Striving forward with our commitment to achieve Net Zero carbon emissions across Council's operations by 2025, we are replacing 737 decorative streetlights, with eco-friendly LED lights.
The new LED lights we're installing have several benefits, including reducing the emissions output that the old mercury vapour lights produced.
They will also bring improved safety with better lighting levels, less depreciation of light over time, produce less glare impacting neighbouring properties and reduce maintenance costs. Switching to LEDs will reduce electricity costs and create energy savings - a win-win outcome.
Mayor Jenna Davey-Burns said that Kingston takes our role as a leader in the climate action space really seriously. We are living in a climate emergency and Council is committed to taking every action possible to do our bit in driving change and reducing emissions.
"These new lights will be a significant step in Council's commitment to reducing our emissions to NetZero by 2025 – and citywide by 2030," Cr Davey-Burns said.
"We are passionate about implementing changes that have a real impact on our city's carbon emissions and we are also planning to convert our vehicle fleet from petrol to electric and transitioning our facilities away from gas. We know that we simply can't afford to keep doing things the way we have been. We must, with great haste, find genuine and lasting sustainability improvements."
Council has also committed to:
- Installing 1 megawatt of solar panels across our buildings.
- Switching to green power for all of our facilities.
- Integrating eco-friendly design principles into all of our new buildings.
- Including recycled materials when building new roads.
- Installing EV chargers for electric vehicles.
Mayor Davey Burns said embracing innovation is playing a key role, creating new opportunities, and once again demonstrating Kingston's' vision and leadership for local government climate action.
"In 2021-22, our asphalt purchasing decision saw us recycle 510,000 glass containers and more than 18,000 plastic containers, and recently we diverted more than 800 waste tyres from landfill to create a permeable (breathable/tree friendly) pavement, at Old Dandenong Road." Cr Davey-Burns said.
"We are also supporting our community to achieve Net Zero by 2030, through a range of programs, such as our food waste recycling program, and providing a soft plastics recycling service."
The LED light switchover is now underway in Waterways, Mordialloc and Kingston Heath and is expected to be completed by April 2024.
