David Risstrom - Greening Melbourne
After lobbying Parliament in 1989 to create the Victorian Alpine National Park,
David completed law, arts and science degrees. Following work for the
Australian Centre for Environmental Law, as consultant to the Cth EPA,
teacher for the Australian Electoral Commission + Snr. Researcher to the
Senate Superannuation C’tee, David begun practice in 1997 as a barrister.
David was Victoria’s first elected Green, serving on Melbourne City Council
from 1999 to 2004. His other roles during that time included:
 Vice President International Council for Local Environment Initiatives
 Chair MCC Environment, Arts, Sustainability + Indigenous Affairs C’tees
 Chair Melbourne Affordable Housing Company
 Chair Metropolitan Transport Forum
 Convener Metropolitan Environment Forum
 Director Yarra-Melb. Regional Library + Western Regional Waste Boards
 Director MAPS Ltd purchasing company
 Australian Conservation Foundation Councillor
 Victorian Greens Senate Candidate in the 2004 Federal Election
Greening Melbourne
My project was to ‘Green Melbourne.’ I introduced 140+ initiatives to
Melbourne City Council as a Green Councillor. between 1999 and 2004 and
published ‘100 Green Achievements’ at www.davidrisstrom.org , including:
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$5M Sustainable Melbourne Fund
Accountability through Recording Votes in Council
Adopting and Promoting The Earth Charter
Bringing the Sustainable Living Fair To Melbourne
$2M over 2 years for Improved Bicycle Facilities
10,000 Bicycle Parking Spaces in the City by 2010, 20,00 by 2020
Council Car Fleet with Average Fuel Use of 8 litres/100km or less
Central City Lending Library for Melbourne
‘Community Power’ Green Energy
Discounted MET Tickets for Staff and Community
Establishing Melbourne as an International Environmental Leader: CHII
Greening Purchasing Across Australia Through MAPS + ICLEI
Growing Green: A 50 year Parks and Open Spaces Plan
Greening Melbourne
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Indigenous Reconciliation: Treaty and Indigenous Land Use Agreement
Inner City Social Housing + Melbourne Affordable Housing Companies
Lighting Strategy for the City Of Melbourne
Making the Town Hall the Village Green: ‘Melbourne Conversations’
Melbourne as a Refugee Welcome Zone
Metropolitan Environment Forum
No Woodchip Sourced Power
Organising the Local Government Aspect of the Johannesburg Summit
Major Event MET-ticket combinations
People's Forum in the Council Chamber
Recycled Paper Primarily Used at the City Of Melbourne
Reusable Carry Bags: Bagging Melbourne (in a nice way)
Setting Australia’s most ambitious Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets
and Achieving Them: 30% Council, 20% community between 1999-2009
Sustainable Water Management - Watermark. 40% Reductions Overall
Triple Bottom Line Governance: Economic, Social and Environmental
Zero Net Greenhouse Gas Emissions For Melbourne City By 2020
Greening Melbourne
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My project was to ‘Green Melbourne’.
How did I start?
Began seriously after my election to Melbourne City Council in 1999.
Secured positions on transport, environment, purchasing, library, housing,
and aboriginal consultative committees and company boards. Elected by
international ballot to the International Council For Local Environment
Initiatives (ICLEI) and subsequently elected as Vice President of ICLEI
International.
Made requests, then demands and backed them up with timelines.
Biggest challenges were associated with culture change
My presence as a Green allowed good people to do good things.
Things that made a big difference to my project’s success:
Establishing a website at www.davidrisstrom.org and recording the 100 Green
Achievements and 100 More Green Achievements was invaluable.
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My advice to others:
Consider my mother’s advice: “Do good things for their own sake.”
Greening Melbourne
CLIMATE PROTECTION BY REDUCING GREENHOUSE GAS
EMISSIONS
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City of Melbourne on target of 30% reduction for Council operations and
20% for community by 2010 from 1999 levels.
Goal: Melbourne sets the most ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets
of any Australian city and is on path to achieve them.
Australia way off the Kyoto target and unwilling to ratify.
An Australian Government report released on 10 December 2003
concluded that Australia is vulnerable to changes in temperature and
precipitation projected for the next 50 to 100 years, because it already has
extensive arid and semi-arid areas, relatively high rainfall variability from year
to year, and existing pressures on water supply in many areas.
