Bass Coast Post
  • Home
    • Recent articles
  • Federal Election 2025
  • News
    • Point of view
    • View from the chamber
  • Writers
    • Anne Davie
    • Anne Heath Mennell
    • Bob Middleton
    • Carolyn Landon
    • Catherine Watson
    • Christine Grayden
    • Dick Wettenhall
    • Ed Thexton
    • Etsuko Yasunaga
    • Frank Coldebella
    • Gayle Marien
    • Geoff Ellis
    • Gill Heal
    • Harry Freeman
    • Ian Burns
    • Joan Woods
    • John Coldebella
    • Julie Paterson
    • Julie Statkus
    • Kit Sleeman
    • Laura Brearley >
      • Coastal Connections
    • Lauren Burns
    • Liane Arno
    • Linda Cuttriss
    • Linda Gordon
    • Lisa Schonberg
    • Liz Low
    • Marian Quigley
    • Mark Robertson
    • Mary Whelan
    • Meryl Brown Tobin
    • Michael Whelan
    • Mikhaela Barlow
    • Miriam Strickland
    • Natasha Williams-Novak
    • Neil Daly
    • Patsy Hunt
    • Pauline Wilkinson
    • Richard Kemp
    • Sally McNiece
    • Terri Allen
    • Tim Shannon
  • Features
    • Features 2024
    • Features 2023
    • Features 2022
    • Features 2021
    • Features 2020
    • Features 2019
    • Features 2018
    • Features 2017
    • Features 2016
    • Features 2015
    • Features 2014
    • Features 2013
    • Features 2012
  • Arts
  • Local history
  • Environment
  • Nature notes
    • Nature notes
  • A cook's journal
  • Community
    • Diary
    • Courses
    • Groups
    • Stories
  • Contact us

Council climate plan zeroes in on 2030

21/8/2020

6 Comments

 
PictureBass Coast residents celebrate last year after councillors
declared a climate emergency.
By Catherine Watson
 
IT STARTED with a petition – more than 1000 Bass Coast residents asking the council to take a lead on climate action.
 
Exactly a year after the Bass Coast Climate Action Network presented the petition, the council has responded with an ambitious climate change action plan that was endorsed at this week’s council meeting.
 
The plan sets a pathway for Bass Coast to get to zero net emissions by 2030,
recommending actions for the council, households, business, industry and the agricultural sector.

More than 580 residents were involved in the consultation for the plan, far beyond the response for similar projects undertaken in other shires and cities, demonstrating a strong local commitment to climate action.
 
The authors of the report note that climate change is already having a very real impact locally with foreshore erosion threatening infrastructure and the natural environment at Inverloch and Cowes East.
 
“The scale and urgency of the climate emergency mean that Bass Coast Shire and the community need to be well-informed, flexible and prepared to adapt or capitalise on opportunities as they emerge,” the plan states. “Transparent, timely monitoring and reporting on progress is critical to understanding effectiveness of the activities and ultimately delivering on the ambition.”
 
Moving adoption of the plan, Cr Michael Whelan said there were challenges and rewards in being early adopters of climate change response initiatives. ​
“Our job is not to scare people and not to dwell on the negatives. Too many people do that. The purpose of this plan is to help people, to show the actions that they can take on their own behalf, on behalf of their children and grandchildren, and on behalf of their community.
 
“It provides the way forward for council to be a responsible corporate citizen and explores ways it can assist our community.”
Picture
Download Bass Coast Climate Action Plan.
“New local industry will open up new opportunities and green jobs. Bass Coast was a leader in diverting food and garden organics (FOGO) from landfill. Our green bins system now diverts 74 per cent of food and garden waste. But our FOGO is shipped to the Wellington Shire for processing at great expense and the compost product is lost to our farms and households. Let’s process FOGO locally and make use of the compost right here in Bass Coast, resulting in better soils and local jobs.”
 
He noted that the council has already committed last month to partnering with other local government partners to purchase 100 per cent of its electricity requirements from renewable sources, one of the actions identified in the plan.
 
“Let’s build our own energy projects, keep investment local with cheaper energy and local green jobs.
 
“Let’s work with local food growers, perhaps a local growers collective and a food hub promoting local produce and local food security. Again, supporting local producers, enhancing food security and supporting the PICAL Foodbank. Local investment and green jobs.
 
“There is strong support for a Healesville to Phillip Island biolink. Let’s grow our biolinks and find a way to extend our vegetation cover, perhaps a fund to enhance our environmental assets. Remember the environment is the economy.”
 
Work will now begin on developing an implementation plan with more specific actions for Bass Coast.
 
