Our sustainability and climate commitments

We’ve committed to action on climate and environment over the last seven years through the following:

• declared a climate emergency, created our first Climate Emergency Action Plan, and expanded our Climate and Sustainability team
• completed a climate vulnerability assessment of the Chapel Street precinct
• reduced our corporate emissions by 82% since our 2005 baseline year
• created our first Nature Strip Planting Policy in 2024 and issued 18 permits allowing our community to use their nature strips to increase biodiversity
• launched our first Towards Zero Waste Strategy, focusing Council’s efforts on viewing waste as a resource, and expanded our Waste Strategy & Engagement team.

Over the last seven years, we’ve directly supported our community to care for the environment and reduce emissions by:

• reducing community emissions by 14% since 2018
• installing 1,181 kW of solar across more than 40 facilities, along with two batteries
• securing over $1,000,000 in grant funding for environmental projects
• creating Home Energy Efficiency Kits, which have been borrowed more than 200 times from Stonnington libraries
• reducing annual water use by an average of 9%
• recording 6,811 community observations of local flora and fauna via the citizen science app iNaturalist
• delivering 19 school planting days
• delivering six Native Plant Giveaway events, with more than 7,000 plants adopted by residents
• delivering over 300 sustainability and waste education events at schools and early learning centres
• delivering more than 150 environmental and waste events and webinars to over 18,000 community attendees
• delivering four terms of the Environmental Champions program, with 56 community graduates
• joining the award-winning My Smart Garden and Solar Savers programs
• publishing over 80 editions of the Sustainable Stonnington e-newsletter to almost 3,000 subscribers.

We’ve worked to preserve and grow our green spaces over the last seven years by:

• restoring all three of Stonnington’s wetlands and the ponds at the Urban Forest
• delivering 211 new water sensitive urban design (WSUD) assets, including raingardens, passive irrigation tree pits and permeable paving
• completing the Yarra River Biodiversity Project, transforming 34,199 m² of previously under-loved parkland along the Birrarung’s Main Yarra Trail
• developing the Gardiners Creek (KooyongKoot) Masterplan and helping to establish the Gardiners Creek (KooyongKoot) Regional Collaboration to improve the creek’s condition and environmental outcomes
• deepening relationships with our Traditional Custodians to better embed Caring for Country principles in the management of our natural environment
• planting over 10,000 trees and 77,000 native plants across streetscapes, parks and gardens.

Over the past seven years, we’ve built sustainability into our waste system by:

• launching our first bin feedback program, checking almost 12,000 bins to reduce contamination and improve recycling outcomes
• expanding the kerbside green waste service to accept food waste and launching food waste drop-offs, diverting over 31,000 tonnes of organic waste from landfill.