Environment Matters - City of Greater Bendigo · 2015/2016 resulting in a reduction of 14 per cent....
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Environmental Activities Report 2015/2016 Environment Matters
Transcript of Environment Matters - City of Greater Bendigo · 2015/2016 resulting in a reduction of 14 per cent....
Environmental Activities Report 2015/2016
EnvironmentMatters
Contents
Acknowledgement of Country The ancestors and descendants of the Dja Dja Wurrung and Taungurung are the traditional owners of this Country.The City of Greater Bendigo acknowledges that they have been custodians for many centuries and continue to perform age old ceremonies of celebration, initiation and renewal.We acknowledge their living culture and their unique role in the life of this region.
Introduction .................................................................................5
Greenhouse gas emissions ......................................................6
Water ........................................................................................... 14
Waste and resource recovery ............................................... 19
Community development, engagement and events ... 24
Nature conservation and land management ................. 33
Streetscapes and gardens .................................................... 38
Building conservation and sustainable design .............. 40
The City’s workplace initiatives ........................................... 42
Strategies and plans ............................................................... 46
Regional initiatives ................................................................. 51
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Environment Matters is the third Environmental Activities Report for the City of Greater Bendigo. As in previous years, it details the stories and photos of some of the great work happening around us each day to reduce our environmental footprint while at the same time helping to making Greater Bendigo a vibrant place to work and live.
The report covers a vast range of actions that have been delivered throughout the organisation. However, it is also important to acknowledge the contribution made by the many community groups, businesses and agencies who work with the City to plan and deliver many of these great initiatives. This support enables the City to continue to improve its own environmental performance and in-turn support community groups to do likewise.
I hope these stories and initiatives inspire you to take action in your home and workplace because even the smallest changes can contribute to a better environment.
Regards,
Craig Niemann
The City’s key environmental undertakings for the 2015/2016 financial year are highlighted within the Environment Matters – Environmental Activities Report, with a diverse range of activities, projects, programs, events and initiatives featured. In addition there are also some ongoing fields of work including activities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, manage our water more wisely, increasing the diversion of resources from our waste stream as well as other new initiatives. Data that is collected annually to track progress and identify trends has also been noted.
A new inclusion is the Streetscapes and gardens section featuring stories about the works that make our city and townships look great. We look forward to expanding this section and highlighting additional activities in the future.
Message from the CEO Introduction
Strategic objectives:
• The built and natural qualities that make Bendigo an attractive and appealing place are valued and conserved
• The City demonstrates leadership in reducing our environmental footprint
• We help to build community resilience for managing the impacts of climate change
• The City manages its resources, assets and infrastructure for the long term
Council Plan 2013-2017 (2015/2016 update)
Council Vision: Greater Bendigo – Working together to be Australia’s most liveable regional city.
City Chief Executive Officer Craig Niemann and project manager Andrea Joyce with Powercor's Craig Guymer at the installation of the first LED light in Bendigo.
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Greenhouse gas emissions
Overview
The City measures and monitors its greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption performance in accordance with the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting System (NGERS). The NGERS framework defines the emissions that are deemed to be within the City’s control e.g. fuel used in its fleet vehicles and natural gas, refrigerant gases and electricity used in buildings, metered lighting (not street lighting) and the City operated landfill. The City also distinguishes between emissions from the energy use activities and those from the landfill, as the energy use activities can be more directly influenced by the City.
The NGERS also defines the emissions that are outside of the City’s direct control – electricity used for street lighting and other activities including emissions that come from the activities of another organisation or entity but are used by the City e.g. travel or energy used to produce paper and other materials purchased. While the City can make choices that will reduce these emissions, it does not directly control them.
The NGERS measures greenhouse gas emissions as tonnes of Carbon Dioxide Equivalents (t/CO2-e).
The City’s emissions
Overall the City’s total emissions have been increasing and in the 2015/2016 financial year reached a high of 47,801 t/CO2-e which represents a jump of seven per cent above the 2014/2015 financial year emissions, and an increase of 4.5 per cent per annum from 2010/2011 financial year. The year on year rise in the City’s emissions profile is outlined by category in Table 1 and illustrated in Figure 1.
Table 1: The City’s total greenhouse gas emissions by year
2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Electricity (building and facilities) 6,341 5,921 5,857 5,691 5,280 4,701
Fuel 2,585 3,131 2,917 3,032 3,140 3,135
Natural gas (building) 524 744 698 748 631 615
Waste (to Eaglehawk landfill) 16,754 15,555 20,277 23,516 24,071 30,690*
Electricity (street lighting) 6,283 6,363 6,239 6,305 6,373 4,631
Other activities 2,418 3,638 3,006 4,257 5,080 4,029
Total emissions (t/CO2-e) 34,905 35,352 38,994 43,549 44,575 47,801
As Table 1 suggests, there is a strong correlation between the total emissions trajectory and the rise of emissions from our waste to landfill sector, while emissions in the other sectors remain
relatively stable, or are in fact reducing. The activities considered to be within the City’s direct control generated 8,451 t/CO2-e in 2015/2016, down 6.5 per cent on the previous year.
Figure 1: The City’s overall carbon emissions profile from FY2010/2011 to FY2015/2016
Electricity (building and facilities)
20,000
CO2-
e to
nnes
0
10,000
2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Financial year
30,000
40,000
50,000
FuelNatural gas (building)Waste (to Eaglehawk landfill)
Electricity (street lighting)Other activitiesTotal emissions (t/CO2-e)
* NGERS Greenhouse Gas Calculator amended with a higher Global Warming Potential (GWP) emission factor for methane (CH4).
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Waste to landfill continues to be the largest contributor to the City’s emissions profile with a net emission total of 30,690 t/CO2-e. This represents a 26 per cent rise from the previous year’s landfill emissions, but can be partly explained due to the NGERS Greenhouse Gas Calculator being amended with a higher Global Warming Potential (GWP) emission factor for methane (CH4) which is primarily landfill gas. The GWP of landfill methane has been updated from 21 times CO2-e to 25 times CO2-e representing a rise of 19 per cent.
The gas extraction infrastructure in place at Eaglehawk Landfill extracted
enough methane to generate 4,113 MWh of electricity, an increase on last year when 3,826 MWh of electricity was generated. However the volume of methane that was reduced to CO2-e through flaring is significantly reduced from 178,987m3 last year to only 1,097m3 this year.
The emissions from those activities considered to be outside of the City’s control generated approximately 8,660 t/CO2-e. These include street lighting, which has just completed a significant change over to energy efficient LED street lighting.
Target 2020
In November 2011, the City set an emissions reduction target of 50 per cent by 2020 against the established 2010/2011 baseline. These targets relate solely to those activities in which the City has direct control and management, being the electricity (building and facilities), fuel and natural gas (building) categories, referred to as Target2020 activities. The waste to landfill and electricity (for street lighting) categories are not included within the achievement of the target due to limited control the City has in managing these activities.
Based upon emissions from 2010/2011, a 50 per cent reduction to achieve the 2020 target factoring in ‘business as usual’, calculates out to an annual
emissions total of 4,942 t/CO2-e per annum.
The City measures and monitors its progress against Target2020 on an annual basis to understand trends, evaluate progress and investigate areas of opportunity within each energy source, including the Target2020 activities of electricity (building and facilities), fuel and natural gas (building). Figure 2 illustrates that combined emissions from Target2020 activities have reduced their emissions from a high of 9,796 tonnes CO2-e in 2011/2012 to 8,451 tonnes CO2-e in 2015/2016 resulting in a reduction of 14 per cent. This has largely been because of energy efficiency improvements across this time.