Australia and USA were out in the cold internationally.
Greening Melbourne
ZERO NET GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS FOR
MELBOURNE CITY BY 2020
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The City of Melbourne established a zero net greenhouse gas emissions
strategy, with a 2020 target.
The City of Melbourne is aiming to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas
emissions dramatically to a point that any remaining emissions are offset by
carbon sinks financed by the City. Once the Strategy is formed, the City of
Melbourne has committed to make the intellectual property and practical
information available to Asia-Pacific cities wishing to do likewise.
Presented the proposal in Canberra in 2000 and Wuhan, China in 2002 to
APEC
Greening Melbourne
QUEEN VICTORIA SOLAR INSTALLATION
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A proposal was developed to put photovoltaic cells on the Queen Victoria
Market roof.
A $1 Million Federal Government grant was awarded to the City of
Melbourne on a matching basis.
There were discussions to modify the grant to allow for a different energy
collection system to be used, based on a high temperature liquid
countercurrent heat exchange system.
Design + installation by BP Solar and Origin Energy completed May 03.
The 1328 Solar panels on the Queen Victoria Market site can now
generate 252 megawatts of electricity each year, which is enough electricity to
power 63 homes.
Greening Melbourne
REFUSE POWER GENERATION SOURCED FROM
WOODCHIPS
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The City of Melbourne refuses to accept electricity sourced from the
burning of woodchips.
The Federal Government adopted a definition of renewable energy that
includes the burning of woodchips for power generation.
The City of Melbourne rejected this definition of renewable energy, and has
unanimously adopted a motion I moved in 2002 refusing to purchase
electricity sourced from the burning of woodchips.
Greening Melbourne
LIGHTING STRATEGY
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The City of Melbourne is implementing an 'enlightened' approach to lighting
by combining intelligent design, placement and light usage to achieve energy
savings, greenhouse gas reductions and better lighting.
The Lighting Strategy is the policy and operational document that, in its
own words, 'provides for the responsible use of energy to enhance people's
experience of the city after dark.
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‘Dumped’ lights from USA (Mercury halide?)
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Implementation of the Strategy is over a 5 year period to 2006.
Greening Melbourne
‘COMMUNITY POWER’ GREEN ENERGY
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Community Power is a not for profit, renewable electricity buying group made
up of the City of Melbourne, Darebin City Council, the Moreland Energy
Foundation and the City of Yarra.
Initiative to increase the buying power of residents who wish to buy 'green
energy' [in contrast to black energy made from polluting sources such as coal,
nuclear, oil, etc.].
'Accredited green power' and 'renewable energy' are two energy options
included in the current community power offer. 'Accredited Green Power' is a
renewable energy source from nationally accredited generators. 'Renewable
energy' shares all the characteristics of Green Power except that it is sourced
from generators commissioned prior to 1997 and is therefore not credited
under the National Green Power Scheme.
Greening Melbourne
BRINGING THE SUSTAINABLE LIVING FAIR TO
MELBOURNE
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The Sustainable Living Fair is a public event promoting and displaying
organisations, businesses and ideas promoting environmental sustainability
I thought it would be good to have the Sustainable Living Fair brought to the
Melbourne so that more people understand what they can do to improve our
environment. I suggested the organisers consider moving the Sustainable
Living Fair to somewhere within the City of Melbourne
First Sustainable Living Fair in Melbourne was in 2001, and is now annual.
Greening Melbourne
$5 MILLION SUSTAINABLE MELBOURNE FUND
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The City of Melbourne has established a $5 million Sustainable Melbourne
Fund to further environmental Sustainability in the City of Melbourne.
In 1999 I proposed that the City Of Melbourne establish a trust fund to
provide finance to projects and groups that want to do things to further
environmental sustainability in the City of Melbourne.Launched in 2003.
Allows for draw down of its capital, providing financial assistance and
investment in specific projects that enhance the environment, community and
economic benefits for the people of Melbourne.
Greening Melbourne
A 20 YEAR WATER MANAGEMENT REGIME
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The City of Melbourne has established and using a 20 year sustainable
water management regime.
The purpose of setting a 20 year water management regime is to intelligently
develop a means of conserving and better using our scarce water resources
where they are needed.
