We all care about our environment and how we live in the world. We are committed to ensuring that its activities and services are more resilient to the impacts of climate change and reducing our ecological footprint. There are many things that everyone can do at the local level to become more environmentally sustainable.

In March 2019, Adelaide Hills Council became the second Council in South Australia, and thirteenth in Australia, to declare a Climate Emergency. The decision reflects Council's preparedness to provide leadership for our community in addressing the unprecedented threat of climate change. You can read more about this declaration here.

We are striving towards more efficient use of resources, reduction in energy and water use, conservation of biodiversity, reduction in waste, resource recovery and use of local provenance food, and are undertaking numerous actions including:

• A Biodiversity Strategy that includes improved weed management and support of numerous Friends Groups to further build community capacity.
• An Energy Reduction program resulting in solar PV panels being installed on the Woodside Library, Coventry Library (Stirling), Stirling Office, and Heathfield Depot, as well as the roll out of LED street lighting across the district (click here for more information about the benefits of switching to LED).
• A Waste and Resource Strategy that has resulted in a reduction in waste to landfill through initiatives such as the introduction of green organic waste bins and drop off days, and a resource recovery centre at Heathfield. This depot has recently benefited from Green Industries SA's addition of a household chemical and paint collection point, giving residents even more options for safe and sustainable waste removal.
• A Climate Change Adaptation Plan for the Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island to help build a community that is more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
  
• Changes to our vehicle fleet by replacing high fuel usage cars with ’greener’ vehicles such as four cylinder cars and hybrid cars.
• Improved water management and conservation.
• Recycling and reuse of road and building materials.
• The reuse of treated wastewater to irrigate ovals.
• Trialling of steam weeding.
• Signing a Memorandum of Understanding in a trial of circular economy; prioritising the purchase of goods made from recycled materials in order to increase demand for this product stream. Read more about this here.

Council also supports the Global Climate Strike held in September, and works with specific groups in the district that influence sustainable living, such as our Sustainability Advisory Group and the community’s Transition Adelaide Hills.

SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY GROUP
The Sustainability Advisory Group consists of Council Members and community members who have specific expertise in one or more sustainability areas, such as climate change, energy efficiency, resource recovery, water management and building resilient communities. The group meets bi-monthly and helps facilitate Council’s sustainability initiatives and overall performance by discussing future directions and potential initiatives. For more information or to become a member, contact our Sustainability Officer on (08) 8408 0400.

TRANSITION ADELAIDE HILLS
Transition Adelaide Hills was formed in 2009 to help the region move towards a more resilient and sustainable future. It is an active group of local people focused on grassroots, community solutions to sustainability. For more information or to become a member visit their website or Facebook page.

OLD SCHOOL COMMUNITY GARDEN
The Old School Community Garden is a local community meeting place where fresh organic produce can be grown and harvested, community members can share their understanding on gardening and sustainable living, residents can engage in healthy outdoor play and quiet reflection.

The garden is located at 100 Old Mt Barker Road (Stirling), and is open:

• first Wednesday of each month, 9:30am to 12:00pm   
• second Sunday of each month, 9:00am to 12:00pm   
• fourth Saturday of each month, 2:00pm to 5:00pm   

Further information visit the Old School Community Garden Facebook page.