Current Awards| 2009 Winners & Finalists |
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2009 Category Award Winners and Finalists2009 Education Award Click on the award category title to link to relevant list of finalists
WINNERThe Green Steps Program
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Uniting to Change the Tide - Kangaroo Island Dolphin Watch
Kangaroo Island Dolphin Watch (in partnership with the Whale & Dolphin Conservation Society of Australasia), SA
Kangaroo Island Dolphin Watch is a simple, equitable, inclusive School / Community educational programme providing multiple entry points for learners of all ages and abilities. It sees elders and youth working together equally using unobtrusive methodologies monitoring wild dolphin populations, with the aims of conservation and protection. School students are reengaged in education through collecting data which is valued by Scientists globally, while rediscovering the delights of the natural world, developing a greater awareness and caring ethic for the environments which surround them.
Water AwardPresented for |
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WINNER
A Voice for Water
South East Queensland Healthy Waterways Partnership, QLD
The South East Queensland Healthy Waterways Partnership (the Partnership) is a whole-of-government, whole-of-community collaboration of over 113 organisations which focuses on understanding, planning and managing the use of the waterways and catchments of South East Queensland.
‘In the field of waterway and catchment ecosystem health, there is no other organisation in Australia to match the scale, complexity, durability, collaborative approach and success of the science-driven South East Queensland Healthy Waterways Partnership,’ commented Prof. Paul Greenfield, Vice Chancellor of The University of Queensland and Chair of the Partnership’s Scientific Expert Panel.
Boorowa River Recovery
Greening Australia Capital Region (in partnership with Lachlan Catchment Management Authority), ACT
Converting seed funding of $50,000 into a 1.9 million flagship project, encompassing a range of on ground works to improve water quality and biodiversity in a framework of sustainable land management.
Boorowa River Recovery (BRR) is a large scale sub-catchment riparian restoration partnership between the Lachlan Catchment Management Authority and Greening Australia Capital Region supported by Boorowa Landcare, Alcoa, TransGrid and the community.
Today, BRR boasts 630 ha of riparian restoration along 80 kms of river, the involvement of more than 60 landmanagers, 4 Corporate partners, 6 community groups, local schools and 2 Councils.
Reef Check Australia
Reef Check Australia, QLD
Reef Check Australia’s community coral reef monitoring project on the Great Barrier Reef provides a high level of scientific research training to enable community volunteers to monitor the health of this precious underwater resource. Once qualified, the volunteer surveyors participate in scuba monitoring, collecting high quality data on coral reef health. As a long term monitoring commitment, the project provides a much-needed baseline data set from 2001 onwards. These data are made freely available to the public, fisheries, marine park managers and tourism operators.
Reef Check Australia is raising awareness of the crisis facing coral reefs and encouraging community engagement in environmental issues. Maintaining key partnerships with research institutes and resource managers, their data can be used widely throughout the region to plan for a sustainable future for the reef.
Water Conservation Programs
Yarra Valley Water, VIC
At Yarra Valley Water (YVW) we recognise that both the well-being of our community and the strength of our business depend on the health of the environment, hence sustainability is fundamental to our success. A key business driver is to provide water and sewerage services in an environmentally sustainable way- within the carrying capacity of nature. Central to our program success was recognising that awareness alone would not achieve savings. Taking the solutions to the customer has proven critical in achieving high participation rates.
We have developed a comprehensive water conservation program that engages our wide ranging community of residents, businesses and stakeholders in the conservation and protection of Melbourne’s precious water resources.
Land and Biodiversity AwardPresented for |
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WINNER
ACT Land Keepers
Greening Australia Capital Region, ACT
ACT Land Keepers is a partnership project between the ACT Natural Resource Management Council and Greening Australia Capital Region funded by the ACT and Australian Governments targeting the conservation of rural and non-urban land.
