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7 March 2023
Dear friends,
I am writing to invite you to a public forum on renewable energy with the Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, this Saturday 11 March at 11:00am at Balmain Town Hall.
I hope you will join me for a discussion with Minister Bowen about how our community can participate in the transition to renewables that the Albanese Government is driving.
Meeting the Federal Government’s legislated targets of 82% renewable energy and 43% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 will require all levels of government to work closely together.
Local communities like ours, that are deeply committed to tackling climate change, must step up and help lead the change.
Community batteries, electric vehicle charging stations and solar installations are all crucial technologies that we must proliferate throughout our community if we are going to play our part.
INNER WEST RENEWABLE ENERGY FORUM – WITH CHRIS BOWEN
Date: Saturday 11 March
Time: 11:00am
Venue: Balmain Town Hall
The Inner West is the only Council in NSW that is 100% powered by renewable energy and 100% divested from fossil fuels. Later this year we will be expanding our food recycling program from residential apartment blocks to every home in the Inner West.
Please find more information below about our actions on environmental sustainability and climate change.
I look forward to seeing you at the forum on 11 March.
Yours sincerely,
Darcy Byrne
Inner West Mayor
OUR INNER WEST COMMUNITY LEADING THE WAY ON SUSTAINABILITY
The Inner West Council has been acting locally on climate change and environmental sustainability, including:
- Becoming powered by 100% renewable energy from Moree, Hillston and Nevertire Solar Farms in regional NSW. We are also 100% divested from fossil fuels.
- Expanding our food recycling program from all residential apartments to every home in the Inner West beginning in October this year.
- Developing an Electric Vehicle Recharging Strategy to encourage uptake by making recharging of EVs more accessible in the Inner West.
- Converted all Council controlled streetlights to LED lights massively reducing carbon emissions.
- Retrofitting Council facilities with solar installations. Around 800kW of solar panels are generating power at 38 Council facilities, including pools, libraries, childcare centres and offices.
- Establishing the Solar My School program to assist local schools to install solar arrays. 18 schools have now successfully installed solar power through the program.
- Setting up Solar My Strata providing expertise and free feasibility assessments to residential strata that can benefit from solar installations.
- Planted 2455 street trees this past financial year and committed $2 million recurrently to ongoing plantings. This is the largest investment in green infrastructure in the history of our community.
- Leading the Parramatta River Catchment Group and the Cooks River Alliance in rehabilitation of our waterways and opening new swim sites.
- Investing in Gross Pollutant Traps which are highly effective at filtering our natural hazards from stormwater before entering our local waterways.
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