Our climate change action
Local climate change action
Taking action on climate change is a priority for Woollahra Council and has been for many years. In 2019 Woollahra Council declared a climate emergency, acknowledging the catastrophic changes to the world’s climate caused by human activity. Since that time, Council has set ambitious targets and taken big steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our organisation and assisted our community to do the same. For more details on our actions and targets, see our Environmental Sustainability Action Plan(PDF, 3MB).
Certified carbon neutral
We are very proud to acknowledge that we were the third local government organisation in New South Wales to reach ‘net zero emissions’ and be certified as carbon neutral by Climate Active. We’ve been certified carbon neutral since July 2018.
Using 100% renewable energy
Since 1 July 2022, we've been using 100% renewable energy to power all 57 of our Council sites including buildings, parks and street lighting. We partner with 24 other NSW Councils to achieve competitive electricity pricing, sourcing electricity from three NSW solar farms. This helps to reduce our organisational emissions by nearly 50% each year.
Installing rooftop solar
We've also installed large solar systems on a range of sites across our area. We now have 235 kW of Solar power on our rooftops, producing energy to help power 12 council sites including the Double Bay Library, Redleaf Café, Cooper Park Community Hall, and Vaucluse Bowling Club.
Supporting the transition to electric vehicles
We’re supporting the transition to electric vehicles by installing public charging stations in key locations including Riddell St in Bellevue Hill, O'Sullivan Road in Rose Bay, Kiaora Place Shopping Centre in Double Bay and Goodhope St in Paddington. We’ve also updated our Development Control Plans to support EV charging in new buildings.
Upgrading our street lights
To help reduce our local emissions and energy use, over 4200 street lights in our area have been replaced with energy efficient LED lights. This project has achieved a more than 30% reduction in street light electricity use and costs, with further efficiency expected from improved smart lighting controls.
Increasing tree canopy
To shade and cool our suburbs and absorb carbon emissions we are planting canopy trees and implementing our Urban Forest Strategy.
Diverting waste from landfill
Our Kitchen to Compost program uses the green bin service to help keep your kitchen scraps out of landfill. This program reduces greenhouse gas emissions and returns vital nutrients back to the environment.
Our Compost Revolution program supports residents with skills and equipment to compost their kitchen scraps at home.
Setting ambitious targets
In 2021 Council committed to an aspirational target of net zero emissions for the Woollahra Municipality by 2030. Council also joined the Cities Race to Zero Campaign and the Cities Power Partnership.
Using recycled materials on our roads
Woollahra Council is participating in the Paving the Way Sustainable Pavements program, which incorporates 30% of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement and 2.5% Recycled Crushed Glass for every tonne of asphalt used. We're also trialling low carbon concrete and a permeable pavement made from recycled tyre rubber, which are helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Supporting our community to reduce their emissions
Read our top ten tips to reduce your emissions and household waste.
Our programs to support the community transition to renewables include:
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