Our environmental performance

Government buildings energy management

The EPA is required to report its performance against South Australia’s Strategic Plan Target 61: Energy efficiency—Government Buildings, and key aspects of the Government Buildings Energy Strategy.

Table 36—Performance against annual energy use targets, EPA office location

Significant energy management achievements

The rationalisation of EPA accommodation, the main source of energy consumption, was finalised in October 2009 with the completion of the radiation laboratory fit-out in leased premises within the city. The centralisation of staff into 250 Victoria Square, a six-star building with a 5-star fit-out, resulted in a marked reduction in energy consumed for office accommodation, which has since been maintained.

Other achievements against the Government Buildings Energy Strategy

One of the EPA’s environmental goals is for ‘the sustainable use of resources reducing costs to business and environmental impacts by promoting the efficient use of resources and waste minimisation’. In support of this concept within the office environment at 250 Victoria Square, all waste management and recycling is managed in partnership with the lessor’s building management. Containers for all waste are provided within utility rooms and kitchens, and are collected regularly by cleaning staff, with quantities and contents recycled recorded where possible. Streams of waste collected include:

• co-mingled recyclable waste
• organic food waste
• white paper and confidential paper destruction
• general dry waste
• batteries.

Toner cartridges from photocopying machines and printers, and light bulbs and tubes are also collected and recycled. As a means of encouraging staff to consider recycling and appropriate disposal of waste, only paper recycling bins are provided at work stations.

Greening of government operations (Sustainability@Work)

The EPA continues to demonstrate a leadership role in bestpractice environmentally sustainable behaviour in the workplace to other businesses and communities in the state.

The EPA’s internal program, Sustainability@Work (S@W), has been running for five years with the commitment of volunteers who explore options on behalf of staff to reduce their environmental footprint through identifying, implementing and reviewing practices to ensure sustainable workplace culture in the EPA.

Key achievements for 2013–14 include:

• World Environment Day 2014 celebration with the launch of the EPA herb garden and sustainability fare, and almost $200 raised from the sale of home produce. The message of the day was ‘everyone everywhere can be climate champions’.
• Plastic Free July aimed at raising awareness of the amount of plastic used in day-to-day life and encouraging people to eliminate wastage of single-use plastic.
• Green travel promoted through registration and participation in the Adelaide Carpool, a free online service to encourage shared private vehicle travel and reduce the carbon footprint of travelling to and from work.
• Rechargeable battery initiative, which is growing each year with staff reducing their use of nonrechargeable batteries. Nonrechargeable batteries are collected, and 39 kilograms of these were recycled in the past year.
• Funds raised for Freedom Hill Sanctuary as part of World Animal Day on 4 October 2013.
• Breakfast for National Walk to Work Day on 8 November 2013 and tips for being more active and reducing the carbon footprint from EPA commuter travel.
• Launch of Ice Shelf in December 2013 for the exchange of useful materials and stocked with reusable items to share, such as shopping bags, books and magazines, excess homegrown produce and fairtrade products.
• Annual Sustainability@Work Tour Down Under breakfast held on 22 January 2014, in support of the EPA BUPA Challenge Tour team and to promote recreational and commuter cycling.
• Continuation of the container deposit collection scheme with around 5 000 bottles and cans recycled this year and monies donated to environmental programs throughout South Australia.