A Melbourne carbon-reduction program has been declared the best in its category in the world, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The city’s ‘1200 Buildings’ program, started in 2010, was awarded the C40 and Siemens climate leadership award. Lord Mayor Robert Doyle travelled to London to accept the award. The program allows owners of buildings to access finance to improve energy efficiency as well as reduce water usage. Financing agreements are structured so that loans could be repaid through council rates. In the average city, commercial buildings represent a large source of greenhouse emissions. In the city of Melbourne they provide 54% of the city’s total carbon emissions. While the program has been recognised overseas, it is yet to see a large uptake. Doyle says that there are around 200 buildings that have had some retrofitting work done so far. Doyle, while admitting that the target number of 1200 buildings was probably unrealistic, says that the 1200 Buildings project was one of the most important environmentally focused programs that had been implemented by the council. He points out the city centre is usually five degrees warmer than the outer suburbs, so retrofitting is an important option for buildings in the inner … Continue reading Melbourne has World’s Best Carbon-Reduction Plan