How you can take climate action

Grow Towards Zero supports habitat restoration in Central Victoria, enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem resilience while meeting partners' carbon offset needs.

The North Central Catchment Management Authority, together with the City of Greater Bendigo and the shire councils of Macedon Ranges, Hepburn, and Mount Alexander, are seeking local landholders looking to enjoy the benefits of large-scale revegetation works on their properties.

Undertaking large-scale revegetation on private property can be costly. This program helps address this. It uses councils' carbon offset needs to cover costs for tubestock, seeds, and planting. We’ll also maintain them for two years.

Landholders will then be able to enjoy a multitude of benefits, including:

• attracting diverse wildlife
• improving the appearance of their property
• reducing soil erosion
• improving soil health
• enhancing water quality.

Expressions of interest are open

We are looking for:

• individual sites where the combined planting area is five hectares or more, or
• neighbours can work together to create corridors of native vegetation across their adjoining properties, provided the total area covers five hectares or more.

Round One is open until 31 March 2025.

Find out more

Are you a young person aged 12 - 25 who lives, works or attends school in the shire?

The Youth Climate Group are inviting interested young people to complete an expression of interest survey. Group members will meet throughout the school term to develop a project plan for their climate action initiative in 2025.

Find out more

Cool Changes is our program that works with local communities across the shire to facilitate the development of local climate action plans. The program enacts a council commitment in its Climate Change Action Plan, adopted in June 2017.

Cool Changes is based on the principle of community-led planning, whereby members of a local community determine the content of the action plan, and are therefore more likely to take ownership of the plan and ensure implementation of its actions. Our role as a facilitator is to provide a forum where the development of the plan can be guided by independent consultants working with the community. 

You can still be involved in the Cool Changes programs. Our current groups are:

• Macedon and Mt Macedon(PDF, 9MB)
• Kyneton(PDF, 9MB)
• Gisborne(PDF, 11MB)
• Riddells Creek(PDF, 9MB)
• Romsey and Lancefield(PDF, 2MB)
• Woodend(PDF, 5MB)
• Malmsbury(DOCX, 12MB)

Email Council's Sustainability Officer, Justin Walsh at juwalsh@mrsc.vic.gov.au to find out how you can be part of the community-led action.

Three Sustainable Home Kits are available to borrow for residents via the Woodend, Romsey and Gisborne libraries.

The kits include:

• Thermal camera – to identify draughts and heat/cooling-loss spots
• Power meter – to identify electricity usage of individual appliances
•  Energy saving thermometer – to build understanding of seasonal temperature comfort levels
•  The Energy Freedom Homes handbook – a practical guide to home energy efficiency and reduction.

These kits allow the community to conduct self-assessments of their homes and offer a practical pathway to increasing energy efficiency. Whilst saving residents money on energy bills, these kits also empower the community to implement household changes in a climate emergency.

Library members can reserve a kit via the library catalogue, or by visiting the Woodend, Romsey or Gisborne libraries. 

Around 40% of the world’s energy resources are used in our buildings – both residential and commercial.

Sustainable design is a key priority in the development of today’s built environment. It assists with protecting our environment, secures today's living standards and future-proofs our community against rising energy, water and waste disposal costs.

Using sustainable design principles will save energy, water and money while creating a healthy and comfortable building. Considering environmentally sustainable design principles in the early stage of your development gives you the greatest opportunity to make a sustainable difference and to save the most money.

View our environmentally sustainable design fact sheet(PDF, 8MB) outlining key sustainable building categories.

Sustainability Victoria

The Victorian Government's Sustainability Victoria has a range of information on current rebates, information about saving water and energy and reducing waste.

The sustainable design and energy efficiency section provides more specific information on a sustainable approach to building or renovating your home.

Your Home

An excellent resource for individuals seeking to improve their understanding of environmentally sustainable design concepts and practice - Your Home provides a wide range of advice and design guides for passive design and building.

