City of Melbourne Certified Carbon Neutral

The City of Melbourne has been certified carbon neutral by Low Carbon Australia against the National Carbon Offset Standard (NCOS).

The Environment Portfolio Chair Councillor Arron Wood said the certification was a solid demonstration of the City of Melbourne’s commitment to a more sustainable Melbourne.

“We’re already one of the world’s most liveable cities, our challenge now is to ensure we are one of the world’s most sustainable cities,” Wood said.

Low Carbon Australia’s CEO Meg McDonald said the City of Melbourne’s carbon neutrality demonstrated a ‘remarkable’ milestone in its journey towards sustainability and to achieving the aspirational target of Zero Net Emissions by 2020.

“Global leading cities like City of Melbourne are responsible for an extraordinary range of economic activities and services and are critical to our move to a low carbon future,” McDonald said.

“Quantifying the carbon footprint of such an organisation and reducing carbon emissions is a mammoth task, but one that can have substantial benefits for the environment, the city and for ratepayers.

“Councils taking this type of leadership position are important in showing the way in their communities for a prosperous low carbon future.

To be carbon neutral means that the net emissions association with a product, service, event or an organisation’s activities are equal to zero. For an organisation to become carbon neutral, best practice requires an organisation to:

1. Measure its carbon footprint
2. Reduce emissions
3. Offset any residual emissions

The City of Melbourne said it is encouraging its residents to take up a lower-carbon lifestyle by extending its bike network and encouraging walking and use of public transport.

“In efforts to reduce carbon emissions, the City of Melbourne is also working to ensure it operates more efficiently, reducing wastage and encouraging more sustainable business practices,” Wood said.

“We built Australia’s first six-star green star new office design building – CH2 – which is now leading the way in environmentally sustainable design. But our commitment to sustainability doesn’t end there.

“As part of our work we’re delivering new waste management solutions, upgrading several of our council buildings by installing efficient heating, cooling and water systems and making improvements to Melbourne Town Hall which will result in significant savings in lighting costs.”

Low Carbon Australia Limited is the Australian Government's official certifier of carbon neutrality. Its Carbon Neutral Program is a voluntary scheme for Australian organisations.