Greenhouse gas emissions (continued)
Figure 2: Total emissions from energy use for activities directly under City control
Total emissions (t/CO2-e)
4,000
Emis
sion
s in
tonn
es C
O2-
e
2,0002010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2020
Financial year
6,000
8,000
10,000
2020 emission targetExpon. (Total emissions (t/CO2-e))
Target = 4,942
9,450 9,796 9,472 9,4719,051
8,451
Fuel used in the City’s fleet and plant equipment
Emissions from fuel used in the City’s fleet is shown in Figure 3 illustrating they continue to remain relatively stable despite growth in service demand and the number of vehicles purchased. The introduction of the City’s bike fleet has helped to reduce short, local vehicle trips, as well as improved energy efficiency
technological developments within modern vehicles.
By far the most fuel is consumed by the construction and maintenance vehicles and those over 4.5 tonnes net weight leading to the bulk of fuel emissions occurring from these vehicles and the works they undertake.
Figure 3: Emissions generated from the fuel used in vehicles directly engaged in City controlled activities
Fuel
2,500
CO2-
e to
nnes
2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Financial year
3,000
3,500
2,585
3,131
2,9173,032
3,140 3,135
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Natural gas used in the City’s buildings
Emissions from natural gas used within the City’s buildings have reduced by 15 per cent in the last year as shown in Figure 4. The reduction is attributed to
works improving heating systems in large energy consuming buildings such as the Art Gallery and office facilities.
Electricity used by Street Lights
Electricity consumed from street lights is a significant cost to the City and is also a significant ongoing source of CO2-e emissions. The steep decline in emissions for the 2015/2016 FY as illustrated in Figure 6, are the result of a bulk change of lights from 80
Watt Mercury Vapour to 18 Watt LEDs as part of the Lighting the Regions Project (more information on page 51). A further reduction is expected in 2016/2017 as the light changeover was not completed until October 2016.
Greenhouse gas emissions (continued)
Figure 4: Natural gas emissions used within City controlled buildings and facilities
500
CO2-
e to
nnes
2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Financial year
600
800
700
524
744698
748
631 615
Electricity used in buildings and metered lighting
Electricity is the most significant source of CO2-e emission contributed from City operationally controlled facilities. It is also the source of emissions that has led to the greatest level of reductions over recent years. While fuel has maintained a fairly static emissions profile and natural gas used within our buildings has shown a slight decrease, the emissions resulting
from electricity used in buildings and metered lighting have reduced on average 4.3 per cent per year since 2010/2011. This reduction is illustrated in Figure 5 and can be attributed to a range of energy reduction works that have been undertaken to improve efficiency, as well as efforts from staff to reduce energy use in day to day activities.
Figure 5: Emissions generated from the use of electricity within City controlled buildings and facilities
4,000
CO2-
e to
nnes
2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Financial year
5,000
7,000
6,000
6,3415,921 5,857 5,691
5,280
4,701
Natural gas (building)
Electricity (building and facilities)
Figure 6: Emissions generated from the use of electricity from street lighting
4,000
CO2-
e to
nnes
2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Financial year
5,000
7,000
6,000
6,283 6,363 6,239 6,305 6,373
4,631
Electricity (street lights)
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How we are achieving results
The City was successful in gaining Federal Government funding to undertake the Community Energy Efficiency Program (CEEP) from 2013-2015, and successfully delivered energy efficiency upgrades across seven of its high energy consuming buildings. In 2014/2015 stage two of the works was undertaken with three buildings receiving a variety of energy efficiency retrofits. These included lighting upgrades and heating, ventilation and air conditioning upgrades at the Art Gallery and Capital Theatre, and commissioning of a Building Automation System at the main office.
In addition, energy and cost data from the stage one works completed in 2013/2014 were analysed and verified by independent consultants in 2015/2016 to evaluate the outcomes of the works which included:• Collectively, an annual saving
of $24,500 in energy bills across five buildings
• Approximately 200 tonnes of carbon emissions avoided, which is the equivalent of removing 43 petrol cars of the road
• Energy saving targets for lighting upgrades were achieved in all the buildings in the program, including a 37 per cent saving at the Hargreaves Street Multi Storey Car Park
Furthermore, the City has continued investigating projects and opportunities to reduce our carbon footprint in line with achieving our emission reduction target (Target2020). A number of LED lighting replacement projects have been taking place within our buildings and facilities and will continue into next financial year. These projects have been able to take advantage of the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target (VEET) scheme which generates a certificate (VREC) for every tonne of greenhouse gas (CO2-e) abated.
Similarly LED lighting replacement programs have been completed within our public spaces and reserves in 2015/2016. Once again this data is not included in the 2015/2016 figures but benefits projected for future years are as follows:• Energy reduction of almost
43,400 kWh• Financial savings of approximately
$10,000• CO2-e emission reductions of
58 tonnes per annum.
Greenhouse gas emissions (continued)
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Water supplies used by the City
Potable water (Urban drinking water)The potable water supply for the City is managed by Coliban Water and is primarily sourced from the Upper Coliban, Coliban and Malmsbury Reservoirs, with a supplementary supply from Lake Eppalock. Potable water is considered the most reliable water source and is used in buildings and for irrigation of parks and open spaces.
304 ML of potable water was used in 2015/2016 throughout the City’s properties. This represents a 15 per cent decrease from the previous year. A breakdown of potable water use within property categories is illustrated in figure 3.
Water
The City’s annual water use 2015/2016
In 2015/2016 the City used 780 megalitres (ML) of water, which is an increase of 55 ML (9 per cent) from the previous financial year. Although potable water consumption decreased, the overall increase was due to the City using more recycled and rural water for irrigation. Recycled water usage increased by 16 per cent and rural water usage increased by 51 per cent.
These increases were mainly due to an extended period of below average rainfall. During the 12 month period the average monthly rainfall was reached only once, with remaining months being well below average.
Services that require large volumes of water such as sports fields, Bendigo Livestock Exchange and road maintenance were most affected by the dry conditions and their annual water consumption increased as a consequence.
Bendigo also has a growing population requiring additional infrastructure
including parks and buildings which the City also maintains. The City is responding to this increased demand on water resources by incorporating water efficient technical and landscaping solutions in the day to day maintenance of its buildings, parks and gardens.
Overview
The conservation and long-term sustainability of our water resources is integral for the future development of this region. The City uses three types of water; potable, recycled and rural. Potable water is used in buildings, pools and the irrigation of parks and open space. Recycled water is used to irrigate sports fields, parks and on occasion to ‘top up’ Lake Weeroona. Rural water is untreated water used for irrigating some of the City’s parks and sports fields.
Figure 1: Water use by type 2015/2016
40% Recycled
38% Potable
22% Rural Water Licence
Figure 2: The City’s annual water use
Portable
200
Meg
alitr
es
0
100
2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Financial year
400
600
800
RecycledRural Water LicenceTotal
300
500
700
Figure 3: Potable water usage 2015/2016
41% Sporting facilities
20% Property
15% Swimming pools
9% Parks and reserves
4% Bendigo Livestock Exchange
4% Landfill
7% Other sources
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Recycled waterRecycled water, which is derived from wastewater, goes through treatment processes in accordance with the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and Department of Health (DOH) guidelines at Coliban’s Water Reclamation Plant to produce Class A recycled water.
In 2015/2016, recycled water was the primary water supply used for irrigating the City’s parks and sports fields. In total, approximately 309 ML of recycled water was used, representing a 16 per cent increase on the previous year.
