Effective local climate action
Lighter Footprints is a local climate group committed to leading effective climate action.
As a community based organisation working across Melbourne’s inner-east, we aim to influence local, state and national decision makers to urgently halt global warming and take the steps necessary to realise a clean energy future.
Making the switch
Electric appliances are cleaner, safer and will save you money. Visit our information page with links to buyers guides, reviews and an interactive pdf.
Victorian gas information
Gas is a fossil fuel that impacts our health and climate. Victoria has announced that new homes will not need mandatory gas connections from next year, but there is no clear timetable to transition to cleaner, safer electric homes. Find out more here.
Vote Climate
Worried about a sustainable future? Want to move faster on clean energy and help shift our politics?
Find out more about our campaign to help increase the climate vote here.
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Coming Events
Boroondara’s disappearing trees: What can we do about it?
Trees enhance our environment. They are important for mitigating climate change and protecting our health. They help cool our streets and houses and draw down carbon dioxide and other pollutants from the atmosphere. They also provide essential habitat for native birds and animals, many of which are already under threat.
However, recent research by Professor Joe Hurley from RMIT shows that Boroondara is fast losing its once leafy green tree canopy. Trees are often a casualty during redevelopment, whether for higher density dwellings or just a pool or patio in the backyard. They are also subject to heat stress. Come and hear from the experts about the challenges in protecting our precious trees and the opportunities to reverse this concerning trend.
Saving Forests, Ditching Gas
Protecting our Mountain Ash forests, precious biodiversity and water catchments are seen as a very important issues in the upcoming Victorian State election. Moving away from fossil gas is also another key election issue. Gas use in our households harms are health - gas cooking is responsible for 12% of childhood asthma, but gas in our homes also impact our respiratory, cardiac and nervous systems.
Not only is our Mountain Ash the most carbon dense forest type in the world, protection could be worth $70m annually and 750 local jobs in ecotourism, for instance through the creation of a Great Forest National Park. With the release of the Victorian Gas Substitution Roadmap, Victoria has signalled a shift away from gas. Soon there will be no more mandatory gas connections. However there is no clear timetable for moving away from our leaky gas distribution network towards cheaper, safer and cleaner electric homes. Victoria is now supporting the resumptional conventional on shore drilling, including very close to the Twelve Apostles.