City of Launceston Council has been recognised with a state award for reducing the organisation’s corporate greenhouse gas emissions.
The Council last week received the LG Professionals Tasmania Sustainability and Resilience Award for its Towards Zero Emission Action Plan 2021-2025.
The initiative, which spanned five years, saw the Council reduce corporate greenhouse gas emissions from 81.460 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent to 64, 931 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent – a decrease of 19% across the organisation.
This result exceeds emission reduction pathways aligned with both the Paris Agreement and Australia’s national emissions reduction scheme.
Mayor, Matthew Garwood said the award was great recognition of the Council’s efforts.
“A 19% reduction in our corporate emissions over five years is a significant result and something our team is incredibly proud of. The award is great recognition but reducing our impact while continuing to deliver for our community is the real win,” said the Mayor.
The Council completed 42 of the plan’s 59 actions during its five-year implementation, with a further 15 actions continuing beyond 2025 as part of the Council’s ongoing sustainability and climate response programs.
The Towards Zero Emissions Action Plan transformed sustainability from a standalone initiative into an organisation-wide approach embedded across governance, asset management, procurement, infrastructure planning and service delivery.
Key achievements included the expansion of landfill gas capture infrastructure, installation of rooftop solar across 14 Council facilities, electrification of buildings and fleet assets, expansion of Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) services, development of a Sustainable Fleet Guide, water efficiency initiatives and endorsement of the Community Emissions Action Plan 2025-2035.
Together, these initiatives avoid an estimated 79,900 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
The program also established enduring systems for emissions monitoring, reporting and governance, while supporting collaboration with neighbouring councils and contributing to broader sustainability outcomes across the local government sector.
The award was presented at the LG Professionals Tasmania Conference Gala Dinner in Launceston on 17 September.
