2008 Green Globe Award winners
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Government Awards
Energy
Sydney Water - Renewable Energy Generation
Sydney Water has been generating renewable energy since 1999, when it established its first biogas co-generation plant at Malabar Sewage Treatment Plant.
Now, the organisation – one of the state’s biggest energy users – is the first NSW government agency to commit to becoming carbon neutral by 2020. Its ambitious plan will ultimately eliminate or offset over 400,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year – equivalent to taking 100,000 cars off the road.
The first milestone on this path will be to cut emissions by 60 per cent by 2012. Their program will include eight new projects to generate energy at sewage treatment plants across the Sydney region.
The $41 million program will generate 80,000 megawatt hours of electricity a year, using biogas cogeneration, where methane gas is captured and turned into energy at wastewater treatment plants
Sydney Water will also be generating renewable energy from hydro-electricity generated in pipelines, including a hydroelectric generator which will capture energy from wastewater flowing down a dropshaft into the deepwater ocean outfall at North Head Sewage Treatment Plant.
By 2009, Sydney Water’s renewable energy portfolio will account for about 20 per cent of Sydney Water’s energy use.
Water
Sydney Water - The Every Drop Counts Business Program
Each day, businesses throughout NSW are saving enough water to supply more than 51,000 homes thanks to Sydney Water’s Every Drop Counts Business Program.
Now, Sydney Water has produced Best Practice Guidelines for Water Conservation, drawing on their vast experience working with more than 450 commercial sites.
Commended by the judges for its consistent performance at the top of its field, the Every Drop Counts Program continues to engage new participants and build on its success to help businesses understand their water use and implement savings measures.
Through resources such as the new Best Practice Guidelines, the program promotes the economic benefits of adopting water conservation practices to businesses in the commercial property sector, helps more businesses deliver water savings and demonstrate the benefits of doing so to their shareholders, customers and government.
Environmental Sustainability
North Sydney Council
For more than a decade, North Sydney Council has introduced, implemented and promoted environmental sustainability within the community.
The Council has taken the lead on environmental management, focussing first on its own operations. This has included:
- investing over $4.4 million on energy and water savings projects,
- introducing hybrid vehicles into their fleet, including Australia‘s first diesel-electric hybrid truck,
- purchasing 25% GreenPower in their electricity contracts, and
- maintaining a 4 and a half star ABGR (Australian Building Greenhouse Rating) rating for their head office, making theirs the only local government building in the Top Ten Green Buildings in Sydney.
The Council has also actively encouraged local residents and businesses to investigate opportunities to reduce their environmental impact and effect change. Initiatives such as the 3CBDs Greenhouse Initiative, Earth Hour, the Home Energy Retrofit Program and the Fridge Buyback Program have been supported by the council in an effort to improve the sustainability of the area.
Through more than 30 separate initiatives, North Sydney Council has successfully integrated environmental management into its business planning and operations.
Business Awards
Industry: Energy
Investa Property Group
Investa Property Group has long recognised the importance of environmental sustainability and integrated environmental strategies into their business operations.
As a result, Investa has become a world-leader in energy management across its property portfolio, achieving impressive reductions in energy use by improving efficiency.
Investa has sought to lead the property industry and its program has:
- reduced electricity use by 7.1% in the 12 months to March 2007, a 20% reduction since 2004;
- reduced gas consumption by 5.4% in the 12 months to March 2007, a 41% reduction since 2004; and
- reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 9,209 tonnes in the 12 months to March 2007, with GreenPower™ purchases accounting for further savings of almost 12,000 tonnes.
Investa has leveraged these achievements and results to a new level by integrating environmental strategies into their property portfolio.
In February 2007, Investa released the Green Lease Guide, in collaboration with the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change, the Cities of Melbourne and Sydney, and the Institute for Sustainable Futures at UTS.
The Guide is part of a concerted effort to engage with tenants to link a variety of energy efficiency initiatives with better conditions for building occupants and better investment returns for the Group. In turn, this demonstrates the business case for deeper and enduring emission reductions.
Industry: Water
Mirvac - Ashgrove Water Efficient Housing
The Mirvac Group, last year’s winners of the Premier’s Sustainability Excellence Green Globe Award, has broken new ground in the sustainability features of its Ashgrove Estate, an 11.4 hectare brownfield site in Sydney’s western suburbs.
