With the Greens now fertilised with power under the new minority government, there’s no better time than the present for businesses to start shrinking their carbon footprint. If a selfless resolution to be stewards of the Earth doesn’t compel people to conserve more and waste less, Canberra may make the decision for us.
In Victoria, the Victorian Employers’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) is already helping businesses cut down on wastefulness. A sustainability program sponsored by the Chamber boasted increasing success in fiscal 2010.
Participants in the “Grow Me the Money” program saved an average of $8,619 on their utility bills this year, ending June 30, compared the previous year. The firms also saved an average of 78.1 tonnes of carbon dioxide, a one-year improvement of 29 percent. That’s the equivalent of taking 18 cars off the road, VECCI said.
“Grow Me The Money” is a 12-step online program that helps SMEs become more sustainable. VECCI says analysis found that businesses can deliver one-third of Australia’s 2020 emissions reduction target of 138 million tonnes (5 percent below the 2000 level) by undertaking a sustainability program.
“‘Grow Me the Money’ participants are becoming even more effective in cutting their carbon footprint and utility bills,” said Wayne Kayler-Thomson, CEO of Melbourne-based VECCI. “These are significant saving for small and medium businesses and a real incentive for others to become sustainable.”
VECCI handled out awards to program participants. The winners:
- 1-4 employees: Clean and Gone; Horsham House
- 5-15 employees: Third Ecology; McManus Real Estate
- 31-99 employees: Isuzu Australia Ltd
Kayler-Thomsom lauded the winners as “a demonstration that businesses are pushing forward to achieve extraordinary outcomes. And typically they are doing this through a range of simple measures that other businesses can easily replicate.”
Image by Udall Legacy Bus Tour
