What Byron SVN companies are doing about climate change

ReGenesis has installed a grid-interactive wind turbine, currently in summer it generates 15-20kwh/day, and is expected to triple in winter. Its organic waste pickup truck is also run on biodiesel, saving about 80 liters of fossil fuel per week. And all remaining power is Green Power. Their Bio-Recycling project saves large 200 tonnes/year of waste from clogging the tip and turning into methane (a potent greenhouse gas), while manufacturing live nutrient rich soil to hold that carbon. Their annual regeneration program has planted thousands of trees both on ReGenesis Farm, and the ReGenesis Eco-Hamlet site. A cabinet timber plantation which will be thinned, but never clear-cut is sequestering carbon over the long term. Both the ecologically sustainable houses built at the Eco-Hamlet are powered by solar.

Slingfings and Bird Textiles' climate impact from freight of raw materials, car and air travel of our staff, manufacture, operations and delivery, has been calculated so that we can green our carbon emissions. So far in two years, we've saved 70 tonnes of carbon. All our manufacturing is done using a combination of wind and solar power.

Footprint Directions has used Country Energy's GreenPower since 2005 and reduced its power bill to under $90. We have retrofitted our office for nil air-conditioning use and encourage all our staff to work from home to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fuel use. We rarely drive when we can phone or email. Other small power-based reductions include only using laptops (80% more efficient), never leaving technology in stand-by mode, purchasing of local recycled supplies. We have offset all our emissions with tree planting schemes, have self-planted in our work environment where tree schemes don’t apply to the Northern Rivers, and use onsite water and waste water with 100% reuse. We avoid sodium-based cleaning products wherever we can find an alternative and we wear Australian clothing or recycled natural fabrics as both clothing and cleaning are significant carbon gobblers. This year we designed an ethical investment system as a sustainability index, developed policy and conflict-reduction projects, and ran senior management programs that demand sustainability outcomes with a focus on low impact eco-footprints.  Our consultancy service continues to support development professionals and business people to implement sound supply chain and design features of sustainability. Our largest BASIX driven project for a 400-home aged care community was approved by the State government late last year for regional NSW. We did this with only 2 site visits, reducing our eco-footprint by 50% in one year (air travel is a killer).

Australian Soil Additives & Products (ASAP) -  is providing the only purely biological approach to soil health, farming without herbicides or pesticides or any Soil Foodweb damaging salt-based "natural" additives such as lime, gypsum etc., or anti-fungals like copper sulphate (all permitted under organic certification requirements) in Australia that’s suitable for monoculture and large-scale as well as boutique growers or landholders. Our focus is also on restoration using actively aerated microbial solutions where living tested compost is not available in large quantities. We manufacture the GeoTea and BioActive Brewer locally (saving estimated production and energy use by 40 times compared to overseas use), and choose locally-made anerobic compost where it’s available in high quality and made from local green waste. All these activities contribute to our carbon neutral position and support growers to achieve better land use management practices that are 40% energy dependent.

One service that One Stop Green Shop offers sustainable business is carbon offsets. We can help you calculate your emissions from electricity, fuel use, or air travel and offset them using accredited Green Power in Australia, Gold Standard offsets in Europe or other projects accredited by the relevant authority. Sourced from climate friendly and tailored to your needs, these offsets are all put into renewable energy not trees or other carbon "sinks", ensuring that the amount of power you use is shifted from coal-fired to renewable energy. We are working with power companies to find ways to assist local land-owners and farmers to begin farming energy as part of an ongoing, sustainable solution.

Compost Toilet Systems and our private residence are signed up with Origin Energy to 100% Wind power, this costs us about $2/week more than our old Country Energy bill, - it makes us very happy. Our solar passive house has minimal energy requirements, none for heating or cooling and very little for solar hot water boosting. Offsets to our vehicle emissions are our next consideration. Compost Toilet Systems actively promotes the importance of selecting true 100% Green Power from the grid. Clients are encouraged to go 100% Green Power and rewarded with discounts on products and services should they have made, or make that change. Clients are  thankful  for informing them and encouraging them to sign up for 100% Green Power. A number have made the change and picked up discounts.

Posted by mitra at February 24, 2007 7:20 PM