PJ aims to be low carbon green city

PETALING JAYA: Petaling Jaya is heading towards a sustainable and low carbon economy city and to achieve this Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) is collaborating with Carbon Trust UK, one of the leading non-profit group in reducing carbon emission.
MBPJ mayor Datin Paduka Alinah Ahmad said they are privileged to work with the group as it would enable the council to be the nation's pioneer local authority in introducing this sustainability initiative.
"In fact, since the year 2000, MBPJ has been working closely with various stakeholders from diverse background and sectors on programmes to develop PJ as a leading, dynamic and sustainable city," she said, adding in 2010 they endorsed the low carbon city framework as the guiding principle for transforming the city into a low carbon green city.
"This prompted many other local authorities to looked up to MBPJ as their role model," she said at the launch of the low carbon cities management plan at a hotel here today.
Alinah said the focus by others on the City Council has mooted them to implement the low carbon and sustainability initiatives which they hoped to succeed over a period of time.
Carbon Trust head of Public Sector Tim Pryce said that in the first year, the company will assist MBPJ to set up a carbon management strategy across the organisation in which the goal is for the city council to achieve sustained carbon and cost savings from their own estate and operation.
"We will do it by getting active involvement of senior governance personnel besides helping MBPJ understand their carbon footprint and how they should engaged in reducing it, to determine their carbon baseline, future projections and low carbon target, to identify, quantify and prioritised carbon reduction projects and lastly to secure funding through financial business case," he said.
In the second year, he said, they will help MBPJ to lead and catalyse action in wider Petaling Jaya through talking to universities and local residents about ways to reduce carbon emission.
Asked how MBPJ is planning to encourage public especially PJ residents in practising low carbon emission, MBPJ officer Lee Lih Shyan said that the city council is currently offering 20% rebate on assessment rate for house owners who own electric cars.
"Apart from the rebate, all electric car owners are also entitled for one year free parking around PJ area provided that they applied for the incentive with city council as this incentive required them to display the car sticker when they parked at any of the street parking bay," Lee said.