The content on this page and other DCITA document archive pages is provided to assist research and may contain references to activities or policies that have no current application. See the full archive disclaimer.

Appendix 6 - Ecologically sustainable development and environmental performance

Core Department

The Department continues to monitor energy usage and costs and report this information to Environment Australia on an annual basis. Through ongoing advice and assistance from the Australian Greenhouse Office, the Department aims to increase its use of 'green energy' at all sites.

In accordance with the Environment Management Plan, the Department remains proactive with its recycling program, which includes the recycling of cardboard, paper, aluminium cans and used toner cartridges. During the 2001-02 financial year, the Department entered into a new electricity supply contract with ACTEW-AGL arranged by the Australian Greenhouse Office for three years and using up to eight per cent green energy.

The Department ensures all newly constructed or substantially refurbished commercial buildings where it is the majority lessee meet Commonwealth building energy use guidelines. New leases entered into include the requirement that the lessors are responsible for the installation of separate metering for tenant lighting and power and where feasible central services are attributed on a user pay system. Additionally, lessors are requested to demonstrate their environmental and energy management programs and practices.

The Department's core building located at 38 Sydney Avenue has in the last two years been surrounded by two substantial construction sites, and the Department has been monitoring the use of silt traps and other environmental abatement controls. As a result of the new building works the cooling towers are also monitored on a monthly basis.

Overall energy usage decreased as a result of a slight decrease in staff numbers. While the Department maintains good environmental practices, no major changes to its program were introduced during 2002-03.

Details of the Department's energy usage can be found in Table 13.

Building	Energy Use Kwh	GJ	Number of occupants	Area (m2)	MJ per occupante	MJ per m2
38 Sydney Ave, Canberra	1,267,842	4,564	501	8,975	9,110	509
Old Parliament House, Canberra	3,251,459	11,705	73	25,000	160,346	468
28 National Circuit, Canberra	71,279	257	31	771	8,278	333
122-124 Gladstone St, Canberra	15,498	56	0	563	N/A	99
39 Brisbane Ave, Canberra	49,843	179	29	911	6,187	197
50C Rosebery Ave, Sydney	92,905	334	12	900	27,872	372
TOTAL 2002-03	4,748,826	17,096	646	37,120	26,464	461
TOTAL 2001-02	4,681,824	17,734	657	35,309	26,992	502
TOTAL 2000-01	4,418,696	25,792	701	35,309	36,793	730

 

NOTES:

ScreenSound Australia

ScreenSound Australia has integrated environmental management practices and principles within its daily functional activities. It has developed specific programs and policies for the monitoring, recovery and recycling of environmental resources in the following ways:

• recycling of paper, cardboard, Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) and glass products;
• recycling and/or environmentally friendly disposal of chemical wastes in accordance with local and state environmental protection regulations;
• regularly monitoring international best practice in chemical and environmental management, for example, the replacement of ozone depleting substances within specialist environmental control equipment;
• energy consumption auditing of all properties and the implementation of recommendations for the reduction of energy use and associated greenhouse gas production; and
• adoption of 'green' purchasing practices as appropriate.

ScreenSound Australia strives to maintain a flexible approach to the ongoing management of the impact of its daily operations on the natural environment.

Table 14: ScreenSound Australia's energy use and greenhouse gas emissions

Building	Energy Use Kwh	GJ	Number of occupants	Area (m2)	MJ per occupant	MJ per m2
McCoy Circuit, Acton (1)	1,904,058	4,080,772	194	56,368	8,694	1,258
6-8 Baillieu Court (2)	560,607	0	0	n/a	1,718	1,175
10-12 Baillieu Court (3)	40,058	0	14	10,301	1,350	107
Unit 6, 160 Lysaght Street (4)	171,760	1,837,021	0	n/a	960	2,558
16 Vicars Street (5)	200,714	0	0	n/a	225	3,211
170 Clarendon Street, Melbourne (6)	27,462	0	9	10,985	424	233
223 Park Street South Melbourne (7)	13,830	0	9	5,532	279	178
Tenant 1a Building 61-
Fox Studios, Sydney	16,140	0	8	7,263	262	222
Total 2002-03	2,934,629	5,917,793	225	73,255	13,912	1,185
Total 2001-02	2,934,741	5,194,285	233	67,637	13,969	1,128
Total 2000-01	2,806,225	5,673,473	240	65,733	13,488	1,170

NOTE:

Questacon

Questacon has furthered its commitment to environmental sustainability during this reporting period through the following measures:

• Green Power-Questacon has recently increased the percentage of green power consumption to 15 per cent as part of our ongoing efforts to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions produced by Questacon operations. This makes Questacon a market leader in the use of sustainable resources within Commonwealth operations in the ACT.
• Energy Management-Questacon has tendered the services of an energy monitoring company responsible to audit all areas of energy usage throughout the Centre in an effort to identify possible reductions in CO2 emissions as a result of Questacon operations. Operating procedures have also been improved to utilise security staff to shutdown systems and services on closure of the building each night.
• Environmental Management System (EMS)-Questacon has tendered an Environmental Management Consultancy Group to formulate the Centre's EMS that will be certified to International Quality Standard 14002.
• Recycling Systems-Questacon has further improved its recycling services, extending the program into all public and staff areas of the Centre. The amount of recycled paper products has increased by 50 per cent as a direct result of this expansion.

Table 15: Questacon's energy use and greenhouse gas emissions

Building	Energy Use Kwh	GJ	Number of occupants	Area (m2)	MJ per occupant	MJ per m2
King Edward Terrace, Canberra	1,862,774	2,192,581	9,050	1,895,484	10,500	847
Total 2002-03	1,862,774	2,192,581	9,050	1,895,484	10,500	847
Total 2001-02	2,020,096	3,421,679	10,858	2,240,416	10,500	1,018

Document ID: 12444 | Last modified: 6 February 2008, 9:43am