Think of Sydney and you’ll probably conjure up images of the Sydney Opera House or the Sydney Harbour bridge, but now the city is making waves for a whole other reason – by being powered entirely by renewable energy. Everything from street lights to sports fields to building depots to the historic Sydney Town Hall in the City of Sydney now uses 100% renewable electricity, all sources from three local wind and solar farms. How amazing?!
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Sydney's central district is packed with businesses, shops and residents
The historic change is set to save half a million dollars and 200,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions, making it the most substantial green energy agreement by any council across Australia. The city of Sydney, referring to the inner metropolitan borough and home to 250,000 people, has been making environmentally-friendly changes for years – it has been carbon neutral since 2007 (certified in 2011), making it the first government district in Australia to do so. Their next target is to reduce emissions y 70% by 2030 – which they're on track to do six years earlier thanks to their new renewable energy deal.
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"Cities are responsible for 70% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, so it is critical that we take effective and evidence-based climate actions," said Sydney Mayor Clover Moore on Twitter. The city of Sydney joins other destinations including Reykjavík, Iceland, Vermont, USA and Inje, South Korea, to run on 100%, or almost fully, renewable energy.
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