A big win in reducing the environmental footprint of the TAFE New England Institute is great news. Institute Director, Mr Paul Callaghan, said, “I am very happy with the achievements made by the Institute in reducing energy, water and paper consumption over the past two years.
“The 2008 data has now been analysed and the results are a clear indication of the effort all our staff have made to address the concerns of the environment”. During 2007 and 2008 the Institute has achieved a reduction of 12% in its carbon footprint, 9% reduction in electricity, a massive 50% reduction in fleet car travel, 40% in hire car travel, 24% reduction in paper use and a 10% saving in domestic gas use. These reductions in carbon producing activities are very welcome.
“As well the Institute has made a major investment in reducing water consumption”, Mr Callaghan continued. “At Tamworth Campus we have installed a rainwater collection and reticulation system. Together with implementing waterless urinals, this has reduced the campus water use from 25 mega litres per annum to 4 mega litres. Tenterfield and Coonabarabran Campuses also benefited from improved water usage systems. Due to our great success in this area we are committing additional funds to double the collection capacity across the whole Institute, with Gunnedah and Boggabilla targeted to receive improved systems in 2009.”
Mr Callaghan was exceptionally pleased with the commitment show by staff in this area. “In the current economic and environmental climate it is difficult to achieve economies such as we have without the dedication and wholehearted support of the staff at our eleven campuses. Having achieved such great success has spurred us on to reduce our environmental footprint even more. We have two major projects being implemented in 2009, supported by the Department of Environment and Climate Change. These projects will dramatically reduce electricity consumption at Tamworth and Gunnedah campuses.
“The recently announced funding from the Federal Government to assist the Institute with further sustainability initiatives will help us achieve even greater savings. These initiatives are aimed at a 30% reduction in electricity consumption - a signficant 1200 tonne reduction of consumption of carbon dioxide. Overall this would reduce the New England Institute of TAFE’s carbon footprint by a massive 38%,” Mr Callaghan explained.
Mr Callaghan also referred to changes in training conducted by the Institute. “Environmental awareness and practices are being introduced in our educational programs as industry demands improved outcomes in this area. We aim to be a leader in environmental sustainability efforts of the New England and North West region.”
July 2009
AusIndustry’s Regional Manager for Northern and Central NSW, Tim Cotter has announced the establishment of what he described as an exciting new opportunity for the region’s businesses. The Northern Inland Sustainable Business Network (NISBN) aims to provide an unprecedented level of connectivity between local businesses. The network will provide businesses of all styles and sizes access to key Federal and State Government departments and agencies, delivering access to support, resources and potential funding and incentives.
“My role with AusIndustry is to try to find businesses who can access Government assistance or incentives. I am currently looking at a series of programs with funding opportunities totalling $240 million,” Mr. Cotter said. “Trying to cover the New England North West, to find businesses that can access this support has proven to be extremely difficult. So, my intention is to collaborate with other State and Federal agencies to create a central point, where businesses can access the types of funding, grants, resources and the latest sustainability information available to them.”
“The Northern Inland Sustainable Business Network (NISBN) has been formed in order to build a central resource of information for businesses in these trying times. It is about helping them to help themselves become more sustainable operations, both environmentally and financially,” Mr. Cotter said.
With a business network, there is strength in numbers and Mr. Cotter is urging all businesses in the region to join the network, via a membership form at www.nisbn.org.au. To build momentum, membership for the current financial year is completely free for businesses. “This is a network for all businesses, from a small business, a florist, a takeaway shop, right through to manufacturing and larger employer operations, such as abattoirs and health providers.”
The collaborating organisations behind NISBN will host a series of major regional business networking events, seminars and workshops. “We’ll be not only informing but also educating businesses on the importance of sustainable business practices,” he said.
The first NISBN event will be a free business forum from 1pm to 4pm in the Armidale Town Hall, run in conjunction with the Sustainable Living Expo on Friday 25th September. The Sustainable Business Forum will be presented in partnership with AusIndustry, Industry & Investment NSW, the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water, Country Energy, Regenesis and TAFE NSW - New England Institute. Please register for this event by Wednesday 23rd September here.
“A variety of educational and informative speakers will be giving presentations to local business people about their options for sustainability. The keynote speaker will be founder of VIM Sustainability, Mr. John Brodie, who has been a sustainability consulting and construction professional since the 1970’s. We’ll bring together a wealth of information about the sorts of grants, subsidies and potentially the sorts of off-setting options that Northern Inland NSW businesses may be eligible for,” Mr. Cotter said.
“Through the Northern Inland Sustainable Business Network, we are looking to help businesses to set themselves up as a more sustainable business. So, we want them to look at where they can save on energy costs, save water, and so on. We’re really looking for them to have environmental and economic benefits from NISBN,” he said.
August 2009
