Growing Carbon

Current

Growing Carbon is a three-year pilot project exploring the potential for local revegetation projects to generate carbon offsets that also provide environmental and social benefits. This project started in 2020 and will be completed in 2023.

Growing Carbon is working with local landholders to deliver up to 50 hectares of revegetation that will be registered as a carbon sequestration project with the Australian Government’s Emissions Reduction Fund. This will generate carbon credits that will support water corporations to meet their emissions reduction targets. The project will also be designed to deliver co-benefits that support water corporations’ commitments to a sustainable future for customers as well as supporting priorities set out in the Regional Catchment Strategy.

This project was originally led by the Port Phillip & Westernport Catchment Management Authority (PPWCMA). In January 2022 the PPWCMA was integrated into Melbourne Water, which is now the delivery agency.

Why this project is important  

Victoria’s water industry acknowledges that providing clean drinking water and disposing of sewage results in significant greenhouse gas emissions. The Growing Carbon project aims to support Victoria’s water industry to take actions on climate change and achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible. Achieving net zero emissions requires a variety of actions including:  

A plant in the Growing Carbon project
  • increasing energy efficiency to directly reduce emissions, by minimising the amount of energy used in water supply and sewage treatment  

  • increasing the use of renewable energy to reduce indirect grid emissions 

  • using ‘carbon offsets’ such as planting trees to store carbon to offset any remaining emissions.  

These actions will provide other benefits including: 

  • improved water quality through reduced sediment and nutrient input into waterways  

  • improved biodiversity through the creation of new habitat corridors including supporting habitat for threatened species  

  • local employment opportunities 

  • supporting Traditional Owners to implement revegetation projects  

  • improved amenity of public spaces   

  • improved community health and wellbeing through the creation of new green spaces.

Complete
 

2020-21

  • First year of the project  

  • Project working group formed and Project Management Plan and Terms of Reference developed

  • Initial expressions of interest sought from local landholders

Started
 

2021-22

  • Governance arrangements confirmed and in place 

  • Landholder will be selected for the pilot, with sites covering a total of 50 hectares

Not Started
 

2022-23

  • Site preparations and plantings to commence

Project partners  

  • Yarra Valley Water  

  • Greater Western Water 

Funding acknowledgement  

This project is funded through a partnership between Melbourne Water, Yarra Valley Water and Greater Western Water.

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