Recycled water is prioritised over rural water for irrigation as it is of higher quality and more favourable to use with the City’s irrigation systems. The availability and usability of recycled water is dependent on a number of factors, making it less reliable than potable water.
Recycled water is connected to eleven of the City’s parks and sports fields via high pressure pipelines.
Rural waterRural water is accessed via the Coliban Rural System from Malmsbury Reservoir and Lake Eppalock and distributed to eight of the City’s parks and sports fields through a system of open channels and pipelines. It is untreated water and not intended or suitable for human consumption.
The City currently holds 381.6 ML in Rural Water Licences and in the 2015/2016 year 167 ML was used, an increase of 51 per cent from the previous year.
As rural water is of a seasonal nature, the amount and flow rate cannot be guaranteed and in dry years only a percentage of allocation may be available for use. Due to favourable water storage levels, the 2015/2016 rural irrigation season commenced in October with 100 per cent of licence allocation available.
Water qualityThe City is both directly and indirectly responsible for managing and improving water quality. This section highlights some of the activities
undertaken to monitor and improve water quality during 2015/2016.
Blue Green Algae monitoring Blue Green Algae (BGA) can undergo prolific growth given favourable conditions in a water body. When present in large volumes, BGA can be toxic to humans and the local animal and plant life in the water environment. Routine monitoring of BGA is undertaken in six urban lakes in Greater Bendigo to protect the community from potentially toxic hazards and inform management action to prevent its spread to other water bodies in the catchment. The sites monitored are: Kennington Reservoir, Crusoe Reservoir, Gateway Park, Lake Neangar, Lake Tom Thumb and Lake Weeroona. BGA volumes are measured by the City on a monthly basis and public alerts are issued when safe levels are exceeded. This happened twice in 2015/2016, at Kennington Reservoir and Lake Neangar, refer to figure 4 for monitoring results.
Water (continued)
Table 1: Recycled water usage at connected sites
Recycled water site 2015/2016 usage (ML)
Lake Weeroona 76.1
Rosiland Park 73.5
Lake Neangar 44.3
Bendigo Botanic Gardens 38.1
Ewing Park 12.5
Harry Trott Oval 12.2
White Hills Oval 11.8
Spring Gully soccerfields 14.3
Tom Flood Sports Centre 8.6
Weeroona Oval 8.2
Spring Gully Oval 9.9
Total 309.5
Table 2: Rural water usage at connected sites
Rural water site 2015/2016 usage (ML)
Epsom/Huntly Recreation Reserve 78.9
Strathfieldsaye Recreation Reserve 55.4
Malone Park – Marong 17.2
Mandurang Recreation Reserve 8.3
Crusoe Heights Reserve 6.3
Happy Jacks Reserve 1.1
Lake Weeroona 0.0
Kennington Reservoir 0.0
Total 167.2
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The City is experiencing steady population growth with approximately 1,000 new garbage/recycling services coming into the kerbside collection system each year, yet the total MSW disposed to landfill figures have remained relatively consistent over the last three years.
Waste and resource recovery
Overview
The City currently provides a number of waste and resource management services, including kerbside garbage and recycling collection for domestic and commercial properties, management of transfer stations and the Eaglehawk and Heathcote landfills, street litter collection, public place litter and recycling bins, street cleaning, stormwater drain and pit cleaning, and a number of domestic waste education initiatives. The City measures the amount of material collected through these services and disposed of to landfill or recycled, as shown in Table 1.
Domestic waste and recycling collection services 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Kerbside residual waste (garbage) collected 27,150 27,340 28,760 28,402
Self-haul residual (garbage) 5,716 5,018 4,882 3,579
Other council waste (e.g. street cleaning) 5,105 4,270 4,314 4,052
Total MSW disposed to landfill 37,971 36,628 37,956 36,033
Kerbside recycling collected 10,571 10,429 10,119 10,352
Self-haul recycling 7,943 8,273 8,749 9,419
Self-haul greenwaste 4,043 4,351 4,571 3,199
Total MSW recovered/recycled 22,557 23,053 23,439 22,970
Total MSW generation 60,528 59,681 61,395 59,003
Table 1: Municipal solid waste (MSW) and litter collection services by tonne 2015/2016
Domestic on-site wastewater managementThe City is a regulatory authority for the installation, alteration and operation of domestic onsite wastewater management systems, commonly known as septic tanks. Part of this regulatory role involves the issue of permits to install and alter wastewater management systems. If poorly treated and disposed, domestic wastewater can present a risk to human health, the amenity of the urban environment, and the ecology of natural environments. In 2015/2016 the City issued 128 permits to install onsite wastewater management systems.
The City’s Domestic Wastewater Management Strategy has now been in implementation for a year. In this time, the City has delivered 12 actions from the strategy that include adjustment and correction of land capability data, implementation of an open trench inspection program, development of officer training guides and amendment to the Greater Bendigo Planning Scheme to incorporate fundamental wastewater management documents and strategic directions.
Water (continued)
Figure 4: Blue Green Algae monitoring results 2015/2016
Lake Tom Thumb
Lake Neangar
Lake Weeroona
Gateway Park
Kennington Reservoir
Crusoe Reservoir
July
NovemberMarch
September
January May
August
DecemberApril
October
FebruaryJune
Bio
volu
me
mm
3/L
0
5
10
15
20
25
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Annual Detox your Home mobile collection
The City conducted its annual mobile Detox your Home collection in October 2015. The collection was held at the Eaglehawk Eco-Centre offering greater security and worker comfort for the Toxfree staff that sort and separate the hazardous chemicals. A State Government initiative, coordinated by Sustainability Victoria, the service benefits all Victorian residents and helps protect the environment from potential chemical pollution.
The program provides qualified chemists to appropriately sort and separate the chemicals and provides the transport for the chemicals to be delivered to the appropriate facilities for recycling. The collection was successful in removing 834kg of hazardous chemicals from resident’s houses and sheds.
Permanent Detox your Home drop-off site
Sustainability Victoria coordinates a Permanent Detox your Home drop-off site at the Eaglehawk Eco-Centre. This site is not licenced to collect and store hazardous materials but will accept household paint, batteries and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs).
The 2015/2016 collection included; 2,424kg of single use and rechargeable batteries, 1,753 of CFLs and paint collected at the permanent collection point. In addition, Eaglehawk Eco-Centre also accepts gas cylinders and automotive batteries under a separate arrangement.
Kerbside garbage collection and street cleaning
The kerbside collection of domestic waste occurs weekly and includes a number of commercial properties. The commercial properties are usually small to medium enterprises within the CBD areas and collection is offered several times per week. Kerbside residential waste (28,402 tonnes) is collected from 48,197 dwellings and 3,475 commercial properties.
The kerbside recycling collection (10,352 tonnes) occurs fortnightly and is collected from 48,550 dwellings and 817 commercial properties.
Street sweeping is provided daily in the Bendigo CBD, with residential areas serviced through the week on a less frequent basis. In addition, 356 public space litter bins and 1,431 commercial bins within the CBD are serviced every week of the year.
Kerbside Pride
In April 2016, the Presentation and Assets Directorate signed up to participate in the Loddon Mallee Waste and Resource Recovery Group’s (LMWRRG) Kerbside Pride Business Program. Kerbside Pride is a two year certification process that supports businesses to manage waste streams in a more effective and efficient manner.
The scope of the program encompassed the Adam Street Depot, which includes staff from across Parks and Natural Reserves, Works and Waste Services.
A waste assessment was completed in April 2016 and a Waste Action Plan initiated in May 2016.
