The adoption of the Carbon Neutral Policy in 2016 committed Mornington Peninsula Shire to operate with zero net emissions by 2021 and become certified as carbon neutral under the Climate Active Carbon Neutral Standard (formerly known as the National Carbon Offset Standard).
In October 2021 we received Carbon Neutral certification under the standard.
The Carbon Neutral Policy sets out how the Shire manages greenhouse gas emissions. The policy ensures the Shire will:
- Develop a greenhouse gas emissions inventory each year
- Avoid creating unnecessary emissions
- Determine and implement the best value actions to reduce emissions, before and after achieving Climate Active certification
- Offset residual emissions.
This complements the range of policies, strategies and plans currently in place that address climate change and the built environment, including the Climate Emergency Plan.
Climate Active Certification
Mornington Peninsula Shire has met the requirements of the Climate Active Carbon Neutral Standard for Organisations and is now certified as a carbon neutral business.
How did we achieve this?
We achieved carbon neutrality by:
- Calculating our emissions annually
- Implementing an emissions reduction strategy to avoid and reduce our emissions
- Offsetting residual emissions by funding projects that reduce emissions locally, nationally and internationally.
Since introducing the Policy, our total annual emissions have been reduced by approximately 16,679 tonnes CO2-e and we are committed to continue to reduce our emissions as a priority before offsetting.