Environmental Activities Report 2014/2015

Introduction ............................................................................5

Greenhouse gas emissions ............................................ 6-12

Water and waste water .................................................13-19

Waste and resource recovery....................................... 20-25

Nature conservation and land management ...........26-30

Building conservation ................................................... 31-32

Community development, engagement and events..33-40

Strategies and Plans ...................................................... 41-44

The City’s workplace initiatives ...................................45-48

Regional initiatives .......................................................49-50

Contents

Acknowledgement of Country The ancestors and descendants of the Dja Dja Wurrung and Taungurung are the traditional owners of this Country.The City of Greater Bendigo acknowledges that they have been custodians for many centuries and continue to perform age old ceremonies of celebration, initiation and renewal.We all acknowledge their living culture and their unique role in the life of this region.

Cover image: One of more than 15,000 new LED street lights being installed as part of the Lighting the Regions project - read more on page 49.

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The City’s key environmental undertakings for 2014-2015 are highlighted within this Environmental Activities Report.

A diverse range of activities, programs, projects, events and initiatives are featured within this report. Some fields of work are ongoing such as activities to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, manage our water more wisely and increase the diversion of resources from the waste stream and data is collected annually to track progress, identify trends and report results.

Three new sections have been added this year, they are Nature conservation and land management, Building conservation and Strategies and Plans.

I am pleased to present this Environmental Activities Report to the community, the second for the City of Greater Bendigo (the City). This collection of stories, data and pictures highlights the City’s key environmental sustainability actions and achievements during 2014-2015.

I feel it is important to share this information with the community as many of you have contributed to or participated in programs and activities that will be of benefit or interest to the wider community.

This report covers an amazing range of actions across a breadth of environmental fields, delivered collaboratively by all sections of the organisation. This collective action supports the City’s commitment to continuous improvement in environmental sustainability within both the organisation and the broader community.

I hope these stories inspire you to take action in your home and workplace, as even the smallest action contributes to a better environment.

Regards,

Craig Niemann

Message from the CEO

Council Vision: Greater Bendigo – Working together to be Australia’s most liveable regional city.

Strategic Objectives: • Distinctive natural settings

and buildings that are celebrated and conserved,

• Resources being used wisely for the long term,

• Lowering greenhouse emissions and waste,

• Managing and increasing community resilience to the impacts of climate change

Council Plan 2013-2017 (2014-2015 update)

Introduction

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The City’s emissionsActivities considered within the City’s control, except for landfill emissions, generated 9,051 t/CO2-e in 2014-2015, down 4% on the previous year.

Waste to landfill continues to be the largest contributor to the City’s emissions profile; with a net emission total of 24,057 t/CO2-e. The gas extraction infrastructure in place at Eaglehawk Landfill extracted enough methane to generate 3,826 MWh of electricity (equivalent to powering

approximately 624 average households) and in doing so, reduced the landfills gross emissions by 22,406 t/CO2-e; a nearly 50% reduction.

The emissions from those activities considered to be outside of the City’s control generated approximately 11,466 t/CO2-e.

In 2014/2015 the operations of the City generated a total of 44,575 t/CO2-e. The emissions profile of the City is shown below in Table 1, with the quantity and source of emissions also defined.

Greenhouse gas emissions

Table 1: The City’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions profile 2014-2015

Emissions source Tonnes CO2-e Percentage contribution

Electricity (lighting and building) 5,280 12%

Within City’s control (NGERS)

Fuel consumption 3,140 7%

Natural Gas (building) 632 1%

Waste (to Eaglehawk landfill) 24,057 54%

Electricity (Street lighting) 6,373 14% Outside City’s control (NGERS)Other activities 5,093 12%

Total emissions (tonnes CO2-e) 44,575 100%

Table 2: The City’s total greenhouse gas emissions by year

2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14̂ 2014-15

Total emissions (tonnes CO2-e) 34,905 35,352 38,994 43,549 44,575

Electricity (lighting and building) 18% 17% 15% 13% 12%

Fuel 7% 9% 7% 7% 7%

Natural Gas (building) 2% 2% 2% 2% 1%

Waste (to Eaglehawk landfill) 48% 44% 52% 54% 54%

Electricity (street lighting) 18% 18% 16% 14% 14%

Other activities* 7% 10% 8% 10% 12%

^Figures have been revised from 2013-14 activities report as more complete and accurate data for emissions became available.

Trends and target

The City has collected greenhouse gas emissions data every year since 2010-2011. This data is presented in Table 2 along with the percentage contribution of each of the emissions sources identified in the City’s profile.

The figures show that overall emissions have increased with time but the proportion from energy use, including electricity, fuel and natural gas, has decreased while the portion from the landfill has increased. Much of the reduction in emissions from energy use can be attributed to:

OverviewThe City measures and monitors its greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption performance in accordance with the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting System (NGERS). The NGER framework defines the emissions that are deemed to be within the City’s control - fuel used in heavy and light fleet vehicles, natural gas, refrigerant gases and electricity used in buildings, metered lighting (not street lighting) and the City operated landfill. The City in managing emissions also distinguishes between the energy use activities and the landfill, as the energy use activities can be more directly influenced by the City.

The NGERS also defines the emissions that are outside of the City’s direct control – electricity used for street lighting, and ‘other activities’. Other activities include emissions that come from activities of another organisation or entity but are used by the City such as train, taxi or plane travel, or energy used in the production of paper or other materials purchased by the City. While the City can make choices that will reduce these emissions, the City does not directly control them.

The NGERS measures greenhouse gas emissions as tonnes of Carbon Dioxide Equivalents (t/CO2-e). Overall, the greenhouse gas emissions generated from the activities of the City have remained relatively stable for the past five years. This is a good outcome given the increase in service delivery over that time.

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Fuel used in the City’s fleet and plant equipment

Emissions from fuel used in the City’s fleet continue to remain relatively stable despite growth in service demand and the number of vehicles purchased.

Natural gas used in the City’s buildings

Emissions from natural gas used within the City’s buildings have reduced by 15% in the last year as shown in Figure 3. The reduction is attributed to works improving heating systems in large energy consuming buildings.

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Greenhouse gas emissions (continued)

Figure 1: The City’s energy use emissions trend in comparison to ‘Business as Usual’ and 2020 target

Emissions from energy use (actual)Projected ‘Business as Usual’ Carbon Emissions from energy use2020 Target line with respect to ‘Business as Usual’

• Investment in energy efficiency works for facilities owned and operated by the City over the past two years

• Behaviour change projects encouraging staff to turn off computer, lights and other energy consuming equipment when not in use

Further commentary on trends of emissions from energy use activities within the City’s control, is provided below.

