Getting green in our office

I attended a VECCI Business Leaders lunch Friday a week ago where the guest speaker was from Sustainability Victoria talking generally on sustainability.

Of particular interest was the Grow Me The Money www.growmethemoney.com.au program which VECCI runs in conjunction with the EPA. Grow Me The Money is a free program open to all Victorian businesses interested in reducing resource consumption, improving environmental sustainability and saving money in the process.

Julie is currently investigating this program and most likely will sign us up for it.

Other points of interest from the lunch were 10 simple steps to consider to become a more sustainable business:

1. Good housekeeping (eg. turn off lights)
2. Improve lighting
3. Reduce water use
4. Upgrade heating and ventilation
5. Cars
6. Choose energy efficient equipment
7. Reduce waste
8. Rent sustainable office space
9. Invest in employees
10. Green power

The speaker also recommended you take steps to assess the climate change risk on your own business. This is to include suppliers, logistics, insurances, markets, business models - basically to make your business future proof.

He cited one example of how climate change is already impacting on Victorian tourism businesses - in Europe, they are advertising "don't fly longhaul, travel at home" to boost their local tourism plus also reduce longhaul flights to minimise climate change effects - that is, flights to Australia.

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Submitted by Paul Ramsbottom on 5 June 2007 - 12:48am
We have our first tree!
Submitted by Paul Ramsbottom on 5 June 2007 - 4:31pm

Julie has submitted our initial application to the Grow Me The Money program. Here is our first communication back from them. We have our first tree!

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Congratulations on completing your Questionnaire! The Grow Me The Money team would like to thank you for your participation in the program, and to let you know what happens next!

WHAT'S NEXT?

Having recently completed your Questionnaire, ASI AP now has a total of 5000 points. According to our records, this means that ASI AP has just been awarded its first tree in the Grow Me The Money forest! In addition to your first tree, these points also allow you up to an hour of phone support with a consultant from the Skills Bank.

In order to use this time most effectively, the Grow Me The Money team recommends that you complete the Areas of Interest table and then begin the workplace assessments for water, energy and waste usage outlined in your Activities Centre (located in "My HQ" on the GMTM website).

Understanding your business's ecological footprint is the first step to improving your resource efficiency AND your bottom line!

And once you have completed some of these activities, we'll help you develop an action plan outlining ways to improve your resource efficiency. By doing so you will also earn more reward points! These points can also be exchanged for rewards and recognition from Grow Me The Money - some examples of the rewards available when you earn points include membership in the Silver, Gold or Platinum Clubs, access to our skills bank and expert on-site consultations. For more information regarding points, our Clubs and more, please log in to your profile on our website and go to the following page: http://www.growmethemoney.com.au/RecognitionProgram

As an extra reward for you and for the environment, Grow Me The Money will also plant another tree in the Grow Me The Money forest for every 5000 points you earn!

WE'RE HERE TO HELP AS MUCH AS WE CAN!

We know that any business trying to improve its environmental impact will have questions and we also know that not all businesses face the same challenges. So in addition to the information on our website, Grow Me The Money provides all registered participants with access to our free call Helpdesk number on 1800 309 650, which is open Mon-Fri 8am-8pm and staffed with friendly team members who are happy to help you out with any query big or small whenever you need them! If you would prefer to contact us via email then please use the following address: helpdesk@growmethemoney.com.au

Finally, may we thank you again for joining the Grow Me The Money program and we look forward to working together with your business to help you save some money and the environment!

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