Recommendations encompass continuous improvement in relation to waste segregation, storage and disposal, and the directorate is keen to implement initiatives proposed to ensure ongoing environmental benefits within the community.
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As a result of these findings Council voted to retain a weekly waste collection and introduce a new, compulsory fortnightly organic waste collection service to over 40,000 households in the urban Bendigo and Marong areas in September 2016.
This new service is expected to save approximately 12,000 tonnes (or 13 Olympic sized swimming pools) of organic waste from going into landfill each year.
Strategy targets• Reducing average residual waste
disposal from 642kg/household/year to 320kg/household/year by 2019. The 2015/2016 interim figures indicate a result of 596kg/household/year, a slight increase on the 2014/2015 figure
• Improved kerbside waste diversion from 26 per cent to 60 per cent (weight) by 2019. The 2015/2016 interim figures indicate a kerbside diversion rate of 27.8 per cent (weight)
The introduction of the organics kerbside collection service in 2016/2017 is expected to contribute to reaching each of these targets.
Waste and resource recovery (continued)
Waste and Resource Management Strategy implementation – 2015/2016
Implementation of initiatives detailed in the Waste and Resource Management Strategy 2014-2019 continued during 2015/2016 with the following initiatives.
Organics trialIn September 2015 the City undertook an organics waste trial of 2,800 households in Kennington, Strathdale, East Bendigo, White Hills and North Bendigo which has resulted in approximately 700 tonnes of organic waste being saved from landfill and turned into compost for use on parks and gardens.
The introduction of an organic waste service is a key initiative of the Waste and Resource Management Strategy 2014-2019.
The trial participants were monitored throughout the trial and were sent a survey to gain valuable feedback prior to the wider introduction of the organics collection in September 2016.
An impressive 1,198 (45 per cent) of the 2671 households involved in the trial fortnightly organic and general waste collection services completed the survey about their experience with the trial service.
In addition to undertaking the survey the City also engaged a contractor to carry-out organic, waste and recycling bin audits on November 12 and 19.
The bin audits found:• On average, the organics bin
weighed 13.1kg and comprised 81.2 per cent garden organics, 14.1 per cent food organics and 4.7 per cent residual waste (contaminants)
• On average, the residual waste bin weighed 12kg and comprised 79.7 per cent residual waste, 13.1 per cent food organics and 7.2 per cent garden organics
• Overall, on average, 83 per cent of organic material was being diverted from landfill through the organics bin
• On average, food waste was being disposed of almost evenly between the organics and residual waste bins
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Sustainability and Environment Advisory Committee (SEAC)
The Sustainability and Environment Advisory Committee is a strategically focused voluntary group of experts whose purpose is to provide the best advice and guidance to the City on matters concerning environmental sustainability. The Committee supports the City with the development of relevant strategies, policies and action plans and assists with community engagement and discussion around these issues.
As the reference group for the for the development of the new Environment Strategy 2016-2036, SEAC provided direction, content and a huge amount of time, energy and skill to the consultation effort.
SEAC were also actively involved in the following:• Assessment panel for the
environmental sustainability category of the City's Community Grants Program
• Commented on the City’s draft Rural Communities Strategy
• Contributed to the development of the Greater Bendigo Public Space Plan
• Commented to the City’s submission on the State Government review of the Native Vegetation Permitted Clearing Regulations
• Contributed to the review of the City’s Community Grants criteria
Farming Advisory Committee
Now in its third year, the Greater Bendigo Farming Advisory Committee (FAC) continues to advocate on behalf of the farming community.
Over the past twelve months, the FAC has engaged in the following activities:• Advocated to the State Government
for Greater Bendigo to be declared in drought
• Released the Draft Greater Bendigo Rural Communities Strategy for community consultation
• Provided comment on the Australian Government Agricultural Competitiveness Green Paper
• Advocated to State and Federal Governments on behalf of farming families severely impacted by drought and the current dairy crisis
Bendigo Sustainability Group – Bendigo Sustainability Awards 2016
The third Bendigo Sustainability Awards on March 18, 2016 showcased the wonderful and diverse range of environmental projects being undertaken by individuals, community groups, schools and business. The City was proud to be the major sponsor of the 2016 awards as they recognise the great environmental work being done in our community.
The 2016 winners and highly commended were:
Business and Innovation (small)• Highly Commended:
McLaren Property Investments P/L – McLaren Street Office Building
• Highly Commended: Spring Gully General Store
• Winner: Stay Social
Business and Innovation (large)• Highly Commended:
Hazeldenes Chicken Farm Pty Ltd• Winner: Universal Manufacturing
Home and Garden• Highly Commended:
Marilyn Sprague• Winner: Paul and Clare Kirkpatrick
Community Award• Highly Commended:
Bendigo Foodshare• Winner: Freewheeling Fun
Education Early childhood/Primary• Highly Commended:
Goornong Primary School • Winner: Axedale Primary School
Education Secondary/Tertiary• Highly Commended:
Eaglehawk Secondary College• Winner:
Bendigo Senior Secondary College
The Bendigo Sustainability Awards will be held again in June 2017.
Community development, engagement and events
Overview
Bendigo has many residents that display a keen interest in environmental issues and are actively involved in seeking solutions. Many community groups are engaged in environmental sustainability initiatives that improve the health and wellbeing of our community. This section provides a summary of some of the areas the City has supported during 2015/2016.
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Community Grants – Environmental Sustainability Category
The City provides a range of Community Grants across several categories.
The following grants were allocated in the Environmental Sustainability category in 2015/2016.
Campaspe Valley Landcare Group – $4,470 Grow your undergrowth: Increase knowledge to landowners about indigenous undergrowth species, train them in planting techniques and undertake many initial plantings.
Loddon Mallee Pre-School Association – $2,230 Huntly Kindergarten Bush-Kinder Program: Additional equipment to cater for higher enrolment's in 2016, additional sets of wet weather gear, two large port-a-potties, and an extra trolley to carry the port-a-potties.
Mid-Loddon Sub Catchment Management Group – $3,000 Landscapes, groundwater systems and salinity management in the Ravenswood Valley: This project will provide detailed hydrogeological landscape educational information and support to landholders so that the whole community understands the importance of implementing the most appropriate land use and vegetation restoration management to maintain the biodiversity, health and beauty of the Ravenswood Valley. This project will build on an earlier and still very relevant report compiled in 2004 for the western side of the Calder Highway.
Junortoun Community Action Group – $2,500 Phascogales, sugar gliders, birds, bats and bikes (PSG triple B project): The PSG triple B project will provide hollows (nest boxes) to enable links with several of the largest vegetated blocks in the Junortoun area. This is the group’s first planned environmental activity and it will provide a focus for community neighbourhood development and capacity building.
National Tree Day 2015
Over 130 people attended National Tree Day at Bendigo Creek on July 26 and planted more than 3,500 native trees and shrubs to improve the creek environment. The day included children's art activities and a free barbecue provided by the Bendigo Lions Club. The site, just downstream of Lake Weeroona, provided a wonderful setting for this annual event which attracts increasing numbers of residents, particularly young families.
Community development, engagement and events (continued)
40,000 trees
Supported by the City, 40,000 trees was an ambitious initiative of the Harcourt Valley, Barkers Creek and North Harcourt/Sedgwick Landcare Groups which involved planting 40,000 trees in the Harcourt district in a single day.
The trees were grown by Loddon Prison for a project that did not eventuate. Rather than see the trees wasted the landcare groups decided to take up the challenge and see if they could harness the support to plant as many trees as possible in one day.
