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Bellingen Shire Council: a team effort built on a strong foundation
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Bellingen: mountains, forest and sea Located on Gumbaynggirr Country on the Mid North Coast of NSW halfway between Sydney and Brisbane, Bellingen Shire covers an area of 1,605 square kilometres and has a population of around 13,000 people. Our Shire is known for its forests, rivers and biodiversity. 53% of our LGA is covered by State Forests and National Parks. This includes world heritage listed Gondwana rainforests and part of the newly announced Great Koala National Park which will be a centrepiece of koala conservation in NSW. Our two main river systems, the Bellinger and the Kalang, provide a grand connection between the mountains, the forests and the sea, supporting a variety of life, including the critically endangered Bellinger River Snapping Turtle which is found in a 60km stretch of the Bellinger River and nowhere else in the entire world. We are home to a further 86 threatened fauna species, 27 threatened flora species and 9 threatened ecological communities. Our community vision is for a connected, sustainable, creative community. The community have asked for strong action on climate change and as a Council we aim to deliver. 
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2019: the declaration
Bellingen Shire Council declared a climate emergency in March 2019. Even before the Climate Emergency Declaration Council had a strong history of action on climate change. Council completed its first solar project in 2010, was an early adopter of FOGO to reduce landfill emissions and developed an Emissions Reduction Program in 2012 covering a range of energy efficiency and renewable energy actions. However, not enough was being done on a global scale. Global emissions were increasing rather than decreasing, and there were grim predictions about the future, globally and locally. Our community demanded action. It was in a packed Council meeting, with standing room only in the public gallery, that Bellingen Shire Council joined other councils around Australia in declaring a climate emergency. We demanded urgent action by all levels of government and continue to do so. |
Recent achievements built on a legacy of leadership
Since declaring, Bellingen has had some major achievements, including:
Since declaring, Bellingen has had some major achievements, including:
- Moving all of Council's sites and streetlighting onto 100% renewable electricity.
- Achieving Council's 2030 emission reduction target 5 years early.
- Completing energy efficient lighting upgrades and changing streetlights to LEDs.
- Installing more solar PV systems, so that Council now has systems on 20 different buildings.
- Completing Council's first battery project.
- Replacing two of Council's petrol fleet vehicles with electric vehicles.
- Trialling an electric ride-on mower to replace one of Council's diesel mowers.
- Working with Charge Point Operators to get community EV chargers installed across the Shire.
- Teaming up with other councils to establish a solar PV recycling program to bring a circular economy approach to Council's renewable energy program.
- Adopting a new Corporate Carbon Plan which sets out further emission reduction opportunities for the period 2025–2030.
A declaration that made a big difference
Declaring a climate emergency has made a huge difference.
After declaring, Bellingen established a Climate Emergency Response Framework and adopted emission reduction targets.
This has meant that everyone in Council is on the same page in terms of what we are trying to achieve. By having a whole of Council approach, it means reaching our emission reduction targets is not the sole responsibility of a single officer but rather a collaborative approach across all areas of Council from waste management and operations through to planning, procurement, community partnerships and IT.
Declaring a climate emergency has made a huge difference.
After declaring, Bellingen established a Climate Emergency Response Framework and adopted emission reduction targets.
This has meant that everyone in Council is on the same page in terms of what we are trying to achieve. By having a whole of Council approach, it means reaching our emission reduction targets is not the sole responsibility of a single officer but rather a collaborative approach across all areas of Council from waste management and operations through to planning, procurement, community partnerships and IT.
Super-powers and keys to success
Our Council’s superpower is definitely our community. The Bellingen Shire is known for strong environmental activism and a community that support a more sustainable way of life. The community has demanded strong action on climate change which has driven Council to be innovative, embrace new technologies, take advantage of regional partnerships and emerge as a leader in this space amongst small rural councils.
Key to Council’s success has been incorporating climate action into everything we do. It hasn’t been about one major project but rather ongoing planning, decision-making and actions that have cumulatively made a huge difference. Council was an early adopter of FOGO, has secured long-term renewable electricity through a Power Purchase Agreement, introduced electric vehicles into its fleet, upgraded facilities with solar and LED lighting and trained staff in reducing embodied emissions in procurement. Each decision made a difference, and together they have delivered real, measurable results.
