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Blue Mountains City Council

Represented by Robert Morrison, Program Leader Waste and Sustainability

Answer

How does your organisation address climate change?

Blue Mountains City Council's Community Vision is to create a more sustainable and successful Blue Mountains by 2035, environmentally, socially, and economically. The Guiding Principles of our Community Strategic Plan 2035 and Delivery Program 2017-2022 include:

  • Improving Decision Making: If we are to achieve a more sustainable Blue Mountains then our decision-making at every level needs to promote sustainability. Our Council has incorporated a “Sustainability Assessment” within every report being considered by the elected Council.
  • Strengthening our Assets: Our organisation recognises it is important that the actions we take strengthen rather than erode the natural systems/ capital as well as the human and built capital, supporting quality of all life. We have developed asset management plans not only for built assets but also for the green and natural assets managed by the Council.
  • A Partnership Approach: Taking action in partnership with others is critical to the achievement of a more sustainable and successful Blue Mountains. In 2020-2021 Council’s education and engagement programs engaged with over 3,000 students from 25 schools in the LGA and with many hundreds of community volunteers engaged in bush care, land care, and swamp care.
  • Social Justice: Social justice means the rights of all people are considered in a fair and equitable manner.
  • Sustainability: Taking action to improve the quality of all life, our council is supporting the achievement of a sustainable Blue Mountains, which is environmentally responsible, uses resources wisely, contributes to the creation of liveable, vibrant communities, and is fair and equitable to others – including future generations. In 2020-2021 the Council resolved to adopt the 'Rights of Nature' into Council governance and decision-making processes for the City.

Council is currently working in partnership with the community and a number of universities and organisations, to implement the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Initiative, including the establishment of a Planetary Health Leadership Centre in Katoomba, to deliver on the common goal of advancing knowledge about planetary health and promoting sustainable and healthy living for our whole community.

The Planetary Health Initiative is embedding policy and action to grow planetary health, including radical climate mitigation, into all aspects of Council’s operations and is committed to empowering the wider community to do the same. Council is also working with Traditional Owners to incorporate Caring for Country into its deep time visioning and action to restore planetary health.

Read more about Blue Mountains City Council’s climate commitments here.