The ACT Land Keepers project has engaged 3,950 active volunteers, 56 rural land managers and ACT Government in the protection, enhancement and reestablishment of native vegetation and controlling weeds on 1,715 hectares across 181 sites throughout the ACT. The project also established a community seed bank and 18 Seed Production Areas which underpins revegetation activities and ensures future supplies of larger quantities and diversity of local seed.
ACT Land Keepers is proving to be an effective partnership between community, government and science. The project represents a model example of land managers, scientists, community volunteers and NGOs working together to achieve results at a landscape scale.
Environmental Warriors Enlist Entire Community
Friends of Piesse Brook Inc., WA
Piesse Brook runs through the Darling Range hills to the east of Perth. The brook is part of the Helena River Water catchment area. By 1999 the brook was slowly being choked by weeds such as Arundo grass (or false bamboo) and blackberry with the banks of the brook a monoculture of Watsonia bulbiferum, with other weeds such as Pampas Grass and Cotton bush a major problem too.
In 2007 the group turned its focus upstream and engaged the assistance of private landowners to work on their own properties to eradicate weed thus preventing weed seed washdown into the National Park. In 2009 the total area of work is now 8 kilometres or 260 hectares that the group maintains and extends every year. Plus we have 29 local residents on board clearing their gardens, small holdings and farms of weeds and are recognized in the community as a model for other groups
Fighting Phytopthora Dieback – the Biological Bulldozer
The Dieback Working Group, WA
The Dieback Working Group (DWG) is a community based program initiated in 1996 to tackle the devastating effects of Phytophthora Dieback, a root-rotting disease caused by a microscopic introduced water mould called Phytophthora cinnamomi. This is a devastating plant pathogen that threatens more than 40% of the 5700 plants species in southwestern Australia where global biodiversity values are under threat.
By bringing together community, industry and Government, the DWG work collaboratively to raise awareness, educate and to initiate treatment and management plans. These strong partnerships have resulted in award-winning initiatives, on-ground treatment to many hundreds of hectares (injection of trees and spraying of areas), development of codes of conduct and guidelines, mapping, training (including workshops, school incursions and excursions) and management planning. Community treatment days in metropolitan parks and reserves attract 50-80 volunteers of all ages. Since the DWG’s inception the group has successfully engaged school students and the majority of local government authorities and catchment groups in the south west of WA.
GreenGrid
TransGrid (in partnership with Greening Australia), ACT
GreenGrid, a project partnership between TransGrid and Greening Australia, has made tangible improvements to land, biodiversity, river health and sustainable production in the Murray Darling Basin over a period of 12 years.
GreenGrid has engaged more than 335 landholders and over a thousand community volunteers who collectively have erected 375 kms of fencing, planted 224,000 tubestock (200ha) and direct seeded 1726 kms (600ha) of treeline. In the course of 100 community events 160,000 tubestock have been propagated and 20,000 planted, with the balance distributed to rural communities - overall, a significant contribution to community and environment developed over many years.
The multiple benefits to land and biodiversity have been considerable. So, too, the carbon offsets: it is estimated that from 2003 to 2007, GreenGrid has sequestered some 16,000 tonnes of carbon.
Weed Management on Tasmania’s South and West Coast
Sea Spurge Remote Area Teams, TAS
Sea spurge and marram grass devastating coastal ecosystems across Southern Australia including Tasmania’s World Heritage listed south and west coasts. Enter SPRATS (Sea Spurge Remote Area Teams), a volunteer group with a ten year plan to remove these weeds from the coastline between Cape Sorell and Cockle Creek. In the past three summers we have surveyed this coastline with 350 of its 600 km being mapped as susceptible to invasion. To date we have treated 315 km (91%) of susceptible areas. Our remote area weeding techniques are highly practical and effective, with the potential to remove >99% of weeds following two or three treatments. By the end of the 2012/13 field season SPRATS is aiming to have controlled all infestations of these weeds, and be concentrating on surveillance and follow-up of minor infestations. SPRATS has also formed close linkages with the Parks and Wildlife Service as well as other groups doing similar work.
