ICLEI Oceania: July 2007

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News | Outstanding Initiative | Previous Outstanding Initiatives | July 2007

COUNCIL INITIATIVE OF THE MONTH

Mornington Peninsula Shire Council

Your Community, Your Future - Community Engagement Workshops

Background

Every two years Mornington Peninsula Shire Council undertakes a round of community consultations to help inform its community planning process. This year’s consultations included a presentation on greenhouse and climate change issues as they relate to the community.

Greenhouse and climate change feature in many of Council’s policies, however it was decided that greenhouse issues needed to be better integrated into decision-making around infrastructure and building provision. There was a need for greater community awareness of the potential effects of climate change in the region, which would help the community appreciate the activities of Council in this area now and in the future. Additionally, Council wanted to show leadership on this issue and to support the community to take steps to address their own emissions.

Implementation and approach

By raising community and organisation awareness of the issues and effects of climate change on the local area, Council is able to better plan support services that will be required by its community. Being aware of potential consequences of lifestyle choices helps residents change their decisions about home heating and cooling and other emission intensive activities. It will also help them to better understand Council’s activities and decision making on issues.

Council budget covers a range of sustainability actions, such as the use of recyclable paper cups and plates made from sugar cane. The community planning sessions are a recurring item in Council’s budget and this year included the cost of the 650 show bags given away over the fourteen sessions.

The presentation was informed by a range of activities currently being undertaken by Council including its membership in the Western Ports Greenhouse Alliance, participation in CCP and the Water Campaign™ and a number of specific council policies.

Partnerships have been vital to the successful delivery of the climate change component of council’s community planning sessions. Sustainability Victoria helped with the provision of information materials and the DSE Greenhouse Unit reviewed and provided comment on the content of Council’s presentation.

Prior to the planning sessions Council’s newsletter featured a lead article on the issue, with a follow up article at the completion of all sessions.

Benefits

The inclusion of climate change in the community planning sessions was considered a success by Council and participants. Many participants expressed their appreciation of the simple presentation format and of having access to good quality, reliable information, which has been tailored to their local area. They felt this gave them a set of tools to take away to make changes to their lifestyle to reduce greenhouse emissions.

Lessons learnt

Council has learnt a number of lessons from engaging the community in its planning for climate change and greenhouse action:

The community needs to be adequately informed of the content and intent of the sessions prior to their delivery;
Explore ways to attract a younger audience by offering childcare or other measures;
Ensure the presentation is understandable and tailored to the local area;
Ensure the presentation is positive and informative; and
Including climate change in an existing forum allows the message to reach a broader audience.

The following are a number of key steps to assist other councils interested in engaging their community in council decision making on climate change and greenhouse issues:

Be clear upfront about what you are trying to achieve with the sessions at both the organisational and community level;
Make sure your presentation is positive and encouraging. Conclude with an optimistic message to encourage the community to make a difference; and
Ensuring support for the initiative from council, the executive and senior managers develops a greater level of understanding and a consistent message across council and all levels of operation.

Future directions

In addition to including the outcomes of the community planning session in Council’s community plans, the organisation is exploring opportunities to continue to raise awareness of the issue in the community.

Council officers are currently investigating the possibility of a wider rollout of the presentation, due to the interest generated by the community sessions. Council is also interested in holding an expo showcasing greenhouse-friendly products and services to the organisation and the community.

A copy of the presentation is available to download the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council website.

Contact details for further information

Name: Rolf Freeman
Position: Sustainable Energy Officer
Phone: 03 5950 1339
Email: rolf@mornpen.vic.gov.au

Cities for Climate Protection® (CCP®) Australia: implementing greenhouse action through a collaboration between the Australian Government and ICLEI Oceania. The CCP® Australia Program is funded by the Australian Government.