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Ecologically Sustainable Development and environmental performance
In 2005–06, the Department continued its commitment to ecologically sustainable development and environmental performance. The following initiatives in the Department's environment policy are aimed at minimising the effect that its daily activities have on the environment.
The initiatives include:
- reusing and recycling waste and materials consumed by its activities;
- complying with relevant legislation, Government initiatives and policies;
- effectively communicating environmental responsibilities, initiatives and programs;
- encouraging participation and promoting awareness of environmental opportunities in the workplace; and
- applying the principles of ecologically sustainable development to capital works projects.
Specific initiatives undertaken during the year to assist in this aim included:
- implementation of mobile phone recycling through 'Mobile Muster', the mobile phone industry's official recycler;
- implementation of ethanol fuel guidelines to promote the use of E10 fuel in the Department's vehicle fleet;
- registration of the Department's vehicle fleet with 'Greenfleet' to offset greenhouse gas emissions; and
- an increase in green energy usage from five per cent to eight per cent.
These initiatives have allowed the Department to move closer to accreditation, which is expected in December 2006, and further improve the Department's Environmental Management System (EMS).
Monitoring of the EMS continued to be a focus during the year through:
- a review the Department's EMS documentation by Coffee Environments Pty Ltd to ensure it is maintained in accordance with the revised international standard ISO 140001:2004; and
- energy consumption monitoring through the Department of Environment and Heritage EDGAR online reporting system.