Warrnambool City Council

1
Warrnambool City Council

• Presentation
• Year of the Built Environment
• Cities for Climate Protection ICLEI

2
Overview of Council

• Progressive, Innovative, Forward thinking
• Popular
• - Tourism
• - Education
• - Retirement
• - Lifestyle
• Population 30,100 Growing
• Boundaries

3
CCP Background

• Warrnambool City Council resolved to participate
  in Cities for Climate Protection Australia on
  21st June 1999.
• Milestone 1 completed May 2000
• Milestone 2 completed Dec 2000
• Milestone 3 completed June 2002
• Milestone 4 currently processing data to
  complete criteria requirements for Milestone 4
  will be submitting report in June.

4
CCP Background

• Objectives
• 1. Fulfil Councils commitment to CCP program
• 2. Assist Warrnambool in becoming an ecologically
  integrated and sustainable city
• 3. Act in a globally responsible manner and
  protect current and future generations by
  reducing Warrnambools local energy consumption
  and greenhouse gas emissions.

5
Local Action Plan

• Ranking and weighting of actions
• Annual greenhouse savings for individual projects
• Project cost
• Payback period
• Timescale of the project
• Stakeholders
• Other benefits (social/environmental)
• Review of the Local Action Plan is scheduled for
  2005

6
Overview of Projects

• TravelSmart
• Better Ways to Work
• Sustainable Transport
• Public Transport
• Cycling
• Walking
• Carpooling
• Greening the Fleet
• - Alternative Fuels Project
• CNG
• LPG
• Hybrid

• Community Carpool Project
• Walking School Bus
• Other Sustainability initiatives
• CCP
• Recycling
• Energy efficiency program
• Community Greenwaste Program
• Street Lighting policy
• Local Planning
• Staff Bike Patrols
• Tree Planting

7
TRAVELSMART Better Ways to Work

• Overview
• - Initiative was adopted by Council in May 2002.
• Aim
• To reduce the number of single vehicle journeys
  from 70 to 55 by 2010.
• Taking a proactive approach

8
TRAVELSMART Better Ways to Work

• Challenges
• Achievements
• What next
• Alternative Ways to Work Days
• Bicycle Storage Shower Facilities
• Staff Carpooling

9
TRAVELSMART Better Ways to Work

• Partnerships/Stakeholders
• TravelSmart Victoria
• Bicycle Victoria Ride To Work Day
• TravelSmart in Schools Project
• Walk to School Days
• Pedestrian Council of Australia
• South West TAFE,
• Deakin University,
• South West Water,
• Schools,
• and all Council Divisions including workshop,
  child care centres, tourism facilities, etc

10
Walking School Bus

• Overview
• Council was successful in applying to VicHealth
  to establish the WSB in Warrnambool.
• - While WSB has great feel good qualities, it
  also has sound positive and quantifiable
  outcomes.
• Compliments TravelSMART initiatives
• Globally, the WSB is successfully running in many
  countries.

11
Walking School Bus

• Benefits
• The Walking School Bus aims to deliver
  considerable individual and community benefits
• - Health Benefits
• - Environmental Benefits
• - Safety Benefits
• - Mental Health Benefits

12
Walking School Bus

• Achievements to date
• Currently four primary schools participate in the
  Walking School Bus project.
• Three of the four have their bus operational
• Two of the four are preparing their second bus
• Warrnambool City Council has been successful in
  securing 2nd year funding from VicHealth to
  continue and further introduce the WSB into more
  schools.

13
Walking School Bus

• Key drivers
• - Time
• Marketing
• Support from Schools
• Support from Families
• Challenges/Issues
• Volunteers
• Weather

14
Walking School BusOne Schools good example

• Warrnambool East Primary School
• Bus Route 1 starts at McDonalds car park. We
  are organising with McDonalds to have a WSB
  breakfast and afternoon tea as a treat for the
  participants.
• East Wbool Neighbourhood House has approached
  us requesting participation in their Breakfast
  for children program and to start WSB from this
  location. This project is aimed at the children
  from the lower socio-economical background
  primarily located in this area.
• WSB will have special dress days, decided by
  the children.
• WSB children are dismissed from school 5 minutes
  earlier.
• WSB children are invited to monthly breakfast

