Sustainability - Natural Environment and Climate Change

Transcription

1 Tauraniia City Council - Long Term Plan Deliberations 2-5 June 2015 Sustainability - Natural Environment and DC No: 143 Purpose 1. To consider submissions made to the Proposed Long Term Plan , relating to future environmental sustainability outcomes for Tauranga City. Executive Summary specific submissions around environmental education, natural environment protection and were received. 3. Key aspects Council is invited to consider include: i. Community Education - Eco Design Advisor Service ii. Protecting the natural environment and responding to, raising consideration of the following actions: Reviewing activities of other cities in carbon reduction Take a base carbon reading (greenhouse gas inventory) for the city Develop a Low Carbon Plan Support the uptake of alternative energy such as solar PV systems or electric vehicles in Tauranga Waste reduction Ensure that investments are not made in the fossil fuel industry Retain SmartGrowth Review existing community services to ensure they meet sustainability goals iii. Sustainability education in schools - Enviro-Challenge Programme 4. Requests for action and recommended options are presented in Attachment A. Recommendation/s That the Council: (a) (b) (c) Receive Report DC Sustainability. Decline the request to reinstate the Eco Design Advisor Service and support the market to fulfil this need Investigate further options around protecting the natural environment and responding to to make some more informed decisions in the 16/17 Annual Plan. Actions to include: Review carbon management approaches in other cities Consider the benefits and costs of a greenhouse gas inventory for Council or Tauranga City and bring a detailed paper back to Council Sustainability - Natural Environment and -1 -

2 576 Council - Long Term Plan Deliberations T«X««K 2-5 June 2015 (d) Participate alongside other Council's to develop a Declaration to support the Crown's negotiations in Paris (COP 21) this December (e) Fund the Enviro-Challenge Programme ($14k per annum, trial for two years, ) Discussion Background specific submissions around environmental education, natural environment protection and have been received. 31 supporters are attached to the submission received by the Tauranga Carbon Reduction Group. 6. It should be noted that there were additional submissions that supported environmental outcomes against topics like waste and sustainable transport options being dealt with separately to this paper. 7. A number of submitters highlighted the Vital Signs report findings that indicated climate and natural environment as being the top two things that residents value in this region. 8. A number of submitters highlighted the absence of any reference to or sustainability in the Long Term Plan consultation documenl 9. Key aspects Council is invited to consider include: i. Community Education - Eco Design Advisor Service ii. Protecting the natural environment and responding to, raising consideration of the following actions: Reviewing activities of other cities in carbon reduction Take a base carbon reading (greenhouse gas inventory) for the city Develop a Low Carbon Plan Support the uptake of alternative energy such as solar PV systems or electric vehicles in Tauranga Waste reduction Ensure that investments are not made in the fossil fuel industry Retain SmartGrowth Review existing community services to ensure they meet sustainability goals iii. Sustainability education in schools - Enviro-Challenge Programme 10. Background information to assist with decision making around the key themes includes: 11. Education - Eco Design Advisor 12. A shared Eco Design Advisor role was held between Tauranga City Council and Western Bay of Plenty District Council from This was funded between the two councils and Ministry for the Environment. The programme was deemed to be Sustainability - Natural Environment and - 2 -

