Garrett welcomes Labor government climate change action

“Labor wants to work in partnership with individual Victorians and communities to help drive down greenhouse gas emissions, to secure Victoria’s future together.”

Ms. Garrett said Climate Communities would be based on the successful LandCare initiative – a community driven process supported by government.

“While some may argue that the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme makes individual action irrelevant, I firmly believe that individual and local action on climate change is now more important than ever before,” he said.

Climate Communities will allow individuals and groups to apply for substantial grants for local projects, which can involve councils, businesses, schools and service groups. Climate Communities will fund projects of various sizes with two grant rounds each year. Grants of up to $50,000 will be available.

The projects will need to meet one or more of the key objectives:
•    community abatement: involving reductions to greenhouse gas in addition to the CPRS cap;
•    community resilience: programs that are implemented within the CPRS cap;
•    community innovation: programs that involve trialling new ideas for sustainable living in the energy, waste and transport sectors and promoting their adoption in other communities.

The first round of applications will be opened next year. Further information will be available from Sustainability Victoria and grants will be supplied through Sustainability Victoria’s Sustainability Fund.

Some projects that may be backed under Climate Communities include; reforestation or revegetation of land to act as carbon sinks, household energy efficiency programs to cut emissions and electricity bills or community education programs that prepare the Victorians for the impacts of climate change and the introduction of a price on carbon.