The trees were all indigenous species grown for the Harcourt district. They were planted on 12 private properties in the Harcourt/Sedgwick area as part of a large landscape scale revegetation project.
Close to 600 volunteers came from as far away as Melbourne to brave the cold and rainy conditions and they managed to plant an amazing 30,000 trees across the 12 properties, a truly magnificent effort.
Some of the committed 40,000 trees volunteers who managed to plant a staggering 30,000 trees in a single day.
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Environmentally focused publications produced by the City
The City produces a range of free useful environmental and sustainability related resources. They are available in hard copy from City offices or via the City’s website.
• Indigenous Plants of Bendigo – a gardener’s guide to growing and protecting local plants
• Home Grown – a practical guide to growing your own fresh food
• Smart Gardens for a Dry Climate
• Caring for Country – a sustainable land management guide for rural living in north central Victoria, produced by the North Central Catchment Management Authority
• Your Guide to Residential Recycling and Waste Management
• Sustainable Living Guide (online resource)
North Central Waterwatch Program
The North Central Catchment Management Authority (NCCMA) delivers a program known as Waterwatch. Supported by the City, it aims to increase the knowledge and skills of the community by supporting them to become custodians of local waterways.
The initiative provides opportunities for people in our community to participate in workshops, events and monitoring programs which focus on river and wetland health, coupled with sustainable water management topics.
Participation and knowledge sharing is encouraged throughout our region via a range of projects including
community volunteer monitoring programs, environmental education programs and community engagement.
In 2015/2016 the program delivered the following projects in the Greater Bendigo region: • The River Detectives program;
professional development training workshops to 19 teachers, who delivered the program to over 1,000 primary school students
• Provided support to 14 community water quality monitors, to monitor 18 sites through equipment maintenance, onsite training and our Quality Assurance and Quality Control program
Community development, engagement and events (continued)
Summer in the Parks 2015/2016 nature walks
These popular evening spotlight walks were again fully booked but hot weather in January resulted in two of the planned four walks having to be cancelled for safety reasons.
Animal activity was also noticeably reduced from previous years, due to
the hot dry summer conditions, but participants enjoyed their experience with our Park Rangers.
Summer in the Parks is an annual event. For more information go to www.bendigosummerintheparks.com
Clean Up Australia Day 2016
Nineteen sites were registered across the community for Clean Up Australia Day 2016. The day was supported by schools, businesses and community
groups and approximately 25 cubic metres of rubbish was removed from our parks and reserves.
Families enjoying a unique experience spotting native wildlife as part of the 2015/2016 Summer in the Parks program.
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with a NCCMA Indigenous Facilitator and looked at salinity and water from different sources with a representative from Coliban Water.
The week is dedicated to encouraging communities to take action to protect
our vital water sources. It is also a celebration of innovation and water achievements that have and will contribute to Australia's sustainable future and economic prosperity.
Project RENEW
Project RENEW comprises a unique consortium of organisations including the City, which is now in its final year of operation. The project has made considerable progress into environmental works on two key projects:
1. Re-invigorating the Timor West Landcare Group by assisting the group to restore degraded land at Dunluce near Maryborough.
All project initiatives will contribute to an increase in below ground biomass, soil carbon levels, grazing diversity and potential for increased productivity and biodiversity values. Project sites have been mapped, photo points established and initial photo monitoring undertaken. Water table monitoring has also been undertaken.
Community development, engagement and events (continued)
• Supported the coordination of the Our Environment Our Future workshops with students from eight schools across the region with guest Costa Georgiadis
• Engaged over 660 individuals in a range of events and activities including National Water Week
• Coordinated the River Detectives education activity at the Bendigo Easter Festival and engaged well
over 200 youth in macroinvertebrate studies
• Developed and launched the NatureBlitz App
• Contributed stories to a dozen editions of North Central Chat
• Supported the development of the River Detectives online website
• Coordinated the annual National Water Week event at the Bendigo Botanic Gardens
National Water Week – Water innovation for future generations
National Water Week makes a splash across Australia in October every year, and provides an opportunity to remind ourselves and teach others that water must be used wisely if there is to be enough to meet the needs of our future generations.
100 students from Epsom and Kangaroo Flat Primary Schools and Kalianna School gathered together at the Bendigo Botanic Gardens to celebrate National Water Week to learn about the different uses of water and why clean water is so important.
For the past five years, NCCMA Waterwatch has partnered with the City and Coliban Water to deliver this event during National Water Week.
The students took part in a range of activities over the day where they explored water wise gardens,
water harvesting and irrigation systems before diving into the underwater world of waterbugs. The students were also treated to a cultural walk
Students dive into the mysterious world of Waterbugs.
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Natural and passive reserves
The City manages over 170 natural reserves and undertakes works including weed, pest animal and erosion control as well as revegetation. Last year over 50,000 native grasses, shrubs and trees were planted in our natural reserves.
With over 310 passive recreation reserves to manage the Parks and Natural Reserves team are also kept very busy looking after 120 playgrounds, shelters, BBQs and seats in addition to grassed areas, trees and shrubs.
Nature conservation and land management
Overview
Characterised by Box Ironbark forest, the City is located in the distinctive and unique Goldfields bioregion. National and Regional Parks, State Forests and various conservation reserves have been established to recognise and protect the region’s environmental qualities.
There is only 23 per cent of native vegetation remaining within the Greater Bendigo area since gold was discovered along the Bendigo Creek in 1851. Whilst a majority of this vegetation is located on public land, large areas are in private ownership. The City is working to strategically protect and improve these unique natural landscapes which are highly valued by community and contribute to Bendigo’s unique character.
2. Assisting the Friends of Ironbark Gully to rehabilitate degraded/disused crown land in the centre of Bendigo, through the development of a multi-use trail and linear park adjacent to Ironbark Gully Creek. RENEW has provided an opportunity to assist and support this project through project development and assistance with providing a model for broader community application.
Social research being conducted by LaTrobe University, as part of Project RENEW, seeks to identify the effectiveness of these projects as a model for engagement that leads to real ecological and community outcomes. The methods are based on
conducting progressive interviews with participants to assess change over time. Through analysis of these changes, it is anticipated that community driven participation and motivation, leads to better ecological outcomes.
Food Hub Feasibility Study
The City has recently completed a study to look at the feasibility of developing a regional food hub.
The study found that a food hub for Greater Bendigo is feasible and represents an exciting and powerful opportunity to support the local community and strengthen a sustainable and fair food system.
The feasibility study followed on from other local food system work including the Thought for Food 2013 discussion paper, Greater Bendigo Food Security Report 2014 and Active Living Census 2015 where it was established that access to fresh and healthy
food continues to be difficult for a substantial part of the community.
Establishing a food hub and increasing the supply and consumption of local produce could lead to a number of environmental benefits including reduced transportation, reduced packaging and minimising energy use associated with storage.
Progress in developing the food hub is now underway, starting with identifying a preferred site, detailed design of the hub and the formation of a community governance group to help build and operate the facility.
Soil preparations as part of Project RENEW.
Community development, engagement and events (continued)
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Rare wombat sighting in a City reserve
Parks and Natural Reserves staff captured unique photos of a wombat in the Bendigo Creek in Kangaroo Flat in 2015/2016. This is interesting given that these nocturnal animals are usually found along the Great Dividing Range in wetter, forested, rocky regions that host a cooler climate.
Whilst Bendigo is not the normal habitat for wombats, there have been sightings of wombat scats in Crusoe and No. 7 Park in recent times. It is not known why wombats have decided to come to our region, but
some members of the Bendigo Field Naturalists and other Government agencies have highlighted the possibility that the wombats are using creeks and waterways as wildlife corridors for access.
