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Trees planted to offset Council greenhouse emissionsThree-thousand trees are being planted by local school children along Traralgon Creek near the Bert Thompson Reserve and Agnes Brereton Reserve. By Latrobe City Council - 4th August 2003 - Back to News In an initiative between Latrobe City Council and Greenfleet, to compensate for the Greenhouse emissions from Council vehicles.
School students from Stockdale Road Primary who planted the first batch of trees on Thursday 31 July, and from Kosciusko Street Primary on Friday 1 August, were welcomed by the Mayor who thanked them for their own contribution towards the environment.
Latrobe City Mayor, Councillor Graeme Middlemiss, said Latrobe City Council had signed an agreement with Greenfleet earlier this year, that helps neutralise the environmental impact of Council vehicles. "Greenfleet undertakes to plant sufficient trees to soak up the emissions from the vehicles signed with them on a subscription basis," Cr Middlemiss explained.
"Council has been aware of its responsibilities to the environment through the Cities for Climate Protection Program, a global campaign to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the local government level. It’s a program initiated for local government through the Australian Greenhouse Office and the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives," Cr Middlemiss said.
"The program operates on a milestone framework, with five milestones set out to allow Councils to work strategically to identify the level and sources of both community and corporate emissions and then prioritise action areas. Latrobe City Council is currently progressing through Milestone-four, which is to implement the local action plan for reducing emissions.
"Within the local action plan there are a series of goals which need to be achieved. One of these goals is to offset Council’s car fleet carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and we are doing this by signing up to Greenfleet. We are joining forty or so organisations in the public and private sector, including the Victorian State Government, that are already helping to compensate the environment for their vehicle emissions," Cr Middlemiss said.
Greenfleet is a not-for-profit environmental organisation based in South Gippsland that specialises in reducing the impacts of transport on the environment.
Council’s Manager Environmental Strategy, Kevin Roberts, said that the inspiration for Greenfleet came out of a report published in 1996 by the Bureau of Transport Economics, which showed that by planting trees, a carbon sink can be created to absorb greenhouse gases emitted by motor vehicles.
"The average car on Australia’s roads uses 1,920 litres of fuel each year and emits 4.3 tonnes of CO2 greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming and climate change. "For every Council vehicle which has been signed up, 17 native trees are planted; as they grow they will absorb the CO2 emitted by each car. The trees are never harvested, and also assist in the fight against salinity, erosion, and loss of habitat," Mr Roberts said.
Greenfleet’s Technical Director, Henry O’Clery, said that transport is Australia’s fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions. "Latrobe City Council is setting a wonderful example to individual motorists and fleets by showing them it is possible to take responsibility for recycling those emissions," Mr O’Clery said.
Mr O’Clery said that individuals as well as government, industrial and commercial organisations could sign up their own vehicles. "Individuals can simply sign up their own cars on our website. It costs them $30 a year, and we plant 17 trees, which will offset the emissions from the average car," Mr O’Clery said.
For further information on Council’s Cities for Climate Protection Program contact Susan Tunnell-Jones at Latrobe City Council, telephone 1300 367 700. For further information on Greenfleet, acce
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: news@gippsland.com
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