Watermark has a target of reducing water consumption by 12% by 2020,
compared to an estimated business-as-usual approach resulting in a 100%
increase by 2020. This equates to a 40% reduction in residential, commercial
and industrial water consumption per capita, and a 40% reduction in water use
by the City of Melbourne in its operations.
Greening Melbourne
PARTICIPATION IN 2002 JOHANNESBURG WORLD
SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
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International Council For Local Environment Initiatives organised the local
government part of the Johannesburg World Summit.
The City of Melbourne was an active participant in the Local Government
Session of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development.
The Melbourne Principles for Sustainable Development were adopted by
the session and ultimately presented to the major plenary on behalf of local
government worldwide.
Greening Melbourne
IMPLEMENTING TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE
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I moved a motion in 1999 requiring the City of Melbourne to adopt Triple
Bottom Line accounting.
Aims to inculcate triple bottom line considerations into decisions it makes.
Extends to requiring suppliers to satisfy triple bottom line criteria.
Triple bottom line is an extension of the modern tradition of the economic
bottom line to include social and environmental bottom lines.
Required 'environmental attachments' on the environmental implications of
decisions put before Council.
Greening Melbourne
ADOPT THE EARTH CHARTER AND PROMOTE ITS
AIMS
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Melbourne City Council has adopted and promotes the Earth Charter.
The Earth Charter is a declaration on environment, social justice, democracy
and peace which was initiated prior to the Earth Summit in 1992 and
finalised in March 2000.
The Charter sets forth values and principles underpinning a Worldwide
Sustainability Strategy for the 21st century.
Endorsement of the Earth Charter by individuals or organisations signifies a
commitment to the spirit and aims of the document.
Greening Melbourne
MONTHLY, 6 MONTHLY OR YEARLY MET TICKETS AT
10% DISCOUNT FOR RESIDENTS OF
METROPOLITAN MELBOURNE
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Discounted monthly, 6 monthly and yearly MET public transport tickets are
available for purchase by residents of Greater Melbourne.
As a means of increasing public transport patronage, reducing the need for
enforcement and the cost of administering the ticket system, I proposed in a
January 2002 letter to the public transport operators that the City of
Melbourne be a pilot for providing discounted tickets to residents of the
City of Melbourne.
Greening Melbourne
RECYCLED PAPER AT THE CITY OF MELBOURNE
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The City of Melbourne uses 100% post consumer waste paper for its
printing and copying needs.
Office paper is sourced from a variety of sources. When office paper is
made from recycled material, it reduces the amount of wood from trees that
needs to be sourced from our forests.
Using recycled paper is a way of increasing the efficiency of use of the
original forest products by using them more than once. It also reduces the
amount of used paper in the waste stream filling up our municipal tip sites.
100% post-consumer waste paper means that 100% of the paper used to
make the product you buy has been used at least once before.
Greening Melbourne
ACHIEVE INDIGENOUS RECONCILIATION
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To discuss with our indigenous and non-indigenous communities what can be
agreed upon to achieve reconciliation and to do it.
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Consultation with Indigenous spokespersons and organisations in relation to the
development of an Indigenous Employment Strategy;
Reaffirm the Statement of Commitment to Indigenous Australians;
Establishment of an Indigenous Unit within the City of Melbourne.
Greening Melbourne
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Commence a 12 month discussion between the City of Melbourne, its
constituents, ATSIC and the wider indigenous community on how to
advance reconciliation in the City of Melbourne. As a means of achieving
broad community involvement, the City of Melbourne commits to initiate
discussions on options for:
1· Negotiating a land use agreement
2. Identifying and acknowledging our pre-European history in the City of
Melbourne.
3. Providing current and future staff and councillors with the opportunity to
participate in cross-cultural awareness training.
4. Increasing the involvement of indigenous people in the delivery of services for
and on behalf of the City of Melbourne.
5. Flying the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flags during important
times such as NAIDOC week.
6. A strategy to advance representation by Indigenous councillors.
Greening Melbourne
1% FOR HUMANITY
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Citizens of the City of Melbourne and beyond donate 1% of their taxable
income to an organisation of their choice that assists developing countries.
Individuals choose to make a donation or donations to organisations such as
Community Aid Abroad, World Vision, Medicines Sans Frontiers or
International Help Fund Australia that have strong reputations for providing
unconditional assistance to people of less fortunate developing countries.