Target 2020

In November 2011, the City set a target to reduce its emissions from the use of energy by 50% by 2020 against the established 2010-2011 baseline. To achieve this target, the energy related emissions need to fall to an annual

figure of 4,942 t/CO2-e by the year 2020.

The City measures and monitors its progress against Target 2020 on an annual basis to understand trends, evaluate progress and investigate areas of opportunity within each energy source, including electricity (lighting and building), fuel and natural gas (building). As demonstrated in Table 2, these items combined have gradually reduced their emissions contribution from 26-27% to 20% this year, because of energy efficiency improvements in this area and increasing contributions from the land fill.

The City’s performance in decreasing its overall emissions from energy use against projected ‘Business as Usual’ and the 2020 target is demonstrated in Figure 1.

Figure 2: Fuel use in fleet and plant

Emissions from fuel use in fleet and plant

2,585

3,131

2,9173,033

3,140

3500

CO2-

e to

nnes

2500

3000

2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15

Financial year

Figure 3: Natural gas use

Emissions from use of natural gas in the City’s buildings

800

CO2-

e to

nnes

600

700

2010/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15

Financial year

744 748

698

632

CO2-

e to

nnes

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2019/20

Financial year

Target = 4,942

9,450 9,796 9,472 9,471 9,051

9,884

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Electricity used in buildings and metered lighting

Emissions resulting from electricity used in buildings and metered lighting have reduced on average 4 % per year since 2010/11 as demonstrated in Figure 4. This decrease can be attributed to a range of energy reduction works that have been undertaken to improve efficiency, as well as efforts from staff to reduce energy use in day to day activities.

How we are achieving results

Over the past two years the City has successfully delivered energy efficiency upgrades across seven of its high energy consuming buildings as part of a project co-funded by the Federal Government. In 2014-2015 stage two of the works were undertaken with three buildings receiving a variety of energy efficiency retrofits. These

included lighting upgrades and heating, ventilation and air conditioning upgrades at the Art Gallery and Capital Theatre, and commissioning of a Building Automation System at the Main Office.

In addition, energy and cost data from the stage one works completed in 2013-2014 were analysed and verified by independent consultants to evaluate the outcomes of the works which included:• Collectively, an annual saving of

$24,500 in energy bills across five buildings

• Approximately 200 tonnes of carbon emissions avoided, which is equivalent of removing 43 petrol cars off the road

• Energy saving targets for lighting upgrades was achieved in all the buildings in the program, including a 37% savings at the Hargreaves Street Multi Storey Car Park

Figure 4: Electricity use (buildings and metered lighting)

Emissions from purchased electricity (buildings and metered lighting)

6,3415,921 5,857 5,691

5,280

2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15

Financial year

5000

6000

7000

8000

CO2-

e to

nnes

Bendigo Art Gallery

Project summary• Retrofit administration

areas with LED lights• Retrofit of Heating

Ventilation and Air conditioning (HVAC) system components

Completion Date February 2015

Activity details• Over 180 LED lights

installed • 5 Variable speed drive

installed to reduce motor speed at Air Handling Units

• 1 CO2 sensor installed to increase use of fresh air and save energy

• 2 pre-coolers installed at Chillers to save energy by pre-cooling the incoming air

Expected savings 16% reduction in energy use

Greenhouse gas emissions (continued)

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The City’s Water Use 2014-2015

The City uses 3 types of water supply; potable, recycled and rural water licence. A breakdown of water type used by the City for the year 2014-2015 is shown in Figure 5.

Potable water is used in parks and reserves where recycled water is not considered suitable to use for certain applications and in turn, recycled water is prioritised over rural water when it is available due to it being of higher quality.

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Bendigo Capital Theatre

Project summary• Retrofit of building with

LED lights • Retrofit of HVAC system

components

Completion Date June 2015

Activity details• Over 120 LED lights

installed• 2 pre-coolers installed at

Chillers to save energy by pre-cooling incoming air

Expected savings 4% reduction in energy use

Lyttleton Terrace Office

Project summary• Commissioning of

Building Automation System

Completion Date August 2014

Activity details• Computer based control

system to efficiently operate HVAC system and minimise waste

Expected savings 12% reduction in energy use

Water

49% Potable

36% Recycled

15% Rural Water Licence

Figure 5: The City’s Water Use 2014-2015

Overview

The conservation and long term sustainability of the City’s water resources is integral to the future development of the region. Currently the City draws water from three main sources: potable, recycled and rural licence. Potable water is used in buildings, pools and the irrigation of parks and open space operated or maintained by the City. Recycled water is used to irrigate sports fields and on occasions ‘top up’ Lake Weeroona. Rural licence is used to support sites serviced by recycled water if needed.

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open space assets, with recycled water preferred when it is available. In 2014-15 more recycled water was available and hence was used more than the previous year.

The City’s annual water use trend The City’s annual water consumption increased by 23% in 2014-2015 compared to the previous year, due to significant rises in the use of both potable and recycled water. The overall trend in water use is illustrated in Figure 7. This increase can be attributed to a combination of the continuation of below average rainfall in spring and the addition of 375,000 square metres of new open space and irrigation infrastructure within the City. The City is responding to this growth in water demand by using a combination of the three water supplies and by using water efficient technical and landscaping solutions in the day to day maintenance of its buildings, parks and gardens.

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Water supplies used by the City

Potable Water (Urban drinking water supply)The potable water supply for the City is managed by Coliban Water. It is primarily sourced from the Upper Coliban, Coliban and Malmsbury Reservoirs, with a supplementary supply from Lake Eppalock. It is considered a reliable water source and is available for use in buildings and for irrigation of parks and open spaces.

In 2014-2015, 355ML of potable water was used within the City’s properties. A detailed breakdown of water use within different property categories is illustrated in Figure 6.

Rural LicenceThe City currently holds 365.2ML in rural licences. Rural water is of a seasonal nature and the amount and flow rate cannot be guaranteed as it is dependent on supply condition. As a result, full allocation of water may not be available for use every year.

Rural water is accessed via the Coliban Rural System from Malmsbury Reservoir and Lake Eppalock. It is untreated water and not intended or suitable for human consumption. No quality standards apply to this water, unlike water from the treated urban drinking water supply.

Seven sites managed by the City have access to rural water; Crusoe Heights Reserve, Lake Weeroona, Strathfieldsaye Recreation Reserve, Epsom-Huntly Recreation Reserve, Kennington Reservoir, Mandurang Recreation Reserve, and the Happy Jack Recreation Reserve. In 2014-2015 110ML was used across these sites.

