The City of Mount Gambier has made a strong commitment to embrace environmental sustainability.

Council plans to not only undertake measures to protect the local environment but also make a local contribution to the larger issues of global warming and climate change. Council also needs to respond to the increased level of environmental awareness and education and the greater expectations towards environmental sustainability within the community.

Within the City of Mount Gambier Strategic Plan 2007 - 2012 Council has identified five (5) strategies to meet its goal in relation to environmental sustainability which include:

Waste Management:	Reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.
Climate Change:	Respond locally to the effects of climate change, including energy use, green house gas emissions and carbon neutrality.
Water:	Conserve and reduce the quantity of water use and improve the quality of water entering our ground water and lakes system.
Heritage:	Ensure the preservation and enhancement of the City’s unique heritage, culture and built attributes of future generations.
Health:	Protect and where necessary enhance the natural and built environment to improve overall community health outcomes.

As a response to the importance of environmental sustainability, Council has established an Environmental Sustainability Working Party to assist Council to achieve its environmental sustainability goals and objectives which comprises Cr Eugene Coscarelli, Cr Jim Maher and Cr Des Mutton.

Council is currently in the progress of developing a framework/strategy based on the ‘Natural Step Framework’ to assist Council’s goal to achieve environmental sustainability. The Natural Step Framework can be used as a planning tool to enable Council to integrate environmental and social considerations into strategic decisions as well as daily operations.

Council has also recently initiated the following projects to help protect the environment which include the following:

• a recycling program for e-waste (such as computers/printers);
• fluorescent light globe recycling; and
• developing strategies for the sustainable management of the Valley Lake.

As part of its commitment to embracing environmental sustainability Council will be investigating further projects that will provide environmental benefits to the community.

Council has become very aware of its environment and that of the community and wishes to be a local leader in demonstrating environmental sustainability actions and environmental compliance. Council is not attempting to take one large step to sustainability overnight, but to adopt a model that encourages continual progress in the right direction.