WINNER
Kimberley Toad Busters' Cane Toad Education Campaign
Kimberley Toad Busters, WA
Over 2,000 volunteer Kimberley Toad Busters have toadbusted 500,000 field hours catching, recording and humanely disposing of 359,483 cane toads, and millions of eggs, tadpoles and metamorphs. Since September 2005, we have been chasing down front line cane toads every week of the year. Toadbusting is the fun part of serious research, the engagement trigger and ‘glue’ that draws us out there. Almost without noticing, the fun part delivers our objectives:
• thin out and slow toads
• educate
• understand ecological communities in which we toadbust, the cane toad and ourselves.
Our hunting instinct is safely harnessed as we toadbust in the public interest in a challenging and dangerous environment, bonding together against a common enemy. We even learn how to tell toads from frogs! Reconciliation through aboriginal and non-aboriginal people toadbusting together just happens. Toadbusting is simply the best trigger for successful community engagement in protecting our environment.
Biodiversity Assessment Study – Lake Condah Restoration Project
Budj Bim Rangers Program & Arthur Rylah Institute, Lake Condah Sustainable Development Project, VIC
The Biodiversity Assessment Study – Lake Condah Restoration Project has provided the baseline data of eels and other fish species in the lead up for the restoration of permanent water to Lake Condah. Lake Condah is at the heart of Gunditjmara country and the Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape. Gunditjmara people developed Australia’s oldest and largest aquaculture system for the farming of eels.
The restoration of Lake Condah will greatly enhance the unique biodiversity of the Budj Bim landscape and reactive the ancient stone aquaculture system that covers nearly 100 square kilometers. The restoration of Lake Condah is an integral objective of the Lake Condah Sustainable Development Project. The implementation of the study has created a partnership between the Gunditjmara community, through the Budj Bim Rangers Program, and the Arthur Rylah Institute of Environmental Research.
The Arthur Rylah Institute of Environmental Research also recognized the Aboriginal ecological knowledge of the Budj Bim Rangers through the acknowledgement of the Rangers as co-authors of the study.
Wilpinjong Coal Partnership with Native Title Claimants
Peabody Pacific, NSW
The Wilpinjong mining operation is located 60km by road north east of Mudgee in central west NSW. An archaeological survey of the proposed mine site and an invitation to Native Title claimants was undertaken prior to approval of the mine or any subsequent works being carried out. This resulted in the cataloguing of 250 aboriginal sites and the formulation of a Native Title agreement with the North East Wiradjuri people. The Native Title agreement goes beyond compliance through the establishment of a Trust to assist with overseeing the management of funds provided by Wilpinjong Coal to the North East Wiradjuri people.
The Trust will operate for the life of the mining operation and will involve mine management and the North East Wiradjuri people working together to deliver tangible outcomes for future generations. This, combined with other features of the Native Title agreement, means that there is an ongoing congenial relationship between the mine and the North East Wiradjuri people where real friendships have been forged.
WINNER
Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre
Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, VIC
Officially opened in June this year, the new Melbourne Convention Centre sets a new global standard with its innovative environmental design features. The venue is the only convention centre in the world to achieve a ‘6 star green star’ environmental rating, awarded by the Green Building Council of Australia.
Not only does the venue feature displacement ventilation meaning visitors and delegates literally breathe easier, the first privately funded black water treatment plant in a public building in Australia; and 8,500 square metres of sustainable harvested timber veneer board, but it also features high end architecture with an 18 metre glass façade fronting the Yarra River. The venue is unequalled in its flexibility and is structurally stunning, creating an entire new playground for the events industry.
The centre was built adjacent to the Exhibition Centre creating Australia’s largest convention and exhibition district.
