Sustainability
One Million Trees Bundaberg Region
Launched in 2022, the Bundaberg Regional Council One Million Trees initiative set out with an ambitious goal of planting one million trees.
Since then, the project has been recognised as an award-winning program and has seen collaboration with the broader community to help us achieve this ambitious target.
Learn more about the initiative on our project page.
Learn more about Council's Economic Development team.
Bundaberg Region is an ECO Certified Destination
The Bundaberg Region has become the second destination in Queensland and the fifth in Australia to announce ECO Destination Certification from Ecotourism Australia.
Bundaberg Regional Council in partnership with Bundaberg Tourism and key local, state and national stakeholders have been working towards this certification since 2019. During this process Council worked with stakeholders to understand current regional management strategies, policies, processes and actions and built a framework to continually improve sustainable management practices for the Bundaberg region. An independent auditor travelled to the region to ensure over 90 criteria were compliant against global best practice sustainable management standards.
Check out our sustainability hub here.
The Bundaberg Region has a number of tourism operators already certified and many more going through the application process. For more information, head to the Bundaberg Tourism website.
Read more about the region's ECO Destination Certification here.
Learn more about Council's Economic Development team.
Towards Net Zero Bundaberg Region
Towards Net Zero Bundaberg Fact Sheet Towards Net Zero Bundaberg Region
In recent years there has been a global shift towards carbon reduction with an ever-increasing focus on sustainability in the way people live, work and do business.
As more than one-third of the world’s largest companies set net-zero targets alongside global, national and state commitments, Bundaberg Regional Council is committed to supporting residents, business and industry through these changes to keep pace with global change.
According to Deloitte Access Economics (A new choice: Australia’s climate for growth, 2020), failure to address climate change is predicted to cost the Australian economy more than $3.4 trillion by 2070.
Local action is an important factor in insulating residents and businesses from this threat.
Proactive action now will help to deliver economic and social benefits as part of a long-term transition toward a cleaner and environmentally conscious future.
Towards Net Zero Bundaberg is the pathway to which these targets will be achieved.
The move to a zero-carbon future will, in part, be driven by Government legislation, stakeholders and supply chain requirements from outside the region and be influenced by Environmental, Social and Governance values and a need for climate adaptation.
Working towards a region-wide net zero future will require a whole-of-region approach and Council recognises it must lead in reducing its own emissions while encouraging the region’s businesses and residents to rally toward a common goal of net zero emissions.
For this, Council will act as a facilitator, bringing together industry and residents to identify, monitor and pursue the most impactful initiatives that deliver significant environmental, economic, and social outcomes for the region.
Council’s main role in Towards Net Zero Bundaberg will be advocacy, with a prudent approach to investment in a greener future for the region.
With Government funding programs and industry supply chain requirements focussing more and more on sustainability, taking no action could cost the region, and its industries, far more in the long run.
To stay up-to-date with Towards Net Zero Bundaberg, subscribe on the project page.
Learn more about Council's Economic Development team.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Net Zero?
According to the United Nations, “net zero means cutting greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible, with any remaining emissions re-absorbed from the atmosphere”.
The transition to net zero is a significant global challenge.
Towards Net Zero Bundaberg is the road map to our region playing its part in achieving net zero. It focusses on five themes that will help move the Bundaberg Region to a more sustainable and resilient future:
- Circular economy
- Social responsibility
- Energy
- Transport
- Built environment
Why do we need to move to a Net Zero region?
The cost of inaction is greater than the cost of taking action.
As more than one-third of the world’s largest companies set net-zero targets alongside global, national and state commitments, Bundaberg Regional Council is committed to supporting residents, business and industry through these changes to keep pace with global change.
According to Deloitte Access Economics (A new choice: Australia’s climate for growth, 2020), failure to address climate change is predicted to cost the Australian economy more than $3.4 trillion by 2070.
Local action is an important factor in insulating residents and businesses from this threat. Proactive action now will help to deliver economic and social benefits as part of a long-term transition toward a cleaner and environmentally conscious future.
How will Towards Net Zero Bundaberg be achieved?
Data shows that 65 per cent of emission reductions required for the region to reach net zero could come from renewable energy investment proposed by the private sector and this transition into the energy grid.
Enabling this renewable energy uptake into the grid will require advocacy by Council to ensure our region’s utility providers are ready and transitioning the grid to support the creation and distribution of more renewable energy within the region.
The remaining 35 per cent of potential emission reductions required to move towards a net zero Bundaberg may require upfront investment by Council, local businesses, households, and individuals.
However, the largest opportunity within this remaining 35 per cent will come from the transition to low carbon emission vehicles, such as electric vehicles (EVs).
What is the cost to Council?
Council’s main role in Towards Net Zero Bundaberg is advocacy.
All infrastructure investment in carbon reduction projects will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
As with all Council decisions, value for money and community, and environmental impacts would be taken into consideration.
A recent example of this is the proposal to introduce a Food Organic and Garden Organic collection service which, over the next 10 years alone, would save millions of dollars in increasing State Government Waste Levy fees.
Council believes doing so will divert thousands of tonnes of waste from landfill each year – significantly reducing its carbon emissions. Before progressing, Council is developing a detailed business case with the view to introduce a trial.
There could also be significant cost to Council of taking no action, including ineligibility for government funding programs and missing out on opportunities like the 2032 Olympics.
What is the cost to the community?
Participation in the Towards Net Zero Bundaberg Region initiatives are voluntary, however a whole-of-region approach is encouraged to achieve it.
Everyone can make a difference in Towards Net Zero Bundaberg, and it can be as simple as taking part in the One Million Trees project and applying to plant free trees. <link to application>
Only a portion of reaching a net zero future will rest with residential homes. Examples of participation might include decisions like installing solar power – of which Bundaberg Region homeowners are already world leaders – or choosing to purchase Electric Vehicles (EVs).
Why can’t we do nothing?
Put simply, if the region isn’t prepared for a net zero future, a number of harmful and avoidable costs will impact the region.
Some of the costs of inaction include costs from changing legislation, from a corporate shift to net zero, from a reliance on fossil fuels for energy production and their rising costs, and potential opportunity costs of lost regional funding, investment, and jobs.
How can I find out more or take part in Towards Net Zero Bundaberg?
Council will be facilitating opportunities for residents, business and industry interested in learning more or taking part in Towards Net Zero Bundaberg.
To stay up-to-date and receive notifications about upcoming opportunities and sessions, subscribe on the project page.