Recycled WaterAlthough recycled water is considered a less reliable source, when available it is used to water sports fields and on occasions top up Lake Weeroona. Recycled water is sourced from Coliban Water, and is recovered via the Epsom Water Reclamation Plant. Last year, eleven parks, gardens and sports reserves (shown in Table 3) received 260 ML of recycled water via a third pipeline system. Both rural and recycled water are used for maintaining

Figure 6: Potable water use 2014/2015

41% Sporting facilities

21% Property

16% Swimming Pools

10% Parks & Reserves

4% Livestock Exchange

2% Landfill

6% Other small sources

Table 3: Recycled water use at connected sites in 2014-2015

Name of Site Recycled water used (Megalitres)

Rosalind Park 60.06

Lake Weerona 50.35

White Hills Botanical Gardens 35.87

Canterbury Park/Lake Neanger Precinct 32.62

Tom Flood Sports Centre 19.53

Spring Gully Soccer Fields 13.35

White Hills Football Ground 12.04

Harry Trott Oval 11.12

Weeroona Avenue Oval 8.85

Ewing Park Sportsground 8.63

Spring Gully Oval 7.99

Total 260.41

Figure 7: City’s total water use by financial year

Meg

alitr

es

Financial year

Potable

Recycled

Rural Water Licence

Total

2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/150

100200300400500600700800

Water (continued)

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Domestic On-Site Wastewater ManagementThe City is a regulatory authority for the installation, alteration and operation of domestic onsite wastewater management systems, commonly known as septic tanks. Part of this regulatory role involves the issue of permits to install and alter wastewater management systems. If poorly treated and disposed, domestic wastewater can present a risk to human health, the amenity of the urban environment, and the ecology of natural environments. In 2014-15, the City issued 158 permits to install and use onsite wastewater management systems.

The State Government also requires that local governments develop plans

to manage domestic wastewater to protect public health and the environment. In 2014-2015 Council adopted a new Domestic Wastewater Management Plan after extensive review and consultation with the community.

Urban Living Environments

The City is an authority responsible for the investigation and management of matters with potential to harm public health in urban living environments. These matters can include noise pollution, air emissions and odours, water quality and pest harbourage. In 2014-2015, the City investigated 210 matters pertaining to environmental disturbances in living environments.

Water quality

The City is both directly and indirectly responsible for managing and improving water quality.

This section highlights some of the activities undertaken to monitor and improve water quality during 2014-2015.

Blue Green Algae MonitoringBlue Green Algae (BGA) can undergo prolific growth given favourable conditions in a water body. When present in large volumes, BGA can be toxic to humans and the local animal and plant life in the water environment.

Routine monitoring of BGA is undertaken in six urban lakes in Greater Bendigo to protect the community from potentially toxic hazards and inform management action to prevent its spread to other water bodies in the catchment. The sites monitored are: Kennington Reservoir, Crusoe Reservoir, Gateway Park, Lake Neangar, Lake Tom Thumb and Lake Weeroona. BGA volumes are measured by the City on a monthly basis and public alerts are issued when safe levels are exceeded. This happened three times in 2014-2015, at Kennington Reservoir, Lake Weeroona and Gateway Park, refer to Figure 8 for monitoring results.

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Water (continued)

Figure 8: Blue Green Algae monitoring results 2014-2015

Lake Tom Thumb

Lake Neangar

Lake Weeroona

Gateway Park

Kennington Reservoir

Crusoe Reservoir

July

NovemberMarch

September

January May

August

DecemberApril

October

FebruaryJune

Constructed wetland at Imagine Estate, Strathfieldsaye.

Bio

volu

me

mm

3/L

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

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Bendigo Botanic Gardens Development – Water Sensitive Road Design

A new street has been built at the Bendigo Botanic Gardens in White Hills that includes water sensitive road design (WSRD). Stormwater is captured from the road and directed to tree pits where it passively irrigates the street trees.

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Floating Wetland trialled at Gateway Park

A floating wetland has been installed in the lake at Gateway Park, Kangaroo Flat to help improve water quality and reduce blue-green algal blooms.

As part of the continued implementation of the City’s Urban Stormwater Management Plan, a trial of the floating wetland commenced in 2014-2015 and includes water quality monitoring to determine how effective the new wetland has been.

Wetlands are nature’s way of filtering and cleaning water and increasingly, constructed wetlands are becoming the preferred way of addressing polluted urban stormwater.

The floating wetland at Gateway Park uses a biological treatment process to improve water quality by removing, suspended solids, Nitrogen, Phosphorous, E Coli, heavy metals and organic matter. The system is also low maintenance and can operate in fluctuating water levels.

The City works closely with developers to design and implement solutions that help improve urban stormwater quality. The constructed wetlands at Imagine Estate are an example of an effective stormwater treatment system which benefits both the natural environment and our community.

Water (continued)

Installation of a new floating wetland, Gateway Park, Kangaroo Flat.

Rainwater-runoff from the road irrigates the street trees.

Water flow

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Kerbside Garbage Collection

The Waste Services Garbage collection team service 48,000 residential/commercial bins per week, which includes 45 collection runs an average of 1,000 bins per truck per day including public holidays, 52 weeks of the year.

The service is operated by a team of dedicated staff who take pride in their job and work closely together to ensure bins are serviced in all weather conditions every week of the year.

360 litre Recycling Bin Introduced

Households were given the option of a larger 360 litre recycling bin in 2014-2015, to give them greater opportunities to recycle. To date, 320 residents have taken up this opportunity to increase the size of their recycling bin.

Street Litter Bins and Street Cleaning

Three rear-loaders, working seven days per week, service 346 public place litter bins and 1,413 commercial bins in CBD’s throughout the City. Many of these bins are picked up multiple times per week depending on location and need.

The street cleaning crew starts at 5am, seven days a week to clean the Bendigo CBD and the outer CBD areas. The crew also provide street sweeping in residential areas.

New Eaglehawk Landfill Cell

2014-2015 saw approval granted from the Victorian Environment Protection Authority (EPA) to start filling Cell 5 at the Eaglehawk Landfill. The cell has the capacity to landfill approximately 310,000 tonnes of waste. The cell has been constructed to the highest quality standards as required by EPA guidelines and cost Council $4.8mill to construct.

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Trends

The figures show that Municipal Solid Waste to landfill has not increased over the last three years despite steady population growth with approximately 1,000 new garbage/recycling services coming into the kerbside collection system each year. The amount of

waste being recycled has remained relatively stable. The City is now trialling a new organics collection system. The downward trend in kerbside recycling collection could be due to a reduction in the purchase of printed media (common right across Victoria), and the change to more light weight plastic packaging.

Waste and Resource Recovery

Overview

The City currently provides a number of waste and resource management services, including: kerbside garbage and recycling collection for domestic and commercial properties, management of transfer stations and the Eaglehawk and Heathcote landfills, street litter collection, public place litter and recycling bins, street cleaning, stormwater drain and pit cleaning, and a number of domestic waste education initiatives. The City measures the amount of material collected through these services and disposed of to landfill or recycled, as shown in Table 4.