Faculty of Economics and Commerce Building
University of Melbourne (in partnership with Donald Cant Watts Corke), VIC
The University of Melbourne’s new Economics and Commerce Faculty building and 198 Berkeley Street Carlton is a 25,000 sq.m, 16 storey building that forms the southern gateway to the University campus. It houses a range of collaborative and individual teaching spaces, open access laboratories, theatres, student break-out areas and academic accommodation for the Economics and Commerce Faculty.
The building is the first in Victoria and by far the largest in Australia to be awarded a 5 Star Greenstar Education Pilot rating by the Green Building Council of Australia. The sustainable design of the building is a whole of building response to the University’s commitment to minimising the environmental impacts of it’s operations and embedding environmentally sustainable design into it’s research, teaching and learning practices. The building sets a new benchmark for environmentally sustainable design in both the education and public sectors.
Stockland Head Office
Stockland, NSW
Stockland created its new Head Office in Sydney in 2007 and is a leading example of how to recycle an existing A-grade 1980’s office building to achieve environmental excellence.
Stockland have pioneered new solutions to enable an integrated design outcome and redefine what can be achieved in an existing building. The project vision was to create a space that would unify Stockland as well as provide a unique opportunity to
showcase Stockland’s office redevelopment capability and deliver a smart and engaging work environment for employees.
This project was awarded a 6 star Green Star Office Interiors v 1.1 from the Green Building Council of Australia. This was the first Australian 6 star Interiors rating and also the largest sized tenancy to receive an Interiors award.
Surry Hills Community Centre
City of Sydney (in partnership with Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp), NSW
The new Surry Hills Library and Community Centre endeavours to set new standards for integrated sustainable design in public buildings. The facility integrates innovative environmental systems and sustainable design philosophies into a flexible state-of-the-art community hub that includes a two-level library, community centre, meeting spaces, and child-care centre.
The building is unique in that it combines beauty and functionalism and hasn’t had to “highlight” the environmental initiatives because they are intrinsic and multifunctional within the envelop, being a reflection of the next level of maturity in environmentally responsible design. The new facility will assist the City of Sydney in communicating their ESD goals to the wider community. The City of Sydney has invested in a sponsorship of the GBCA to support the development of their Public Building rating tool using the Centre as a case study.
Community consultation at a very early stage identified a number of opportunities’ that would become cornerstones of the project, producing a solution that is inherently functional, integrated and elegant, creating a new landmark for Surry Hills.
The Road to Sustainability
Thiess John Holland, VIC
Thiess John Holland’s work on the 45km EastLink motorway has driven a new standard in sustainable major project construction. The $2.5b project, Australia’s largest road infrastructure development, features two 1.6km tunnels, 17 major interchanges, 35km of pathway and 88 bridges, traversing a number of sensitive ecosystems and cultural sites.
Thiess John Holland has defined the path ahead for sustainable road construction through numerous innovations including:
• Relocating endangered wetlands
• Establishing new methodologies for remediation of contaminated sites
• Sensitive pathway construction in preserving unique environments
• New approaches to air monitoring and vegetation health assessment
• Implemented water re-use and recycling strategies to achieve a 75% avoidance of potable water use.
Thiess John Holland delivered EastLink on budget and five-months ahead of schedule while setting new standards of environmental performance, proving that environmental sustainability and major infrastructure can be a winning combination.
The judges commended the three finalists for their commitment and enthusiasm and encourage them to continue with their efforts.
A Better Workplace for You – A Better Future for our Children
Envirolite, NSW
e1 Lighting is an Australian developed and patented lighting system which is set to revolutionise how we approach the upgrade to existing buildings and the expected efficiency and quality in new buildings. Delivering significant positive environmental and workplace improvement outcomes, Envirolite (the developers and owners of e1 lighting) provide an upgrade service to existing buildings recycling all components of the old lighting system removed.
e1 Lighting provides an efficiency that improves by 30% on world’s best practice for new buildings and delivers that efficiency in existing buildings without disturbance to the occupant during installation. Using considerably less material e1 Lighting reduces the natural resources required in the life cycle of a lighting system which also enables the delivery of a cost effective solution. Reductions in energy use from 60 to 80%, improvement to the working environment, reduced use of natural resources, Australian Innovation.