Emissions profile
 
In 2019 the Bass Coast community produced an estimated 675,300 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions (CO2-e), with stationary energy accounting for almost 40 per cent, transport 30 per cent and agriculture 27 per cent.
 
The land sector provides a net carbon sink with forestry and vegetation activities in the shire estimated to draw down 0.7 per cent of gross emissions.
 
In 2018/19 council operations emitted an estimated 4163 tonnes of CO2-e, excluding emissions from the Grantville tip which emitted an estimated 9678 tonnes.

Actions
 
The plan identifies actions that households, businesses, farmers and the council can take to help us reach the target.
​
Picture
Households
• Buy less. Recycle and reuse more to achieve zero waste.
• Reduce energy use. Switch to all-electric and zero carbon energy.
• Improve homes to make them sustainable and climate resilient.
• Switch to more sustainable transport like walking, cycling, ride sharing and electric vehicles.
• Support the natural environment by planting gardens.
• Buy local. Support sustainable and regenerative agriculture.
• Connect with, support and share information with networks – friends, neighbours, colleagues and family.
• Advocate for stronger climate change action by state and federal governments.

Picture
Business and industry
• Practice sustainable purchasing, including buying and collaborating with other local businesses
• Share, recycle, reuse more to achieve zero waste
• Reduce energy use. Switch to all-electric and zero carbon energy
• Improve buildings and infrastructure to make them sustainable and climate resilient
• Switch to more sustainable transport
• Connect with, support and share information with networks
• Advocate for stronger climate change action by state and federal governments

Picture
Farmers
• Protect and enhance our natural environment, through planting trees and modifying agricultural practices
• Adapt to a changing climate – improving resilience to drought, bushfire and environmental issues such as invasive species
• Collaborate and learn with other local farmers to support sustainable and regenerative agriculture
• Reduce energy use, switching to zero carbon energy
• Advocate for stronger climate change action by state and federal governments

Picture
Council
• Procure 100 per cent renewable energy
• Transition the vehicle fleet to low emissions
• Drive energy efficiency improvements
• Expand the municipal solar program
• Transition to energy efficient street lighting
• Offset residual emissions through the Biolinks project

Picture
​Other
The report notes that a number of significant actions are largely outside the control of council or the local community. These include the development of utility-scale wind and or solar PV projects and the delivery of carbon targets by other organisations operating in the community, such as water authorities.

6 Comments
BURT BLACKBURNE
22/8/2020 11:20:27 am

Noticed that Mornington Shire Council voted unanimously against the Crib Point AGL gas terminal. They said it does not stack up economically or environmentaly Our Shire will be impacted by the massive gas tankers coming into Westernport Bay and dislodging water into that bay. There has been big demos against this proposal on the Peninsula including a flotilla on the bay. Hope Bass Coast Shire supports Mornington on this.

Reply
Michael Whelan
22/8/2020 06:26:47 pm

Hi Burt Mornington Peninsula shire vote was welcome but Bass Coast adopted a strong resolution some months ago against the AGL FSRU. It is also putting in a strong submission to the EES process backing up its stance.

Reply
Catherine Watson
22/8/2020 12:36:31 pm

I was thinking about those emissions as I was working on the story and made two decisions:
I will change from gas heating and gas water heating to all electric
I will change my newspaper subscription to a digital one. 
It would be interesting if the council (or someone) set up a site or kept a record of the small decisions Bass Coast people make and the resulting reduction in emissions. 

Reply
michael Whelan
22/8/2020 06:31:56 pm

Another thing people can do is change electricity supplier and get onto one that contracts just renewable energy and give the polluters like AGL and Energy Australia the flick. I use Powershop.

The plan provides for a community hub that will provide community groups an interface for their projects. The emissions tracking is sophisticated and the reporting in the plan allows for the tracking of the various sectors and will reveal the progress being made.

Reply
Bernie Mccomb
22/8/2020 04:22:30 pm

Agree with Catherine but, first, how about Council web site show previous projects, when, size, how successful, with projects in near future, when, size etc. then community. But lead by example.

Reply
Barbara Moje
4/10/2020 12:29:53 am

The one thing most people could do is to purchase green power! This way you ensure the power you use comes from renewable sources only. The other easy thing they can do is to switch away from AGL who are wanting to develop Crib Point into an horrendous gas terminal. (Note: I have noticed of late that AGL are desperately greenwashing their company's reputation with all sorts of initiatives. Don't buy it; quit AGL instead, also for gas.) FYI: Powershop is the greenest power company. The second greenest is Diamond Energy. Thanks for reading.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.