Domestic Waste and Recycling Collection Services

2012/2013 2013/2014 (Tonnes)

2014/2015 (Tonnes)

Kerbside Residual Waste (Garbage) collected 27,150 27,340 28,760

Self-haul Residual (Garbage) 5,716 5,018 4,882

Other Council Waste (e.g. Street-cleaning) 5,105 4,270 4,314

Total MSW Disposed to Landfill 37,971 36,628 37,956

Kerbside Recycling collected 10,571 10,429 10,119

Self-haul Recycling 7,943 8,273 8,749

Self-haul Greenwaste 4,043 4,351 4,571

Total MSW Recovered/Recycled 22,557 23,053 23,439

Total MSW Generation 60,528 59,681 61,395

Table 4: Municipal Solid Waste and litter collection services by tonne 2014-2015

Installing aggregate to form the drainage layer on the liner of the new Eaglehawk landfill cell.

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A program launch was conducted at the Bendigo Community Farmers Market in July 2014 featuring the Broccoli Brothers to entertain the children. The workshops provided tips about buying, cooking, storing and disposing of food to help young families prevent food wastage and save money.

Annual Detox your Home Mobile collection

The City conducted its annual mobile Detox your Home collection in October 2014 at the Eaglehawk Recycle Centre. A State Government initiative coordinated by Sustainability Victoria, the service benefits all Victorian

residents and helps protect the environment from potential chemical pollution by collecting hazardous chemicals.

Qualified chemists sorted and separated the chemicals which were then transported to the appropriate facilities for recycling.

The collection was successful in removing 495kg of hazardous chemicals from resident’s houses and sheds. The highest volume chemical categories collected this year were 145.5kg of pesticides and 107kg of flammable liquids.

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Waste & Resource Management Strategy Implementation - 2014-2015

The following initiatives from the Waste & Resource Management Strategy 2014-2019 were commenced or completed during 2014-2015: • Let’s Get Food Smart workshops

conducted• Sustainable Homes Program

workshops on recycling, composting and worm farms

• 45 new public place recycling bins installed

• Optional 360 litre kerbside recycling bins introduced into domestic waste services

• Waste & Resource Management Education Plan commenced

• Planning for a trial of a kerbside organics collection (commence September 2015)

• Residual waste disposal down to 584kg/household/year, in line with Strategy target of reducing from 642kg/household/year to 320kg/household/year by 2019

Let’s Get Food Smart Workshops

The City engaged the Calder Regional Waste Management Group (now Loddon Mallee Waste and Resource Recovery Group) to facilitate a series of eight Let’s Get Food Smart workshops throughout Bendigo during July and August 2014.

Waste and Resource Recovery (continued)

Food Smart Program launch, Bendigo Community Farmers Market.

Below: Toxfree staff sorting chemicals at the Annual Detox your Home Mobile Collection.

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Waste and Resource Recovery (continued)

An audit of the waste and recycled bins combined found a reduction of recycled material from 79% in February 2015 to 43% in May 2015. This was most likely due to more recyclables generated in summer, eg drink bottles.

The audit also showed that recyclables being placed in the general waste bin improved from 57.5% in February down to 37.6% in May. The May audit also indicated that the main recyclable materials present in the waste bin

consisted of disposable coffee cups (12.4%), cardboard (8.6%) and plastic bottles (7.3%).

Highlights of the project included a higher than expected uptake in the use of the recycling bins, the creation of a catchy TV commercial that generated great feedback and discussion, and the “Chucking for the 21st Century” education event conducted in the Hargreaves Mall. This event saw approximately 250 school students and numbers of passing shoppers engaged in the fun and revelry of the day and, most importantly, learning about recycling in public places.

This project was made possible by a grant from Sustainability Victoria.

Permanent Detox your Home drop-off site

Sustainability Victoria also coordinates a Permanent Detox your Home drop-off site at the Eaglehawk Recycle Centre. This site is not licenced to collect and store hazardous materials but accepts household paint, batteries and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs).

For the 2014-2015 financial year 2,845kg of single use and rechargeable batteries, 1,336kg of CFLs, 10,193.1kg of solvent based paint and 18,931.9kg

of water based paint was dropped off and then recycled or disposed of in an environmentally sound manner. Eaglehawk Recycle Centre also accepts gas cylinders and automotive batteries under a separate arrangement.

Public Place Recycling bins

The City installed 45 new public place recycling bins next to general waste bins in areas of high visitation and/or heavy pedestrian traffic.

Student group and shoppers being entertained at “Chucking for the 21st Century” event, Hargreaves Mall.

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Crusoe Reservoir and No.7 Park

Located in Kangaroo flat, Crusoe Reservoir and No.7 Park is a very popular natural reserve. The City and Friends of Crusoe Reservoir and Number 7 Park have achieved several impressive outcomes, including the development of a very popular and usable bird list collated by the Friends Group and City staff. The rich habitat values of the park seasonally accommodate 157 species and the bird list has captured the interest of BirdLife Australia members for its uniqueness and quality. A volunteer built bird-

hide, located at Crusoe Reservoir was completed in 2014-2015. The hand woven structure made from local natural materials creates a functional and visually appealing bird hide for the growing number of bird enthusiasts.

The Park’s nest box program provides valuable habitat for hollow dependant box and ironbark fauna and has recorded several threatened species, such as the Brushtailed Phascogale. An additional eight specially constructed large owl nest boxes have been installed across the municipality for the threatened Powerful Owl, also recorded as resident in the park.

Roadside Weeds and Pests Management Program

Over the last three years the City has participated in a State Government funded Roadside Weeds and Pests Management Program designed to support councils to plan and put in place controls for the long term management of “regionally prohibited” and “regionally controlled” weeds and pest animals on rural roadsides.

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Bushcare Incentive Program

The Bushcare Incentive Program is an on-going program that acknowledges and rewards the conservation efforts of private landholders.

Properties that have a Trust for Nature conservation covenant are eligible and receive a once off payment of $25 per hectare of land protected and a 100 per cent rate rebate on the site value of the protected area thereafter.

In 2014-2015 the 46th property entered the program.

Mr Christopher Kirwan placed a Trust for Nature conservation covenant on his 40 hectare Myrtle Creek property in late 2014. The property has significant Box Ironbark and Heathy Dry Forest types and adjoins the Pilchers Bridge Nature Conservation Reserve.

Mayor Cr Peter Cox was pleased to present Mr Kirwan with his rebate cheque.

Mr Kirwan said “I was not aware of the Bushcare Incentive Program, so it came as a very pleasant surprise to find out that the City of Greater Bendigo would give me a one off payment of $25 a hectare for putting a Trust for Nature covenant on my property”.

