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City becomes first carbon neutral council

Media Release

For immediate release                                    Date: March 26, 2009

Parking pays for WA’s first carbon neutral council

City of Fremantle will become the state’s first carbon-neutral local government authority after voting this week to invest its parking revenue in power generated entirely from ‘green’ sources.

Councillors backed the move unanimously at last night’s council meeting, giving it the green light to use income from parking revenue to buy Green Energy, (energy which does not produce carbon emissions) for its entire electricity supplies from July 1, 2009.

A report to the Council says electricity is responsible for 80% of the City’s Greenhouse emissions but from July 1 the power will come from Synergy’s Green Energy sources.  

The remaining 20% of the City’s emissions are produced primarily from the City’s fleet and the gas used to heat the leisure centre pool.

These will be offset through a number of accredited methods like planting trees and installing energy saving equipment. In addition, CEO Graeme Mackenzie said the City was investigating the use of thermal power from deep below ground for pool heating which would produce no carbon emissions.  

Mayor Peter Tagliaferri said total green energy for electricity will cut 6,800 tonnes of the City’s carbon dioxide each year.

“What better use could there be for parking revenue than to use it to offset council’s carbon emissions?” the Mayor said. 

“The City has always been a forerunner in initiatives aimed at improving environmental sustainability as signatories to the Cities for Climate Protection.

“We hope that now other councils will use this initiative as a model to also become carbon neutral.

“In this way we will further increase demand for green power – the greater the demand the more will be produced and the cheaper and more accessible it becomes for everybody.”

Press release by Kerry Faulkner media officer City of Fremantle on 9432 9827 or 040 5307 141.