Intec, Making Light of Heavy Metals
Intec Ltd, NSW
A publicly-listed Australian company, Intec Ltd has ‘cracked the nut’ of an industry problem that has waited decades for a viable technology and engineering solution.
At its Burnie Research Facility, Intec developed a process to recycle heavy metal-contaminated inorganic waste materials, which are produced by industrial manufacturers globally.
Intec’s process is being used to recycle a Tasmanian manufacturer’s heavy metal sludge that has built up over more than a decade. Environmental regulations classify this waste as unacceptable for landfill disposal, even after conventional treatment. Using Intec’s technology, the waste material is transformed into saleable metal sulphide concentrate and a non-saleable clear water by-product suitable for discharge to sewer.
Watersave Smartmeter Solution
Watersave Australia, NSW
As the world’s weather patterns change, water is an increasingly precious commodity. To ensure its effective management, water usage needs to be accurately monitored in real-time. Watersave Australia identified a need for an inexpensive, efficient water usage monitoring tool that would provide real-time data from the water meter to a user website, via log-in and password, so that when abnormal usage is detected, it can be quickly rectified. Unlike previous systems, the system communicates continuously in real-time from the water meter to the Internet, and is safe from vandals and the weather. The system features alerts via SMS or email to signal abnormal usage.
More than 32,000 kilolitres of water was saved by schools participating in the 2008 Sydney Water Every Drop Counts program within which the Watersave Smart Meter is central, over the first nine months, simply by timely monitoring, detecting and fixing leaks.
Large Business Sustainability AwardPresented for The incorporation of social, financial and environmental responsibility initiatives by a large company, organisation or business. |
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WINNER
The GPT Group
The GPT Group, NSW
As one of Australia’s largest diversified listed property groups, GPT aspires to leadership in the property sector through the quality of our assets and our approach to corporate responsibility.
As an owner, manager and developer of Australian real estate, GPT’s commitment to corporate responsibility is to improve the social and ecological capital of the communities we touch.
GPT’s results demonstrate the significant contribution to driving innovative sustainable solutions in property.
GPT’s long-term objective is to be a catalyst amongst our community of stakeholders to pursue a condition of sustainability that secures future generations a safe, healthy and equitable world.
Think Green. Do: UTS Leads by Example
University of Technology Sydney, NSW
The University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) has always considered itself a university dedicated to the practical application of research, teaching and learning, a philosophy outlined by our motto: ‘Think. Change. Do’.
The Environmental Sustainability Initiative (ESI) has consolidated efforts across the university to drive sustainability in all areas. Through initiatives targeting energy, water, waste, procurement and transport, we aim to drive down the environmental impact of existing infrastructure and activity, and to expand the campus without also expanding our environmental footprint.
For UTS, sustainability is about working together to harness technological and creative innovations to drive the efficient and responsible use of resources. Sustainable practices in administration, research and pedagogy ensure increased operational efficiency, improved working and studying environments, leadership in vital research, and the generation of graduates who are informed and engaged – whatever their discipline. As a result of the ESI, we believe we have one of the most comprehensive and inclusive sustainability programs in the Australian university sector.
Value Adding in Tasmania
Tasmanian Alkaloids, TAS
Tasmanian Alkaloids is a fully integrated manufacturer of controlled substances providing medicinal opiates from patented poppy varieties grown on farms across Tasmania and processed at the Westbury processing and manufacturing facility in Tasmania. Recent agricultural and manufacturing innovations have resulted in significant environmental improvements in raw material and water usage, wastewater treatment, and waste management whilst production outputs have increased.
The company assures responsible, sustainable development by exercising excellence in environmental management. This has resulted in substantial reductions in the environmental footprint of it’s agricultural and manufacturing operations including a 6% reduction in water usage per unit production compared to 2007 (and a 45% reduction since 2002) and a ~ 50% estimated reduction in fertiliser and pesticide use in the field since 2006. The company also provides leadership in community natural resource management and enhances employee awareness of sustainability issues through specific training curriculums.
