Sustainability

What is Council doing to be Sustainable?

Council is committed to reducing its energy and water usage and greenhouse gas emissions.

Council undertakes Energy and Water Audits at its offices, depots and community facilities to assess what changes can be made to improve the water and energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The following sites have been assessed:

• Corangamite Shire Civic Centre
• Camperdown Depot
• Camperdown Community Centre (including Theatre, Library and Killara Centre)
• Camperdown Stadium
• Timboon Stadium
• Port Campbell Visitor Information Centre

Council is continually working towards implementing recommended changes, which include upgrades to lighting, installing 5 star energy and water rated appliances, draft proofing, installing solar hot water and solar power and improvements to heating and cooling systems.

Continual audits are undertaken and changes implemented to further assist Council to reduce greenhouse emissions and energy and water usage at other Council-owned facilities.

Council's Environment Department with the help of Council staff work to identify and implement change to the organisation to reduce our energy and water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Renewable Energy

Council recently installed Solar Power at the Civic Centre and Camperdown Depot.

The Civic Centre has a 29.64kW system which includes 158 Noah Energy 195 W Monocrystalline panels mounted on two roofs with two SMA Tripower inverters.  It is estimated that the Civic Centre system will generate over 44,500 kWh of electricity annually, which is 20% of the facility's current energy use.

The Camperdown Depot has a 5.85kW system which includes 30 Noah Energy 195 W Monocrytstalline panels mounted on the stores shed roofs with one SMA Tripower inverter.  It is estimated that the Depot system will generate over 8.500kWh of electricity which is 8% of the facility's current energy use.

Sustainable Purchasing

As a member of the Eco-Buy program, Council strives to consider the environmental credentials of products prior to purchasing.  Council is committed to increasing the purchasing of 'green' products that are:

• Watersaving
• Recycled
• Energy saving
• Low-toxicity
• Refurbished and second hand

Purchasing green products improves resource efficiency, reduces waste, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and water use, and saves Council money.

Visit the Eco-Buy website for more information about the Eco-Buy program.

How you can be more sustainable at home...

Household

• Household energy action guide: The Household energy action guide offers simple, cost-effective ways to reduce your energy bills by taking action around your home.
• Save energy in the home: Sustainability Victoria have developed a guide to help you take steps to reduce your household’s energy use
• Your Home: Australia's Guide to Environmentally Sustainable Homes
• Solar Guides: The Clean Energy Council offers free guides on buying solar. Available for both households and businesses, these solar guides cover the important information you need to know when purchasing rooftop solar.

Home Energy and Water Efficiency Kits

Vehicles

• Green Vehicle Guide: An Australian Government initiative to assist buyers on the environmental performance of light vehicles sold in Australia to reduce the impact on the environment.
• Fuel efficiency and CO₂ labelling: All new light vehicles in Australia are required to display a label indicating the vehicle's fuel consumption and its carbon dioxide emissions, designed to help motorists make informed choices about the environmental impact of their new car.

Sustainability Guides

We've developed a series of guides to make it easier for our community to make sustainable choices.

Download them or view more information below.

Conscious Holiday Guide(PDF, 317KB)

Cool Your Home For Less Guide(PDF, 93KB)

Conscious Holiday Guide

Holidays and special events including religious holidays, festivals, birthdays, and family gatherings can be expensive and create a lot of waste. These tips can help to reduce holiday-associated costs, use items you already have, and reduce waste.

Decorations and ornaments

• Consider if any of your existing decorations could be upcycled, re-painted, or fixed
• Use fresh or dried flowers, greenery or, fruit to decorate;
  • Floral wreaths
  • Greenery garlands
  • Dried fruit and spices ornaments
  • Pinecone decorations
  • Salt dough decorations
• Create your own decorations from items that would have otherwise gone to waste, such as using children’s drawings as decorations, carboard boxes for crafts, and milk bottles as lanterns
• Rather than buying new, look at your local thrift stores for some decorations or holiday themed items

Have you thought about buying or making items that can be reused and personalised? such as a special plate to use at every birthday, fabric advent calendars, or use photos from previous holidays as decorations

If you are buying new, buy multi-purpose decorations that can be used for different occasions or holidays.

