The largest emissions reduction project ever undertaken by local government in Australia was recently launched in Victoria. 46 councils have come together as part of VECO – Victorian Energy Collaboration – to source their electricity under a long term contract that will provide renewable energy from local wind farms. It is estimated to reduce carbon emissions by 260,000 tonnes, the equivalent of taking 90,000 cars off the road.
Darebin City Council in Melbourne has taken the lead on bringing VECO to life. Rachel Ollivier, Darebin’s General Manager of City Sustainability and Strategy spoke to Chris Eddy for the Local Government News Roundup about how the project came into being, and why it is such a game changer for the local government sector.