Find out what you can do to reduce your emissions and be more energy efficient, how to connect with your local grower community, plus learn about our partnerships that help save power and lower emissions.
How you can make a difference
The challenges of climate change can feel hugely out of our control, but there are small changes we can all make to our daily rituals to help reduce emissions.
Be as energy efficient as possible
If you’re worried about rising energy prices, you’re not alone. Increasing costs of coal and gas are passed on to your household.
Our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions per person are some of the highest in the developed world. By using less energy, you’re doing more than just reducing your energy bill. You’re reducing Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions and helping the environment.
We’re participating in the South Australian government’s Energy Partners Program to help households save energy.
For tips on how to save energy in the home and help the environment visit energy and environment. or do a home energy audit.
Transport
The way we travel impacts the energy we use and the greenhouse gas emissions we produce. Leave the car at home and walk, cycle or catch public transport when you can to reduce your environmental impact.
The type of car you own and the way you drive also impacts the environment. Did you know that inflating your tyres to the correct pressure will reduce your car’s greenhouse gas emissions?
For more transport tips, visit the Green Vehicle Guide or find an EV charging station.
Grow It Local
Grow It Local is your local grow community celebrating backyard, balcony, community and window-sill farmers across the country.
Sign up to Grow It Local and be the first to know about Grow It Local events in our city. You’ll also get access to:
- Videos on growing from seed, permaculture, learning to pickle, edible natives and more
- Live online workshops;
- An online marketplace supporting local growers and producers.
Visit our Cumberland Park Community Centre Grow It Local page.
Our partnerships
Resilient South – Climate Ready Southern Adelaide
Resilient South is an initiative of the Cities of Mitcham, Onkaparinga, Holdfast Bay and Marion. It aims to strengthen the southern Adelaide region so that our communities, businesses and environments can bounce back from the challenges of climate change.
Climate Council’s Cities Power Partnership
We’ve taken the pledge to tackle climate change as part of the Cities Power Partnership. We’re proud to join the hundreds of councils, towns and cities across Australia that are cutting greenhouse gas emissions, switching to clean energy and building resilient communities.
Climate Emergency Australia
We're a member of Climate Emergency Australia supporting Councils to work together to advocate for climate action to other levels of government and enhance members' abilities to undertake climate action.
Water Sensitive SA
Water Sensitive SA is a capacity building program that provides government, industry and the community with the support they need to deliver greener, more liveable communities sustained by water-sensitive urban design.
Better Futures Australia
In 2021, we signed the Better Futures declaration to commit support for climate action to meet the Paris Agreement goals.
Better Futures aims to connect climate champions in our society with:
- Businesses and investors
- State, territory and local governments;
- Academic and cultural institutions;
- Farmers;
- Healthcare and social institutions;
- Communities;
- First Nations peoples.
Energy Partners Program
We’re taking part in the state government’s Energy Partners Program (EPP), helping households save energy. The EPP works with around 100 organisations across the state to help our community manage their energy use and costs. The EPP tailor their help to our organisation’s needs, helping us to help you. The EPP supports our city by:
- Providing energy expertise and advice: assistance with developing energy-related resources and projects for clients, regular energy updates, and a quarterly EPP newsletter
- Connecting to other services to help households with energy costs;
- Supplying content for partner newsletters;
- Offering energy training and education;
- Connecting partner organisations to existing programs, funding and organisations with common goals.
Snapshot
In 2020, we partnered with a number of local councils to champion Snapshot’s community emission profiles of all our state’s local government authorities. Community groups, residents and businesses can now monitor our community emission profile to hopefully see the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions we need to address the climate change crisis over time.
Climate Change Governance Risk Assessment
In 2020, we completed a governance assessment in partnership with Resilient South and Alexandrina, Victor Harbor and Kangaroo Island councils. The project set a national council benchmark, looked at how well we incorporated climate change governance into our processes and frameworks, and was used to guide a three-year climate adaptation pathways document.
SA LGA: Council Ready Emergency Management Project
In partnership with 68 Councils and SA LGA, this initiative was implemented to review current performance, form a policy and an incident management framework by mid 2020.
SA Water: Cooling the Community
We partnered with SA Water to create an interactive map to help residents find the best spots around our city to keep cool. It provides live temperature readings at each location. We water these places regularly to reduce temperatures and make sure the space is green, healthy and ready to use.
Urban Heat Mapping Viewer
The Urban Heat Mapping Viewer allows you to explore high-resolution surface temperature data, tree canopy information and vegetation greenness over Adelaide.
Heat mapping helps us identify hot-spots and understand vegetation so we can make decisions about tree planting, urban planning and the health and wellbeing of our community (particularly vulnerable areas).
This mapping viewer is the result of three separate mapping projects, commissioned by the four metropolitan Local Government climate change adaptation groups Adapt West, Resilient East, Adapting Northern Adelaide and Resilient South in collaboration with the State Government.
You can discover how hot your local area is by visiting our heating mapping tool.
Community solar and battery scheme
We partnered with ShineHub after a rigorous tender process to connect our residents and businesses with an experienced renewable energy provider. Our partnership with ShineHub provides bulk buying discounts on solar panel, battery, and virtual power plant solutions to help try and cut your power bills up to 90%.
Our community renewable program promotes and facilitates solar power installation to reduce community emissions and the cost of living for our ratepayers. By partnering with ShineHub, we can cut your power bills by up to 90% with bulk buying discounts on solar panel, battery, and virtual power plant solutions.
Solar panels generate renewable energy for your home with daylight and the battery helps power your home after sunset. About 43% of our community already have installed solar panels, so ShineHub can retrofit a battery if your system is compatible. This means you can be a part of ShineHub's Virtual Power Plant program and save energy.