With commitment from the State Government
and the Adelaide City Council, through the Capital City
Committee, the Adelaide Green City project aims to align Adelaide's
existing clean and green reputation with actions supporting
sustainability to brand Adelaide as an internationally acclaimed
green city - recognised for its environmental and sustainability
initiatives.
The aim is to transform Adelaide's
city centre and deliver visible projects in the short term
while developing a framework for longer-term outcomes. The
underlying approach is based on partnership - within state and local government
and with the private sector, universities and the community.
Green City initiatives include
Active Adelaide
Adelaide Building Tune-Ups Project
Affordable Housing Competition
BASEline
Board game
Business of Sustainability
Central West Environmental Loop
ECOtvc
Greasetrap and Cooking Oil Waste Audit
Green City Festival
Herbert Girardet - Thinker in Residence
Mini-Wind Turbines
North Terrace Solar Precinct
Park Lands Soil Demonstration
PLUS Network: Sustainable Cities
Premier's Million Trees Program
Renewable Energy Virtual Display
Further Information on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficient Programs
Solar Schools
Solar Cities Congress
Vertical Composting Unit - Botanic
Gardens of Adelaide
Victoria Square Solar Lights
Zero Waste Strategy
Cycling Adelaide
Workers
in the green city are getting physical with the Cycling Adelaide program.
 Over 900 people registered their interest
to participate in this inaugural program which encouraged
and supported Adelaide CBD workers to cycle to and from
work.
Seventy participants were chosen for
the program, each monitoring their cycling habits
over a six month period. Participants received a discounted
bicycle, a free Green City jersey, access to secure parking,
shower facilities and training sessions on bike safety.
Project partners are working on future initiatives to ensure
the
other 800+ interested workers get on their bicycles.
For more information visit Cycling Adelaide Program and read the Active Adelaide Fact Sheet
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Adelaide Building
Tune-Ups Project
The Building Tune Ups Project is now complete.
This project is an initiative of the Capital City Committee and is a partnership between the South Australian Government and Adelaide City Council.
The project has measured the energy
and water use of 10 CBD office buildings, including both
government and privately owned buildings. ECS Australia
have rated each building under the Australian Building Greenhouse
Rating System (ABGR)
Water use was assessed using the National
Australian Buildings Environmental Ratings System (NABERS). Building
owners were provided with a practical costed specification
and implementation plan to make improvements to their building.
The goal for each building was to achieve
a minimum one star improvement in each area. 'Tuned Up'
buildings will be cheaper to run and will achieve substantial
energy and water savings. The next round of ABGR and NABERS ratings will be completed in October 2006.
To learn more about the Building Tune-Ups
Project please contact Alison Dwyer on 08 8463 6396 or by
email
Please view the Adelaide Building Tune Ups Project reports below
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Affordable
Eco Housing Competition
Adelaide
City Council and the South Australian Government, with the
Green City program, held a design competition to develop
plans for an affordable medium density inner city housing
development based on a green building design.
The Adelaide City Council purchased
a site at 42-56 Whitmore Square for the development.
South Australian firm, Troppo Architects
submitted the winning design. The development will be built
at the same unit cost for a non-green building
clearly signaling that smart architectural design can result
in ongoing community benefits.
For more information visit www.adelaidecitycouncil.com
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BASEline
- Businesses of Adelaide Saving Energy
BASEline is a joint initiative of the Green City Program
and is sponsored by the South Australian Government and
Adelaide City Council.
Under the program, Connell Mott MacDonald
have undertaken energy audits of small businesses in the
city. The results from 19 of these audits showed
the potential to reduce energy use by an average of 10%
with a payback of 3.3 years including the cost of the audits
which in this case have been funded by Government and Council.
Examples of energy saving opportunities identified include:
-
removing excess florescent
tubes and ballasts
-
adjusting lighting
switch groups
-
installing occupancy
detectors
-
repairs to air conditioning
equipment
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Board Game
The Green City team developed a board game that takes players around the city of Adelaide through a range of environmental sustainability initiatives. Land on a good environmental action you will be rewarded with moving forward but land on a negative environmental action and see yourself backtrack. Land on a question space and answer correctly, you get another turn.
Contact us to get your free copy of the board game.
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Business
of Sustainability
To showcase local and national environmental industry, the
Green City team, in conjunction with Government and the
private sector initiated the Business of Sustainability
brand for conferences, and successfully hosted a waste
event, an energy efficiency conference and expo and the highly successful 2005 conference and trade fair which focused on waste, water and energy under
this brand.
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Central
West Environmental Loop
The community has participated in a range of initiatives to create an environmental
loop in the Central West Precinct of the city through reducing,
reusing and recycling waste, water and energy.
The Precinct includes a range of business
types including the Central Market, restaurants and accommodation,
furniture and automotive outlets, offices as well as residences.
A feasibility study for the project is complete and
can be viewed by clicking here
- (pdf 3782kb).
