Tag: climate change

Media Release: Push to turn Maroondah’s street lighting green

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Maroondah residents were among more than 3500 people to support a Municipal Association of Victoria petition calling on an upgrade to energy efficient street lighting.

Maroondah Mayor Councillor Alex Makin thanked those Maroondah residents who pledged their support to the Give Our Streets the Green Light campaign.

“The petition was calling on the State and Federal governments to partner with local councils to fund the $114 million upgrade costs which come with the switch to energy efficient street lighting,” Cr Makin said.

“The Municipal Association of Victoria delivered the community petitions to the Premier and Opposition Leader ahead of last Friday’s Local Government Climate Change Summit,” Cr Makin said.

“The Municipal Association of Victoria are confident the strong support by 46 councils and their communities will result in a commitment ahead of the state election to contribute some funding to fast-track the changeover to energy efficient street lighting,” Cr Makin said.

“Securing a combined contribution of $45million over four years from the Federal and State Governments would mean that councils could change about 330,000 street lights from 80W mercury vapour lamps to energy efficient globes at a low cost and in a quicker turn around,” Cr Makin said.

In Maroondah the upfront costs of replacing more than 5500 mercury vapour globes currently lighting Maroondah’s streets is about $2million.

Cr Makin said the reason for changing to more energy efficient globes was to reduce Council’s greenhouse gas emissions and create a greener more energy-efficient future.

“Council estimates that 31 per cent of its green house gas emissions and 22 per cent of its electricity costs are generated by lighting Maroondah’s local streets,” Cr Makin said.

“Electricity is predominately generated by burning brown coal which results in significant green house gases. By making the change to energy efficient globes, we can reduce our carbon footprint and work towards mitigating the effects of climate change,” Cr Makin said.

“The sooner the change over the sooner we start making a difference,” Cr Makin said.

– ENDS –

Eastern Transport Coalition – State Candidates Forum at Maroondah

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The Eastern Transport Coalition is a council initiated advocacy group, covering Melbourne’s seven outer eastern Councils; Greater Dandenong, Knox, Manningham, Maroondah, Monash Whitehorse and the Shire of Yarra Ranges.

As part of its advocacy campaign, the Eastern Transport Coalition is holding a series of candidate forums, throughout each of the member councils. The evening was attended by representatives of each of the three major parties, the Australian Labor Party, the Victorian Liberal Party and the Victorian Greens.

I provided the introduction to tonight’s forum to highlight the current public transport deficiencies within Maroondah. The speech is available within this entry:

Welcome candidates and the community to the Maroondah City Council Eastern Transport Coalition Public Transport Forum.

Maroondah City Council, in the spirit of reconciliation, acknowledges that we are meeting on the land for which the Wurundjeri people have been custodians for many centuries, and on Land which the indigenous Australians have performed age old ceremonies.

We are fortunate tonight to have secured Mr Clay Lucas as our independent moderator. Clay may be well known to some of you as he is part of The Age’s city team having worked The Age and The Sunday Age since 2005 as a city reporter. This role sees Clay reporting on a range of topics across the transport sector, including roads, public transport, planning and development. In 2009 Clay won a Quill for transport reporting with Age investigative reporter Royce Millar.

Before I hand over to Clay to get the evening underway I just want to provide a quick overview of the public transport issues that Maroondah sees as important to the community and help set the context of public transport in the east.

Regional Perspective

The eastern region is an established area experiencing significant economic and population growth.
This growth is mainly occurring through infill and consolidation of existing residential, commercial and employment areas.

The network is struggling to keep up with demand and provide services that the community require to carry out their day to day activities as viable alternatives to the motor vehicle.

The Victorian Transport Plan – Does not deliver for the east

To keep pace with the population and economic growth the current public transport system needs to expand.

The Victorian Transport Plan does not adequately consider or respond to the needs of the East and greater investment is still required, if the eastern suburbs are to continue to be liveable and met the State’s land use and transport plans as outlined in Melbourne @ 5 million.

The high household car ownership in the City of Maroondah is evidence of the public transport systems inability to provide a service that allows our community to undertake their daily activities. The ETC and Maroondah City Council call on the government for the development of a long term regional public transport strategy for the Eastern region.

Ringwood Station Upgrade

Ringwood is identified as one of six Central Activity Districts which will offer CBD type services in suburban locations. In recent MTF public survey, Ringwood Station was voted as Melbourne’s second worse station, after Richmond.

The current Ringwood Station is difficult to access with steep ramps to station platforms that fail the State Government’s Disability Discrimination Act requirements.

