“Exceptional”: Here’s how Monash Council became carbon neutral

Monash Council has achieved carbon neutral status, with councillors voting on Tuesday to spend $45,000 on carbon offset credits, which will get it over the line.

Five-year journey: Monash Council endorsed the pursuit of net zero in August 2020.

In 2018/19, it produced 20,503 tonnes of carbon emissions. It used this figure as its baseline, and has since managed to lower the emissions to net zero. 

It was originally thought it may take until 2030 - or even 2040 - to reach the target, however it has been achieved by using renewable electricity, employing sustainable design in projects, decreasing gas use, using recycled materials and transitioning its fleet to electric vehicles.

Purchasing carbon offset credits was also part of the plan, as some emission sources were unavoidable, with more work needed to move away from natural gas usage.

What are carbon credits? A project can earn a carbon offset credit – one for every tonne of carbon dioxide its activities reduce – when it stores, reduces or avoids greenhouse gas emissions, such as planting trees or not removing vegetation.

These credits can then be sold to other organisations, such as councils, to allow them to “offset” their own emissions.

Final push: On Tuesday, councillors passed a motion to allocate $45,000 to buy the 8,678 carbon offsets required to get it to net zero.

Deputy mayor Brian Little said the offsets were “relatively cheap”, at about five to six dollars per tonne of carbon dioxide.

Councillor Josh Fergeus opposed, arguing $45,000 could be “better spent” on local renewable projects.

Councillor Stuart James described the result as “exceptional”, but said more work to reduce the council’s emissions would be needed.

Councillors also voted in favour of allocating $30,000 towards investigating future carbon reduction investments.