Sustainable local government: no spin, no jargon
NSW councils will soon learn how to break through the jargon surrounding sustainability and understand how they can best use it to improve the way they operate, thanks to the Urban Sustainability Support Alliance’s Sustainability Tools workshops.
The President of the Local Government Association, Cr Genia McCaffery, said councils will have the chance to see the benefits of a sustainable business and environmental approach in a number of councils that have already negotiated the confusing range of tools on offer.
“Councils can see exactly what tools other councils have used, how they’ve applied them and what they’ve gained from them,” she said.
The President of the Shires Association, Cr Bruce Miller, said that while there are many benefits associated with new approaches to sustainability, the hype surrounding it can often leave many confused as to what it actually means.
“Essentially, sustainability means an ability to endure,” he said.
“People assume it only relates to the environment, but sustainability has financial and social implications too - obviously, these are key areas for local government.
“Councils can use this training and a new Sustainability Tool Selector to compare the different ways of incorporating sustainability without all the marketing spin and jargon that so often gets in the way.”
The LGSA’s Urban Sustainability Support Alliance has worked with the Institute of Sustainable Futures which developed the Sustainability Tool Selector: A Guide for Local Government. This will help councils navigate through the myriad of available options. The guide will be published in February 2010 and all workshop attendees will receive a copy.
The interactive workshops will demonstrate the Sustainability Tool Selector and showcase other tools that can help councils evaluate their processes, make decisions, develop performance indicators and track their sustainability progress on an organisational and project level.
Workshops will be held at the following locations throughout March and April:
- Hunter region, 3 March
- Armidale, 9 March
- Richmond Valley, 11 March
- Queanbeyan, 16 March
- Bathurst, 23 March
- Fairfield, 31 March
- Wagga Wagga, 22 April
For further information, please visit www.lgsa.org.au/ussa.
Energy efficiency to slash greenhouse emissions and bills
A new City of Sydney master plan for energy efficiency will show businesses and residents how to...
Total Facilities 2015 seminar program announced
Total Facilities, a seminar and exhibition event for the built environment, will be held from...
Funding boost for clean desalination and irrigation system
An alternative water desalination and irrigation system, based on clean thermal energy, has...