The site lies within an existing urban area in Auburn, surrounded by industrial development on three sides and existing 1960s residential development on the fourth.
The masterplan integrates a number of water sensitive urban design features, including onsite stormwater harvesting, detention and treatment. The water is reused for flushing residents’ toilets and public and private irrigation. This system has reduced potable water consumption by 10 million litres a year, or 45% of everyday use.
The outstanding design of Ashgrove Estate is the use of two hectares of public parkland as a ‘rainwater tank’ for the entire estate, with an underground, centralised water storage and treatment facility. By removing the need for individual rainwater tanks, Mirvac has improved the aesthetic value of each property and increased the land available for development within the Estate. As the tank is built below ground in public parkland, it can be easily accessed for future maintenance without impacting on individual home owners.
This innovative design demonstrates Mirvac’s strategic approach to implementing and communicating water efficiency throughout their portfolio.
Industry: Environmental sustainability
Joint winner: Peats Ridge Festival
Peats Ridge is Australia’s leading sustainable arts and music festival, which takes place annually over four days in Glenworth Valley, on the NSW Central Coast.
Peats Ridge Festival is the first major event in Australia to run entirely on bio-diesel and renewable energy resources. It was the first festival in NSW to use composting toilets and, at the 2008 festival, all toilets will be composting.
Peats Ridge Festival features many sustainable initiatives, including grey water management, container return systems, organic waste composting, reclaimed materials for festival decoration, organic food, compostable food packaging, onsite bike couriers, chemical free cleaning products and sustainable transport options.
A major element of the Peats Ridge experience is discovering how to live more sustainably and sharing this knowledge. Festival patrons experience sustainability-in-action through the Festival’s production initiatives and by participating in environmentally based programming and activities.
Peats Ridge Festival offers a model of best practice for other event organisers to follow. Through its ‘Model Event’ initiative, event organisers can freely access information about the Festival’s sustainability initiatives, benefiting from their experience. Peats Ridge Festival believes that sharing knowledge is critical to driving change.
Joint winner: Instyle Contract Textiles
Instyle Contract Textiles in Alexandria employs 47 people and is a small business with a big company approach to sustainability. INSTYLE specialises in the design, marketing and distribution of commercial interior furnishing and textiles.
Since 2002 INSTYLE has made substantial efforts to integrate sustainable practices throughout all aspects of the company – from management, product design, warehouse operations and transport - and at the same time inspire others to do the same. The company really does walk the talk.
Considering that 70 – 80% of Australian companies are small to medium enterprises that do not have the same level of resources as the bigger companies, INSTYLE is a great example that small companies can make a difference.
Commercial: Portfolio
Stockland
Stockland is the largest diversified property group in Australia with activity in the Retail, Commercial and Industrial divisions.
In 2007, Stockland cemented its position as a leading property owner, manager and developer when it comes to corporate sustainability. Stockland’s inclusion in the 2007/08 Dow Jones Sustainability Index provides external endorsement of the company’s progress on this important front.
Across the three divisions, significant savings in energy and water use and waste going to landfill has been driven by a clear strategic approach to environmental sustainability.
Stockland's program spans its retail, commercial and industrial portfolio and includes tracking water and energy use, training staff, producing fit-out guides for retailers and identifying and fixing leaks immediately.
The company’s strategic approach is paying real dividends, with energy savings of 8% and water savings of 31.6% in the commercial and industrial division, and forecast energy savings of 10% and water savings of 11% in the retail sector.
Commercial: Tenant
Optus
When Optus moved into its new headquarters at Macquarie Park in 2007, it became the largest tenanted corporate campus in Australia and the company was keen to influence the environmental impact of its operations.
Optus has made the Stockland-owned building, 1 Lyonpark Road, Macquarie Park, a model of environmental sustainability.
The new tenancy has been fully occupied since October 2007 and includes major initiatives which will improve environmental outcomes by:
- Reducing energy consumption through improved building design and fit-out;
- Cutting water use by integrating rainwater re-use within the building and using efficient fittings;
- Diverting waste from landfill through targeted and promoted recycling programs; and
- Educating and encouraging staff to use more sustainable transport options through better information and one off travel incentives.
The lessons learnt at 1 Lyonpark Road have been adopted at other Optus tenancies throughout Australia. Optus has also made a commitment t from November 2007 to offset 50% of carbon emissions from all Optus corporate tenancies nationwide.
