One of the greatest things about Local Government is working with people who share your desire to make the world a better place.
It’s a lofty goal, but with a bit of effort, you can create lasting change.
Our Council is celebrating a major milestone this year as we become just the second council in Queensland to be certified ‘carbon neutral’.
The accolade – awarded by the Australian Government’s Climate Active initiative – underscores our consistent and extensive efforts to reduce our carbon emissions, and protect our environment for future generations.
We have worked tirelessly towards carbon neutrality since 2018.
Last year, with our goal in reach, we reduced our carbon emissions by an incredible 86,216 tonnes.
Solar PV systems on council libraries, aquatic and sports centres and a water reservoir generated a record 2.6 gigawatt hours of renewable energy in 2021-22.
We also generated electricity through the capture of more than 4 million cubic metres of gas from organic waste at the Browns Plains Waste and Recycling Facility.
Our Australian-first gasification facility at the Loganholme Wastewater Treatment Plant has broken new ground in sewage management and disposal, while its accompanying solar array has doubled our solar output.
Fuel use from council vehicles is also falling as part of our Green Fleet Strategy, while citywide, 16 per of our streetlights are now LED.
However, as we celebrate we must also have one eye fixed on the future.
Council is not exempt from bill shock. This financial year alone we have absorbed an unforeseen $2.8 million in extra electricity costs due to a volatile wholesale electricity market. Council’s high electricity consumption sites like our street lighting contract account for $1.7 million of those extra costs.
We must work to reduce these large costs over the long term. More solar panels are planned for our council facilities, and other clean, green initiatives are being explored.
Maintaining carbon neutrality is now our mission, and we are ready for the challenge.
