Annual Report 2010-11 - Zero Waste SA - SA.Gov.au

Greening Zero Waste SA
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Zero Waste SA has committed to a Greening Implementation Plan (Greening Zero Waste
SA) that identifies environmental impacts of its operations and creates mechanisms to
address them.
The organisation continues to set performance goals, targets and indicators to manage
energy, water, materials and waste, and staff involvement in greening activities.
Developing best practice, Zero Waste SA started yearly audits of its energy consumption
and greenhouse gas emissions in 2008.
In 2008–09, Zero Waste SA developed an environment management system linked to a
web-based ‘dashboard’ interface, which displays and monitors progress against energy,
water, waste and staff involvement targets. Where practical, data is automatically
collected from installed sub-meters. It is manually collected for other parameters (e.g.
travel and recycling).
Zero Waste SA continues to participate in Adelaide City Council’s City Switch program, a
national initiative of the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors, to improve energy efficiency
and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from office buildings. In December 2010, Zero
Waste SA was awarded ‘Signatory of the Year’ at the inaugural CitySwitch SA Signatory
of the Year Awards for the office category under 2000 square metres. Zero Waste SA was
acknowledged in particular for its dedication to find creative and innovative ideas to save
energy, water and waste after installing its dashboard environment management system.
Energy management
Zero Waste SA has an energy target of 60% reduction in carbon emissions by 2012.
Electricity consumption is metered and displayed on the dashboard (lighting and power
circuits), to assess the effectiveness of energy conservation measures.
From a 2008–09 baseline in energy consumption of 2.3 tonnes carbon emissions per fulltime
equivalent (FTE), Zero Waste SA has reduced its emissions by 51% to 1.19 tonnes in
carbon emissions per FTE in 2010–11. This reduction has been achieved by a combination
of behaviour change, technology installation and carbon certificate purchase.
Lighting
Through office layout and material selection, fit out of the premises has maximised the
use of daylight, reducing the need for artificial lighting and energy. The office is fitted
with T5 lighting and sensors that automatically switch lights off.