PROJECTS Overview

Classification and primary project purpose:

1 - Greenhouse Gas Abatement (Mitigation) – Reducing Greenhouse gas emissions
2 - Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation – Researching the impacts and responding to climate change
3 - Carbon Sequestration – Offsetting carbon dioxide emissions through growing native trees

Table 1 - Finished Projects

Table 2 – Current Projects

Table 3 – Ongoing Projects

Table 4 – Future Projects

1.1 Sustainable Public Lighting Action Plans October 06 – June 07
SPLAPS were developed for the 5 WPGA councils and for the City of Greater Dandenong to show how they could increase the environmental performance of public lighting. This included setting goals for public lighting within council; identification of processes, projects and actions to achieve these goals; preparation of a SPLAP with implementation dates, responsibilities and budget allocation identified.

1.2 Accelerating Sustainable Public Lighting December 07 – June 08
This project, funded to a total of $65,000, including $50,000 from the AGO and managed through a contract with the City of Frankston, developed business plans for implementation of the 6 councils’ SPLAPs. They allowed a precise quantifying of financial savings to councils and greenhouse gas emission reductions.

1.3 Impacts and adaptations on Human Settlements in the Western Port Region October 2006 – June 2008

In this project data regarding likely biophysical changes due to global warming were developed by CSIRO specifically for Western Port councils. This was used to identify where infrastructure for human settlements is at risk. An associated component of the project covered the socioeconomic impacts analysis to show what and who was at and where, and possible adaptation options were identified. The report from this project is available from this website.

1.4 Heatwave Strategies for Western Port Councils February 08 – October 08

Victoria’s Department of Human services funded Western Port councils to develop pilot heat wave strategies. These provide advice for the protection of communities in times of climate change induced extreme weather. The project was completed in October 2008.

1.5 Impacts of Climate Change on Phillip Island Little Penguins June 08 – April 09

DSE commissioned an assessment of possible risks posed by climate change to the penguins and penguin parade that is such an important component of the tourism infrastructure in the Western Port region. This built on the work of the Impacts and Adaptations project that identified possible risks and recommended upon adaptation strategies for humans – penguins similar attention.

2 Current projects

2.1 Agriculture Greenhouse Emissions (AGE) Project January 07 – December 09

This Sustainability Fund 2 project aims at showing how 50 dairy and beef farmers in Cardinia and Bass Coast Shires can reduce energy use by 10%, water use 15% and waste to landfill by 10% as they improve productivity. The two participating landcare networks, the Bass Coast Landcare Network and the Western Port Catchment Landcare Network, support farmers to implement changes in farm practice.

2.3 Port of Hastings Scenarios Project Dec 08 – Dec 09

The development of Hastings as Victoria’s second port will occur within the context of many changes, in climate and in global logistics, to name just two. This research-based project, conducted in collaboration with RMIT University, will involve groups across the community generating possible scenarios for this port development.

2.4 Protecting the Western Port Community from the Impacts of Climate Change April 09 – Dec 10

Projected impacts due to climate change around Western Port include an increase in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Typically, the response to these events is provided through a largely volunteer service. The project will provide for intensive community engagement for dealing with emergency response, including developing community preparedness to minimise the impacts of these events.

2.5 Developing Effective School-Community Learning Partnerships for Sustainability March 09 – Dec 11

The aim of this research is to advance thinking and practice about strategies for achieving sustainability by developing models of effective community learning partnerships. In particular, these learning partnerships will be examined for their contribution to both the growth of a community’s ‘social capital’ as a vehicle for protecting and conserving ‘natural capital’. The project is funded by the Australian Research Council and features a partnership of government, academics, schools, local and state government, and non-governmental organizations.

3 Ongoing projects

3.1 Planet Savers Schools Project

Planet Savers involves schools auditing current energy, water and resource use, developing reduction strategies and monitoring their implementation using a School Energy Tracking System. Teachers receive professional development to align school operations with curriculum. This program involved 13 schools in 2007, they achieved a combined emissions reduction of over 150 tonnes of CO2 and an average per school saving of $3,800 per annum in energy, water and waste. The project involved 8 schools in 2008 and 16 schools in 2009.

3.2 WPGA Carbon Sink Project

Planting of the first 8 Ha of the Bunyip carbon sink has now been completed with a third tranche of 4 Ha for Spring 09. The plantings are based on the local EVCs and provide biodiversity and public amenity benefits to accompany the carbon sequestration. Councils are purchasing, at advantageous rates, amounts of carbon from these biodiversity plantings for vehicle fleet offsets. The WPGA is negotiating with member councils for the next plots to be planted.

3.3 Climate Change Community Forums

The then Western Port Greenhouse Alliance (WPGA) and the then South East Development (SED conducted forums for the SME sector to facilitate debate on issues related to climate change and carbon trading. were held in Pakenham, June 2008, Mt Eliza August 2008 and Moorabbin in November 2008. The next forums are in preparation and are self funded. Contact SECCCA to be involved.

4 Future projects

For further information about any of these projects, please contact SECCCA.

4.1 South East EcoLiving Community Challenge

Local governments all have community greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets, typically 20% by 2010. The achievement of these targets will require significant numbers of households undergoing audits and implementing recommended changes. The WPGA has created a partnership, including 8 Community Centres, Stocklands, HIA, RBGC, ABT, Vicurban, Henley Homes and Chisholm TAFE, for Eco-living demonstration centres and the development and implementation of a behaviour change program.

4.2 Household Assessors Project

This project underpins the “South East EcoLiving Community Challenge” behaviour change program and community centre focus by providing a economically and environmentally attractive opportunity for households to reduce their emissions by undergoing a household audit and installing energy efficient products and services. Through this project the WPGA has engaged three companies, BSL, EcoSmart and Sustainable Footprint to develop a business model and implement large scale household GHG reductions and environmental improvements.

4.3 Reducing Community Vulnerability to the Impacts of Climate Change

This project is a sequel to the Local Sustainability Accord 3 project and is aimed at engaging more vulnerable communities. Working through member councils, targeted sectors of the community will be supported in implementing practical activities to assist with adaptation responses to climate change.

4.4 Think Global – Eat Local

MP Gourmet, the incorporated association of restaurateurs, tourism operators and accommodation providers on the peninsula, face barriers to access to fresh, seasonal and local food. WPGA has developed a project to investigate the nature of the food produced on the peninsula, the needs of MP Gourmet members, a certification standard to describe food that is produced sustainability and to develop recommendations for a distribution system.

4.5 Accelerating EcoLiving Community Action

Using the business model from the Household Assessor Project this project works with community centres and the unemployed in areas hit hard by the economic down turn. The project will identify individuals who could undertake household assessment training through the Green Loans program, assist them to take the training and then through community centres assist households in reducing emissions by offering household assessments.

4.7 Air Barrier Technology South East Pilot

In this project to complement the EcoLiving Community Challenge, a pilot will be developed with 150 households across the south east in different types of houses, old, new, big, small, brick, wood, 5-7 star etc to test them and then seal them to increase their thermal efficiency. The project will raise awareness and promote the sealing and insulating of households in the South East.

4.8 School and Community Solar Panel Project

This is a project to assist schools involved in Planet Savers and Community Centres involved in the EcoLiving Community Challenge with a joint application for approximately 25 sites to install solar panels.

You might like to join a partnership to carry out about a climate change project, you might have an idea for a new project – contact SECCA and talk about it!