Marys Mount Sustainability Project Case Study

Marys Mount Sustainability Project

Community

© Image by Community Sustainability Hub (CSH)

Overview

The Marys Mount Sustainability Pilot Project, led by Sustainable Goulburn Mulwaree in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia, is helping residents create a greener, healthier and more resilient neighbourhood. The project takes a whole-community approach to tackling challenges such as urban heat, flooding, rising energy costs and food security, while bringing together residents, businesses and local stakeholders around a shared vision for sustainability.

What began as a small local initiative grew into a broader community project, bringing together the Rotary Club, Goulburn Mulwaree Council and local stakeholders around a shared vision for Marys Mount.

More info: Project Overview For Building A More Sustainable and Livable Marys Mounth

Challenges

Marys Mount is facing a number of connected sustainability challenges, from increasing heat and flood risks to housing efficiency and community resilience. The project needed a way to bring these issues together within a single, joined-up plan.

Urban heat and limited green space in a high-density residential area.
Flood risk and landscape management, particularly around local waterways.
Poor housing thermal performance, leading to higher energy use and costs.
Food security and self-sufficiency, including opportunities for community food growing.
Coordinating multiple stakeholders and projects around a shared sustainability vision.

As the project expanded, coordinating partners and maintaining momentum became an ongoing challenge. The next phase aims to reconnect key stakeholders, link green spaces and waterways, and support local food growing initiatives.

""OnePlanet helps us connect the bigger picture. It brings together projects, people and ideas into a shared framework, making it easier to communicate our vision and work collaboratively towards a more sustainable community.""

Bob Philipson, Sustainable Goulburn Mulwaree

OnePlanet Solution

OnePlanet provided a central framework for bringing together the many different elements of the Marys Mount Sustainability Pilot Project. The platform enabled the team to map relationships between environmental, social and economic priorities, helping them see how individual actions contribute to wider community outcomes.

Using OnePlanet’s planning and visual mapping tools, the team developed interconnected sustainability plans covering areas such as urban greening, biodiversity, community wellbeing, food growing, housing resilience and local business engagement. This made it easier to organise information, align stakeholders around shared goals and communicate the project’s vision to residents, partners and businesses.

Take a quick look at some of the Share Outcomes that the project has adopted from the Our Sustainable Goulburn Mulwaree Ecosystem Plan.

Culture and community

Three Shared Outcomes have been adopted, including “First Nations cultural acknowledgment“, “encourage cultural awareness” and “celebrating and rewarding the community“, an important motivational element that inspires action within the community.

Travel and Transport & Zero Waste

Four Share Outcomes have been adopted, including “Encourage healthy lifestyles and improve access to natural areas” for Travel and Transport, and “Minimise waste and promote thoughtful planting and maintenance” for Zero Waste.

Health and Happiness

Two Shared Outcomes have been adopted, linking around ten outcomes. This symbolises the project’s multiple interconnections and co-benefits within this OnePlanet principle.

Equity and Local Economy

Three Shared Outcomes have been adopted, related with “Partnership with First Nations for Cultural/Eco tours”, “Local pride and economic benefit” and “Interest in the Local Economy and Community built”.

Sustainable Water & Zero Carbon Energy

Three Shared Outcomes have been adopted. One related to the collection and retention of water on land, as well as to carbon sequestration, supported by the presence of mycorrhizal fungi, which improve soil health and play an important role in storing carbon.

Explore the Marys Mount’s Published Action Plan here: Marys Mount Sustainable Homes and Gardens

Community benefits

The project has already delivered tangible environmental benefits, including the planting of more than 1,400 trees to help restore local ecosystems, improve biodiversity and reduce urban heat. More recently, the project has highlighted the importance of mycorrhizal fungi, which support healthy soils, carbon sequestration and long-term regeneration.

OnePlanet has helped the team organise complex information, improve collaboration and make it easier for residents, businesses and partners to understand where they can contribute. By creating a clear roadmap for action, the platform supports better decision-making and helps build long-term community resilience.

Several tree-planting initiatives have been carried out in the Marys Mount area. The following photos show the planting made in an area where a very large housing development started some years ago.

Explore the planting reports and more information here

Community Sustainability Hub Project Marys Mount Tree Planting.