3 A Tauran-iaOty 57S Council - Long Term Plan Deliberations 2-5 June 2015 successful. The Ministry for the Environment ceased funding support in 2010 and as a result both Councils made a decision to cease funding the programme. 13. Since then a new business, Sustainability Options, has formed in Tauranga. This business has become a City Partner and works alongside Council to offer free sustainability workshops through our library network. Our planning and building teams have been introduced to Sustainability Options so our customers can be referred as appropriate. Sustainability Options also conducts free home sustainability visits to the residents of Tauranga similar to what the former Eco Design Advisor Service provided. 14. Protecting the natural environment and 15. A key issue raised is and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 16. To date Council is yet to complete a greenhouse gas inventory against our own operations. Likewise a greenhouse gas inventory has not yet been completed for Tauranga City. A greenhouse gas inventory study was completed by Landcare Research for the Bay of Plenty in This report is available upon request. 17. A number of other Councils have completed this task either on an organisational or city wide basis to provide a baseline to set targets and measure from. These include Rotorua, Kapiti, Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland. 18. Some Councils are taking a lead on energy resilience and emissions reduction by developing relevant strategies and plans. For example Auckland has created a Low Carbon Plan. Locally we have the Bay of Plenty Energy Strategy. 19. If Council were to consider conducting a greenhouse gas inventory for the organisation or wider City there would be a number of paths to consider. An initial estimate of costs for conducting a greenhouse gas inventory for Council is $20-25k and for the wider City, $25-$35k. 20. Councii is beginning some work in 2015 on energy improvement for its own operations. This will include the development of an energy policy and action plan and will identify energy improvement opportunities. This will be a useful starting point to better understanding some of our own emission factors along with setting some reduction targets. 21. The issue of waste is a key environmental challenge for any community. Submissions on this topic will be addressed through the review of the Waste Management and Minimisation Plan Council has an opportunity to join other Councils in developing a Declaration to support the Crown's negotiations in Paris (COP 21) this December In addition a number of Council's are considering joining the Compact of Mayors. The Compact of Mayors is the worid's largest cooperative effort among Mayors and city Sustainability - Natural Environment and

4 5 8 C Council - Long Term Plan Deliberations Ta^n^adty 2-5 Juno 2015 officials to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, track progress, and prepare for the Impacts of climate change. For more info visit: It is recommended that a more detailed paper outlining options around managing greenhouse gas emissions is brought to Council. 25. Education In Schools - Enviro-Challenge Programme 26. The Enviro-Challenge programme is available to schools throughout the Bay of Plenty. The programme seeks to: - Provide opportunities to learn in a real worid environment with environmental professionals - Generate opportunities for participants to implement initiatives that make a real and measurable contribution to a sustainable society - Apply best practice standards and globally accepted cutting edge methods for measuring change and reporting progress - Empower participants to be the instrument of change within their local communities - Enable young New Zealanders to become worid-class sustainability leaders 27. Council previously supported this programme however, ceased funding in 2010 due to funding pressures and concern that the structure of the programme at that time did not provide on-going support for schools to be able to implement real sustainable actions following on from the Challenge experience. 28. While there are a range of environmental education programmes available to schools up to Intermediate level, there are few at High School level. Enviro-Challenge provides an opportunity for High Schools to engage in sustainability learning and implementation. 29. The future plan for the programme should ensure on-going support for schools to implement real sustainability actions. This will be in the form of a mentoring programme. If Council choose to support this programme, we could seek to feed into the planning of the programme and create beneficial links to our other resources. 30. Reference issues such as and sustainability in the final Long Term Plan 31. Council currently considers issues such as and sustainability through its planning processes including growth development, infrastructure planning and community services. Council also has a Corporate Sustainability Strategy 'Sustainable Steps' which sets out some aspirations for the organisation to operate in a sustainable manner. Activities include: a water efficiency plan, waste minimisation, staff travel plan and considering sustainable design principles when building new council facilities like the Greerton Library. In addition Council supports a range of programmes that support sustainable community outcomes such as community gardens, walkways and cycleways, public transport infrastructure and waste minimisation programmes. Sustainability - Natural Environment and - 4 -

5 581 Council - Long Term Plan Deliberations ^ 2-5 June 2015 TauraniiaCity 32. A number of submitters raised that we made no reference to our responsibility, actions or plans around environment in our Long Term Plan consultation documenl 33. These and future activities should be acknowledged in the final Long Term Plan document. Consideration strategic Context 34. Supporting sustainability initiatives delivers on two of Council's outcomes: - A talented and innovative city full of opportunity - A city of great spaces, places and environments Community 35. The sustainability of our city is a shared responsibility across our community. There are key groups in the community that have indicated they wish to play a role in future opportunities. Council should continue to engage with these groups and support as appropriate. Significance and Engagement 36. Under the Significance and Engagement Policv 014, this matter is of low significance due to minimal funding being requested at this stage. The wider matter of Climate Change and Environmental Protection is of high significance. Attachments No. Title Sustainability Objective: ID: A Signatories Authors Michelle Elborn (Sustainability Advisor) Authorisers Grant Strang, Acting General Manager: Community Services Sustainability - Natural Environment and

