The Environmental Management Plan (EMP) is a comprehensive long-term strategic action plan - for Council and the community - in order to implement sustainable development.
The EMP aims to move beyond simply providing strategies for environmental management to real sustainable development. Goals have been developed for the traditional areas of built environment, biodiversity, water, heritage, waste, air, and noise, as well as in the areas of social and economic environments.
EMP - Part 1 - 1MB - Introduction, Community Consultation, Built Environment and Land, Biodiversity, Water, Heritage, Waste
EMP - Part 2 - 1.1MB - Air, Noise, Social Environment, Economic Environment, Moving Beyond Recycling - Actions for Individuals, Council Operations, Strategy Implementation, References, Glossary, Appendix 1 - Actions for Council
Purpose
The purpose of the EMP is to provide a ten year strategic plan for sustainable development. The plan aims to achieve:
- A more holistic, focused and co-ordinated approach to sustainable management of Willoughby;
- Goals, objectives, and actions to help Council and the community to move towards sustainability;
- Council staff training and community education on key sustainability issues;
- A system for monitoring and reviewing the project against the goals and objectives;
- Partnerships between Council and the community; and
- Long term sustainability for the City of Willoughby.
Action
The EMP lists over 900 specific actions to be implemented over the next ten years. The plan is for the whole community and includes strategies and actions for individuals and business. The funds for implementing the EMP come from the e.restore environmental levy and existing Council budget allocations.
Examples of actions taken include joining Cities for Climate Protection Program, incorporating sustainable development into the design of Willoughby's new Civic Centre and library, undertaking remediation work along Willoughby’s creeks and forming a Compliance Unit to ensuring building site compliance. Outcomes from the project will not be fully realised until the year 2010.
Development
The EMP was developed after a year of extensive community consultation. This included telephone surveys, questionnaires, workshops, displays and newsletters. The EMP was compiled using the results from the consultation process, gap analysis and review of Councils existing policies and a literature research.
Ecological Sustainable Development (ESD) is a key part of Council's vision, core value and strategic focus. However, in the past there has been no overall strategic plan for ensuring that ESD is integral to Council’s operations. While in some areas such as bushland and waste management Council made significant progress, other areas such as energy conservation were not considered. Since 1995, the State of the Environment Report has been highlighting areas that needed improvement, but there was no mechanism for ensuring that these areas would be incorporated into Council's work programs. The EMP rectifies this.
History
Another name for an Environmental Management Plan is a Local Agenda 21 Plan. Agenda 21 is a programme of action for sustainable development, which came out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, also know as the Earth Summit.
In 1997, the Local Government Act 1993 was changed, requiring Councils to incorporate ESD principles into all Council activities. This prompted Council to agree in 1998 to the need to develop an Environmental Management Plan. However, it wasn't until July 1999, that Council had the resources to employ a co-ordinator to develop the plan. The EMP was endorsed by Council in November 2000.