The footpath access from each side of the station is not safe, particularly for people in wheel chairs and there is not direct wheel chair access to the car park which is located at the bottom of a steep stairway.
There has been no significant upgrade to the station in more than 50 years and it is desperately needing to be modernised.

For Ringwood Station to be truly accessible to all and permit convenient transferring between transport services, it is imperative that it is clean, comfortable, accessible and safe and secure.

Triplication for the Belgrave/Lilydale line

As Central Melbourne will continue to be a major location for employment, the arts, culture, sport and leisure, central Melbourne should be conveniently accessible by public transport for all Melbournians.
The demand on the Belgrave/Lilydale lines, with approximately 93,000 daily boardings, make these lines one of Melbourne’s most highly patronised rail corridors.

The patronage of both lines is reaching capacity with overcrowding a regular passenger experience. To facilitate more efficient and comfortable commuting for those passengers coming from beyond Ringwood Station, the triplication of the line between Box Hill and Ringwood is required.

Better Buses

Buses are the largest public transport option available to residents within Maroondah and the neighbouring municipalities. Bus patronage is growing, particularly on services with long operation and high frequency of service, i.e. the SmartBus Routes.

The recently conducted Metropolitan Bus Service Reviews was a step in the right direction with identifying inadequate service and generating regional specific solutions. However, very few of the recommendations have been implemented and they have only been small route extensions or minimal frequency and duration improvements.

Bus services in Maroondah remain poor with limited out of peak services and long wait times between services throughout most of the day. Improving bus services in coverage, service frequency and duration will provide real alternatives to the private vehicle and enable the community of Maroondah to have real choice in transport.

Conclusion

The provision of a more equitable, accessible public transport will reduce the detrimental effects of poor access to public transport in the eastern region, such as, social isolation, high car dependency, reduced financial freedom or the inability to access services.

A truly integrated and accessible transport network will also reduce the regions vulnerability to changes in the environment, such as climate change and peak oil.

I thank you for your attendance tonight and look forward to hearing how the candidates respond to your issues.

I’ll now hand you over to Clay to get the evening underway.

Media Release: Time to convert to solar hot water?

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Installing a solar hot water system can not only save you money on your energy bills, but it will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

To assist residents to make the switch to an economical and environmentally sustainable system, Maroondah City Council has teamed up with the City of Boroondara, Knox City Council, Monash City Council, the City of Whitehorse and Yarra Ranges Council to deliver a solar hot water program to residents.

Maroondah Mayor, Councillor Alex Makin said the councils had joined forces to form the Eastern Alliance for Greenhouse Action (EAGA) to better deliver community projects which address climate change.

“By replacing inefficient hot water systems with a solar hot water alternative that uses less energy, can save up to 75 per cent of your water heating bills. For a family of four who have an electric hot water system, they could save up to $920 a year on their water heating bills if they install a solar hot water system”Cr Makin said.

“As part of the program EAGA has teamed up with solar hot water system provider Green Project to make it easier for residents find out about a solar hot water system to suit their home and lifestyle.

“There are also a number of government rebates available to residents who make the switch to solar hot water. As part of the initiative residents will receive all the information they need to ensure they are getting as much money back in their pockets as possible.

“As a bonus, for residents who sign up for the program Green Project is offering them a discount of up to $500 until 30 September 2010,” Cr Makin said.

If you want to know more about the program information sessions to explain the program will be held throughout the region over the next few months. The session to be held in Maroondah will be on Thursday 9 September, from 11am to 12pm, at Maroondah Federation Estate, 32 Greenwood Avenue, Ringwood.

To register your interest in the program or attending an information session call 1800 899 330 or register online: www.greenproject.com.au/eaga-ses/

– ENDS –

Media Release: Lighting the way to a greener future

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Maroondah residents are being asked to sign an online campaign, Give Our Streets the Green Light, to lobby the government to fund a changeover to energy-efficient street lighting.

Council has joined the Municipal Association of Victoria and other Victorian councils to lobby the state and commonwealth governments to fund the changeover to new energy-efficient globes.

In Maroondah the upfront costs of replacing more than 5500 mercury vapour globes currently lighting Maroondah’s streets is about $2million.

Maroondah Mayor Councillor Alex Makin said the goal was to reduce Council’s greenhouse gas emissions and create a greener more energy-efficient future.

“By changing all local road street lights from the mercury vapour 80W lamps to a more energy efficient lighting it would not only benefit the environment but it would save on electricity costs.

