2015-05-26 Planning & Organisation Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                  26 MAY 2015


The new regionalised Living Smart Program was significantly expanded, re-branded and
relaunched in late 2011 by the Sunshine Coast Council and now encompasses Living Smart
Homes, Living Smart Solutions and Living Smart Awards.

Program Objectives

Living Smart is a partnership program between the Sunshine Coast (SCC) and Moreton Bay
(MBC) Regional Councils to bring about practical improvements in sustainability for the
residential sector. The program’s mission statement is: “LIVING FOR A SUSTAINABLE
FUTURE”.

The program’s objectives are to assist the residential sector to;
 reduce their ecological footprint;
 save money on household costs;
 connect with their neighbours and local community; and
 improve wellbeing across all aspects of their lifestyle.

New Members to the Program

Since January 2014 nineteen new members have joined the program, some have left the
program and a number of members are inactive. The majority of the new members found out
about the Living Smart program through the NC website.

Living Smart Members

Living Smart Members        Noosa          Caboolture/        Sunshine Coast   TOTAL
                                           Moreton Bay
2008                        110            60                 0                170
2014 (July)                 398            371                1,281            2,050
2015                        397            369                1371             2,137


The Living Smart website has received 237 visits over the last 9 months from the Sunshine Coast
averaging 26 visits per month. It is not possible to identify how many visits originated from
Noosa. There has been no promotion of the program during this time.

Future Plans

The Sunshine Coast Council has made a commitment to continue with the program for the next
financial year. Their sustainability engagement focus is on the development of more targeted
events, campaigns, resources and educational opportunities. Their commitment to the program
may change over the 2016/17 financial year.

Moreton Bay Council is continuing with the Living Smart program. A budget is currently being
considered by Moreton Bay Council for the 2015/2016 financial year and this has been projected
for the next 10 years.

The Sunshine Coast Council and Moreton Bay Council have not resourced the role fully in the
past 12months. The Living Smart role was previously resourced by a fulltime position and
resources were spent on workshops and promotions but in the last 12 months this has occurred
with limited engagement.

If Noosa Council was to continue in the program the estimated cost for 2015-16 is $12,000. This
is made up of fees to the website provider and marketing and promotional material plus 30% of
the Sustainability Officer’s time valued at $25.7k (Please refer to the finance section).

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