City of Sydney counts down to World Environment Day

The City of Sydney will celebrate World Environment Day on 5 June by acknowledging its recent energy-saving efforts.

The City of Sydney is Australia’s first carbon-neutral government and has already reduced carbon emissions in its own buildings and operations by 20% since 2006. The City’s target for emissions reduction for 2016 is 26% below 2006 levels, and 70% by 2030 - the most ambitious emissions reductions target of any Australian government.

“Cities are home to more than half the world’s population and generate up to 75% of carbon emissions, so taking action in our cities is critical in the fight against climate change,” noted Lord Mayor Clove Moore.

“The City of Sydney is leading through example, getting our own house in order while at the same time doing the research and planning that can unlock clean energy for the rest of our community.

“We’re replacing street lights with LEDs, retrofitting our buildings for water, waste and energy efficiency, installing solar across our buildings as part of Australia’s largest rooftop solar project and increasing the City’s tree canopy by 50%.”

The City’s two-year retrofit program has seen a reduction in electricity and water use in 45 buildings, including Town Hall House, Customs House, swimming pools, community centres, libraries and car parks. It has cut the City’s electricity use by about 6.6 million kWh a year - enough to supply about 1000 households annually - and saved an estimated $1.1 million a year in power bills. The City is also working with businesses to reduce emissions and make significant savings to balance sheets through various programs.

The CitySwitch Green Office energy-efficiency program, which works with commercial tenants representing 119 offices in Sydney, last year saved 11,200 tonnes of carbon emissions and $2.5 million in energy savings. During the first four-and-a-half years of the Smart Green Business program, the City assisted more than 400 small, medium and large businesses to save around 7800 tonnes of carbon emissions, plus energy, water and waste savings valued at $3 million. In September 2013, members of the Better Buildings Partnership (BBP) - which includes the owners of more than half the commercial office space in the city centre - announced a collective 31% reduction in emissions across their assets since 2005-06, delivering electricity savings valued at more than $25 million annually.

Other sustainability achievements include:

• Replacing more than 2500 street lights with more efficient LEDs. When all the City’s 6450 street lights are replaced, the project will save up to $800,000 in electricity bills and maintenance a year and reduce energy use from street lighting by nearly 45%.
• Installing solar photovoltaic panels on major buildings across the city.
• Reducing emissions from the City’s fleet of vehicles by 30%.
• Planting more than 8200 new street trees to absorb pollution and provide shade.
• Harvesting and treating 590 million litres of stormwater through a water re-use system at Sydney Park.

“We will continue to work with residents, businesses and other levels of government to ensure our City remains a global leader in the fight against climate change,” said Moore.