“Council estimates that 36 per cent of its green house gas emissions and 39 per cent of its electricity costs are generated by street lighting,” Cr Makin said.

“Electricity is predominately generated by burning brown coal which results in significant green house gases,” Cr Makin said.

“By making the change we can reduce our carbon footprint and work towards mitigating the effects of climate change,” Cr Makin said.

“The sooner the change over, the sooner we start making a difference,” Cr Makin said.

Maroondah Council has been a strong advocate for the campaign, moving a motion at the Australian Local Government Association’s National General Assembly in June calling on the campaign to be adopted as an issue of national significance.

The Give Our Streets the Green Light campaign, organised by the Municipal Association of Victoria, aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 78,000 tonne over the life of the lights. That equates to about 31.2 billion black balloons or 341,917 cars off the road for a year.

Residents can pledge their support by signing an online submission www.greenlightourstreets.org.au or by sending a letter to their local Member of Parliament.

Media Release: Council to present three motions at ALGA conference

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Maroondah City Council will present three motions to the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) National General Assembly in Canberra from 14 to 17 June.

Mayor of Maroondah, Cr Alex Makin, will make the presentations on Council’s behalf.

“The three motions to be presented on behalf of Maroondah are seen to be of national significance, particularly as issues such as population growth and climate change need to be approached at the national level in the interest of all Australians,” Cr Makin said.

At its meeting of Monday 19 April, Council approved the three motions for submission.

“The first motion calls on the ALGA National General Assembly to encourage the Federal Government to financially support the upgrade of infrastructure within large metropolitan activity centres to cater for the projected increase in Australia’s population by 2050,” Cr Makin said.

The second motion requests that the ALGA National General Assembly call on the Federal Government to ensure that any possible changes to the funding of health care services, particularly in the area of Home and Community Care and Maternal and Child Health services, does not impact on current funding arrangements with local government.

“As Victorian councils are involved with the delivery of these services, the Commonwealth must be alerted to the need to protect their financial interests in any changes to the system,” Cr Makin said.

Cr Makin said the third motion requested that the ALGA National General Assembly call on state and federal governments to provide financial assistance for the roll-out of energy efficient street lighting.

“Implementing energy efficient street lighting is the single biggest issue for Councils trying to reduce greenhouse emissions and meet greenhouse reduction targets,” Cr Makin said.

“There are substantial changeover costs associated with the introduction of new energy efficient street lighting and this presents a significant barrier to the uptake of this technology,” Cr Makin said.

– ENDS –

Transition Towns Maroondah Transport Group

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Transition Towns is a community based movement that aims to empower communities to respond to the challenges of peak oil and climate change.

Transition Towns aims to promote thinking globally and acting locally, through localised groups. Maroondah has a transition towns organisation that has established several working groups exploring strategies in developing a future that is resilient to climate change and peak oil.

This morning I met with the transport working group of Transition Towns Maroondah to discuss how council and the group can work together in promoting sustainable forms of transport.

Transport is Australia’s fastest growing source of greenhouse emissions and improvements to sustainable forms of transport, such as walking, cycling and public transport, are required to reduce car dependence and costs associated with the rising cost of petrol.

Transition Towns Maroondah aims to work collaboratively with Council and other community organisations to raise awareness and mitigate the challenges of climate change and peak oil.

Maroondah Leader: Going public

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One of my first acts as the Mayor of Maroondah was to refuse the mayoral car.

I have been undertaking my council duties utilising a range of transport options, including public transport and walking. I believe it is imperative that we continue to encourage the use of sustainable forms of transport.

The Maroondah Leader has reported the decision to refuse the mayoral car:

Maroondah’s new mayor has vowed to ditch the mayoral car and use public transport instead.

“I’ll be taking the train and the bus and we’re going to have the mayoral Metcard, or the mayoral Myki depending as to when they introduce it.” Cr Makin said. “Given that I am a resident in the centre an area where we are encouraging people to use sustainable forms of transport, I want to lead by example.”

The usage and provision of public transport is vital to transformation of Ringwood into a vibrant, accessible and sustainable urban centre. The usage of public transport must be encouraged to enhance the mobility of Maroondah, through mitigating traffic congestion and improving social inclusiveness.

Cr Makin said he had not driven for years but got around his ward and performed his council duties successfully using public transport and walking.

While the centres of Ringwood and Croydon are relatively well-served by public transport, there is a need for further improvements to bus services to provide an alternative to driving to stations, as well as more frequent rail services during off-peak times.

