Carbon footprint

Through the Climate Change Response Plan, the City identified extreme heat events as a risk to its community’s health and are therefore looking at ways to combine heat adaptation strategies into our urban planning, to minimise this risk.

These Cool Zones will serve many purposes including creating great places for activities and will promote good practices in relation to sun and heat exposure. The aim of this project is also to encourage heat adaptation plans at home and raise awareness to the City’s residents.

The project is helping to reduce the City buildings’ operating costs and Green House Gases emissions as well as contributing to its 2020 Carbon Neutral targets.

A capacity of 338 kW has been installed to date on the following buildings: 

Together we are saving over 400 tonnes of CO2-e from being released into the atmosphere every year.

Advantages of the plan include

• Reducing the City’s operating costs and reduces risk  against  future increases in the cost of electricity supply.
• Reducing the City’s lighting maintenance costs and reducing waste to landfill (mercury content in fluorescent tubes). 
• Helping to reduce the City building’s operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions
• Contributing to meet the City’s 2020 Carbon Neutral target.

The LED Plan is currently saving over 100 tonnes of CO2-e from being released into the atmosphere every year.

• Turn it off when not in use (lights, television, DVD player, Hi Fi, computer etc.)
• Turn down the central heating or cooling slightly. Just 1 degree lower will help reduce heating bill
• Check the central heating timer setting - there is no point heating the house after we have left for work and school
• Turn down the water heating setting (just 2 degrees will make a significant saving)
• Fill the dish washer and washing machine with a full load - this will save water, electricity, and washing powder
• Fill the kettle with only as much water as you need
• Take shorter showers to save water and electricity and/or gas
• Do your weekly shopping in a single trip
• Car share to work or the kids school run
• Use the bus or a train rather than the car
• Hang out the washing to dry rather than tumble drying it!
• Composting food waste
• Planting a water wise garden
• Recycle as much as possible
• Switching to low energy light bulbs