One initiative underway is 'Be Green
Go Blue' in which more than 30,000 re useable bags have been
sold by stall holders in the Central Markets, Adelaide's
premier fresh food markets.
A cardboard compactor has been installed
in the Central Markets and the Adelaide City Council has
extended their free cardboard collection to most businesses
in the city.
Thirty of the business participating
in the BASEline project are located
in the Central West precinct.
The Grote Street Business Association,
representing many businesses in the precinct, are implementing
sustainable practices through their Grote Eco Program including:
-
a cardboard recycling
program averaging 5760 kg cardboard recycled
per month
-
a print cartridge
program
-
a workplace environment
officer program in which 100 small businesses have signed
up to learn and implement environmental sustainability
practices in the workplace.
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ECOtvc
ECOtvc is a competition to create a 30 second commercial
about environmental issues to create greater public awareness
and change peoples' behaviour. The competition provides
an opportunity for skill building and development for young
and emerging film-makers. ECOtvc is supported by a collaboration
of business, media, government, environmental organisations
and educational institutions.
View the four commercials developed
through the inaugural competition in 2004 by clicking here.
Visit ecotvc.com for the details of the 2006 competition.
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Grease Trap and Cooking Oil Waste Audit
In Adelaide, all of our grease trap and cooking oil waste is being recycled. Students from the University of South Australian undertook a grease trap and cooking oil waste cycle audit of the East End of the city for the Green City program and the results are a good news story. South Australian's are already recycling these waste streams.
Click here to read a copy of the report.
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Green City Festival
Adelaide's inaugural Savings and Loans Green City Festival made its debut in the city of Adelaide on Sunday 17 February 2008.
The purpose of the festival was to demonstrate sustainable living principles and practice and to showcase Adelaide as a leader in 'green city living'.
The Capital City Committee proudly sponsored the Festival.
For further information please visit the Savings and Loans Green City Festival website.
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Herbert
Girardet - Thinker in Residence
To
help Adelaide develop as a green city Herbert Girardet was
invited to Adelaide as a Thinker in Residence. His visit
was supported by a partnership which included the Thinkers
Program, the former Office of Sustainability, the Adelaide City
Council, the former Department of Transport and Urban Planning
, the Body Shop and the Capital City Project.
 Herbert Girardet was a key note speaker
at 'City
as a Stage' in 2001. He is the author
of a number of books including 'The Gaia Atlas of Cities', 'Creating a Sustainable City' and 'Cities People Planet' which features Adelaide. He is Chair of the Schumacher
Society and a documentary film maker.
Herbert Girardet visited Adelaide for
a period of eight weeks from mid-May 2003. He provided a
public lecture, participated in several roundtables, presentations
and had many speaking engagements.
The results of this work have been
produced in a report titled Creating
a Sustainable Adelaide (7,518 KB pdf file)
Or view the Executive
summary (2,938 KB pdf file)
News
Release South Australia goes Green in response to Girardet
Report
Read the South
Australian Government's response to the recommendations
made by Herbert Girardet
 For
further information please visit the
Adelaide Thinkers In Residence website.
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Mini Wind Turbines
Five SWIFT mini wind turbines are operating around Adelaide. They are located on roofs of the State Administration Centre, Wakefield House, the Central Market and the Roma Mitchell Arts Centre in the Central Business District. The last turbine is erected at the Watershed Resource Centre at Mawson Lakes. Each turbine is expected to produce 1.5KW - or between 33% and 50% of a household's electricity requirements.
Read the mini wind turbine fact sheet for further information (PDF 159KB)
For any enquiries please contact Alison Dwyer on 8463 6396.
State Administration Centre
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Wakefield House
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Central Market
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Roma Mitchell Arts Centre
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Watershed Resource Centre
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North
Terrace Solar Precinct
The South Australian Government has established a solar
precinct along North Terrace.
Projects include
-
South Australian Museum - 20 kW photovoltaic system installed
on the roof in 2003
-
Art Gallery of South
Australia - 20 kW photovoltaic system installed on the
roof in 2004
-
Parliament House -
20.16kW solar array installed on the roof in May 2005
-
State Library - 18.6
kW photovoltaic system installed on the roof in 2005
-
Solar Mallee Trees
- an innovative installation
on the Festival Plaza harnessing solar power
for lighting.
Please read the North Terrace Solar Precinct fact sheet and the Solar Mallee Trees fact sheet for further information.
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Park
Lands Soil Demonstration
The Adelaide City Council, the Green City Project Team
and Jeffries Group partnered in a project to demonstrate
how appropriate
soil-management can reduce irrigation needs.
Click here
(3104KB pdf file) to view the project case study.
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PLUS Network
The PLUS Network is a peer network of cities, sharing their experiences, expertise and tools for planning for urban sustainability. Adelaide, through the Capital City Committee, is an active member of the Network. For more information visit www.plusnetwork.org
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Premier's
Million Trees Program
The South Australian Government is committed to planting
3 Million trees around the state. 100,000 of these will
be planted in the Adelaide Park Lands and to date 75,000
shrubs, trees and grasses have been planted.