Nature conservation and land management

Overview

The City of Greater Bendigo is located in the distinctive and unique Goldfields bioregion which is characterised by Box Ironbark forest. Its environmental qualities have been recognised through the establishment of National and Regional Parks, State Forests and various conservation reserves, all of which are highly valued by the community.

While the majority of this vegetation is located on public land, large areas are in private ownership, and with only 23% of native vegetation remaining within the Greater Bendigo area, the City is working to strategically protect and improve these natural values that contribute to Bendigo’s character.

Left: Christopher Kirwan receives his Bushcare Incentive Program cheque from Mayor, Cr Peter Cox.

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The credit values of offset sites are expressed in terms of General Biodiversity Equivalence Units (GBEUs). The City’s two offset sites contain almost 9.5 GBEUs. In 2014-2015 the City’s road and other community construction projects required offsets worth 0.445 GBEUs, of which 0.41 came from our own sites and 0.035 were purchased externally.

The two City owned sites, one in Maiden Gully and the other in Huntly are secured permanently on title via a formal ‘agreement’ with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP). Each ‘agreement’ includes a ten year management plan that details how the sites will be managed over the ten year period and is reported on to DELWP annually over this time.

Assessing Native Vegetation on Roadsides

Rural road reserves are an important feature of the Greater Bendigo region; often they contain intact remnant native vegetation now rarely seen across the wider landscape and support necessary habitat and linkages for rare and threatened species. The City considers the native vegetation contained within these road reserves a natural asset and aims to manage and protect them to the highest standards.

The City strives to avoid and minimise the amount of native vegetation removal required for City works and projects and carries out detailed vegetation assessments in the planning phase to reduce the impacts.

In 2014-2015, the City conducted biodiversity inspections for the following projects: • Gravel road re-sheet project

(re-surfacing of 35 roads) totalling 71.6km

• Symonds Street, Maiden Gully - intersection tree removal

• Lockington Road, Hunter - 2.6km sealed road re-surface

• McCormicks and Fosterville North Road, Fosterville - 2.6km shoulder widening

• Lillis Lane, Wellsford - 330m shoulder and table drain maintenance

In addition to biodiversity assessments the following road and bridge works required permission under the Greater

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The weeds targeted through this program include:• African Boxthorn• African Love-grass• Bathurst Burr• Blackberry• Gorse • Horehound• Paterson’s Curse• Prickly Pear• Spiny Rush • St John’s Wort• Sweet Briar • Wheel Cactus

Through the program 272,000ha of the City’s roadsides have been mapped for weed infestations (approximately 90 percent of the total area of roadsides), and a total of 6,717 weed points treated. Since year one the set-up year, the program has quickly evolved to an annual program of 3,083 weed points treated including new infestations as well as follow-up on sites treated in the previous year.

Works undertaken in 2014-2015 include:• 1,863 new weed locations treated • 1,220 weed locations treated as

follow up to previous years’ work • 261 roads mapped for weed

infestations - approximately 134,000 hectares in total

Native Vegetation Offset Management

When the City has to remove native vegetation for capital works and other community projects, native vegetation ‘offsets’ usually have to be provided.

Native Vegetation Credits can be used to meet this native vegetation offset requirement. The City owns and manages two native vegetation offset sites of its own that have been assessed for native vegetation credit values, and those credits are now banked to be used as projects require them. In cases where the City’s banked credits are not the required type or the quantity required would exhaust the bank, the City purchases Credits on the open market.

Nature conservation and land management (continued)

2012/13 688 weed points

2013/14 2,946 weed points

2014/15 3083 weed points

Figure 9: Roadside Weed and Rabbit Action Plan Program: Number of weed points treated 2012/2015

Native Vegetation Offset Site in Maiden Gully.

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City owned buildings maintenance program

The City owns approximately 800 buildings, of which more than 50 are considered to be of heritage significance. In 2014-2015 the City spent almost $900,000 on renewal and upgrade projects to extend the life and use of these historic buildings.

An example project is the restumping and repainting of the former Longlea School building.

Heritage Restoration advice and loan scheme

The City provides advice to heritage building owners on how to maintain and manage their historic buildings. This results in a more efficient use of resources by increasing the life of a building and making it more sustainable by using less resources for heating and cooling. It also gives a community wide social benefit by keeping connections to our history. The City also has a no interest loan scheme to assist owners of heritage buildings to undertake restoration projects to extend the life of their building. In 2014-2015 $42,700 was loaned in total, including a loan to the Goldmines Hotel to fix and repaint its verandah.

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Bendigo Planning Scheme for native vegetation removal: • Road construction works:

- East Bendigo Link Road Stage 3 & 4 - 810m

- Heathcote – North Costerfield road sealing and shoulder widening - 3.2km

• Bridge replacement works:- Faraday Street, Neilborough.- Heathcote – East Baynton Road,

Mia Mia- O’Connell Drive, Axe Creek

The City collects data, such as the location of heritage sites, rare and threatened species, weed species and large significant habitat trees to

support the detailed planning required to avoid and minimise impacts to road reserve assets.

Urban trees

Having trees in our towns and cities is important for a number of reasons, including biodiversity, amenity and cooling effects. The City has an annual program of maintenance, replacement and new plantings for street and park trees.

In 2014-15, the City planted 1,390 new trees including 755 exotic trees and 635 native trees.

Nature conservation and land management (continued)

The City manages 6180km of roadsides. Former Longlea School building before and after upgrade.

Building conservation and sustainable design

Overview

The City of Greater Bendigo supports environmental sustainability for buildings by maintaining and upgrading its own buildings and by providing loans and advice to private building owners.

Before After

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Sustainability and Environment Advisory Committee

In 2014-2015 Council undertook a review of the Natural Environment Advisory Committee (NEAC).

The purpose of NEAC was to provide the best possible advice to Council on how to conserve, enhance and promote places of environmental significance and to support Council in the development of strategy, policy and advocacy regarding the natural environment.

The review identified a unique opportunity to develop a new group that had a broader environment and sustainability charter that included an internal and external focus, greater community engagement opportunities and targeted membership ensuring an appropriate mix of representation.

An expression of interest process for committee positions was conducted in early 2015 and the new Committee met for the first time in April, 2015.

Greater Bendigo Farming Advisory Committee

The Greater Bendigo Farming Advisory Committee (FAC) was formed in 2013 to replace the long standing Farming Consultative Committee. With a focus on sustainable agriculture, members of the FAC are drawn from a diverse range of agricultural businesses and have a vast range of experience in this field. As the agriculture sector is experiencing rapid change, there is strong impetus for agriculture to be economically, environmentally and socially sustainable. In 2014-2015 FAC made a submission to the Federal Government’s paper on agricultural competitiveness, and it has contributed to the City’s Rural Community Strategy.

