place, and an upgraded website.

TogetherTODAY shows people how to use energy and water more efficiently in schools, homes and businesses, and the ClimateCam® Billboard measures the combined efforts of the community.  ClimateCam® has also been set up in six Hunter Region schools, which have since reported reductions of up to 10 per cent in electricity consumption.

Readings are taken each hour from the 15 zone electrical substations in the Newcastle local government area. The graphs for each zone show hourly electricity consumption in megawatts per hour, along with monthly and annual consumption data.

“The key message to get out to participants and the wider community is:  If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it - that’s our philosophy and what ClimateCam® is all about,” said Peter Dormand, City Energy and Resource Manager, Newcastle City Council.

For more information visit the ClimateCam® website at www.climatecam.com.

http://www.climatecam.comMore and more cities are facing the need to mitigate climate change while already adapting to the changes brought about by climate change.  ICLEI’s Cities for Climate Protection® (CCP) Campaign is an innovative international campaign that helps local government and their communities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and their impact on the environment.   And now, the CCP Campaign is launching the Adaptation Initiative, building capacity for climate change impacts at the local level. 

For more information, please visit www.iclei.org/ccp.

http://www.iclei.org/ccp.Newcastle is one of 105 local governments in Australia that are currently Members of ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability.  

For more information on ICLEI and its activities in the Oceania Region, please visit www.iclei.org/oceania .

Source:  ICLEI Oceania Newsletter, September 2007.

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