A street in Yarra is set to be paved with recycled tyres, with a new technology that reduces waste, encourages tree growth, and prevents pollution.

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Yarra Council has partnered with City West Water to upgrade our existing stormwater harvesting scheme at Edinburgh Gardens in Fitzroy North. The exciting works were recently completed to install a new 1 million litre water tank, increasing the amount of rainwater we can collect on-site to 24 million litres. The existing raingarden and pipes have also been upgraded to make it more efficient and draw more water into the storage system. Yarra Mayor Cr Gabrielle de Vietri said that keeping our parks and gardens green helps create a sustainable, healthy and more liveable Yarra. “These improvements will not only keep Edinburgh Gardens green and lush all year long, they will improve water quality and help us reach our ambitious water reduction targets,” Cr de Vietri said. The system works by diverting and filtering stormwater from surrounding roads and surfaces from Melbourne Water’s Fitzroy Main Drain. The water travels to the raingardens, where both plants and a filtering and ultraviolet light disinfection system treat the water. It then makes its way to the underground storage system for use at the gardens where needed. “By using rainwater collected on site, we’ll also save an extra 20 million litres of drinking water each year – fantastic for both our community and precious environment,” Cr de Vietri said. The $1.78 million project was funded by Yarra Council and City West Water.

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Water quality monitoring in Merri Creek connects the community with their local waterway.

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Yarra City Council launches a new safety campaign targeting younger users with 3 key safety behaviours.

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Yarra Council is developing the next Climate Emergency Plan which will underpin our response to the climate crisis in the years to come and ramp up our ambition.

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Over the coming months, Yarra City Council will explore ‘5 Big Ways to Take Climate Action’ – a project supporting locals to take climate action and push for urgent change in the ways we live, work and play.

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Yarra City Council’s innovative My Smart Garden program has won the Community Champion award at this year’s Premier’s Sustainability Awards in the Thriving Environment category.

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Yarra is introducing a new food and garden organics (FOGO) service in 2024.

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On Thursday 4 April, the Victorian Government announced a further extension of the Victorian Government’s e-scooter trial. 

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Business energy saver programs can help reduce running costs and greenhouse gas emissions for your business.

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Find out how you can purchase low-cost renewable energy for your business and cut emissions.

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Learn some easy steps you can take to keep avoidable food waste out of landfill.

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Learn more about zero carbon townhouses in Ford Street, Clifton Hill.

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Learn more about the all-electric, carbon neutral building in Rokeby St, Collingwood.

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Learn more about a zero carbon apartment building in Johnston Street, Fitzroy.

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Learn more about the zero carbon commercial building in Cubitt Street, Cremorne.

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The Yarra Waste Revolution has now been going for 6 months and Yarra Council is considering rolling out these changes to waste and recycling to the rest of Yarra.

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We want to make some changes to your waste and recycling service to help us reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and so we can all recycle better. The roll out of these changes has been delayed due to COVID-19. But we hope to bring them to you in the 2020/21 financial year.

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Urban agriculture – the process of growing, producing and recycling food in an urban environment – is thriving in Yarra. From community gardens and farmers markets, to composting hubs and the 170+ laneway gardens and planter boxes dotting our streets, the appetite to sustainably grow our own fruit and veg has never been stronger. Fitzroy North’s Rushall Garden continues to cultivate urban agriculture into the new decade with its new cookbook Plotting. Plotting is a collection of recipes from Rushall’s gardeners, based on old favourites and some inspired by their experiences at the garden. Volunteer and author Lynda Achren says the garden’s commitment to sustainability is reflected through the book’s focus on eating seasonally, making the most of harvests, preserving excess and gardening organically. “The seeds of the idea for this book were sown a few years ago after one of our monthly working bees, when we were sitting around sipping a well-earned coffee and swapping ideas on what to do with the abundance of zucchinis we were harvesting.” “This became a regular feature of our Sunday gatherings each month, as we talked about a different vegetable or two, depending on what was in season,” said Lynda. Rushall Garden was founded by a passionate group of locals in 1997, with the first seedlings planted and harvested at its Thomas Kidney Reserve site in 2004. It fosters a strong sense of community, holding monthly working bees and morning teas that Lynda proudly organises. Lynda said she has learnt a lot about gardening, cooking and sustainability while creating Plotting. She loves hearing others’ stories and being inspired to try new ideas on her own plot. “I hope you get as much out of the collection as I did putting it together,” said Lynda. For more information on Rushall Garden and to buy your own copy of Plotting, visit Rushall Garden. To learn more about how you can get started in urban agriculture visit Growing Food in Yarra.

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Yarra Council is calling on the State and Federal governments to cut emissions and improve environmental outcomes as part of post-coronavirus (COVID-19) recovery efforts.

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