Residential Sustainability Pilot
In 2002, the City of Melbourne published ‘Zero Net Emissions by 2020 – A roadmap to a climate neutral city’ which positioned Council as a world leader by setting an ambitious target of zero net emissions by 2020. The ‘Zero Net Emissions by 2020 – Strategy Update 2008’ provides the City of Melbourne with a suite of strategies that can deliver a reduction of emissions between 50 and 60 per cent across the municipality.
‘The Residential Sustainability Pilot’ responds to this ambitious target and seeks to develop and trial a meaningful set of sustainability indicators that positively influences the awareness and behaviour related to the reduction of residential emissions.
A Critical Reference Group (CRG) is represented by government, business and civil sectors and is charged with the responsibility of implementing the project. The CRG identifyies and pursues opportunities for the project, including providing information and advice on: – targeting groups within the residential community,the design of communication of the indicators; – possibilities for residents capacity building and learning in relation to the indicators; – possibilities, blockages in driving policy and regulation reform; – possible resource requirements for project design, development and implementation, and possible limitations.
The CRG currently meets on a monthly basis.
Key questions framing use of the questionnaire within the pilot are:
What are residents’ beliefs about their own and Council’s rights and responsibilities in relation to achieving sustainability?
How can Council efforts to achieve its own quantitative indicators be assessed in terms of residents’ understanding of them and the need for them?
The questionnaire is designed to provide information that will inform Council’s overall assessment of residents’ take-up, or failure to take-up, the kinds of actions recommended by the quantitative indicators. By asking residents to express how they feel about the kinds of power relations and prevailing values associated with quantitative indicators of sustainability, such as the ‘ecological footprint’, the questionnaire will elicit a holistic understanding of the political and cultural dimensions of Council efforts to improve residential sustainability. That is, the questionnaire will provide Council with insight into residents’ perceptions of and feelings toward the information and policies currently provided by Council in relation to achieving residential sustainability.
| Project Status | Design |
|---|---|
| Project Contact | .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) |
| Project Partners | |
| Project Summary | The objective is to facilitate Council’s understanding of residents’ beliefs in relation to the need to reduce waste and minimise resource use and, through this, contribute to a reduction in the City’s residential ecological footprint. |
| Themes | |
|---|---|
| Global Compact Principle | Environment (What is this?) |
| Issues Project is Seeking to Address | community engagement, indicators, assessment |
| Planned Actions | Planned actions include: • Steer Council’s community engagement as a strategy, in relation to the indicators set out in the Eco-City Plan. |
| Desired Outcomes | To deliver a substantial contribution to Melbourne’s sustainability, improving Melbourne’s liveability and enhance the city’s socio-economic performance. This pilot will provide Council with a basis for assessing the communication of the quantitative indicators, with a view to improving practical efforts to increase programme reach and pursue change in residential water, energy and waste services. It will present a greater understanding of possibilities or blockages in relation to driving policy and regulation reform or reinforcement within Council, between Council and residents and between Council and other tiers of government. |
| Related Documents | “Residential Sustainability Questionairre, City of Melbourne” “Draft Interim Report, Melbourne Residential Sustainability Project” |
| Timeline | 2008 Engagement |
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