The Eco Edge program is now completed, but see the tips below for great ideas to save your business money and reduce your environmental impact. 

Having the Eco Edge means saving money on your bills and reducing your environmental impact at the same time - delivering savings to you, as well as the planet! 

Australians are more environmentally aware than they have ever been.  This is reflected in the goods they buy and where they shop.  Having the Eco Edge is a great way to attract new customers, especially those who would like their money to be going to a business who is trying to lessen their environmental impact.

Here are some simple hints to help your business gain the Eco Edge.

Energy conservation

Energy conservation fact sheet - retail, professional service

Energy conservation fact sheet - food, restaurants, cafes

Greenhouse gas emissions calculator

Water conservation

Water conservation

Litter management

Litter management fact sheet - food, restaurants, cafes

Litter management fact sheet - retail, professional services

Waste reduction

Waste reduction fact sheet - food outlets, restaurants & cafes

Waste reduction fact sheet - retail, professional services

Recycling

1. Lighting
   If you have a lot of halogen downlights they are probably costing you a lot of money!  Each halogen downlight on for 8 hours a day will cost around $25 a year to run.  They may be low voltage but this DOES NOT mean low energy.
   
   Talk to your lighting retailer about switching over to energy saving halogen downlights - Philips and Osram produce these.  They use 30 - 35 watts each instead of 50 watts.  If you are thinking of installing halogens in your business, install electronic transformers instead of regular ones - they use 1/10 of the energy.
   
   Change 'normal' incandescent light bulbs over to compact fluorescent globes. 
   They last 8 times longer and use around 80% less energy.  Although they cost a bit more to buy, you'll still end up saving money!  And they now come in lots of shapes and sizes - round, candle, floodlight .......
   
   If you have tube fluorescent lighting, consider switching to tri or quad phosphor tubes.  They emit more light for the same amount of energy and you should be able to remove some tubes completely.
   
   
2. Fridges
   Place timers on any fridges that contain non-perishable items (e.g. soft drink fridges) so that they are off at night.  This can save you up to $200 per year!  Make sure your fridge doors are sealing properly and that the coils or compressors are cleaned regularly.  Ensure that there is around 10cm between the fridge coils and the wall to provide adequate ventilation.  When buying new fridges or freezers, look for the energy stars (www.energyrating.com.au) and try to buy chest freezers instead of upright ones.
   
   
3. Hot water
   Consider replacing your electric hot water service with a gas or solar unit.  Heating water may be the largest user of energy in your business if you are using electricity.  It will cost you a lot less to run a gas system and produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
   
   
4. Dish and glass washers
   Always make sure your dish and glass washers are full before you use them.  These commercial appliances use huge amounts of energy, so the less you use them the more you will save.  If you can get away with a domestic system in your business do - they use a lot less energy.
   
   
5. Heating and cooling
   Try to use natural ventilation or ceiling/upright fans.  If you do need to use an air conditioner or heater, make sure the doors are closed and the thermostat set appropriately.  When the air conditioner is on, ensure the thermostat is set at around 25 degrees. For every degree you set the system under that temperature, the energy costs rise by up to 20%.  The same is true for a heater set above 18 degrees.  With heating, try to buy gas heaters where possible.  Avoid small fan heaters and column heaters - they are cheap to buy but expensive to run!  Nobo heaters are a good alternative.
   
   
6. Gas appliances
   Always buy gas appliances instead of electric ones whenever possible (e.g. deep fryers, salamanders, pasta boilers etc).  Although they may cost a bit more to buy, they will cost less to run and produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions than electrically powered appliances.  With gas, always make sure appliances and stove tops are off when not in use.  This will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and heat in the kitchen, as well as being a lot safer.
   
   
7. Water
   Install tap aerators, reducing the flow by around half, helping to save water.  When you're using hot water, tap aerators also help you save money on your energy bill.
   
