"Walking the Talk"

Organisations and Institutions increasingly recognise that managing their operations sustainably generates environmental benefits and financial savings. A number of RCE partners are currently using sustainable practices in a range of different areas

Sustainable Buildings and Operations

Hawkesbury Earthcare Centre

Hawkesbury EarthCare Centre is an exemplar in sustainable living. The building sits at an rather odd angle to the road and other buildings on campus, as it is orientated to face true North. This positioning is important for the passive solar principle.

The building includes mud bricks, rammed earth external walls, and a timber frame on a concrete slab to reduce energy consumption. Windows and doors are specially positioned and designed for heating and cooling. The building uses rain water collected in a number of tanks for use in the building and building grounds. Wind turbines help power the centre, along with solar panels systems. Vegetation surrounding the building includes native Cumberland Plain bush, as well as keyhole gardens for small scale crop production.

For more information, please see the Hawkesbury EarthCare Centre (opens in a new window) website.

Penrith Business Alliance

Penrith Business Alliance (opens in a new window) promotes sustainable business growth in the local region. The Penrith Business Alliance is increasing jobs within the Penrith community, the economic sustainability of the region, reduces the amount of daily travel for local residents and encourages the use of local public transport.

TAFE Western Sydney Institute Green Skills Hub

WSI TAFE Green Skills Hub (opens in a new window) offers a hub for training in sustainable practices and modern innovationsurrounding the emerging green collar industry. Courses and training include green electrical engineering, refrigeration, plumbing and information technology.

Take a virtual tour of the Green Skills Hub (opens in a new window).

University of Western Sydney

UWS Cleaners use environmentally preferable cleaning products from Enzyme Wizard. These products are sourced from natural plant based enzyme, are 100% biodegradable, contain no chemicals or soaps but still give a powerful, safe clean.

UWS Connect

Following the establishment of a Sustainability Committee, an opportunity arose for UWS Connect (opens in a new window) to link with the University’s Office of Sustainability to jointly raise the profile of sustainability at UWS and encourage a shift towards a greener environment. This led to naming August “Sustainability Month” (opens in a new window).

GreeningUWS was launched by Federal MP David Bradbury and Professor Geoff Scott, UWS Executive Director, Sustainability, at Connect Central, Kingswood Campus and simultaneously rolled out across all campuses. The launch highlighted an ever-increasing range of “green” or “sustainable” items offered within uwsconnect outlets - to date over 90 products. These include such as diaries, pens, pencils, cups and lecture pads. uws connect also sell a number of fair trade, rain forest alliance and halal chocolate products in their cafeterias.

Hawkesbury City Council

Hawkesbury City Council (opens in a new window) has developed a Sustainable Events Management Policy, supported by an Action Plan and Guide to encourage the sustainable planning and management of events in the Hawkesbury area.

The guide was produced to assist event organisers of the Hawkesbury to be as sustainable as possible. It is the ‘how-to’ implementation guide, providing hands on tips and checklist to help any event organiser in the area.

While this guide is not mandatory, it will help all event organisers to understand their obligations and responsibilities in the planning and delivery of safe, socially responsible and ecologically sensitive events, thereby maximising the positive environmental, social and economic legacies of events held in the Hawkesbury.

The Hawkesbury City Council’s Sustainable Events Management Action Plan and Guide (opens in a new window) is available for free to all event organisers and community groups. 

Water Conservation

Penrith City Council

Penrith City Council (opens in a new window) has improved their water efficiency by installing a number of rainwater tanksat Council location, such as the depot, swimming centres and a range of community buildings and childcare centres. This rainwater can be used to wash down surfaces and in gardens, saving copious amounts of drinking water annually.

University of Western Sydney

Hawkesbury City Council

The South Windsor Effluent Reuse Scheme (opens in a new window) is now pumping recycled water back to our parks and dramatically reducing the nitrogen and phosphorous levels being discharged into the Hawkesbury River.

TAFE South Western Sydney Institute

Energy Efficiency

TAFE Western Sydney Institute

TAFE Western Sydney Institute (WSI) (opens in a new window) has installed a number of solar systems across the institutes,providing them with renewable energy for power. They are expected to generate 140 megawatts of green energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Parramatta Climate Network

Parramatta Climate Network (opens in a new window) takes action and information to create opportunities to achieve sustainability. The group is pushing for a drastic increase of renewable energy sources used in Australia, with a particular focus for solar energy.

TAFE South Western Sydney Institute

TAFE South Western Sydney Institute (opens in a new window) (SWSI) has replaced T12 lights with energy efficient T5 lighting at two colleges with more to come and training around 350 staff in a nationally accredited unit in environmentally sustainable work practices as part of their staff induction.

University of Western Sydney

Hawkesbury City Council

Waste and Recycling

University of Western Sydney 

UWS comingled recycling rates increased 39% between 2010 and 2011, thanks to the Green Office Program and Student Residence recycling initiative. There are many benefits to recycling over landfill disposal. Recycling enables these materials tobe reused, thus reducing the need for new virgin materials to be manufactured. Between 2010 and 2011 waste to landfill at  UWS decreased by 34% per equivalent full time student load.

The savings generated by UWS are equivalent to:

• removing the greenhouse gases of 7 cars;
• saving the annual electricity requirements of 50 households; and
• saving enough water to fill 18 average backyard swimming pools.

(Source: DECCW 2006 Benefits of Recycling Calculator)

Since we commenced the Green Office Program in 2009 UWS has seen an increase in comingle recycling by over 300% and 134% in paper recycling. As a result of our increased recycling efforts UWS has seen a 54% decrease the general waste to landfill.The savings have been $1,120,000 per annum since.

Collectively UWS staffs have:

• Reduce the number of garbage bags to landfill which total 3,300 per day
• Reduce the amount of paper waste and food containers being disposed of into general waste desk bins - increasing recycling rates
• Saved on cleaning costs, totalling $1,150 per day

For more information, please see recycling and waste (opens in a new window) at UWS

Hawkesbury City Council

Hawkesbury City Council has launched a new look garbage truck which has been updated with a new red design and strong a message to clearly demonstrate what’s in people’s bins, and how they can make a difference.

The new truck was painted the same red as the rubbish bin lids to correspond with the Australian Standards for household rubbish bins. Labelled the “Redback“ truck,  it is hoped that the messages displayed on the truck will highlight the opportunities that exist for people to become better recyclers and therefore send less waste to landfills.