Woolworths Ltd –Doing the Right Thing
Woolworths Ltd, NSW
Sustainability to Woolworths is about following our philosophy of “Doing the right thing”. We seek to fulfil this philosophy by maximising the positive impact of our operations on our staff, our customers, the communities in which we operate, our shareholders, our supply chain and the environment.
We have made environmental and social sustainability core to all our operations. We continue to support the communities in which we operate, through a range of local programs and national partnerships.We have analysed the aspects of our business that impact most significantly on the environment, and we set ourselves tough new standards to better manage and minimise these impacts. We ensure we source our products responsibly, encourage our vendors and agents to improve their social and environmental practices, and work with communities and shareholders to ensure Woolworths is a sustainable business leader.
Yarra Valley Water – Sustainability in Action
Yarra Valley Water, VIC
Yarra Valley Water is an international leader at putting sustainability into action. Sustainability is integrated into every level of this retail water company’s business, from corporate strategy to day-to-day activities. Thanks to a vibrant environmental learning program, employees are fully engaged on sustainability issues. Yarra Valley Water constantly looks beyond the provision of water services for innovative ways to improve the sustainability of its business, stakeholders and the industry as a whole.
Yarra Valley Water is often invited to present to other organisations seeking to learn from it. Some initiatives, such the mapping of energy intensity of water services, have been presented overseas. Other initiatives, including its framework for sustainable infrastructure planning, have received international awards. In this way Yarra Valley Water is sharing its knowledge with the world and bringing back learnings and opportunities to Victoria, so that a more sustainable future can be realised.
Small and Medium Enterprises Business Sustainability AwardPresented for |
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WINNER
Ferguson Plarre Bakehouses
Ferguson Plarre Bakehouses P/L, VIC
Ferguson Plarre Bakehouses is 108 years old and we see environmentally sustainable business growth as the primary issue for business and community into the future. Through building our new bakery we saw an opportunity to not only reduce our own environmental footprint but to help create an awareness in our employees, suppliers and customers of how they too can help improve the world we live in.
By harnessing the waste heat from our refrigeration systems, redistributing heat recovered from freshly baked products, employing hybrid vehicle technologies and offsetting the remaining emissions via tree planting we have reduced our carbon footprint by over 5000 tonnes of CO2 annually.
It’s the simplicity of the solutions that encourages us to continue to think green and to believe that we can all ‘do our bit’ to improve the world we live in.
Most importantly: It feels good to do the right thing and it helps the business as well!
Green to the Grave
Centennial Park Cemetery, SA
Centennial Park is the environmental leader in Australia’s cemetery industry. We are helping Australians to reduce the environmental impact of their final resting places. In recent years we have reduced operational waste to landfill by 97.3%, energy consumption by 9%, vehicle emissions by 10% and reliance on mains water.
Crematorium improvements have reduced gas consumption by 5% and electricity consumption by 10%.
We are the first cemetery in Australia – possibly the world – to manage our entire greenhouse gas emissions with a carbon offset scheme. This includes cremations, burials and funeral services as well as operational emissions from buildings, garden maintenance, vehicles and equipment.
Centennial Park shares our experience with other cemeteries and the broader business community, providing expertise to help them improve their own environmental performance. Environmental sustainability forms part of our efforts to be a good corporate citizen and helps position Centennial Park as South Australia’s cemetery of choice.
Original Foods Sustainable Catering
Original Foods Sustainable Catering, VIC
Original Foods Sustainable Catering provides large and small event catering planning and management for commercial, government and private clients. “Our whole-of-business focus on sustainability enables us to ‘green’ an event from farm gate-to-plate,” director Sam Lynch said.