   Consider installing a rainwater or greywater tank for flushing the toilets and watering the garden (if you have one!).  Contact the Green Plumbers to see if it's possible in your business.
   
   
8. Waste
   Reduce, reuse, recycle!  Buy products in bulk, reuse packaging or return it to your supplier, eliminate plastic bags from your store, encourage people to bring in their own coffee cups and recycle what ever is left over!  You may also want to consider getting a compost bin or worm farm for your food scraps - CERES Environmental Park in Brunswick make a fantastic cafe-sized worm farm!
   
   
9. Transport
   Walk, ride or catch public transport to work.  Consider encouraging staff to do the same by holding car-free days, providing showering/changing facilities or public transport tickets and places to store bikes securely.  If you absolutely must use the car, plan your trips so that you can do it all in one go and try to avoid lots of short trips.  Consider offsetting any vehicle greenhouse gas emissions with tree planting through the Greenfleet program.
   
   
10. Greenpower
    Consider running your business off renewable power.  You may want to investigate solar panels.  If that's too hard or too expensive, consider purchasing greenpower from your electricity retailer.  For a small amount of money per unit of energy (that gets invested in the renewables industry), your electricity can be supplied from renewable sources like wind or solar power.  As a business, you can then use the Greenpower logo to market your business.

The most important thing to remember is that we all have an impact on this planet we live on and each of us reducing that impact can make a huge difference.  As a business owner reducing that impact can also make your business more financially sustainable and allows you to have a competitive edge.  If you'd like more tips on how to get the EcoEdge, check out the business case studies on the Green Pages website. 

Use eServices to ask us a question, request information or give us feedback online. If you prefer call ASSIST on (03) 9209 6777 or TTy (03) 9209 6713 and ask for the Sustainable Environment Unit.

Who worked on their Eco Edge?

Congratulations to the 52 businesses who decided to gain the Eco Edge.  An average potential electricity bill reduction of 30% was identified for these businesses!  This means big $$$ savings as well as reduced greenhouse gas emissions - a win for the businesses and the environment.

Alafia Gallery - Ormond Road, Elwood
Albert Park Hotel - Bridport Street, Albert Park
Annabelle's Bakery - Bridport Street, Albert Park
Aroma - Ormond Road, Elwood         
Balaclava Fresh Centre - Carlisle Street, Balaclava
Barrett Health Food - Carlisle Street, Balaclava
Bar Santo - Fitzroy Street, St Kilda                           
Benedykt Too - Barkly Street, St Kilda   
Bigmouth - Cnr Acland and Barkly Streets, St Kilda
BP Architects - Fitzroy Street, St Kilda                
Cafe 434 - St Kilda Road, Melbourne
Chili's Noodles & Sushi - Ormond Road, Elwood
Craven's Pharmacy - Bridport Street, Albert Park
Daisy H2O - Rouse Street, Port Melbourne
Easy 15 - Ormond Road, Elwood
Ebisu Design - Ormond Road, Elwood
Elwood General Store - Ormond Road, Elwood
Elwood RSL - Ormond Road, Elwood
Elegant Slax - Bay Street, Port Melbourne
EME Group - Little Page Street, Middle Park
Daisy H2O Dry Cleaning - Rouse Street, Port Melbourne
Feeling Fruity Juice Co - Dundas Place, Albert Park             
Fresh @ Elwood - Ormond Road, Elwood    
Fresh Gifts and Flowers - St Kilda Road, Melbourne 
Fritz Gelato - Fitzroy Street, St Kilda
Gourmet Burger Company - Fitzroy Street, St Kilda                     
Illoura Gift Basket - St Kilda Road, Melbourne   
Lentil as Anything - Blessington Street, St Kilda      
Macgregor Barristers and Solicitors - Argyle Street, St Kilda
MacPhee's Wine Cellarage - Buckhurst Street, South Melbourne
Mash - Fitzroy Street, St Kilda
Monroes - Fitzroy Street, St Kilda    
Nandos - Clarendon Street, South Melbourne
Passionfoods - Ferrars Street, South Melbourne
Pets & the City - Victoria Avenue, Albert Park
Prince Alfred Hotel - Bay Street, Port Melbourne
Red Dog 3 - Ormond Road, Elwood
Red Scooter - William Place, East St Kilda
RPS The Board Store - Ormond Road, Elwood
Sipser Family Chiropractic - Ormond Road, Elwood
Spring Foods - Clarendon Street, South Melbourne
S2 Designs - St Kilda Road, St Kilda
The Pink Room - Bay Street, Port Melbourne
The Stray Dog Booksellers - Bay Street, Port Melbourne
Tonic - Ormond Road, Elwood
Turtle Cafe - Ormond Road, Elwood
Turtle Wine and Deli - Ormond Road, Elwood
Victoria Convenience Store - Victoria Avenue, Albert Park
Wall Cafe - Carlisle Street, Balaclava
Zartowa - Ormond Road, Elwood

