Council Support

There are many ways that sustainability is relevant to the way that local Councils operate.  Firstly, Councils are organisations that use resources to operate.  They construct and run buildings, pools and administration buildings that use energy and water, and run fleets of vehicles to get around the areas they manage.  Looking for operational efficiencies to reduce their own ‘ecological footprint’ can also deliver financial saving that are good for ratepayers.

Secondly, there are many services that Councils deliver that impact on the sustainability of their communities.  The most obvious one is the role Councils play in landuse planning and development.  This includes the way that neighbourhoods and towns are structured, as well as the way individual homes and businesses are planned and constructed.  

Some the things we are doing to support Councils doing this include:

• Running Council water efficiency training
• Running Council energy efficiency training
• Assisting Councils with energy audits of key facilities
• Offering sustainability training and networking to council staff
• Providing access to Council sustainability resources

For more information contact our Council Support Officer Vickie Goldsmith on sot.councils@gmail.com.