BUSINESS NEWS: An agricultural company has been recognised with a “market leading” 6 Star NABERS Energy rating for its head office and warehouse, and its sustainability initiatives to reduce carbon emissions.
The Syngenta vegetable seeds warehouse in Somersby, NSW, and its head office in Macquarie Park both gained the highest possible rating for sustainability in the built environment. The warehouse was among the first in the nation to be audited against NABERS new energy audit protocol for warehouse and cold stores.
Energy provider Nectr has been recognised for having the cheapest clean energy plans on the market by the Mozo Experts Choice Awards 2022. It was awarded for the categories: Electricity QLD, Electricity NSW, Green Electricity NSW, Green Electricity QLD, Green Electricity ACT.
After more than 15 years tracking sentiment and behaviour towards sustainability, strategic research consultancy Pollinate has launched its sustainability division to focus its expertise.
The company has surveyed over 25,000 Australians on topics related to the environment, society and the economy, sharing reports and weinards to clients and the public free of charge. And worked on close to 200 sustainability projects including the Great Barrier Reef, the circular economy, the wood industry and food production.
The REDcycle scandal which has rocked the waste industry in recent weeks revealed not just a “secret stockpiling” of soft plastics, it exposed deeper problems that must be fixed if the community is to have confidence in plastics recycling.
Jeff Angel, director of the Boomerang Alliance calls for a mandatory product stewardship scheme under state or federal law.
“Reliance on the voluntary, small scale approach was always going to fail,” he said.
“All producers need to be part of a mandatory product stewardship scheme that requires investment in comprehensive collection systems and use of the material in new products.
“This can be achieved under federal law; or a state like NSW which has some good legislation. Producers also need to find alternatives to plastic, so the pollution problem is lessened.’’
The Snapshot Climate Tool developed by Ironbark and Beyond Zero Emissions in 2019 has been updated to provide more accurate Australian council emissions profiles.
The Victorian government provided funding to update Snapshot with new features to improve data accuracy, depict timeseries and provide more detailed data. Further sponsors included Darwin, Stonnington, Manningham and Unley City Councils.
Applications for Open Gardens Victoria’s 2022 Giving Program are now open until November 30 to Victorian organisations, community groups, and associations to receive $10,000 in cash and in-kind support towards gardening programs. The nonprofit promotes the benefits of gardens and gardening, and deputy chair David Epstein says horticultural projects that strongly align with the organisation’s objectives.