Holiday lights

• Switch off your lights when going to bed, or put your lights on a timer to turn off over night to reduce energy costs
• Repair your lights rather than buying new
• Old lights can be recycled as e-waste, drop them off at your local transfer station or landfill for free
• If buying new lights, choose LED lights as these use less energy

Gift giving

• Buying second-hand items, or re-gifting is a great way to give an item a new life and score a bargain
• DIY gifts can be personalised and unique
• Experiences are a fun gift for an individual, group or family
• Gift edible or consumable gifts such as home-made cooking, jam or cordial, your favourite snacks, coffee or tea, household cleaning or personal hygiene items
• Gift items that are good quality and durable, can be reused, or have a low environmental impact
• Consider if the item could be bought locally to support small businesses and reduce the environmental footprint of your gift

Wrapping paper alternatives

• Recycled paper - reuse paper bags as wrapping paper, comics from newspaper, old maps, magazines, brown paper
• Upcycle glass jars – repurpose glass jars for consumable gifts and home-made gifts
• Reusable wrapping “paper” – use reusable materials like fabric, tea towels, scarves, and beeswax wraps to wrap gifts, these can be reused as a gift wrap or for another purpose
• Reusable gift bags and boxes - recycled bags, cotton bags, reusable boxes and baskets make for a thoughtful personalised gift packaging
• DIY wrapping paper - repurpose paper to be used as wrapping paper, make your paper unique by adding drawings and prints
• Decorate your gift with dried fruit, flowers, plants and greenery, handmade bows from paper off-cuts, or reuse ribbon and other decorations

Festive food

• Minimise food waste by considering the number of people you are cooking for, and only buying as much as what is needed
• Share leftovers with guests, have guests bring their own reusable containers to fill with leftovers
• Australia has amazing, fresh seasonal produce, make recipes that highlight and utilise this produce
• Shop local to support local businesses and agriculture
• Make sure that all food is stored at the right temperature to get the most out of your groceries
• Utilise what would otherwise be thrown out for zero waste recipes; use citrus rinds to make cordial syrups, extra fruits and vegetables in smoothies, herbs and greens in pesto, or veggie scraps to make stock

Holiday waste

• Consider what waste you are producing, then identify what waste can be reduced, recycled, composted, or re-used
• Reducing waste
  • Using reusable cutlery, serving ware, napkins, and crockery
  • Store food properly and safely
• Recycling
  • Cardboard, drink cans, foil trays, greeting cards, empty takeaway containers, plastic cups, and unwaxed wrapping paper can be put in kerbside recycling bin
  • Glass jars and bottles should be disposed in kerbside purple bins
• Reuse
  • Reusing decorations and ornaments for other events
  • Reuse leftovers for other recipes
• Composting and FOGO
  • Use your home composting for all appropriate organics waste
  • Food waste including bones, dairy, seafood including bones and shells, meat, and vegetables can be disposed in FOGO bins
  • Greenery, flowers, and leaves can be disposed in FOGO bins

Check our “A-Z Guide: What Goes in What Kerbside Bin?”

Cool your Home for Less

During summer it can be difficult to cool your home and keep your energy bills down, use these tips to cool your home for less.

Some things to know about heat:

• Hot air rises – warm and hot air rises above cool air, so the hottest parts of your home are closest to the ceiling and on upper levels of multi-storey homes
• The sun naturally heats your home – managing the light and heat from the sun is an effective way to reduce indoor heat
• All appliances emit heat – as appliances are electrical, they will all emit some amount of heat when they are using energy, turning off appliances and using energy efficient appliances is a practical way to reduce heat produced in your home
• Exposure to heat for an extended period of time can have impacts to your health, monitor your household’s health during hot weather and seek medical attention if needed. Learn more about how heat can impact your health here

Create a cool room:

