With our federal politicians at loggerheads over the repeal of the carbon tax and its proposed replacement, the City of Sydney has take the initiative to improve sustainability in Australia’s largest metropolis.
Jump on the bandwagon and live green, as the City of Sydney has dedicated itself to deliver sustainable change. It has pledged that central Sydney’s electricity, heating and cooling needs will be met with renewable energy sources by 2030. The renewable energy master plan has drafted out a blueprint where 70 per cent of the city’s electricity demands will be harnessed from renewable gases derived from waste and the remaining 30 per cent from solar and wind power.
Now if you’re thinking of how you can be a part of this change, the City of Sydney is now calling for the community to make an effort to lower their environmental footprint and lead more sustainable lifestyles. With workshops on recycled art, organic gardening, solar power, upcycling and much more, there are plenty of opportunities to gain further knowledge and live green.
Picturesque scene of the Sydney CBD
Image Credit: Rubenerd
Living green starts with you. From using yoghurt to give your terracotta pots that rustic vintage look to using chalk paint, there are little things that you can do around the house to upcycle your furniture instead of heading them to the dump. Here are some of the best tips shared by the experts from the City of Sydney:
- If you’re thinking of changing up those terracotta pot plants in the back yard, use some yogurt to brush over the surface and leave it overnight to create that vintage rustic look.
- Want to change the colour of your outdoor dining table but lazy to prep the surface before painting? Chalk paint will be perfect for you, as it paints over any surface.
- Looking for materials to finish off your furniture? Or are you doing a bit of work around the house? Instead of going to your local hardware store, try places such as Reverse Garbage, where you can purchase reusable materials and resources at affordable prices.
The City of Sydney is also looking for different ways to inspire a new generation of adults and youths to get growing, recycling and saving water/energy. It is making certain areas in places such as Alexandria, Bourke Street and Green Square for city farms to grow. So if you want to get your hands dirty and explore your green ideas, these city farms will be perfect to share those ideas and build your own piece of greenery.
Now, looking to your streets – the City of Sydney will be establishing a greater number of gardens around the city and planting 800 more trees per year. Once these trees have matured, it is forecasted that urban canopy will increase by 50% and city temperatures will drop by 2 degrees Celsius from the shade it will then be able to provide. The City of Sydney has expressed that the Council’s ultimate goal is to create a green leafy environment at peoples’ doorsteps for easy walking and cycling so that communities can embrace a greener and healthier living.
Finally, looking at the Renewable Energy Master Plan at its largest scale. It aims to combat increasing electricity charges and to maximise the use of renewable energy within and beyond the City. It will involve technologies such as decentralised energy including trigeneration, renewable energy, decentralised water, energy efficiency etc. The City of Sydney has explained that these key technologies have been evaluated with careful consideration based on how well they have faired on the following:
- Greenhouse gas emission savings
- Marginal cost of energy
- Spatial land use constraints
- Site requirements and the total generation capacity within and beyond Sydney LGA.
The Decentralised Energy Master Plan Renewable Energy
Image Credit: City of Sydney
This Master Plan has classified these key technologies into 4 main categories: Firstly, there will be an implementation of renewable electricity and heat within city buildings. Involving commercial, residential and industrial buildings, the hierarchy will optimise energy output by installing solar PVs on buildings allocated in ‘hot spots’ or in Low Carbon Infrastructure Zones. This will then be the source of thermal energy, and the proposed trigeneration network will cater to any additional electricity demands.
This plan will also see renewable electricity used within Sydney. Large-scale technologies including concentrated solar thermal, wind turbines and the direct use of geothermal, producing over 100kW of renewable energy will be used to distribute electricity to local networks.
Thirdly, renewable electricity will be implemented beyond the borders of the city. Being able to take advantage of the natural environment, lower land value and avoiding conflicts of other proposals for the use of land, these technologies (e.g. onshore and offshore wind, geothermal electricity, concentrated solar PV) will be operating in optimal resource locations where the exported electricity will be consumed by the city.
Lastly, this Master Plan will see that renewable gasses will be derived from waste and biomass including agricultural, livestock manure, sewage and commercial, industrial and municipal waste and landfill from within and beyond the city of Sydney. It proposes that waste streams will be converted into gasses and then used as part of the trigeneration network.
Live a green and sustainable lifestyle – Do your part to help the City of Sydney to promote active transport, reduce congestion and greenhouse emissions, promote biodiversity and create a sustainable Sydney for yourself and future generations.
This article is part of the April Serial Issue: Renewable Energy
The post Living Green: what the City of Sydney is doing about sustainability appeared first on Vibewire.
