Waste management and reduction guide for retail industry

26Section 5.Improving generalenvironmentalperformance5.1 Why improve general environmental performance?Many activities of people and business in today’s world consume large amounts of natural resources and release wasteproducts. Pollution from business activities can find its way back into the natural environment where it can impact anddiminish nature’s ability to recover from human intervention.Business activities are sustainable only if natural resources can be used in a way that allows the environment to retainthe capability to produce and recover from this impact. Improved general environmental performance will also helpreduce waste production – the two go hand in hand.Clean and healthy shopping centres take every opportunity to minimisepollution and introduce measures to control potential pollution sources.Green shopping centres practise:■ energy conservation■ water conservation/stormwater management■ pollution control including air, odour and noise■ environmental purchasing.5.2 Energy conservationMost of our energy is derived from burning non-renewable fossil fuels whichreleases carbon dioxide and other gases into the atmosphere and contributesto the greenhouse effect and to general air pollution.Most energy is used in lighting, cooling and heating. Positive action in energyconservation can limit the impact on the environment and save money as well.