15
Greening the Fleet

• 4 cylinder vehicles
• Alternative Fuel Vehicles
• LPG
• CNG
• Hybrid

16
Greening the Fleet

• Overview
• Transport is the fastest growing source of global
  greenhouse gas emissions.
• Options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• Replacing petrol with other fuels
• Substituting larger vehicles with smaller, more
  efficient ones.
• WCC Fleet Figures (Fringe Benefits Tax
  eligible vehicles only)
• No. of vehicles included in FBT return 56
• Total Distance Travelled 975151 km

17
Greening the Fleet

• Councils Corporate Plan
• Goal To affect a reduction in greenhouse gases
  and increase savings through the introduction of
  sustainable technologies to the Councils vehicle
  fleet
• Objective Reduce the current level of
  greenhouse gases produced by the Councils
  vehicle fleet.

18
Greening the Fleet

• Achievements to date
• - CNG conversion project
• - Purchased LNG dedicated vehicles
• - Purchased Toyota Prius (Hybrid vehicle)
• - Trialled 4 cylinder vehicles in fleet

19
Alternative Fuels CNG

• The best fuel from an environmental point of view
  at the moment is Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).
• reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• - approx 14 for dual fuel
• - approx 30 for dedicated CNG vehicles.
• natural gas pipeline infrastructure already in
  place
• Gas resources to last 80 years
• Benefits the Country
• Safe

20
Alternative Fuels Joint Project CNG

• Warrnambool City Council
• South West Institute of TAFE

21
Alternative Fuels Project CNG

• Positives
• - Fuel Savings
• - Lower CO2 emissions per unit of energy
• - Reduced engine noise
• - Safer than conventional fuels
• - Non-toxic and non-corrosive
• - Wont contaminate ground water
• - Conversion costs tax deductible for
  commercial operators
• - cleanest burning commercially available
  vehicle fuel
• - assist with lowering imports help the
  economy increase jobs
• - available locally not dependent on
  fluctuations of international oil prices or
  currency adjustments.

22
Alternative Fuels Project CNG

• EXAMPLE
• Current annual diesel costs
• 100,000lt _at_ 95c/lt 95,000
• Dual Fuel Costs
• CNG (70) 70,000m3 _at_ 42c/m3 29,400
• Diesel (30) 30,000lt _at_ 95c/lt 28,500
• TOTAL DUAL FUEL COSTS 57,900
• Annual Fuel Cost Savings 37,100

23
Alternative Fuels Project CNG

• Barriers
• - range
• - conversion problems
• - initial conversion costs
• - access to refuelling stations
• - vehicle specification/warranties
• - lack of available vehicles
• - ABSENCE OF GOVERNMENT LEADERSHIP SUPPORT

24
Alternative Fuels Project CNG

• THE FUTURE
• Depends on future Council resources
• Funding
• Govt Support
• Manufacturers Support

25
Alternative Fuels ProjectLPG

• LPG is used by approx 5 of passenger vehicles in
  Aust.
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approx 13
  (passenger vehicles on dedicated LPG).
• WCC Purchase of dedicated LPG vehicles in 2003
• - 1 Ford Station wagon 2 Ford Utes
• - vehicles have currently done 30,000km each
• - approx 50 fuel saving to date

26
Alternative Fuels ProjectLPG

• Positives
• - Fuel saving 50
• - Quick Payback
• (700-900 more to purchase but made up quickly
  by fuel savings)
• - Less Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Negatives
• - Negligible as all are overcome by payback
  reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
• - Resale price may be lower due to dedicated LPG
• THE FUTURE
• - Dependent on Resale price. The current LPG
  vehicles will be replaced with new LPG vehicles
  if resale price is acceptable.

27
Alternative Fuels ProjectHybrid Vehicles

• Purchase of Toyota Prius Feb 2003
• Positives
• 50 less petrol than a similar sized
  conventional car
• 50 less emissions
• Negatives
• Higher purchase cost
• Resale Unknown?

28
Alternative Fuels ProjectHybrid Vehicles

• The FUTURE
• This vehicle sits comfortably in the fleet and is
  used on a daily basis by staff.
• Further purchases of these vehicles will be
  determined by two major factors
• 1. Resale value
• 2. Higher purchase costs
• The purchase price of the Toyota model is a major
  problem in terms of budgeting constraints. The
  new Honda Civic Hybrid, priced around 30,000 may
  be a more financially viable option in the
  future.

