City and Country Mayors join for a better future
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Leading the Way in Helping Beat Climate Change
Mayor of Blacktown City, Councillor Leo Kelly, OAM and Mayor of Liverpool Plains Shire Council, Councillor Ian Lobsey have celebrated the jointly run Regenesis Climate Recovery project, by signing a Memorandum of Understanding and planting a native tree to mark this historic occasion during the recent Blacktown City Festival celebrations on Saturday, May 31, 2008.
The Regenesis project, a first for Local Government in New South Wales, is a three-year innovative carbon-trading project jointly run by Blacktown City Council and its Sister City, Liverpool Plains Shire Council.
The project has been made possible thanks to a $2 million grant under the NSW Government's Environmental Trust Urban Sustainability Program. The project will see native trees planted to capture and 'sequester' or store carbon, thus reducing climate change and improving biodiversity, salinity and water quality outcomes.
"The partnership between Blacktown City, with its rapidly growing urban developments, and Liverpool Plains Shire Council in the rural upper Hunter area, will encourage better understanding across the urban-rural divide and allow for large tracts of public and privately owned land to be utilised for biodiversity plantings and carbon storage" Mayor of Blacktown City, Councillor Leo Kelly said.
"In Blacktown City, planting will mainly occur on Council and other publicly owned land that is suitable for the project", Mayor Kelly continued.
Mayor of Liverpool Plains, Councillor Ian Lobsey who joined Mayor Kelly in the tree planting said the project was a significant focused response to global warming.
"This is a wonderful development in our Sister City relationship with Blacktown City. Back in Liverpool Plains, we will be encouraging landholders to undertake planting on their land, which will give them an income from carbon trading through this initiative', Mayor Lobsey said.
Both Mayors agreed that this project was an exciting development for both Councils and was an outstanding example of the City and the Bush working together in a positive way to bring benefits to people living in both Council areas.
The Regenesis Project allows people to be involved while empowering the community to learn more about what they can do to reduce their impact on climate. It is a 'get involved' approach to bringing climate change solutions to people.
"This project will involve everyone from businesses, community groups to individuals in both Blacktown City and Liverpool Plains, who will be able to purchase carbon certificates in the future to actively offset their carbon emissions", Mayor Kelly said.
The Regenesis project has already made progress in Quirindi (Liverpool Plains) in late 2007, when students from Blacktown City's Mitchell High and Quirindi High planted the first trees for the project.
The Regenesis Climate Recovery Project complements Blacktown City Council's existing environmental sustainability initiatives, including its status as Australia's first 'Solar City' and its participation in the Cities for Climate Protection Program and will be linked with Blacktown City and Liverpool Plains' other environmental initiatives where appropriate.
For more information, please contact Blacktown City Council on 9839 6000.