Once the wombat den was discovered, two sensor cameras were set up in the creek to determine if it was active. Upon return the following morning staff were excited to discover over 500 images had been captured of the busy little Bendigo Creek wombat digging around.
Spring Gully Primary School
Ninety Spring Gully Primary School students were the lucky beneficiaries of a $1,200 Community Grant, applied for by the Spring Gully Recreation Reserve Committee. An activity day was set up in Spring Gully Reserve which was run by the City’s Parks and Natural Reserves staff in collaboration with the primary school.
Students spent the best part of the morning participating in environmental activities, such as peering into the nest
boxes via a specialised pole camera as well as painting new nest boxes ready for installation. Identifying the species that inhabit these artificial hollows
was made possible courtesy of Field Naturalist’s museum taxidermy species and mammal skins.
The Spring Gully Linear Creek Reserve was the recipient of the 40 nest boxes handmade by the community run Men’s Shed. There were also two nest boxes installed on the school grounds. This is a great example of the City working in collaboration with community and school groups to achieve positive environmental outcomes.
Crusoe Reservoir and No.7 Park nest box initiative
More than 100 nest boxes have been installed at Crusoe Reservoir and No.7 Park as part of an initiative to provide additional habitat opportunities for the park’s native hollow dependant fauna.
Our Box Ironbark forests are home to some of the highest diversity of hollow dependant native fauna in Australia. However due to broad scale clearing of the forests, many of these animals are declining in numbers and can be found on the threatened species lists.
The initiative has had a strong focus on the Powerful Owl and several months after the installation of 37 new boxes, a female Powerful Owl was recorded for the first time in the park. This animal has been recorded continuously since that time and is now considered a resident.
The monitoring program this year recorded that more than 50 per cent
of all the boxes installed were occupied, and the species identified were all prey for the Powerful Owl, including the threatened Brush-tailed Phascogale. This kind of nest box program is an example of how a targeted approach to habitat improvement based on sound principles achieves positive outcomes.
Nature conservation and land management (continued)
Students from Spring Gully Primary School painting nest boxes.
Photo courtesy of Greg Licence.
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Roadside Weed and Pest Management Program
The State Government funded Roadside Weed and Pest Management Program was designed to support local government to plan and put in place controls for the long term management of “regionally prohibited” and “regionally controlled” weeds and pest animals on rural roadsides.
Initially funded for three years, the program was due to conclude at the end of June 2015. However, due to the success of the program, the State Government has committed to providing an additional two years of funding.
Target weeds include:• African Boxthorn• African Love-grass• Bathurst Burr
• Blackberry• Gorse• Horehound• Paterson’s Curse• Prickly Pear• Spiny Rush• St John’s Wort• Sweet Briar• Wheel Cactus
During 2015/2016 the City was able to complete the mapping of the entire municipality’s roadsides for targeted weeds (approximately 3,038 kilometres of road). This year the program included follow-up treatment on previous sites and control works on 59 more roads as part of the initiative.
Native vegetation offset management
In circumstances where the City needs to remove native vegetation as part of capital works or other community projects, planning approval is required. Conditions of the planning permits are likely to require native vegetation ‘offsets’ to be provided.
Native Vegetation Credits can be used to meet native vegetation offset requirements and credits are offered for sale on the open market. In addition, the City owns and manages two native vegetation offset sites of its own that
have been assessed for native vegetation credit values, and those credits can be used as projects require them.
The two City owned sites, one in Maiden Gully and the other in Huntly, are secured permanently on title via a formal agreement with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP). Each agreement includes a ten year management plan that is reported on to DELWP annually.
The credit values of offset sites are expressed in terms of General Biodiversity Equivalence Units (GBEU’s) of a specified Strategic Biodiversity Score. The City’s two offset sites contain almost 9.5 GBEUs. In 2015/2016 the City was required to provide offsets for 1.523 GBEUs, of which 1.342 came from our own sites and 0.181GBEUs were purchased externally.
Assessing native vegetation on roadsides
The municipality has a total of 3,510 kilometres of roads. The majority (3,038 km) are local roads managed by the City and the remaining 472 kilometres are the responsibility of VicRoads.
Rural road reserves are an important feature of the Greater Bendigo region as they often contain remnant native vegetation rarely seen across the wider landscape and support necessary habitat and linkages for rare and threatened species. The City considers the native vegetation contained within the road reserves a natural asset and aims to manage and protect it to the highest standard.
The City strives to avoid and minimise the amount of native vegetation removal required for its works and projects. Detailed vegetation
assessments are carried out in the planning phase to reduce the impacts. The City also collects data such as the location of rare and threatened species (including Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act listed), large significant habitat trees, heritage sites as well as weed species to support the detailed planning required to avoid and minimise impacts to road reserve assets.
Nature conservation and land management (continued)
Native vegetation on Soldier Settlement Road, Ravenswood.
Offset site – Maiden Gully.
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Streetscapes
The City has over 100,000 nature strip trees and over the past five years, the City has planted approximately 1,000 street trees per year contributing to the unique look and feel of our streets.
Gardens
Gardens also play an important role in creating beautiful and vibrant spaces for us all to enjoy. The City’s horticultural team maintained 20 heritage and formal garden beds and a number of smaller gardens beds throughout the municipality.
The team planted approximately 35,000 Tulip, Jonquil, Daffodil, Crocus and Hyacinth bulbs to create beautiful displays as part of the City’s annual spring planting program.
Bendigo Botanic Gardens eastern embankment upgrade
Located along Napoleon Crescent, the eastern embankment of the Bendigo Botanic Gardens forms the garden’s boundary. It was once the high water mark for flooding of the Bendigo Creek and has a few large remnant River Red Gums. As the site of Kangaroo and Wallaby enclosures for much of the 20th Century, it suffered greatly from erosion, soil compaction and a lack of vegetation.
This project involved removing old infrastructure, re-establishing soil levels, mulching, adding edging and revegetation of the area, now known as the ‘Northern Victorian Garden’.
Victorian Mallee, the Victorian Riverina and the Goldfields Box-Ironbark vegetation classes are represented in three distinct locations to showcase the vegetation communities of Northern Victoria. The planting will mature into dense bands featuring iconic wattles, eucalypts, grasses and other flora from each of the three regions.
Streetscapes and gardens
Overview
Trees throughout our municipality, lining our streets and in our parks have important environmental and community benefits. They create “urban microclimates” that help to stabilise the temperature and humidity. Moreover, they provide a fundamental opportunity for the community to connect with nature.
Planting trees, shrubs and grasses not only contributes to our local biodiversity but also provides wildlife corridors between isolated parcels of vegetation and dramatically increases habitat for our native fauna.
Table 1: Breakdown of trees planted over past five years
2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Total number of new street trees planted 1,584 1,202 1,001 1,309 1,230
Total number of native street trees planted 1,104 778 455 635 646
Total number of exotic street trees planted 480 424 501 755 584
Eastern Embankment 2016.
Eastern Embankment 1970’s.
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Heritage restoration advice and loan scheme
Only one heritage loan for $14,984 was granted for 2015/2016 for a dwelling in Don Street, Ironbark to undertake the following works: • Repairs to the galvanized iron roof
including replacing the gutters• Repairs to damaged timber
weatherboard• Replace front verandah with
new boards• Repair window sills, flashings
and architraves• Replace front finials and scotia• Repaint the timber cladding (old
and new) and window frames
Building conservation and sustainable design
Overview
The City supports environmental sustainability for buildings by maintaining and upgrading approximately 800 buildings, of which over 50 are considered to be of heritage significance, and by providing loans and advice to private building owners.
