Ballarat businesses and organisations check-in on actions to reduce carbon emissions

Ballarat businesses and organisations are joining the City of Ballarat in working to reduce carbon emissions to address climate change.

More than six months after Ballarat City Council adopted the Ballarat Net Zero Emissions Plan on 26 October 2022, the City of Ballarat has held a session to check-in with businesses and organisations to hear about emission reduction actions already taking place and plans for future actions.

The Ballarat Net Zero Emissions Plan outlines an aspirational community-wide target of reaching net zero emissions by 2030 and the actions required in order to achieve this target.

The plan identifies five key areas of action including business, homes, new developments, transport and waste. The plan identifies the role of stakeholders, including the City of Ballarat, businesses and industries, households and individuals, and community groups in progressing towards net zero emissions.

The event, on Thursday 8 June, was an opportunity for Ballarat organisations to share their climate action achievements and ambitions.  

The session heard about actions including the newly launched Ballarat Energy Network by Committee for Ballarat, Smart Living Ballarat Program, as well as emissions reduction initiatives by different organisations including BREAZE, McCain and Laminex, among others.

City of Ballarat Councillor Belinda Coates said the session showed organisations and businesses are committed to reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2030.

“To reach net zero emissions by 2030 requires a bold and challenging approach from our entire community,” she said.

“While we facilitated its development, the Ballarat Net Zero Emissions Plan is designed to be a roadmap for collaborative action and outlines how we can partner with our community, businesses, community leaders and other levels of government to be more sustainable.”

Ballarat Renewable Energy and Net Zero Emissions (BREAZE) President Mary Debrett said BREAZE is committed to doing all it can to help achieve the 2030 net zero target.

“As part of the Beyond Zero Emissions Alliance we will work with the City of Ballarat, and with other community groups dedicated to living sustainably, to assist residents to get off gas and fully electrify their homes, and also to make them more thermally efficient – which will not only cut emissions but also cut residents’ energy bills,” she said.

The Ballarat Net Zero Emissions Plan builds on the work that the City of Ballarat and wider community are already undertaking to reduce emissions in order to achieve an environmentally sustainable future.

City of Ballarat actions include transitioning City of Ballarat fleets to net zero emissions including the installation of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and purchase of new EVs.  

Other City of Ballarat actions include but are not limited to:

• Continued rollout of solar installation at City of Ballarat facilities
• Developing a Sustainable Capital Works Guide for City of Ballarat assets
• Advocacy of an Environmental Sustainable Design (ESD) planning policy - the City of Ballarat is working with other local government authorities to introduce a Planning Scheme Amendment to incorporate an ESD provision into the planning scheme  
• Developing a Kerbside Transition Plan and updating the Resource Recovery and Waste Management Strategy
• Exploring opportunities to retain the value of waste materials locally including investigating circular economy solutions for City of Ballarat-managed waste streams.

Find out more about the Ballarat Net Zero Emissions Plan and City of Ballarat’s climate actions at ballarat.vic.gov.au/city/strategic-planning/sustainability/climate-action.