29
Community Carpool Project

• Overview
• Background Vehicle ownership and single occupant
  journeys are the social norm in Aust.
• Aims- To develop and pilot a centralised web
  based portal system
• Initiate behavioural changes for local
  government, business, industry, education, and
  service providers within the Southwest region of
  Victoria.

30
Community Carpool Project

• Expected Outputs of the project
• Increase awareness of car-pooling
• Reduce number of single occupant intercity car
  trips
• Reduce greenhouse gas emission associated with
  transport use
• Feedback to participants the greenhouse gases
  they have saved by car-pooling
• Demonstrate and prove centralised software
  operational benefits
• Initiate corporate behaviour change related to
  car use.

31
Community Carpool Project

• Expected Outcomes
• Provide a regional lead role as best case example
• Provide centralised management of the software
• Increase the number of Warrnambool people
  car-pooling
• Increase the number of Wbool-Geelong-Melb
  car-pooling
• Increase community awareness of more sustainable
  modes of transport
• Decrease greenhouse gases from car travel related
  to regular travel
• Deliver a year-end figure of the number of car
  trips saved and the gross reduction in greenhouse
  gases.

32
Community Carpool Project

• Summary of Carpool Software
• Simple easy to use interface, allows quick
  registration and search.
• Being entirely web based the program can be
  accessed via the internet
• Helps promote Green travel
• Helps reduce environmental pollutants
• Provides feedback on emissions savings
• Safe site Website will be operated through
  Council based server.

33
Community Carpool Project

• Example
• Vehicle Kilometres Travelled Expected Savings
• Estimated total VKT to be saved across the four
  original organisations is 60,000km for a full
  calendar year.
• Represents 100 return journeys to Melbourne from
  Warrnambool.
• Each organisation would be required to complete
  25 carpooling trips.

34
Community Carpool Project

• Example
• CO2 savings calculator
• Type of car driven Full sized car
• 9.5lt/100km
• Distance Travelled 520km
• (Wbool to Melb Return)
• Total CO2 saving 124.41 kg

35
Community Carpool Project

• Challenges
• - Original software not successful
• - Staff turnover
• - Mapping costs and accessibility
• - Time

36
Community Carpool Project

• Partnerships
• - DSE map
• - Australian Greenhouse Office funding grant
• - Ozdesign website/software design
• - SouthWest Institute of TAFE
• - Deakin University
• - South West Water
• - South West HealthCare

37
Other Council initiatives

• Warrnambool Bicycle Plan
• Road Safety
• Encourage cycling
• Better infrastructure
• Train to CBD footpath
• Enhance safety
• Promote walking
• Identifiable with purpose
• Street Lighting
• Policy being implemented
• Investigating solar power on Foreshore
  development
• Investigating energy efficient in CBD
• Tree Planting
• 20,000 mixed species trees planted in past 12
  months

38
Other Council initiatives

• Foreshore development
• Local Planning requires footpath provided to
  beach access
• Greener Fleet
• Continually looking for options
• Energy wise products
• 5 energy efficient printers
• 100 recycled paper used
• Solar Hot Water Urns in Council buildings
• Energy efficient lights replacement program
• Lights turned off between 6.00pm 7.00am
• Staff Safe Driving Policy Driver Education
• As part of Road Safety Strategy and Employee Safe
  Driving Policy, Staff will be given training in
  safe smart driving practices.

39
Lessons Learned

• What lessons have been learned
• Community attitudes may not meet desired outcomes
• Do a little bit at a time many small steps
• Suggestions to build on lessons
• Work with community and other stakeholder
• Research, Research, Research
• Talk to anyone who knows anything, but keep an
  open mind.
• Policy and Strategic Links are vital to success
• Weaknesses Strengths
• Strength Council is a very environmentally
  conscience
• Weaknesses Some leaders dont want to be a
  leader

40
What next for Council?

• Short Term
• Bike Patrols in CBD
• Bike storage shed and shower facilities for staff
• More Trees planted
• Community Promotion Involvement
• Waste contracts being reviewed
• Community Greenwaste Program
• Energy Efficient lighting in all Council
  buildings
• Investigate New Honda Civic Hybrid
• Re trial 4cylinders eg Nissan Pulsar (airbags,
  abs standard)
• Achieve CCP Milestone 4.

41
What next for Council?

• Long Term
• Complete report on CNG project
• Downsize vehicle fleet
• Achieve CCP Milestone 5
• Achieve Goals and Objectives set in Strategic
  Plans