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In 2014-2015 the City planning Department also prepared a series of heritage design guidelines to assist property owners with restoration and changes such as new additions. It also ran a workshop as part of the Sustainable Homes Program on how to retrofit your heritage house to make it more sustainable, giving tips on things such as solar orientation, shading and insulation.

The restored Goldmine Hotel verandah with the owner, the supervising contractor and the Mayor, Cr Peter Cox.

Community development, engagement and events

Building conservation and sustainable design (continued)

Overview

Residents have a keen interest in environmental issues and many are actively involved in seeking solutions. Many community groups manage City assets or are involved in environmental sustainability initiatives which improve the health and wellbeing of our community. This section provides a summary of some of the areas the City has supported during 2014-2015.

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Community Grants – Environmental Sustainability Category

The following grants were allocated in 2014-2015:

• Mandurang Strathfieldsaye Landcare Network - $2850 Natureview Trail Camera and Local Wildlife Movie Sessions

• Bendigo Sustainability Group - $2400 Bendigo Sustainability Group Action Group Support and Docos for Difference

• Bendigo Sustainability Group - $2600 Bendigo Sustainability Fair Day and Bendigo Sustainability Awards

• Bendigo Violet Street Primary School - $1530 Bendigo Violet St Primary School Urban Native Grassland

• Spring Gully Recreation Reserve Advisory Committee Inc. - $1200 Nesting boxes for wildlife in the Spring Gully Recreation Reserve

• Spring Gully Primary School - $5000 Spring Gully Primary School Community Garden

• Conservation Volunteers Australia - $3580 Supporting Community Environmental Participation in Greater Bendigo

• Mid-Loddon Sub-Catchment Management Group - $ 2546 Researching Tuans and Sugar Gliders populations at Shelbourne

Sustainable Homes Program 2014-2015 This series of short presentations and events run by the City continues to be popular with residents and was again supported by the Bendigo Library. The program included some popular topics as well as three new sessions on sustainable house design. The eight free sessions were well attended with 330 people participating.

Workshops included:• Wonderful worm farms• Compost made easy• What happens to your household

recycling?• Retro-fitting for sustainability• Sustainable building design• Heritage houses and sustainability

Community development, engagement and events (continued)

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Summer in the Parks 2014-2015

Summer in the Parks is an annual program of events conducted by the City. The popular evening spotlight walks were again fully booked, with eighty lucky people being guided by the City’s Park Rangers spotting native animals in the Box Ironbark Forests surrounding Bendigo.

Clean Up Australia Day 2015

Clean up Australia Day is always well supported by schools, businesses and the community. In 2015 approximately 500 volunteers collected 3140kg of rubbish from 25 clean-up sites.

National Tree Day 2014

Over 50 Heathcote residents turned-out to plant 3,000 native trees and shrubs along the O’Keefe Rail Trail in Heathcote on Sunday July 27. Supported by the Friends of the Bendigo Kilmore Rail Trail, this fun family event included children’s art activities and a free barbecue lunch.

North Central Waterwatch Program

Supported by the City, the North Central Waterwatch Program aims to increase the knowledge and skills of the community and supporting them to become custodians of local waterways.

National Tree Day, Heathcote 2014.

The Sustainable Homes Program, What happens to your household recycling session included tours of a local recycling facility.

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National Water Week garden party

Each year, National Water Week is celebrated across Australia as organisations come together to build community awareness and understanding around water issues and opportunities for innovation.

In October, North Central Waterwatch in partnership with Coliban Water and the City hosted an event at the Bendigo Botanic Gardens to celebrate National Water Week with students from Drummartin and East Loddon primary schools. The day was a wonderful opportunity for the students to mark this important week.

Waterwatch works with schools across our region to raise awareness of the importance of creeks, rivers and wetlands. Students learnt about habitat values along our waterways, Indigenous perspectives about water resources and the land. They tested different water samples for salinity and investigated the different waterbugs that call our waterways home.

Greater Bendigo City Councillor Rod Fyffe officially launched the event, saying: ‘Our city is known for its liveability and commitment to sustainability and thinking smart about water is at the heart of that commitment”.

Students from Drummartin and East Loddon primary schools participating in National Water Week activities at the Bendigo Botanic Gardens.

The program is hosted by the North Central Catchment Management Authority and provides opportunities for people in our community to participate in workshops, events and monitoring programs that focus on river and wetland health and sustainable water management topics.

The program encourages participation and knowledge sharing throughout our region via a range of projects including community volunteer monitoring programs, environmental education programs and community engagement.

In 2014-2015 the program delivered the following projects in the Greater Bendigo region: • River Detectives program to four

schools engaging over 230 primary school students

• Support for 12 community water quality monitors who monitor 17 sites. Assistance for equipment maintenance, onsite training and Quality Assurance

• Engaged over 500 individuals in a range of events and activities

• Supported the development of the River Detectives online website

• Coordinated the annual National Water Week event at the Bendigo Botanic Gardens

Botanical Illustrators Exhibition

The Friends of Bendigo Botanic Gardens, Botanical Illustrators Group held a very successful exhibition of their work at Dudley House in May 2015. Supported by the City, over 700 people attended the exhibition, which drew attention to the Bendigo Botanic Gardens, its various plant collections and the redevelopment works currently underway.

Some of the amazing art work displayed at the Bendigo Botanical Illustrators exhibition.

Community development, engagement and events (continued)

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Solar on the Library

In a unique joint venture between Bendigo Sustainability Group (BSG), Goldfields Library Corporation and the City, a 20kW solar system was installed on the library roof to supply 10% of the library’s electricity needs from a locally generated renewable source.

The BSG installed the community funded solar system and will be responsible for its ongoing maintenance. In addition, BSG entered into a 20 year power purchase agreement with the City for the supply of electricity at a commercially comparable rate. This project provides a sustainable income stream for the BSG that can be used to reinvest in other local sustainability initiatives.

Project RENEW

Project RENEW is a unique consortium between the City, North Central Catchment Management Authority, La Trobe University and the Northern United Forestry Group. The project was developed following the devastation caused by the 2010-2011 floods. It aims to achieve landscape restoration in ways that help secure the health, resilience and general wellbeing of rural communities. As an important part of the project, La Trobe University will evaluate the impact that landscape restoration programs have on the health and wellbeing of project participants.

Community development, engagement and events (continued)

On-line Sustainable Living Guide

www.bendigo.vic.gov.au/Services/Environment/Sustainable_Living_Guide

The City’s on-line Sustainable Living Guide was updated and improved during 2014-2015.

It is an important resource for residents, homeowners and businesses within the wider region that will assist in making manageable, positive changes towards living and working more sustainably.

The Sustainable Living Guide has a local focus and it is hoped that by using the guide residents can learn more about sustainable living and connect directly with the many local community groups and organisations involved in sustainability initiatives and activities.

