Adelaide City Council is off and racing to make Adelaide one of the world’s first carbon neutral cities and nothing short of an international leader in environmental change.

The City of Adelaide’s new Strategic Plan was launched earlier this year, anchored by the key themes of SMART, GREEN, LIVEABLE and CREATIVE – the perfect adjectives to describe a city on the rise.

With each theme flowing effortlessly from one to the next, the new Strategic Plan gives residents and business owners a clear insight into the direction and priorities the Adelaide City Council will be pursuing over the next four years.

Although these themes are created equal, it was noted by Council that the Green Theme resonates particularly strongly among those who participated in the public consultation period, which helped define the the themes. As such, Adelaide City Council has taken a bold approach to the Green Theme, setting ambitious but attainable targets for a city-wide reduction in carbon emissions, transferring all Council buildings to low carbon or renewable energy where possible, enhancing biodiversity in the Park Lands and creating funding programs that empower citizens to green the city in their own way. 

In the lead up to the COP21 UN Climate negotiations in Paris, the City of Adelaide became a signatory to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, and formalised its partnership with the Government of South Australia to make Adelaide one of the world’s first carbon neutral cities.

One of the key initiatives of the carbon neutral agenda is the Green City Grant Program.

The program was launched in July 2016 with the unveiling of six green pillars on the facade of the Colonel Light Centre, Adelaide City Council’s home on Pirie Street.

These pillars also serve as a demonstration of how the Green City Grant Program works, where funding is available to cover up to half the cost of a public greening project. Grants start at $500 for residents and $1,000 for business and building owners, up to a maximum grant of $10,000 in matched funding.

Whether it’s reducing carbon emissions by 35 per cent, or increasing green plantings in built-up areas of the city by 100,000 square metres by 2020, Adelaide’s green city status will be benchmarked every step of the way.

The City of Adelaide’s 2016-2020 Strategic Plan can be downloaded from their website along with the Green City Grant application form.