Council’s climate emergency work ties in strongly with other focus areas for Council. A good example of this is Council’s waste reduction and circular economy program. Council’s landfill sites are its largest source of tracked emissions. However, over the years Council has implemented many actions to reduce and divert waste such as being an early adopter of FOGO, establishing recycling programs, setting up the Bowerhouse Community Reuse Shop (which can divert up to 87 tonnes of materials per month away from landfill!), conducting community education campaigns and delivering workshops on upcycling, reuse and repair. All these actions help to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill which reduces landfill emissions.
An investment that has paid off
Action on climate change and being fiscally responsible to our ratepayers is not an either/or situation. Most of the actions our Council has taken to reduce emissions have also resulted in significant cost savings.
Action on climate change and being fiscally responsible to our ratepayers is not an either/or situation. Most of the actions our Council has taken to reduce emissions have also resulted in significant cost savings.
- A focus on efficiencies, such as the switch to LED streetlighting, saves Council approximately $30,000 a year in electricity costs as well as approximately 144 tonnes of emissions.
- Our solar PV installations have reduced electricity use across Council facilities to the point where some facilities are now in credit.
- Our electric vehicles have proven their worth during the fuel crisis, being charged at negligible cost from the solar PV system at the Council Chambers.
- Our renewable energy Power Purchase Agreement has secured competitive pricing until 2030, protecting us from market fluctuations.
- Our Investment Policy provides a preference for investments and financial institutions that meet ESG considerations, including reduced exposure to the fossil fuel industry, where returns and credit quality are comparable with alternative investments. In practice, Council has been able to apply these preferences while continuing to achieve strong investment returns, demonstrating that ESG considerations can be incorporated into investment decisions without compromising financial outcomes.
Connecting with other councils and leading the way together
Being part of Climate Emergency Australia means we haven’t been alone in our journey. We are part of a national network of councils taking urgent action to reduce our emissions and respond to the threat of climate change.
Our Councillors and General Manager have undertaken CEA’s Governing in a Climate Emergency course, deepening their understanding of what it means to govern well during the climate emergency, connecting and learning from peers around Australia and strengthening our Council’s climate emergency response.
For a small Council, such as ours, being part of a national network has enabled us to learn from others, amplify our impact and emerge as a leader on climate action.
Local government has a significant role to play in reducing emissions and leading communities around Australia. There is a clear directive in the Local Government Act 1993 (NSW) that when making decisions councils “should consider the long term and cumulative effects of actions on future generations” and “should consider the principles of ecologically sustainable development.” Reducing emissions and preparing for climate change is something that all councils should be doing right now to fulfil legislative requirements and demonstrate good governance.
Being part of Climate Emergency Australia means we haven’t been alone in our journey. We are part of a national network of councils taking urgent action to reduce our emissions and respond to the threat of climate change.
Our Councillors and General Manager have undertaken CEA’s Governing in a Climate Emergency course, deepening their understanding of what it means to govern well during the climate emergency, connecting and learning from peers around Australia and strengthening our Council’s climate emergency response.
For a small Council, such as ours, being part of a national network has enabled us to learn from others, amplify our impact and emerge as a leader on climate action.
Local government has a significant role to play in reducing emissions and leading communities around Australia. There is a clear directive in the Local Government Act 1993 (NSW) that when making decisions councils “should consider the long term and cumulative effects of actions on future generations” and “should consider the principles of ecologically sustainable development.” Reducing emissions and preparing for climate change is something that all councils should be doing right now to fulfil legislative requirements and demonstrate good governance.
What's next?
This year we are exploring more opportunities for solar and battery projects on Council buildings, looking at EV fast charging opportunities for the community, looking at more ways to reduce Scope 3 emissions and embarking on an adaptation planning project.
This year we are exploring more opportunities for solar and battery projects on Council buildings, looking at EV fast charging opportunities for the community, looking at more ways to reduce Scope 3 emissions and embarking on an adaptation planning project.