Before
After
City buildings
In 2015/2016 the City spent $995,000 on renewal and upgrade projects to extend the life and use of its historic buildings, including the completion of Stage One of prioritised works program at the Bendigo Town Hall. Urgent works completed at the town hall included the repair, restoration and structural strengthening of the two balconies, and re-roofing of the porticos, and re-sleeving of internal downpipes. The completed works will prevent further damage, ensuring the building is watertight.
A further two projects received funding support from the Victorian Heritage Restoration Fund, adding value to the City’s own funding. This included re-roofing and associated brickwork repairs at the former Huntly Shire Council Chambers, and repairs to the clockwork at Eaglehawk Town Hall. While the roof sheeting at Huntly was being replaced, the opportunity was also taken to install additional insulation.
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Structural soil initiative
Trees around CBD areas can be problematic with roots lifting pavements or alternatively trees experiencing poor growth due to soil compaction. City staff checked out what other councils were doing, hoping to find new solutions to old problems.
As a result the City is trialling one of the newly found solutions and is replacing tree cells with structural soil, organic matter, soil and rock ballast that is compacted. In essence a big hole is dug and filled up with the ‘structural soil’ which promotes root growth under hard surfaces.
The use of structural soil allows the City to have more flexibility in where
we choose to plant trees, coupled with superior performance when part of water-sensitive urban design solutions. The City expects to see a dramatic improvement on the life of trees and reduced tree root system impact on surrounding surfaces.
Road works
Roads are assessed annually and given a ‘Condition Report’ which encompasses a variety of engineering and environmental factors. This condition assessment determines the maintenance schedule for the roads. During 2015/2016 maintenance was carried out on 1,630km of unsealed
roads and approximately 1,700km of sealed roads.
The City is always on the lookout for ways to improve the quality of the road network within Greater Bendigo with the resources available. To reduce material costs the City routinely
recycles materials when undertaking road and shoulder profiling as part of the Unsealed Roads Program.
In 2015/2016 new initiatives to improve gravel coverage and drainage were carried out on 66km of road as part of the Re-sheet program. The process of re-sheeting a road involves raising the surface by 100mm and compacting with new gravel, as well as clearing existing drains and adding culverts where required. The Re-sheet program compliments the maintenance grading of unsealed roads.
Extensive environmental assessments are conducted of the roadside vegetation prior to any works occurring on road shoulders or drains to ensure that the environmental values of the roadside are maintained. Biodiversity inspections were carried out prior to re-sheet works (34 roads, totalling 63.5km) and shoulder re-sheet works (three roads totalling 15km).
The City is able to remove native vegetation under a Roadside Safety Exemption for works that will improve road safety. Trees were removed on five roads under this exemption:• Diamond Hill Road Mandurang• Epsom – Barnadown Road,
Goornong • Goornong – Mayreef Road, Avonmore • Sparrowhawk Road, Maiden Gully• Edwards Road and Sterry Road,
In addition to biodiversity assessments the following road and bridge works required permission under the Greater Bendigo Planning Scheme for native vegetation removal: • Bowles Road, Epsom re-alignment
and re-surface • Watson Street, Epsom road sealing • Crusoe Road and Furness Street,
Kangaroo Flat intersection upgrade • Heathcote-North Costerfield Road,
Heathcote Blackspot Safety Works • Crosley Road, Costerfield
re-alignment • Axedale–Goornong Road, Fosterville
re-construction• Taylor Street, Ascot drainage works• Bridge replacement − Chapel Street, Kangaroo Flat − Tannery Lane, Mandurang − Reilly’s Road, Bagshot
The City’s workplace initiatives
Overview
City staff are always looking for ways to do their job better and to provide the highest level of service with the resources available by saving fuel, energy, money and time, producing less waste, recycle material and making assets last longer.
Rock ballast utilised as fill.
Minards Lane, Welsford.
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EnviroReps
EnviroReps is a group of City staff who volunteer to promote and improve the sustainability of the organisation’s everyday work practices.
Significant projects that have taken place in 2015/2016 span across many areas of the organisation and include reducing waste to landfill, sustainable transport, sustainable food and reducing emissions. The team has made a noticeable contribution to improving practices on an everyday level.
EnviroReps 2015/2016 projects included:
Corporate bike fleetThe City’ corporate bike fleet has become a regular mode of transport for staff travel over the last two years. With 17 bikes now part of the fleet, staff have been busy peddling and since putting a bike station at the Capital Theatre, our usage has dramatically increased.
To date, there have been roughly 2,247 journeys, 6,640 hours and 5,865 kilometres worth of trips. Shifting short trips from cars to bicycles frees up fleet cars for longer journeys and is a cost effective method for travelling short distances within Bendigo. In addition it contributes to the improved health and wellbeing of staff.
The bike fleet will expand again in the coming year with new bikes, including the purchase of two new electric Urban E Bikes set to further increase the fleet’s capability, flexibility and availability.
Veggie bags The veggie bag program encourages staff to purchase locally grown produce. The fruit and vegetables supplied for this initiative are via local supplier Peppergreen Farms. Over a few short years, ten thousand dollars has been spent locally by staff through this initiative. This successful program not only supports local business, but also reduces staff emissions.
Ride2WorkRide2Work Day encourages long-term behaviour change and the use of sustainable transport. Perfect weather conditions helped to ensure that over 200 riders enjoyed the free breakfast and entertainment on offer in Hargreaves Mall. The City is pleased to partner with local businesses to ensure the ongoing success of this annual event.
The City's workplace initiatives (continued)
Table 1: Statistics gathered since the start of the veggie bag program with cumulative monetary and weight value listed in the total column
2010-2012/14 2015 2016 Total
Whole bags 18 152 52 222
Half bags 117 56 173
Herb boxes 11 11
Value (with sundries) $562 $6,949.50 $2,584 $10,095
Approx. weight 100kg 1,400kg 500kg 2,000kg
Ride2Work Day, Hargreaves Mall, Bendigo.
Rejuvenation Lab and BBQ Event, April 2016.
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Environment strategy renewal
During the 2015/2016 financial year the City consulted with community, business, councillors and staff to identify a shared environmental view of our regions for the next 20 years. The vision and goals became the foundation for the new Environment Strategy 2016-2036.
A broad range of environmental matters were explored during the development of the strategy and a range of activities including forums and workshops were held, which were well received and supported by the community.
A highlight of the consultation was the schools workshop with Costa Georgiadis.
Students from eight primary schools developed picture boards to share their vision for the future. Each school selected five representatives to a gathering at the Bendigo Botanic Gardens to share their stories with each other and Costa.
The strategy covers ten long-term action areas, which are based on the ten guiding principles of One Planet Living, adapted to our local context. The strategy also identifies four flagship projects for the City to drive over the next five years.
The draft strategy was released for public comment in June 2016 and will be finalised in 2016/2017.
Rural Communities Strategy
The Rural Communities Strategy aims to increase communications and access for those residents who live in and do business in our rural areas. The City’s rural communities are diverse in their characteristics; subsequently, the overarching principles of the strategy are based on a set of issues and drivers, which form the strategic directions for this document.
In June 2016 the City released a Draft Rural Communities Strategy for community engagement. The draft Strategy identified six key principles. Principle four emphasises the unique environment of Bendigo’s rural areas and its importance for the whole of the City.