Find out more about these businesses on the City of Port Phillip Green Pages.

The City of Port Phillip Business Excellence Awards are held annually to celebrate the achievements of businesses in Port Phillip. They target and promote outstanding established and emerging businesses. The awards also provide an opportunity to share the knowledge and skills of the winners with other local businesses, so that the entire community can benefit.

This year sees the incorporation of the inaugural EPA Victoria Sustainable Business award into the program. Open to any business in the City of Port Phillip incorporating environmentally sustainable practices, this award hopes to showcase the environmental achievements of local businesses.

Congratulations to the finalists of the Sustainable Business Award category -

Alafia Gallery

Alafia means "a blessing of peace" in the Yoruba language of West Africa and pays homage to African culture and aesthetics with artwork, tribal ware and textiles collected from around the world.

Alafia Gallery have become increasingly systematic about incorporating sustainable practices into the business' operation including the type of products being sourced. The sustainable operation of this gallery extends also beyond the store and into the local business and residential communities with the promotion of key environmental messages.

BP Architects

BP Architects provide innovative and contemporary architectural services specialising in the design of sustainable energy efficient buildings and specification of low chemical emitting building products.

The principal architect started the business in 2000 because of the need in the marketplace for the specialised services of contemporary sustainable architecture, the regulation of 5-star energy efficient buildings and the commitment of the principal to contribute towards environmental sustainability through professional services.

Red Scooter

Red Scooter has steadily grown to become a diverse and innovative venue hosting events from Corporate Clients, Universities, Clubs & Societies, Weddings, Birthday Celebrations, Kosher events and entertainment industry parties.

At Red Scooter they are committed to sustainable development. Health, safety, environment and community responsibilities are integral to the way they do business. Red Scooter recognises that efficient processes in administration, finances, kitchen operations, bar operation, sustainable development, maintenance and staffing all lead to conducting business efficiently.

S2 design

S2 design is an award winning architectural practice established in 2001. They have extensive experience in a range of projects including residential, commercial, interior, hospitality, urban, furniture and landscape design.

The focus at S2 design is increasingly on sustainable design and the use of natural and alternative materials. The firm pursues sustainable design approaches, such as passive solar design, active systems (like rainwater collection) and they encourage resource efficient building systems.

Spring Foods

Spring Foods is a company that supplies delicious healthy food and drink to take away. Spring Foods has integrated many sustainable practices into the running of the business and ensure staff are educated about the need to conserve resources.

To maintain continuous sustainable improvement, Spring Foods is taking part in a pilot program for a sustainability self-assessment tool which will assist the business to track resource use.

For more information on the awards and details of the finalists in all categories go to www.portbizawards.com.au. 

For more information about the Eco Edge, use eServices to ask us a question, request information or give us feedback online. If you prefer call ASSIST on (03) 9209 6777 or TTy (03) 9209 6713 and ask for Environmental Policy and Planning Unit.