“This means right from the beginning of the supply chain: the kind of ingredients used through to how we run our kitchen, the choice of crockery and cutlery, recycling on site, transport of goods, utilities use, building retrofit and staff amenities are as environmentally friendly as possible.”
Over the past 18 months there has been a significant increase in demand, and Original Foods is frequently invited to share its innovations with other businesses, government departments and independent authorities. Leading the field, Original Foods® Sustainable Catering was established by Sam and Jessica Lynch, who are passionate about providing more sustainable, delicious, nutritious, tasty whole food to Melbournians.
Sustainable Plumbing Solutions
Sustainable Plumbing Solutions, VIC
Sustainable Plumbing Solutions (SPS) was started 6 years ago by Brent Papadopoulos who wanted to provide Australian’s with ways to reduce water consumption which would create long term solutions to the environmental problems facing the country. SPS works closely with both clients and community groups to develop a wider understanding of green technologies and educate people in how they can reduce their carbon footprint.
SPS believes that a grass roots approach will bring about change, preferring to educate communities by participating in neighbourhood events through stalls and presentations, guest speaking at local government information nights, presenting to university students and other professional bodies while also donating time and products to a number of organizations including the Australian Conservation Foundation, Eco buy and other community groups.
In 2009 SPS was winner of the prestigious Premiers Sustainability Award Victoria for Small Business and the Premier’s Recognition award, proving that both in and outside the plumbing industry SPS’s approach is forward thinking and provides real results for our community.
WINNER
Giving Vegemite a Sustainable Future
KRAFT Foods, VIC
As an industry leading organisation, we have a responsibility to implement sustainable change, working with our partners, suppliers, customers and consumers to create a safer, more sustainable environment and community.
In a time of increased social and economic uncertainty, it is essential that everyday food products deliver real value. In our view, real value can mean nutrition, enjoyment, indulgence and/or a combination of all three, and regardless of these attributes it must be built upon sound sustainable principles and supply chain integrity.
Vegemite, our hero brand (which had its highest production year in 2008), was a logical starting point for our sustainability journey. We have worked tirelessly to ensure sustainable production of Vegemite for years to come.
Following in-depth and innovative re-development of the Vegemite process, we have projected by end-of-2009:
• Reduced waste water by over 65%
• Reduced energy consumption by over 52%
• Environmental savings of over $1 million
Food Connect
Food Connect, QLD
Food Connect is a unique, innovate fresh food distributor, with the dual goals of making clean, local food an affordable reality for as many families as possible, while working towards creating a sustainable food system for South East Queensland.
By eating food that is grown within a five hour radius of Brisbane, Food Connect members cut down on their greenhouse gas emissions and reduce their carbon footprint.
Farmers are paid fair prices and are offered incentives for farming in chemical free, ecologically sustainable ways.
Fresh fruit and vegetables are packed into boxes each morning, and the boxes are distributed to central pickup points for subscribers to pick up in the afternoons. Most subscribers pick up their boxes on their way home from work, or from picking
up their children from school, which further cuts down on fuel use and carbon emissions.
Environmental Services AwardPresented for |
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Sustainable Events Platform
Sustainable Living Foundation, VIC
The Sustainable Events Platform brings the events sector together to make sustainability a reality. With no international standards to guide practice, passionate people are leading the way. This initiative has engaged the community through the first free, online resource and a national forum and expo. The interactive web resource is a powerful and innovative tool comprising of:
• The Evaluation Tool- identifying gaps in event practice and generating a tailored action plan
• The Hub – housing an interactive video hub, forum space and innovators’ lab for sharing knowledge, answering questions, and profiling leading event practice
• The Guide – referencing environmental and sustainable definitions, surveys, reports and case studies.
• The Directory - listing leading sustainable event products and services
The National Sustainable Events Forum and Expo connected and engaged with all players in the events community.