Maroondah’s first Generation X mayor, aged 29, said he would focus on the environment and social inclusion. He invited constituents to contact him on Twitter, Facebook, his website or the phone.

As a council it is imperative that we are open to input and provide a range of methods to encourage discussion with our community. The Internet provides new methods of encouraging community participation and we should be at the forefront of using these tools to encourage dialogue and discussion.

As the mayor I will be continuing to regularly update my blog, as well as posting updates on Facebook and Twitter. I encourage members of the community to contact me so that we can continue making a difference in Maroondah.

In his inaugural speech on December 2, Cr Makin said the recent burning of the Ringwood Miners’ Cottage should prompt a public discussion on values to create “a civic pride that collectively demonstrates that such malicious destruction will not be tolerated”.

As a municipality it is imperative that we discuss the values shared by our community and work to reduce apathy and encourage civic participation. Acts like the destruction of the Miners Cottage should not be tolerated or accepted by our community and we need to create pride within our community to prevent such acts from occurring.

Cr Makin named priorities as the central Ringwood redevelopment, more venues for community organisations and access for people with disabilities.

The redevelopment of Ringwood provides a once in a generational opportunity to ensure that we get things right for Ringwood and to create an inclusive, accessible and sustainable urban centre. Pivotal to this will be the creation of community space where we can ensure that organisations can meet the needs of our community.

I hope that over the course of the next year I and my council colleagues will be able to achieve these goals.

Please continue visiting my website or follow me on Facebook and Twitter to discuss your visions for the City of Maroondah.

Maroondah Transition Towns Public Meeting

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Transition Towns is a community-based movement that aims to strengthen local communities  and encourage them to meet the challenges faced by climate change and peak oil.  While Transition Towns is an international concept, each local community develops its own resources as part of the program.

This evening the newly formed Maroondah Transition Towns group convened a public meeting to discuss the concept and how members of the community can become involved within the project.

Two speakers discussed their experiences as part of the Castlemaine Transition Town project and spoke about the impact that climate change and peak oil will have on our local communities.

I was invited to act as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening and assist in the facilitation of the event.  The evening included a mixture of presentations and workshops aimed at raising awareness of these environmental challenges.

Transition Towns is an ongoing movement and the Maroondah group will be meeting on a regular basis to plan community activities and discuss how our local community can adapt to these challenges.

North Ringwood Tennis Club – official opening of water tanks

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Like many aspects of our community, sporting clubs have had to adapt to climate change and water restrictions. It is imperative that our community groups focus on environmental sustainability to ensure that they can continue to remain viable into the future.

As a result, Maroondah City Council launched its Sustainability Fund in 2007 to provide sporting clubs with the ability to apply for grants to assist in improving their environmental sustainability.

North Ringwood Tennis Club was one of the successful recipients of this $10,000 grant which allowed for the installation of water tanks and court treatments when combined with a Commonwealth Government of $50,000.

This afternoon the North Ringwood Tennis Club officially opened the water tanks and I had the opportunity to congratulate the club on its foresight and emphasis on environmental sustainability.

It is fantastic to see that our sporting community is taking steps to reduce its environmental footprint and to ensure a sustainable future.

North Ringwood Tennis Club is based at 12/182 Warrandyte Road and for further information please visit www.nrtc.com.au.

The Climate Project – Australia

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The Climate Project is a not-for-profit organisation founded by former Vice President Al Gore. The project aims to train volunteers to deliver presentations on Climate Change and the need for an environmentally sustainable future.

This evening The Climate Project was officially launched under the auspice of the Australian Conservation Foundation through a dinner at the National Gallery of Victoria. Al Gore spoke about the need for political will to ensure that governments commit to greenhouse reduction targets and support global initiatives to mitigate dangerous climate change.

While there is understandably a focus on the Federal Government and the need to commit to greenhouse reduction targets, it is worth recognising that all levels of government have a role in promoting environmental sustainability.

As an example, State Governments, have a key role in providing public transport improvements, which will help reduce greenhouse emissions in the transport sector, the fastest growing source of emissions. At a local government level, councils including Maroondah, have established greenhouse reduction targets and are providing workshops on sustainability, as well as grants to community organisations to implement water and energy sustainability initiatives.

In a country like Australia, that has three levels of government, issues like climate change need to be viewed holistically so that all levels work cooperatively to improve our environmental sustainability. Organisations like The Climate Project should assist in conveying the need for a cooperative and strong approach across our three levels of government so that we can work together to mitigate climate change.