Small Business Sustainability
Instyle Contract Textiles
Instyle Contract Textiles won the inaugural small business environmental sustainability Green Globe Award for its long-term commitment to environmental best practice that has seen sustainability principles integrated into all aspects of its operations.
Its strong performance over five years impressed the judging panel who has commended the company’s whole of lifestyle approach and the involvement of all its 47 staff in delivering best-practice environmental performance in product design, packaging, warehouse operations and transport.
Its public sustainability reporting was also commended for being on par with much bigger companies and as well as Instyle’s work within the textile industry to influence market practices across the textile sector.
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Individual Awards
Energy Champion
Petrea Bradford, Origin Energy
Petrea Bradford is a respected and recognised leader in the Australian carbon market.
Petrea joined Origin Energy as an Environmental Engineer in 1998 and now manages one of Australia’s largest carbon trading portfolios and a team of 12 professionals working across strategy, policy, trading, accreditation and product development.
Petrea is dedicated to building the business case for early action on climate change. In the seven years Australia has been trading carbon, Petrea has led many innovative business solutions towards mitigating climate change including:
- developing off-take agreements for wind and geothermal projects,
- Origin’s NSW Residential Energy Efficiency Program and
- Australia’s first industry led carbon reduction scheme.
Beyond the scope of her role, Petrea has played an integral part in driving Origin’s sustainability agenda and influencing Origin’s environment strategy, particularly the need for a broad carbon management strategy.
Water Champion
Michael Beckwith – Stockland
Michael Beckwith’s role as Stockland’s National Operations Manager Retail involves managing the day-to-day operation of 40 shopping centres throughout Australia, 17 of these in NSW.
He has implemented a strategic approach to water management throughout the retail division which includes water management training, accessing and analysing data and investing in water saving technologies.
During 2007, Michael’s efforts are expected to directly deliver water savings of 11% across the retail portfolio.
Michael has most recently been instrumental in the implementation of an extensive water conservation project at the Stockland Shopping Centre in Wetherill Park which has reduced water use by 20%.
Due to the success of Michael's project, a number of the water conservation features at Wetherill Park have been included in Stockland's Retail Design and Fitout Guide as mandatory for new tenancies throughout the Stockland retail portfolio.
Environmental Sustainability Champion
Roger Walker- Singtel Optus
Roger Walker is the National Facilities Manager for Corporate Services at Optus and is living proof that the actions of one person can really make a difference.
In his role he is responsible for providing a safe, comfortable and sustainable environment for more than 10,000 Optus and Optus subsidiary company staff.
Roger's portfolio comprises over 150,000m2 of commercial office space in every Australian state and territory, and includes Optus' new headquarters, Optus Centre Sydney, at Macquarie Park, North Ryde.
With one simple idea – removing the waste paper bins from staff workstations – Roger has helped Optus reduce waste to landfill by 92 % - the equivalent of about 480 tonnes of waste being diverted from landfill every year. Not only has the move reduced waste to landfill, it has also saved 6500 bin liners a day.
Roger’s unique and enthusiastic approach to sustainability across the portfolio has also saved carbon emissions, energy and water and brought significant financial savings for the company.
Roger also works with the Sydney University Warren Centre Low Energy High Rise project, the Australian Grrenhouse Office and present business projects to and conducts site tours for government agencies and Optus clients, sharing his sustainability experience and enabling his expertise to reach a wider group, and benefit a wider community.
Excellence Awards
Climate Change Leadership
Investa Property Group
The Climate Change Leadership Award is awarded to an organisation which has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to a measurable and strategic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
The Investa Property Group, winners of the 2008 Industry Energy Green Globe Award, has demonstrated best practice in climate change mitigation across its entire portfolio and helped raise awareness of the issue to a wider audience.
Premier’s Sustainability Excellence
Instyle Contract Textiles
The Sustainability Excellence Award is presented to the best overall nominee in the 2008 Sustainability Green Globe Awards for an initiative demonstrating exceptional delivery of sustainable environmental practices throughout NSW.
The 2008 Premier’s Sustainability Excellence Green Globe Award has been won by Instyle Contract Textiles, a small business which has also won this year’s inaugural Small Business Environmental Sustainability Green Globe Award and is a joint winner of the Industry Environmental Sustainability Green Globe Award.
The company’s proactive, whole of business approach to sustainability is commended and provides a great example for other business – both large and small - to follow.
Bronze sponsors