The Sustainable Living Foundation’s Sustainable Events Platform addresses the sustainability concerns of all events, big and small.
www.slf.org.au/eventsplanner
A Decade of Climate Change
Hobart City Council, TAS
Over the Last decade, the Hobart city council has achieved impressive results in greenhouse gas emissions reductions. It committed to, and succedded in meeting, the most progressive emissions target of any participating council in Australia (70% emission reduction from 1996 to 2010). To date the Council as abated a total of 166,937 e-Co2tonnes which is equivalent to taking 38,823 cars permanently off the road.
Innovative strategies include cogeneration to convert methane into electricity from its landfill, heatin the Hobart Aquatic Centre through heat-exchange from the sewage main, supporting households through rebate schemes, and informing local communities on how they can be more energy efficient. A new strategic framework – Hobart’s Climate Change Strategies x5 (HCC S5) – focuses on five core platforms: abatement, advocacy, adaptation, accounting and awareness, that apply across the Council’s activities.
The Hobart City Council is committed to addressing climate change through positive and innovative actions and is acknowledged as a community leader in Tasmania. It continues to promote long-term collective action across all tiers of government.
Direct Geoexchange
EnergyCore Australia, Vic
EnergyCore installs Direct Exchange (DX), refrigerant-based, closed-loop, EarthLinked Geothermal Heat Pumps (GHPs) in Victoria. Founded in 2007, it has successfully installed over 40 systems throughout Victoria. GHPs use up to 75% less energy than conventional heating and cooling systems by using the Earth rather than ambient air as a heat source and sink. Ground temperatures are cooler than the ambient air in the summer and warmer during winter, so GHPs benefit from pumping heat over smaller temperature differences―and therefore more efficiently―year round (figure 1). Because only 75-mm, 15 – 30-m rather than 150-mm, 100-m bore holes (for existing water-based GHPs) are required, DX GHPs are economically accessible to the residential market for the first time in Australia. Builders, engineers & architects can use EnergyCore’s GHPs for:
• Radiant hydronic floor heating
• Hydronic radiant panel heating
• Chilled water cooling
• Forced air central heating and cooling
• Heating for swimming pools & spas
• Domestic or commercial hot water
Watersave Smart Meter Solution
Watersave Australia, NSW
As the world’s weather patterns change, water is an increasingly precious commodity. To ensure its effective management, water usage needs to be accurately monitored in real-time.
Watersave Australia identified a need for an inexpensive, efficient water usage monitoring tool that would provide real-time data from the water meter to a user website, via log-in and password, so that when abnormal usage is detected, it can be quickly rectified. Unlike previous systems, the system communicates continuously in real-time from the water meter to the Internet, and is safe from vandals and the weather. The system features alerts via SMS or email to signal abnormal usage.
More than 32,000 kilolitres of water was saved by schools participating in the 2008 Sydney Water Every Drop Counts program within which the Watersave Smart Meter is central, over the first nine months, simply by timely monitoring, detecting and fixing leaks.
Water/Waste/Power – Setting the Environmental Services Standard for the Tertiary Sector
University of New South Wales, NSW
The University of New South Wales (UNSW), environmental leaders in the Australian tertiary education sector, has set new standards in natural resource conservation and environmental impact mitigation through major initiatives in the areas of Water, Waste and Energy.
Through the installation of major infrastructure – the Village Green Percolation Chamber – ~160 million Litres, the equivalent of 64 Olympic swimming pools, of stormwater is returned to the Botany Sands Aquifer each year.
The UNSW Composting Facility redirects ~8 tonnes of food waste from landfill each week. Decomposing food generates considerable quantities of methane in landfill (Methane has 21 times greater global warming potential compared to CO2). Composting on-site avoids methane production from this waste, as well as averts 7.2 tonnes of CO2 entering the atmosphere weekly.
UNSW has installed a state-of-the-art photovoltaic array covering the roof of the main Quadrangle building. This array, using UNSW’ own patented buried contact solar cells, provides enough energy to run the equivalent of 300 computers on campus every day, saving more than 80,000kg of greenhouse gas emissions each year.