• Choose one room in the house to be a designated cool room, ideally somewhere without carpet floors and that can be closed off. This could be a living room, bedroom, or anywhere else you feel comfortable in. The aim is for all household members to use this room on hot days. Focus on cooling down this room rather than your whole house.
• Switch to using a fan rather than the air conditioning, a ceiling fan or portable fan can be used. To create extra cool air, place a shallow bowl of ice in front of your fan
• Remove floor rugs to expose cooler flooring
• If you do use air conditioning, set your aircon to 24-27 degrees to reduce running costs and regularly clean the system for increased efficiency

Use your windows wisely:

• Shade your windows - Block out the sun with indoor blinds and curtains, and outdoor blinds and window coverings. Stopping the sun will cool down your home
• Close the house up and close curtains during the heat to stop cool air from escaping
• Open windows and doors during the cooler parts of the day to let in cool air, fix fly screens so your home can stay bug-free while ventilated

Appliances:

• Avoid using your stove and oven as these can heat up your kitchen, instead use smaller cooking appliances like a pressure cooker or slow cooker, microwave or air fryer, or cook outside on a bbq
• If you have to use your washing machine during the day, wash your clothes using a cold setting
• Do not use clothes dryers on hot days, line dry your clothes instead
• Turn off lights to conserve energy and replace lightbulbs with LED bulbs as these release less heat
• Turn off unnecessary appliances, all appliances generate some heat and keeping appliances on will increase your energy bills. Turn off televisions, computers, chargers when not in use
• Use your bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans to draw warm air out of your home

Planting for house cooling:

• Indoor plants not only beautify your interior, some species can help bring down the temperature too
• Plant trees and plants, or use pot plants, that provide shade to windows. If you want more natural light during the cooler months, use plants that shed their leaves during autumn and winter like jacaranda, ash, birch, maple and robinia

Cool down your body temperature:

• Drinking enough water helps regulate your body temperature – adults should be drinking about 2-2.5L per day. Add electrolytes to water if you are sweating 
• Run a bath of cold water and add some ice cubes – dunk your feet and hands to lower your body temperature
• Use a cool, damp cloth on your forehead or body for added cooling
• Take a cold shower to cool down your whole body
• Wearing natural, breathable fabrics such as cotton, linen and bamboo allows your body to regulate body temperature

Sleeping cool:

• Use natural fibre bedding, such as 100% cotton or linen sheets, these are lightweight breathable fabrics that will help keep you cool
• Use your microwavable heat packs as cooling packs, place these in the freezer to cool down
• For children, place their favourite soft toys in the freezer to cool down
• Open windows to allow cool air to circulate into your home during the night, use fly screens to stay bug-free

Home upgrades to keep cool:

• Install solar energy to reduce energy costs year-round
• Invest in ceiling fans to use in the heat and cold
• Insulation will not only keep your home warm in winter but also cool in summer, ensure that you have adequate and appropriate insulation
• Heating and cooling systems can be an effective way to cool your home, having a system that is appropriate for your home and has high energy efficiency will reduce energy costs

Take care of our fury friends on hot days:

• Make sure your pets have access to plenty of fresh water
• Feed animals icecubes or frozen treats to cool down
• Think about bringing outdoor pets such as dogs, cats, bunnies, guinea pigs, and birds inside
• Make sure outdoor pets have shade they can easily access
• Clip and trim long-haired dogs and cats to keep them cool
• Provide a cool place for your pet to hang out, like a cooling mat, damp towel, tiles, an ice brick wrapped in a towel, or a water bath
• Don’t exercise your dog in the middle of the day, wait until it is cooler to take your dog for a walk. Remember to use your hand to check the pavement is not too hot for your dogs paws
• If your pet seems excessively hot or distressed, take them to a vet to get checked

For more information on reducing your energy use, have a look at these resources:

https://www.yourhome.gov.au/energy

https://www.energy.gov.au/

https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/energy-efficiency-and-reducing-emissions/save-energy-in-the-home