Principles of the Draft Strategy:
1. Building on our understanding of our rural communities
2. Continuing to work much better with our rural communities
3. Realising the social and economic potential of our rural communities
4. Sustaining the unique values and attributes of our rural communities
5. Advocating with and on behalf of our rural communities
6. Realising and capitalising on our City’s rural and regional leadership potential
The strategy is to be adopted by council early in 2016/2017 financial year. Look for the completed Rural Communities Strategy at www.bendigo.vic.gov.au
Strategies and plans
Overview
To assist in implementing environmental sustainability and community wellbeing, the City develops a range of strategies and plans that support these directions and priorities. In 2015/2016 several important community documents were being prepared.
Costa Georgiadis presenting at the community forum.
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Reconciliation Action Plan
Reconciliation is about respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage and valuing justice and equity for all Australians. The Reconciliation Action Plan is a three year plan outlining what the City will do within its sphere of influence to contribute to reconciliation. The plan is based around three key areas of action – relationships, respect and opportunities.
The Plan was developed through the City’s Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group with representation from a cross section of community groups, councilors, business units and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders.
The Reconciliation Action Plan is an important part of Council vision as it will coordinate the process of building positive relationships.
Draft Housing Strategy
The City placed a Draft Housing Strategy on display for public comment and discussion during June 2016. The City recognises that housing is at the core of every community. The provision
of housing has social, economic and environmental dimensions and implications. Housing accounts for major energy costs and the design of our new residential areas can have less
of an environmental imprint if designed and built well.
The liveability of every community is affected by having access to quality housing suitable for people’s needs. Where and how we live are the result of decisions made about housing.
The majority of councils in Victoria have a clear policy about the housing needed in their municipality. Many have strategies and policies about
housing affordability with varying levels of involvement ranging from providing encouragement through policies in planning schemes to being an active participant in the delivery of affordable housing.
The development and adoption of a Housing Strategy setting out what the City intends to do about housing is an essential element of fulfilling its role to plan for the development of the whole city.
Connecting Greater Bendigo: Integrated Transport and Land Use Strategy (ITLUS)
The preparation of ITLUS essentially commenced as a reaction to a planned major new road that the community overwhelmingly rejected. It became a transformative project where the City developed a major strategy in response to growing car reliance and shifted priorities to emphasise active, healthy and more sustainable modes of travel. ITLUS was developed collaboratively with VicRoads, Public Transport Victoria and a host of partner organisations.
Importantly, ITLUS has strong foundations in seeking to improve the health and wellbeing of local residents
and is designed to work for all whether you are eight or 80. Embracing active travel is better for the environment as well. Based on the principles of an urban growth boundary, the development of 10-minute neighbourhoods, where you can meet most of your daily needs within a 10 minute walk or cycle of where you live, and incorporating exciting new projects like Bendigo Metro ITLUS and using public transport one day in five, ITLUS will progressively transform Bendigo into a much more sustainable community.
Strategies and plans (continued)
54 Connecting Greater Bendigo: Integrated Transport & Land Use Strategy (ITLUS)
Greater Bendigo: Working together to be Australia’s most liveable regional city
Preventing urban sprawl and strengthening
connections between people and places
Improving health and wellbeing through much better public transport and more active travel
Using the capacity of our networks to better move
people and goods
Changing individual travel behaviours
through strengthening partnerships and building
community support
Leading through innovation and good
governance
PREFACE PREFACE
Many have contributedWe would like to thank all those who have contributed to the development of the ITLUS.
Special thanks go to the members of the ITLUS Steering Committee, the Reference Group and the Technical Working Group who have contributed their personal time in attending numerous workshops and meetings and for sharing their professional and local knowledge and varied viewpoints with the Project Team.
We would like to thank the consultants who have assisted with the project, GHD, MRCagney and Hello City and those in the community who took part in the workshops and who
attended events to both learn more about the concepts underpinning the ITLUS and to contribute their own ideas.
Finally, we thank all those in our community who are already working together in making Bendigo the most liveable regional city in Australia.
Organisations represented in the Steering Committee, the Reference Group and the Technical Working Group:
• City of Greater Bendigo• Public Transport Victoria • VicRoads • Department of Economic Development,
Jobs, Transport and Resources • Bendigo Take Action Group • Bendigo Sustainability Group • Bendigo Health • Bendigo & Adelaide Bank • Bendigo Business Council • La Trobe University • Bendigo Traders Association• Christian’s Bus Company
• Positive Ageing Advisory Committee - Transport Working Group
• Urban Development Institute of Australia Northern Chapter
• J & A Light Freight • Hoffman Engineering
(Bendigo Manufacturing Group Member) • Plan B - Planning Students’ Association at
La Trobe University • Whitmores Bus Line
(Strathfieldsaye Service) • Bus Association Victoria• Youth representative
CEO Craig Niemann, Chairman Dja Dja Wurrung Trent Nelson, Mayor Cr. Fyffe.
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Hospital Precinct Structure Plan wins an award!
The City’s strategic planning for the Hospital Precinct was recognised in 2015 by the Planning Institute of Australia with the State award for ‘Best Planning Ideas – Small Project’.
The Institutes citation for the nomination noted:
“This plan demonstrates bold, city-shaping thinking. It shows a clear determination from Council to capitalise
on state government investment in extending the commercial centre of Bendigo to link with the hospital. The structure plan shows excellent foresight in creating an environment that supports health and outdoor activity in planning, as well as innovation in the planning and urban design process. It is a thoughtful and positive attempt at incorporating health and wellbeing into planning.”
Greater Bendigo Public Space Plan
The Greater Bendigo Public Space Plan will be a 50-year, high-level strategy for the City’s public spaces – it’s parks, creek corridors, sports reserves, streets, bushland reserves, national and regional parks, and more.
The plan is being developed by the City in partnership with a range of other agencies with an interest in the City’s public spaces, as well as with the local community. The first stage of the project is nearing completion, and some of the main findings are: • We have a lot of public space by
area, although the quality is highly variable and on average quite low
• We have a strong foundation for connecting public spaces (creek lines, railway lines, etc) but lots of gaps
• High environmental values are commonplace in public spaces of all types though not always sustainable
• Our use of water to irrigate public spaces in growing significantly, with an increasing proportion being recycled water
• We’ve not fully considered the public space role of streets (e.g. to support safe cycling or passive use)
Lighting the Regions
Street lighting is commonly the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions from local government, accounting for 30 to 60 per cent of emissions. The Lighting the Regions project has been the largest street light partnership project ever undertaken in Australia with the City of Greater Bendigo taking the lead role in successfully delivering this project which will benefit regional communities across 16 local government areas in north and north west Victoria.
Lighting the Regions was completed during the 2015/2016 year and resulted in the upgrade of a total of 22,612 Mercury Vapour streetlights to energy efficient LEDs. The new LED lights are
around 77 per cent more efficient, resulting in significant savings in power consumption and maintenance charges over the next 20 years. More than 7,300 of these lights were located within the City of Greater Bendigo alone.
The savings are being realised at the local level and we are already seeing reductions in power and maintenance bills as a result of the project. The City’s annual streetlight budget is in the order of $1.65M and in 2016, savings for the City are estimated to be around $436,000. The new LEDs installed within the City will also result in reductions in greenhouse gas emissions of more than 53,000 tonnes of CO2e over the next 20 years.
Strategies and plans (continued) Regional initiatives
Bendigo sky glow before.
Bendigo sky glow after.View of Spring Gully Creek corridor taken from above Spring Gully Reservoir.
ContactPh: 5434 6000 | E: [email protected] PO Box 733, Bendigo 3552 | 195-229 Lyttleton Terrace, Bendigowww.bendigo.vic.gov.au
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