More than $4.8 million will be invested in transforming NSW’s built environments towards net zero emissions in its action on climate change.
The funding is part of the NSW Government’s Net Zero Buildings initiative – a framework that will initially be rolled-out to commercial buildings including offices, hotels, shopping centres and warehouses – with a view to expand to residential buildings in the future.
The framework will also be available nationally, developed in partnership with other governments and industry groups, and be delivered as part of the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) program.
Energy and Environment Minister Matt Kean said the decarbonising of built environments is a big challenge, but it also creates big opportunities.
“Decarbonising our homes and offices means both building them with low emissions construction materials and powering them with renewables,” Mr Kean said.
“That’s why we are developing a world-leading framework to measure and certify embodied carbon for new buildings.”
“This is about taking sustainability up a notch, and pulling a powerful lever to reduce emissions in the built environment and reduce emissions from the buildings we live, work and play in.”
More than one million plant specimens kept for research by leading scientists will be housed at a recently opened herbarium facility at the Australian Botanic Garden in Mount Annan.
Residents facing the difficult task of cleaning up after extraordinary flooding across the state will be able to take flood-generated waste to the tip for free.