The guide covers a wide range of topics and includes videos, web links, an event calendar and information on sustainable gardening, sustainable transport, utility use and outdoor activities. The guide will also provide residents with information to help reduce costs in the home and workplace.

Food Hub Feasibility Study

The City of Greater Bendigo is investigating the feasibility of developing a regional food hub.

Food hubs represent an exciting and powerful opportunity for communities

grappling with the challenges of designing sustainable and fair food systems.

The feasibility study follows on from the recent Thought for Food 2013 discussion paper, Greater Bendigo Food Security Report 2014 and Active Living Census 2015 where it was established that access to fresh and healthy food continues to be difficult for a substantial part of the community.

Increasing the supply and consumption of local produce can lead to a number of environmental benefits including: reduction of transportation needs, less packaging, composting of green waste, and minimising energy costs associated with storage.

The feasibility study will be released to the community for review and feedback in the coming months.

Installation of a 20kw solar system on the roof of the Bendigo Library.

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Environment Strategy RenewalIn 2014-2015 the City commenced a renewal process of its Environment Strategy which will be concluded in 2015-2016. The new strategy will guide the organisation’s activities from now to 2021. The renewal process will explore the environmental and sustainability challenges and opportunities facing our region and will involve extensive community and stakeholder consultation. It will talk about what we value most about our environment and look for actions that will help our community and organisation live well, with minimal impact on our environment.

The Council’s Sustainability and Environment Advisory Committee is performing the role of project reference group and is proactively involved in engaging with the community.

The ideas from the community will be collated and reviewed and will inform the draft strategy which will then be released for further public comment and feedback.

We encourage everyone to get involved in the development of this important strategy.

Recordings of the forums and more information is available by visiting www.bendigo.vic.gov.au/envirostrategy

Strategies and Plans

Overview

The City develops a range of strategies and plans that support environmental sustainability. In 2014-2015 several important planning processes commenced or concluded.

Three year funding for Project RENEW was granted by the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust in 2012. Two project initiatives have commenced:• Timor West, Dunluce. On ground

works have commenced and will continue in 2015 including, community engagement and education, site preparation, installation of 2km of fencing, 3,000 seedlings will be planted, guarded

and watered, 20 linear kilometres of direct seeding undertaken and rabbit warren eradication completed.

• Ironbark Gully, Bendigo. An increased level of community engagement will be undertaken as part of the development of a Draft Concept Plan for the Ironbark Gully Walking Trail and associated environmental works.

Useful Resources

The City produces a range of free useful environmental and sustainability related resources. They are available in hard copy from City offices or via the City’s website. • Indigenous Plants of Bendigo – a

gardener’s guide to growing and protecting local plants

• Home Grown – a practical guide to growing your own fresh food

• Smart Gardens for a Dry Climate

• Caring for Country – a sustainable land management guide for rural living in north central Victoria, produced by the North Central Catchment Management Authority

• Your Guide to Residential Recycling and Waste Management

• Sustainable Living Guide (on-line resource)

Community development, engagement and events (continued)

Direct seedling in progress as part of Projet RENEW.

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Strategies and Plans (continued)

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Big Hill Mandurang Landscape Assessment

The Landscape Assessment of Big Hill and Mandurang Valley in 2012 revealed not only the environmental, scientific, cultural, economic and visual values of these landscapes, but also the range of measures that are needed to manage, and to some extent, control, change in them, particularly given their popularity and growing development pressures. Some aspects of this management are already happening, such as managing roadside vegetation, providing community information and offering financial

incentives for good land management. Most recently, proposed changes to the Greater Bendigo Planning Scheme which recognise the significance of the landscapes and require prior planning approval for certain types of development, have been prepared and released for community consideration.

Hospital Precinct Structure Plan

The major redevelopment of the Bendigo Hospital prompted the City to think about the future of the surrounding precinct and to create

The Big Hill Mandurang Valley Landscape Assessment recognises the significant values of these distinctive areas of the municipality.

Connecting Greater Bendigo: Integrated Transport & Land Use Strategy (ITLUS)

The Connecting Greater Bendigo Strategy is the City’s plan for how the city will grow and how people and goods will move around in a more sustainable way in the future. 2014-2015 saw the final stages in the Strategy development, including the release of the Stage 4 Consultant’s Report, which was on public display for nine weeks in late 2014. The community response was overwhelmingly positive. More than 700 people provided comments, the majority choosing to meet face-to-face by attending listening posts, one-on-one meetings and group discussions. Project staff continued to work closely with VicRoads, Public Transport Victoria (PTV) and other key stakeholders to establish consensus on

responses to community comments and the Stage 4 Consultant’s Report recommendations.

Work has also continued to partner with major employers and other key organisations to define common goals and initiatives that can be shared, co funded and pursued to implement ITLUS. More than 20 organisations, including the Bendigo & Adelaide Bank, La Trobe University, Bendigo Business Council, Bendigo Sustainability Group and the Northern Chapter of Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) have agreed to partner with the City to deliver better health, economic and environmental outcomes through ITLUS. These include getting more people to walk and cycle more often; building ‘10-minute neighbourhoods’; and creating more housing and travel options.

Public transport is an important part of Bendigo’s transport future.

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Road construction and maintenance initiativesThe City maintains 3,090km of roads and has a responsibility to ensure that road maintenance and reconstruction projects are implemented in the most environmentally responsible manner possible. Road pavement designs that help conserve non-renewable quarry resources saves money and contributes to a sustainable future. Two examples of where the City is implementing smarter road designs are featured below.

Recycling roads – a smart way to save money and resourcesThe City undertakes asphalt profiling which is the process of removing worn asphalt from sealed roads and recycling and reusing in the City’s road maintenance works.

The recycled asphalt is particularly useful in difficult situations including roads that might be prone to erosion or that create unacceptable levels of dust in urban environments.

The material binds extremely well, reducing the level of maintenance, extending the life of the road surface and reducing the degree of dust generated. Traditionally this material would have gone to landfill and taken up valuable space, so there are environmental as well as financial benefits to this process.

Road stabilisation

In the past, most roads in the City would have been conventionally constructed using high grade quarry products; a valuable non-renewable resource. Over the past couple of years, the City has shifted to using insitu stabilisation for pavement design in a number of road construction projects.

