5 minutes with The Sustainable Communities Plan

YFM gets the low down on the awesome sustainable communities initiative 'The Plan' in Chippendale driven by Michael Mobbs and Supported by Sydney City Council. Can you briefly tell us about the planThe Sustainable Communities Plan is a guide to making a city suburb more environmentally sustainable through a series of community-led projects.  Essentially, it’s part common-sense design, part council policy guide and firstly an approachable study of how a suburb impacts our planet.The City of Sydney commissioned local resident and sustainability expert Michael Mobbs to write a plan to make it easier for people to have sustainable houses, in sustainable streets, in a sustainable community.  There are also financial benefits along with the environmental and health outcomes.  It is estimated that The Plan could save local residents and businesses $3 million in food costs and utility bills in its first three years of operation.  Council stands to save tens of thousands of dollars in reduced lighting and garbage collection costs.Tell us about the food parts of the planIf you've walked or cycled through Chippendale over the last few years, you may have noticed that the streets and public spaces of Chippendale have changed.  There are more verge gardens and colourful compost bins sprouting up on footpaths and community gardening days are regular social activities for some residents each week.These projects began in 2008 when the Food for the Future Fair was held.  City of Sydney Council contributed to the event with 200 fruit plants to grow in Chippendale’s streets.  Over 6,000 people attended and over 100 residents planted outside their houses and units.A key feature is to help stimulate this is the 'ecoPOP', a pop-up urban garden featuring fruit trees, a herb garden and an integrated recycled water system that can be built or taken down in a day.Why did you develop the plan?For 15 years Michael has been sharing his experiences of sustainability projects.  He hopes that others can save time and money by taking the opportunities and avoiding the challenges that he has worked through so we can all go further, faster.Each day more pollution from suburbs like Chippendale is added to Earth’s air and waters.  Earth’s temperatures are rising faster and faster because of human pollution, most of which is concentrated in cities like Sydney.Chippendale’s pollution and the damage it does is substantial.  There is a threat of serious or irreversible environmental damage from the suburb’s food consumption, the accumulating pollution in Sydney Harbour from the suburb’s stormwater pollution and the import of water and energy from declining resources several hundred kilometres away.Residents aren’t directly responsible for all the car pollution in the major roads surrounding the suburb.  This lack of complete control which Chippendale and any community has over the pollution it suffers heightens the urgent need for the Council and community to reduce the pollution they do cause or can control.The plan provides for immediate affordable trial demonstration projects. While modest they are practical achievable beginnings.What's the next step for you and the plan?Despite the interest of the community, the City of Sydney Council has sat on the plan since receiving it over a year ago.  Council staff refused to give the plan to their Councillors to review or to publish for public comment.Michael resorted to sharing the plan himself by publishing it online with a petition asking council and Lord Mayor Clover Moore to fulfil their promise by putting the plan they commissioned on public display so that residents can voice their concerns or support.  The petition has over 1000 signatures and support from influential people such as John Connor, CEO of The Climate Institute, and author David Malouf.As a result of this support, City of Sydney councillors unanimously passed a resolution to publicly display the plan for comment and after that begin the first stage of implementation within three months.However, parts of the plan are already being trialled around the country! ecoPOPs are, well, popping up in Marrickville and Dandenong, Victoria and the Mayor of Fremantle in WA is keen to see some in his beautiful city too.Where can people find out more?Check out theplan.sustainablehouse.com.au!