6 Attachment A - DC Sustainability Topic 1. Community Education 2. Protecting the natural environment Key Issues Raised by Submitters Reinstate the Eco Design Advisor Service (2 submissions) Key recommendations around emissions reduction included: Reviewing activities of other cities in carbon reduction Take a base carbon reading for the city Develop a low carbon plan Support the uptake of alternative energy such as solar PV systems or electric vehicles in Tauranga Waste reduction Ensure that investments are not made in the fossil fuel industry Retain SmartGrowth Review existing community services to ensure they meet sustainability goals (9 submissions) Staff Comment It is acknowledged that the former Eco Design Advisor Role provided a range of positive benefits though the provision of free independent advice to homeowners and wider. This was formerly a shared sen/ice between TCC and WBOPDC and ceased for both Councils in 2010 when national funding was no longer available. The market has since filled this space through a local business Sustainability Options who provide free sustainability home visits along with other educational/advisory opportunities. Sustainability Options is a City Partner working alongside Council on some community education opportunities. While Council does carry out a range of activities relating to environmental protection i.e. planning for sea level nse, flood control, environmental education programmes etc. there is room to demonstrate more leadership on this issue. Recommended steps include: Review carbon management approaches in other cities. Review the Bay of Plenty Greenhouse Gas Inventory completed in Options beyond this would include completing a Greenhouse Gas Inventory for: o Council (approx. cost $20k) o Tauranga City (approx. $25-30k) Work in collaboration with the community to support community driven initiatives i.e. the proposed electric OPEX Requirement 2015/16 work within existing budgets whilst investigating options. Consider identified future costs in the annual plan 2016/17 Staff Recommendation Decline the request to reinstate the Eco Design Advisor Service and support the market to fulfil this need cn JV. 00 Investigate further options around protecting the natural environment and responding to to make some more informed decisions in the 16/17 Annual Plan. Actions to include: Review carbon management approaches in other cities Consider the benefits and costs of a greenhouse gas inventory for Council or Tauranga City and bring a detailed paper back to Council Participate alongside other Councils to develop a Climate Change Declaration to support the Crown's negotiations in Paris (COP 21) this December Objective ID: A

7 Topic Key Issues Raised by Submitters staff Comment vehicle charging station for the city that the community is proposing to fund but is seeking council support through a location. Work with other council's to send a message to Central Government on our support for action at a national level in advance of the International Convention on Climate Change taking place in Paris in December OPEX Requirement Staff Recommendation 3. Sustainability education in schools Request to support the seven Tauranga based high schools to participate in the Enviro-Challenge Programme. At $2k per school this totals $14k. (1 submission) Background supplied in the report. There is a known gap in environmental education opportunities in High Schools which Enviro-Challenge can help fill. Council funds or gets external funding to support a range of programmes in primary and intermediate schools. While the education aspect of the Enviro-Challenge programme is valuable, real action and outcomes are desired for Council to support this programme. The structure of Enviro-Challenge has been revised to ensure students are supported to deliver action following on from environmental audit and investigation work. This will be delivered through an ongoing mentoring programme. It is proposed we fund this for a two year trial, to then review the outcomes in relation to investment. $14k per year Fund the Enviro-Challenge Programme ($14k per annum, trial for two years, ) cn 00 Objective ID: A

8 Topic 4. Reference issues such as Climate Change and sustainability in the final Long Term Pian Key Issues Raised by Submitters Many submitters have raised this as an important component to them and have linked this to the Vital Signs Report with highlighted Climate and natural Environment as the top two things residents love about living in the Region. staff Comment We should use corporate and planning documents including the Long Term Plan , to acknowledge our role and actions in Sustainability and engage the wider community. OPEX Requirement staff Recommendation No decision required 5. Waste Minimisation Key issues raised: Council needs to provide for Kerbside Recycling through rates and introduce recycling for 3-7 plastics Council needs to provide better provisions for food waste in the city The joint Waste Management and Minimisation Plan (WWMP) is currently being reviewed as it needs to be adopted in Provision of services for recycling and food waste will be two major focuses of the review. No decision required (5 submissions) cn 00 Objective ID: A