Includes the Your Home Renovators Guide, Your Home Buyer’s Guide and Your Home Technical Manual. 

Tankulator

Use the free online Tankulator to help you calculate what size rainwater tank best suits your need.

Sunulator

The Sunulator is a free simulation tool that can help you plan for grid-connected solar power. Simulates generation, consumption and battery management data on a half-hourly basis over an entire year and subsequently calculates feasibility over a 30-year time frame.

Renew

The national, non for profit organisation Renew provides resources and advice to enable people to live sustainably in their homes and communities

Everyone in the community will continue to experience the direct and indirect impacts of climate change, regardless of their circumstances.

Elderly or isolated people may be more affected by extreme weather events and be concerned about the legacy they’re leaving to future generations; young people may be affected by an increase in natural disasters and the increase stresses on cost of living.

We can be a community that prioritises connections and cohesion in a climate emergency.

Bridging the Divide

The World Health Organisation has declared climate change to be the biggest threat to humanity and by bridging our intergenerational divides we are about to create a stronger, more resilient community in a changing climate.

Council asked residents, young and old, their perspectives on climate change. Questions spanned from why they love the nature we live amongst in the Macedon Ranges to who what they believe other generations should be doing to ensure a safe and flourishing future.

This project resulted in multiple resources for the community:

• Conversation cards(PDF, 3MB): designed to assist more conversations about climate change throughout the shire. Download and use around the kitchen table, classroom or camp fire
• Climate Change and Mental Health fact sheet(PDF, 2MB): Learn of the complexities of how climate change can impact our mental health
• Climate Change and Physical Health fact sheet(PDF, 1MB): Learn of the direct and indirect effects that climate change will have to our physical health.
• Short film: These intergenerational conversations show there more many similarities of the perspectives of young and older residents towards climate change. View the film shorts

Action on climate change can come in many forms, and ‘conversation’ offers a simple, inclusive and inspiring gateway.

Council would like to thank Central Victorian Primary Care Partnerships (now transitioned into Loddon Mallee Public Health Unit) for making this project possible. Our most sincere thanks to all community members that participated in the project.   

If you're a school or community group and would like to get a copies of the conversations cards or fact sheets, email the Environment team at environment@mrsc.vic.gov.au

Community Climate Action Grants

Council is excited to launch the new Community Climate Action Grants program in recognition of the significant contributions our community sustainability and environment groups.

The program aims to support groups to develop, implement and evaluate climate actions projects that work towards reducing community greenhouse gas emissions and/or work towards greater community resilience to adapt to climate change.

Australian Government initiatives

Energy.gov.au offers the ability to search for rebates, grants or support according to location or type of rebate.

Clean Energy Regulator is the Government body responsible for administering legislation that will reduce carbon emissions and increase the use of clean energy. It manages programs like The Small-Scale Renewable Energy Scheme which creates a financial incentive for households and small businesses to install eligible small-scale renewable energy systems such as solar panel systems, small-scale wind systems, small-scale hydro systems, solar water heaters and air source heat pumps. The rebate is determined by the number of Small-Scale Technology Certificates an installation attracts.

Victorian Government Initiatives

The state government has several programs that benefit households and businesses while contributing to targets for renewable energy generation and greenhouse emissions reduction. 

The Victorian Energy Upgrades program  provides access to discounted energy saving products and services, enabling householders and small businesses to save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The website has information about eligible products and services, and how accredited providers operate to ensure that works undertaken within the program contribute to state government targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions  

Solar Victoria has several programs to assist installation of solar systems or improve energy efficiency, including the Solar panel rebate, Solar battery loans and Hot water rebate.

Sustainability Victoria  delivers a range of programs to improve energy efficiency and reduce waste for households and businesses. For example, information about reducing emissions associated with operation of a business can be found at reducing emissions in business.

Regional programs

MASH (More Australian Solar Homes) was a non-for-profit community solar bulk-buy program that operated in central and northern Victoria from 2015-2022. The findings of a review conducted in 2023 will inform whether a similar or new program will be established in 2024.

