Our commitment to sustainability

Wollongong City Council is firmly committed to making Wollongong a sustainable city, within the national and international context of sustainable development.

We take seriously our role in educating the community on the ideals and practices of sustainability, leading by example in implementing projects that support sustainability in our city, and ensuring local government has a strong voice in the sustainability debate.

Sustainability has been defined as “meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Brundtland Commission 1987). In very simple terms, we can work towards sustainability by:

• thinking carefully about the effects of our actions on the planet and people before we do anything.
• not using more of anything than we really need or avoiding using some things at all.
• creating less waste by reusing and recycling things.
• protecting all life where possible.
• helping to meet all people’s basic physical needs of food, water, shelter and clothing.
• helping to meet all people’s social needs by treating people with respect and involving them in the community.

We have many programs and activities to help address environment issues in the city of Wollongong, and to encourage community participation. Many of these are managed through our Environment Fund, a commitment of one million dollars per year (2003-08) to help repair the damage of the past and improve current and future practices to achieve a sustainable environment.

We also strongly encourage residents and visitors to do whatever they can to help protect and preserve Wollongong’s beautiful natural environment. That can be as simple as binning cigarette butts and picking up litter after a picnic.