For more information please click here
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Renewable
Energy Virtual Display
With assistance from a number of sponsors, the Green City
Project Team, the Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure and UniSA designed and installed a renewable
energy display in the foyer of the South Australian Museum.
The display talks about a range of
ways to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions including photovoltaic
(solar panels) and solar hot water, wind, carbon sequestration
through planting trees and biodiesel to name a few.
This display also includes a daily data feed of the renewable energy produced in South Australia.
An interactive website which delves deeper into renewable energy is also up and running.
View the Renewable Energy Virtual Display and the Renewable Energy Interactive Site
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For more information on Renewable Energy
and Energy Efficiency Programs please see below.
Photovoltaic Rebate Program
- cash rebates are available to householders to install
grid-connected or stand-alone photovoltaic systems. For
more information contact the Photovoltaic Rebate Program
national information line on 1300 138 122 or visit www.greenhouse.gov.au/renewable.
South Australian Solar Hot Water Heater
Rebate Scheme - South Australian
residents who purchase a new solar hot water system or retrofit
kit for domestic purposes and install it at their principal
place of residence are eligible for a rebate (subject to
conditions).
For more information and an application
form visit the publications section of the website
www.energy.sa.gov.au
or ring 08 8204 1888.
Energy Audits, Tips and Misc Information
- You can do a self-audit of your home energy use. Visit
the publications sections of the Energy Division website www.energy.sa.gov.au
for a self energy audit guide and tips on how to save energy
at home.
Carbon Sequestration Programs
- You can offset your emissions by planting trees. A number of companies, for example Big Green Umbrella Trust and Greenfleet, have the capacity to plant trees and sequester emissions on your behalf.
Green Power
- You have the option to purchase green power - power from
renewable energy sources like wind and solar. Contact your
local energy retailer to learn how to do this.
Water Saving Products Rebates
- SA Water offers rebates on a range of water saving products. Visit www.sawater.com.au or ring 1800 130 952 for more information and an application
form.
TravelSmart SA
- Transport SA runs a schools program giving students and
members of the school community an opportunity to learn
about their travel habits with a view to making sustainable
and healthier travel choices. If you want to become involved
check out the website - www.transport.sa.gov.au/environment/travelsmartsa/schools.asp
or ring 1300 360 067.
Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
- for more information on waste management initiatives and
useful links check out the Zero Waste SA website at www.zerowaste.sa.gov.au
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3rd International Solar Cities Congress
South Australia has strengthened its reputation as a worldwide environmental leader following the state’s successful hosting of the 3rd International Solar Cities Congress in February 2008.
The event attracted over 800 delegates from across the globe, including some of the planet’s leading experts in renewable energy and climate change.
Among the 90 speakers to present their views and ideas were US environmental activist Robert F Kennedy Jr, billionaire founder of Suntech Power Dr Zhengrong Shi and internationally acclaimed cultural ecologist Herbert Girardet. |
Robert F Kennedy Jr delivers a powerful message at the Congress |
International Solar Schools Competition
The Congress included a special awards ceremony to recognise winners of the International Solar Cities Schools Competition conducted in the lead-up to the Congress.
The overall winner was 16-year-old Indian student Jaswanth Madhavan, who was flown to Adelaide to present his thesis on harnessing wave energy in his home city of Chennai to produce electricity. |
Winner of the International Schools' Competition, Jaswanth Madhavan |
Click here for more.
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Solar
Schools
The South Australian Government is committed to installing
solar panels on 250 schools.
The installation of 2kwh solar power
systems at 74 Department of Education and Children's Services
school sites was completed at the end of 2005. The systems deliver solar powered electricity to the schools,
resulting in energy savings costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Two
of the schools are in the city - Sturt Street Community
School and Gilles Street Primary School.
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Vertical
Composting Unit - Botanic Gardens of Adelaide
The Green City Program, Zero Waste SA and Botanic Gardens
of Adelaide jointly funded a business plan to evaluate the
feasibility, costs and benefits for a demonstration project
to compost organic waste from the Botanic Gardens, Royal
Adelaide Hospital and the Botanic Gardens Restaurant using
a Vertical Composting Unit.
Click here
to view the business case (6,054 KB).
Click here
to view the steering committee response to the business
case.
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Victoria
Square Solar Lights
Twelve
greenhouse neutral solar lights were installed in Victoria Square in
September 2005. The lighting system produces electricity during the day when the demand is high for industries and air conditioning and returns it to the electricity supply grid. At night electricity flows from the grid to power the solar lights. For more details please read the project fact sheet.
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Zero
Waste Strategy
The Green City team are working with Adelaide City Council
and Zero Waste SA to develop a zero waste strategy for the
city.
A draft background paper and action plan have been prepared and are under review by the State Government and the Adelaide City Council.
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