Eco Edge
Why does your business need the Eco Edge?
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.
Fact Sheets
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
- Litter management fact sheet - food, restaurants, cafes
- Litter management fact sheet - retail, professional services
- Waste reduction fact sheet - food outlets, restaurants & cafes
- Waste reduction fact sheet - retail, professional services
- Recycling
The Top 10 Ways to Help Your Business get the EcoEdge!
- 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. - 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 (http://www.energyrating.com.au/) and try to buy chest freezers instead of upright ones. - 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. - 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. - 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. - 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. - 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. - 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! - 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. - 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.
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.
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.
Port Phillip Business Excellence Awards
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.
One of the seven categories of these awards for 2008 was Environmental Sustainability. Open to any business in the City of Port Phillip, this award hopes to showcase local businesses committed to reducing their ecological footprint through the incorporation of environmentally sustainable practices.
Congratulations to the winner of the Environmental Sustainability category - Kosdown Printing
Kosdown Printing is a family owned and run business committed to the highest levels of environmental sustainability. From business cards to books, we think in ink 24 hours a day.www.kosdown.com.au
For more information on the awards and details of 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.
