Ku-ring-gai Council
We at Ku-ring-gai are very proud of the role we are playing in encouraging sustainability throughout our Council area. There is a great deal of innovative work taking place and it is an honour to be able to share our successes with others.
It is a privilege to be part of the Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) Australia program along with likeminded Councils.
A word from the Mayor
Actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Community
- Council is currently developing master plans for six Town Centres which incorporate energy efficiency controls into the planning guidelines. These controls cover the areas of building design, natural ventilation, insulation, lighting and air conditioning. By providing developers with energy efficiency controls for town centre developments, Council can ensure the development of more sustainable buildings.
- Council is running an Energy Efficient Schools program in partnership with the Australian Greenhouse Office, Manly, Mosman and Hornsby Councils. The program is designed to assist schools to determine where they can make energy savings and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions as well as teach the students and teachers about building energy efficiency.
- Council has a Sustainable House in Turramurra which has been retrofitted with various energy efficient appliances and products which can be easily replicated in residents’ homes. The Home is open to the public at certain events during the year promoting water and energy products and allowing residents an opportunity to talk to energy experts. The first open day in February 2006, also gave residents the opportunity to take home free energy efficient light globes.
Travel
- The location of the new Town Centres that will accommodate up to 14,400 people are located along existing public transport nodes. This will give new residents the opportunity to easily use the public transport system as an alternative to private vehicle transport. The Town Centres are also designed to be multi-purpose centres which will include residential housing, employment and recreational opportunities within one area, reducing the need for transport.
Corporate
- Council is currently developing an Energy and Water Action Plan which will recommend actions to reduce the energy use of Council’s top 20 sites. (See next section below for more detail)
- Council has installed solar park lights within three of Council’s main parks. The lights have replaced existing grid connected park lights reducing Council’s use of non renewable electricity. While largely a demonstration tool, these lights also serve as an educational tool for residents by showing an alternate use for solar energy.
- Council’s Sustainable House at Turramurra has a solar hot water system, solar ventilation and a solar powered pump for the water tanks used for garden irrigation. This equipment has reduced the greenhouse emissions caused by non-renewable energy use at this site.
- An energy efficient light globe replacement program has been undertaken with faulty globes replaced with high efficiency globes within all of Council’s buildings. This will lower the energy required to power lighting at Council buildings.
- Council is replacing all of Councils existing CRT computer monitors with energy efficient LCD monitors. Not only does the replacement of these more efficient screens directly reduce energy use of the computers, but with their reduced heat emissions, the screens will also reduce the air conditioning energy consumption.
- Council purchases 25 per cent renewable energy at the four largest sites including the Council Chambers, Ku-ring-gai Library and Depot and St Ives Showground reducing greenhouse emissions by 460 tonnes in the past financial year.
- As part of developing Council’s new Depot site, Council is incorporating energy efficient technology into the new design. This will reduce the overall running costs and greenhouse emissions from the onset of it’s use.
Future greenhouse abatement actions
- Council is currently developing an Energy Action Plan which specifically targets the top twenty energy use sites within Ku-ring-gai which equates to 50 per cent of Council’s building energy use. The plan will formulate actions that can be undertaken to lower the energy use at these twenty sites, reducing Council’s overall energy consumption. The plan will link to Council’s asset maintenance and capital renewal programs.
More information
Contact: Louise Hayward, Sustainability Officer
Web Address: www.kmc.nsw.gov.au
Updated: April 2007
CCP Facts
State: New South Wales
Date joined:
1998
Current Milestone:
CCP Plus