More information about grants available to the community can be found at the recently established Macedon Ranges Grants Hub.

Earlier this year Council ran three home sustainability webinars alongside Renew, a leader in education and taking practical action on climate change. Renew's presenters have expert, independent knowledge, extensive experience presenting and a passion for empowering sustainable living within Australian homes. Recordings can be found below in case you missed out.

All-Electric Homes 

Recent research suggests that by 2024 a household in Melbourne will save more than $2,700 a year by going all-electric.

But ditching gas in favour of electric solutions isn’t only a way to save on your energy bills, it’s also better for the environment and your health. With so many options for electric heating, hot water, and cooking, how can you be sure where to start? And how much does it cost?

Electric Vehicles

With fuel prices rising steadily, it’s time for Australians to embrace electric vehicles. But finding independent advice can be tricky! This webinar will give you the information that you need to go electric.

Designing for Resilience 

As our climate becomes increasingly precarious, the need for us to build and renovate our homes for resilience becomes more pertinent than ever.

The problem is, so many of our homes are not well equipped to deal with the varying weather extremes that characterise modern life. Despite the Melbourne cold and heat, many older homes are uninsulated or lack other basic means of providing households a comfortable refuge from the outside climate.

Sustainability Victoria has created a series of practical guides for community groups on how to set up local circular economy initiatives. In each guide, you will learn how to approach the critical planning, implementation and evaluation phases.

Topics covered are:

• Repair hubs and cafes
• Bicycle repair and recyclers
• Food rescue and distribution
• Food waste organics/composting
• Hard waste recovery
• Textile waste
• Hard to recycle items

Keeping your home cool in summer often means using things like fans, air conditioners, or evaporative coolers. But there are also simple, natural ways to keep your home cooler, like adding shade to windows, improving ventilation, sealing gaps, using insulation, and planting trees or shrubs around your home.

Using these practical cooling techniques can make a big difference, helping you stay comfortable while cutting down on energy use and costs. Plus, it makes your home better prepared for those really hot days!

Bendigo Health has put together a list of no or low-cost options that you can take to reduce your energy use and keep cool in your home.

For more tips on keeping the summer heat out and how to operate your cooling system efficiently, visit Sustainability Victoria.

In partnership with Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group, Council successfully hosted the first Changemakers Macedon Ranges Festival over 15 – 23 March 2025.

The festival offered a diverse range of climate and sustainability events that aimed to provide practical opportunities for residents to “try the change”. The program offered over 30 events throughout the week, many led by dedicated community volunteers, and included activities such as:

• bicycle maintenance and repair
• sewing and mending
• nature journalling
• how to navigate conversations on climate
• traditional weaving with recycled materials
• sustainable house tours
• open edible gardens
• home electrification
• zero waste cooking classes

Programming also included community-led initiatives such as the Riddells Creek Enviro Energy Expo and a week of nature-based Storytime sessions at local libraries.

The inaugural festival proved to be very successful, with:

• Approximately 250 residents attending a registered event
• Over 400 people attending the Riddells Creek Enviro-Energy Expo
• Approximately 165 children and parents joining a 'Nature Storytime' session

Importantly, the program looked to build the confidence and capacity of the community to explore and enable sustainable household and community action. Feedback surveys outlined positive results in this aim, with:

• 86% rated the quality of facilitation as 4 or above (out of 5)
• 66% reported a high level of confidence to implement change at home or in the community
• 35% said there were no barriers to taking action and they were ready to the newly gained knowledge and skills
• 99% would recommend the experience to a friend
• 75% gained greater awareness of local community groups engaging in climate action projects. 

Changemakers Macedon Ranges delivered on multiple actions regarding community engagement in the Climate Emergency Plan, covering topics such as active transport, textile and food waste, home energy, sustainable food production, climate anxiety, collective climate action and nature connection. Importantly, the program of events supported a key principle of the Plan being  ‘Partnership and Collaboration’.