The Mayor's Column
Happy New Year to everyone. Here is some really good news to start the year.
Remember the federal elections last year? Remember the focus of all the parties on global warming and environmental issues? Australians made it a core electoral issue as we called on government to take national and international measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Many Australians are very relieved that our federal leaders have now agreed to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and to take environmental issues very seriously. However, David Suzuki’s adage still holds firm, that we all must “think globally, act locally.”
So, the good news for Mosman residents is that we have been selected to take part in the Community Climate Challenge, an initiative of the Nature Conservation Council of NSW and funded by the NSW Government through its Climate Action Grants Program, and Mosman Council. It is “an interactive programme providing simple steps for communities to reduce their greenhouse footprint and develop creative initiatives to highlight the solutions to climate change”. The program will help each and every one of us to lead a more environmentally friendly life, thus reducing our personal carbon footprint and that of our whole community. Local communities in the Council areas of the Central Coast and Clarence Valley have already taken part in the Climate Challenge with great success. The Mosman Community is now invited to take up the Challenge.
Several years ago Mosman Council was brave enough to measure and publish Mosman’s ecological footprint, which shows the average resident has a footprint of 14.7 hectares comparative to the national average of approximately 7.8. If all the resources needed to support Mosman lifestyles had to be found within the local area, only 58 people could live in Mosman.
The Mosman Community Climate Challenge will engage and seek support from the broad Mosman community, including households, schools, churches and businesses. In early March, the program will be officially launched. In April a public meeting will highlight the program’s progress and in June a showcase event will publicise the achievements of the Challenge and award participants.
This is another valuable opportunity for Mosman to show leadership in environmental issues, to throw off the stigma of having a large ecological footprint and to lead other communities by example.
Are you up for the Challenge?
Cr Denise Wilton, Mayor of Mosman
