By Staff Writer

The president of the NSW Local Government Association and mayor of North Sydney, Genia McCaffery, has joined the Climate Change Coalition team for the upcoming State Election.  The coalition brings together independent candidates aiming to address climate change’s impacts on daily life.

"We need an unequivocal commitment from our political leaders to take climate change seriously, as the key defining issue of our times," she says.
“We need to engage our communities and encourage them to action at a local level and we’ll only meet the challenge if we work together to change the way we live. 
“North Sydney Council has been a long time member of International Cities for Climate Change. We’ve progressed through all the milestones in the programme and are now, along with a number of councils, working on best practice models for our operations."

Cr McCaffery says North Sydney  has converted the bulk of its fleet to hybrid vehicles, established a car share programme for itsresidents (Go Get), and was the first council to introduce graded resident parking sticker charges based on the greenhouse rating of the vehicle. 

In partnership with the State Government, the council has implemented programs like the CBD Greenhouse Initiative, which works with CBD tenants and owners to help them improve their energy and water efficiency. The program has grown to also include the CBD’s of the City of Sydney and Parramatta.