MELBOURNE, A SUSTAINABLE CITY

Melbourne is known for its coffee, laneway culture and street art, but its environmental initiatives have earned it a reputation as one of the most sustainable, not just in Australia, but throughout the world. The below details some of our city’s environmental, economic and social sustainability initiatives, programs and steps towards ensuring Melbourne can be enjoyed for generations to come.  

A CITY COMMITTED TO THE ENVIRONMENT 
City of Melbourne is taking strides towards climate change with initiatives to make sure our city stays green, safe and accessible for everyone. In 2020, the City of Melbourne consulted with climate change experts and the community to develop a Climate Change Mitigation Strategy to 2050 which aligns to the Paris Climate Agreement. The City has also adopted a new Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy 2030 that sets targets and identifies actions the city will take to reduce waste, increase resource recovery and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from waste. 
 

TAKING ACTION ON SINGLE-USE PLASTICS 
The Victorian Government is banning problematic single-use plastics including single-use straws, cutler, plates and expanded polystyrene food and drink containers across Victoria by February 2023. This ban aims to reduce plastic pollution that harms our health, wildlife and the environment.  
 

LEADING THE NATION ON CLIMATE CHANGE 
Victoria is committed to net-zero emissions by 2050. With Victoria’s Climate Change Strategy setting ambitious but achievable emissions reductions targets and the largest ever investment by any Australian state government in the transition to renewable energy, Victoria maintains its position as a climate leader in Australia and confirms our position among leading jurisdictions around the world.
 

GETTING AROUND MELBOURNE 
Using the Uber app, delegates can hire electric bikes on demand for a fun, affordable and sustainable option of getting around Melbourne. Melbourne’s extensive tram network, offering free travel in the city centre, is 100% offset by renewable energy thanks to two Victorian solar farms.  
 

TRAVEL FOR GOOD  
Melbourne and Victoria are good-natured, in more ways than you might imagine. Get to know Melbourne and Victoria's good nature, as you discover sustainable and eco-friendly travel options around the state. Learn about Victoria's rich and complex Aboriginal history at galleries, museums and cultural centres. Book onto naturally good experiences, which give back to the environment through conservation efforts and awareness. Stay in eco-friendly and off-grid accommodation — from tiny houses and eco-lodges, to cosy cottages on working farms. Explore Melbourne's green laneways and take a ride on the city's iconic trams, powered by a large-scale solar plant in regional Victoria. Take your tastebuds on an eco-tour of the state's renowned food scene. Settle into social enterprise cafes and restaurants, which pair good deeds with great dishes. Drop into farm gates along regional food trails and order modern meals that showcase native Australian ingredients. Find out more here. https://www.visitvictoria.com/features/sustainable-victoria  
 

DELIVERING SOCIAL BENEFITS 
Gender equality is a human right and precondition for social justice. Australia actively participated in international discussions to design the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, which set out clear goals for achieving gender equality. Safe and strong: Victorian Gender Equality Strategy details our state’s commitment towards important social outcomes. We encourage all event planners to evaluate whether their events in Melbourne promote equal opportunity and a commitment to gender balanced speaker line-ups, committees, and attendance.  

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WHAT'S ON

Melbourne Skyfarm
Melbourne Skyfarm is a collaboration between three Melbourne-based sustainability companies to transform a 2000-square metre rooftop car park into an urban farm and environmental oasis in the heart of the city. Located in Melbourne's emerging Seafarer's precinct, Melbourne Skyfarm directly overlooks the Yarra River and Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre. When complete, visitors will be able to tour the working farm, visit the orchard, sample honey from our rooftop hives, dine at the sustainable café, have a drink on the deck, hire unique event spaces, attend classes at the environmental education centre or enjoy the children's playground.

Melbourne Renewal Energy Project
The City of Melbourne created the first Melbourne Renewable Energy Project in 2017. It was the first time in Australia that a group of local governments, cultural institutions, universities and corporations collectively purchased renewable energy from a newly built windfarm. The windfarm now suppliers energy to power town halls, bank branches, universities and streetlights across Melbourne as well as enables organisations such as Melbourne Convention Exhbition Centre to offset emissions.