Council is again throwing its support behind Earth Hour and is encouraging the community to play a part by turning off all non-essential lighting and electrical appliances for one hour on Saturday 27 March 2021.
Earth Hour, an Australian-grown initiative and now one of the largest global grassroots movements for the environment, encourages people to #SwitchforNature and #SwitchOff lights for one hour (8.30pm local time) in a symbolic call for more action on climate change.
Councillor Marijke Graham, Council's representative and Chair of the Eastern Alliance for Greenhouse Action (EAGA) which is made up of six-member eastern region Councils, encouraged the community to get behind the initiative.
"WWF's (World Wide Fund for Nature) Earth Hour is the world's largest grassroots movement for the environment, uniting people to take action on climate change and protect the planet," Cr Graham said.
"It's a great opportunity for residents, businesses and schools in the municipality to join this worldwide movement and think about longer-term measures they can take to reduce their impact on the environment.
"Why not have a candlelight dinner, or perhaps sit outside and enjoy the night sky between 8.30pm and 9.30pm.
"Whether you're an individual, a school, business or community group, there are a plenty of ways you can get involved in Earth Hour, including taking part in the first-ever Earth Hour 'Virtual Spotlight' earthhour.org/take-part/virtual-spotlight by tuning in online and helping to spread the word on social media.
"Many schools across Maroondah are passionate supporters of Earth Hour and environmental sustainability. There are many ways for students to get involved with plenty of science-based Earth Hour activities free to download on how to care for the environment," she said.
Thinking beyond Earth Hour
This year, Council is also encouraging residents to think beyond Earth Hour and consider introducing renewable energy into their home or business.
"Addressing climate change requires a big reduction in the use of fossil fuels (coal, gas, oil). There are many ways in which residents can make use of renewable energy in their own homes and businesses. we have a range of information on energy consumption and sustainable design principles which can go a long way to conserving energy," Cr Graham added.
"If every household in Maroondah reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by an average 20 per cent (by 3.6 tonnes of carbon), this would result in a reduction of almost 150,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) – that's equivalent to planting over one million trees!
"Simple things like switching off lights and appliances when they aren't being used can reduce energy use by 20 per cent, which in turn saves on power bills. Installing a solar hot water system can also reduce an average household's greenhouse gas emissions by 2.4 tonnes per year," she said.
Last year, Council achieved its corporate goal of achieving carbon neutrality. Council has also set an emissions reduction target of 20 per cent by 2020/21 (excluding Aquanation), and a long-term emissions reduction target of 20 per cent for all emissions (including Aquanation) by 2025/26.
Significant greenhouse gas reductions and cost savings have already been achieved with 72 per cent of streetlights across the city having been replaced with energy-efficient LED alternatives.
"Council has been pursuing responses to climate change for many years and has made significant progress in avoiding and reducing greenhouse gas emissions through implementation of our Carbon Neutral Strategy, guiding Council to 2020 and 2025 reduction targets," Cr Graham said.
"These significant actions to reduce greenhouse gases in the short term will be important to reduce the long-term impacts of climate change," she said.
"Council's Carbon Neutral Strategy is set to be reviewed this year and will be available for public comment, so we will be keeping the community updated."
See more in Council's Climate Change Risk and Adaptation Strategy