The City’s workplace initiatives

New road base stabilisation treatment is saving the City significant time, money and resources.

a plan for it. The Hospital Precinct Structure Plan (September 2014) addresses a wide range of issues ranging from land use and transport, to heritage and public spaces, and includes a number of strategies which will help to create important environmental benefits. Perhaps the most significant of these is the effective extension of Bendigo’s city centre to Bridge Street. New mixed developments of shops, offices and housing, coupled with a transformed street setting, will translate into more people living and working centrally and increased take-up of walking or cycling. Also significant is the major objective of the Structure

Plan to ‘green’ the hospital precinct. Inspired by the design thinking to create an environment of harmony and wellbeing in the hospital itself, strategies to increase the presence of green in the surrounding precinct – primarily through new parkland and the extensive planting of street and park trees – will assist good community health, as well as provide urban microclimate and ecology benefits.

Artist’s impression of future development in Bridge Street (viewed from Arnold Street).

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The City’s workplace initiatives (continued)

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travel for corporate activities. More than 250 journeys, 860 hours and 1000 kilometres of trips were made during a 12 month trial, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 300kg and helping to improve the health and wellbeing of staff. Shifting short trips from cars to bicycles frees up fleet cars for longer journeys and is a cost effective method for travelling short distances within Bendigo.

The bike fleet will expand in the coming year with new bikes that increase the fleet’s capability, flexibility and availability.

Ride2WorkRide2Work is a national event that supports and encourages more

people to ride to work. EnviroReps supported this event in Bendigo with a free breakfast provided by Rotary as well as entertainment for the 100 plus participants.

Compost bin expansionCollecting kitchen waste and turning it into compost reduces waste to landfill, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and creates nutrient rich soil to grow plants. EnviroReps have expanded their compost bin trial to include a third collection point and additional composting facilities. The nutrient rich soil is now being used in the Living Lunchbox project to create a closed loop, utilising all food waste from participating kitchens.

City of Greater Bendigo EnviroReps Team.

Insitu stabilisation is a process whereby materials on location which would have previously been unsuitable for road building, are upgraded so that they can be used in road construction. The process involves adding a small amount of binder to existing material to improve its construction properties. Typically, binders will improve the volume stability, strength, permeability and durability of the existing material.

Through using this process the City of Greater Bendigo has managed to: • Reduce the use of a non-renewable

resource• Protect biodiversity in the road

corridor and adjacent land by reduced truck movements

• Improve local air quality through reduction in quarrying and truck movements

• Reduction in road transport noise.• Protect cultural heritage through

the reduction in the requirement for quarrying

• Reduced greenhouse gas emissions and wear and tear on our road networks

A recent review of City projects revealed that by utilising a stabilised treatment rather than using a conventional gravel treatment, over a 2km length, resulted in the conservation of approximately 10,000 tonne of high grade crushed rock, 13,500km of truck movements, and a saving of over 6,500 litres of fuel.

EnviroReps

EnviroReps is a group of City staff that volunteer to promote and improve the sustainability of the City’s everyday work practices.

The team has made a significant contribution to improving work practices with projects across many areas including reducing waste to landfill, increasing sustainable transport, providing sustainable food and reducing emissions.

2014-2015 EnviroReps projects included:

Energy Wise Campaign EnviroReps helped staff improve their energy practices through an innovative campaign encouraging staff to take action to save energy. Staff participated in weekly contests to increase awareness and understanding of energy saving opportunities and designed their own promotional material to encourage others to act.• 40 staff were awarded for taking

action• 500+ reminder cards and posters

promoting energy conservation distributed to staff

Corporate Bike FleetThe corporate bike fleet has become a regular and important mode of transport for staff travel over the last 12 months demonstrating that bicycles are an effective and timely form of

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The City’s workplace initiatives (continued)

Living Lunchbox projectThe Living Lunchbox project aims to provide the City with sustainable, fresh food and to foster a greater connection and participation with our food system.

In June 2015, six portable, water efficient wicking above ground garden boxes were placed around City offices, launched with a ‘growing your own’ learning session. Staff planted out the boxes with herbs and vegetables that could be used in staff lunches.

The boxes are made from recycled materials and constructed by a local organisation who is also addressing the issues of youth unemployment.

Tucker Box and veggie bagsProviding staff with healthier food that is also sourced locally is good for staff wellbeing and decreases food miles, thus helping reduce our emissions. The

Tuckerbox program provides healthy alternative snacks for staff, and the local veggie bags encourages staff to buy locally grown fruit and vegetables. This year over 1000kg worth of vegetables and fruit were bought by staff from local suppliers via Peppergreen Farm, supporting local business and helping reduce staff emissions.

Lighting the Regions

The City of Greater Bendigo is managing a street light upgrade project that will benefit regional communities in an area that covers almost 50% of Victoria and incorporates16 local government partners. The project will upgrade 23,000 streetlights with energy efficient technology and save the region more than $57 million in electricity and maintenance costs over the next 20 years.

The Lighting the Regions project was officially launched in October 2014 and during the 2014-2015 year replaced more than 16,000 new LED street lights in 10 of the 16 local government areas.

The City commenced its street light replacement program in April 2015. By the end of June approximately 7,000 street lights had been changed over, which will save the City more than $20 million and over 62,000 tonnes of carbon over the next 20 years.

This project will generate 23,000 waste Mercury Vapour street lights that will require disposal. Almost all of the components of a typical 80 Watt Mercury Vapour street light will be able to be reused or recycled after dismantling. The Eaglehawk Recycle Yard is playing an important role in the processing more than 11,500 of the waste lights across the project area.

Regional initiatives

Staff from the Eaglehawk Recycling Centre dismantle and recycle redundant street lights as part of Lighting the Regions Project.

City staff planting seedlings in the planter boxes.

The City’s corporate bike fleet is proving to be popular with City staff.

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Adapting to Change

The City led a climate adaptation project to help ensure the City’s community and economy remains strong and resilient into the future and is better equipped to deal with the impacts of climate change.

Funded by the Victorian Government the project was a collaboration across six councils over three years with the final phase completed in 2014-2015. Components of the project will continue to be rolled out in 2015-2016.

The project undertook research and planning activities culminating in the Regional Adaptation Plan.

The Plan identifies and prioritises areas of action for local governments to work together to deal with climate change impacts.

The Implementation Phase of this project acts on one of these areas,

in particular the recommendation to provide assistance to vulnerable groups to help them cope during the heat.

Heatwaves already kill more Australians than any other natural disaster and this is likely to increase with the impacts of climate change.

The implementation project is called Heatwave Help and will directly help Home and Community Care (HACC) clients, as well as the wider community, better cope with heatwaves. Project components include: • Retrofitting homes to stay cooler in

summer • Training homecare workers to help

educate their clients • Development of a heatwave kit • An education campaign around

actions to beat the heat

Regional initiatives (continued)

Heatwave kits help HACC clients cope during

heatwaves by providing specifically developed tools

and information.

ContactPh: 5434 6000 | E: requests@bendigo.vic.gov.au PO Box 733, Bendigo 3552 | 195-229 Lyttleton Terrace, Bendigowww.bendigo.vic.gov.au

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