Carbon climbdown

By Tania Martin
A COUNCILLOR has slammed the Shire of Yarra Ranges for turning its back on a promise to become carbon neutral.
Cr Samantha Dunn, at a meeting on Tuesday last week (24 March), said the council needed to forge ahead with its environmental leadership.
She questioned the decision to turn away from becoming carbon neutral.
In March 2007 the council announced it would spend $790,000 a year on reducing greenhouse and carbon emissions.
The plan was to reduce the council’s carbon use by 30 per cent with the help of a tree planting program and the purchase of renewable energy certificates to offset power use.
But at last week’s meeting, the council agreed to change direction to concentrating more on reducing energy consumption rather than becoming carbon neutral.
This plan will see the council drop its commitment to purchase renewable energy certificates.
However, under the new plan the council would maintain its commitment to plant 60,000 trees a year.
Cr Dunn said using the economic downturn as a reason to step back from the original commitment was not good enough.
“It just doesn’t stack up for me,” she said.
“I can only imagine what we are going to say to our children and grandchildren in years to come.”
Cr Dunn said leadership was needed now more than ever in the area of environmental management.
“More than ever we need to take a lead role with government at both levels failing to address the issue,” she said.
“It’s now important we continue our drive to become carbon neutral.”
But mayor Len Cox said the road the council was taking was still a very good option.
“I am proud of what we are doing,” he said.
“There is no other council in Australia doing what we are.”