Quotes and case studies

• Maude Macon, Project Officer, Ocean View Childcare Centre
  • “As an organisation focused on children and families, we care for future generations. It is essential to embed our environmental responsibility in our practices. As a not-for-profit organisation our resources are limited. We are very grateful that the Tasmanian Climate Change Office provided us with a Power$mart Businesses Grant. Thanks to their support we worked with Sustainable Living Tasmania (SLT) to undertake an energy audit at Ocean View Child Care Centre in Blackmans Bay. SLT gave us a detailed analysis of the centre’s energy use and recommendations to reduce energy use and associated costs, including information on grants available to implement the recommendations. We are now about to install a 10kw Solar Panel System with a Business Grant from the Australian Government. The Power$mart Businesses program allowed us to make essential changes to make a positive environmental impact in our organisation.”
• Dana Chorley, Marketing & HR, Stronach Timber Industries
  • “Stronach Timber Industries are passionately proud to be part of an industry that uses renewable resources and sustainable practices. Using energy more efficiently aligns with these values, which is one of the reasons we applied for an energy efficiency audit grant through the Power$mart Businesses program. Energy auditors Energy ROI, who like us are based in northern Tasmania, conducted the energy efficiency audit and this has had a significant impact on our business. The auditors analysed our existing electricity tariff, provided advice to check for leaks in the compressed air system, assessed the efficiency of equipment and fittings such as extraction fans, three phase induction motors, lighting and even the cold drinks vending machine. They also assessed the suitability of installing solar PV on the roof of the main shed. We have put all of the audit report findings into an implementation plan and some of the low cost ones we implemented straight away. We have applied for a grant to upgrade the lighting and the extraction fans and have included the solar PV project in next year’s budget. We are looking forward to seeing the energy savings once all the projects have been completed.”
• Will Oakley, Community Manager, RACT
  • “RACT was pleased to partner with the Tasmanian Government and the City of Hobart to deliver Tasmania’s first driverless electric bus demonstration. The demonstration provided a valuable opportunity to explore how the technology could be used in the State and helped raise community awareness and understanding of the exciting opportunities this quiet and emission-free technology offers.”
• Clive Attwater, Electric Highway Tasmania
  • “The Tasmanian Government’s ChargeSmart Grants Program has enabled the rapid development of a statewide electric vehicle charging network in Tasmania with the best statewide coverage in Australia. We’re proud to be installing six fast charging stations through the Program, filling the gaps in regional areas to meet charging needs across the State.”

CASE STUDY - Business Resource Efficiency Program

Resource efficiency is about doing more with less; creating more value with less impact. For businesses, focusing on resource efficiency means limiting their use of materials and reducing waste. It can also help businesses save money.

The Tasmanian Government’s Business Resource Efficiency Program (BREP) was a 12-month program designed to help small to medium-sized businesses in Tasmania divert waste from landfill and improve resource efficiency across business supply chains. Eleven Tasmanian businesses participated in BREP in 2018 and 2019.

Participating businesses: Nichols Poultry, Bridestowe Lavender Estate, Botanical Resources Australia, Jinglers Creek Vineyard, Red Brick Road Cider, TasTAFE Drysdale North, ThinkBig Printing, CPT Engineering, Penguin Composites, Direct Edge Manufacturing, and pitt&sherry.

The project reached a wider audience through a seminar series, site visits, and during the project activities undertaken at each company.

BREP was managed by the Tasmanian Climate Change Office and delivered by Business Action Learning Tasmania (BALT) across North and North-West Tasmania.

What was the program?

Participating business took part in:

• a comprehensive waste audit,
• a series of workshops, and
• an action learning phase, where participants worked collaboratively to design, problem solve and implement resource efficiency projects for their business.

The resource efficiency programs implemented throughout the project included:

• a trial of drones at a vineyard to deter birds and replace plastic netting;
• installation of on-site composting equipment to reduce waste to landfill;
• recycling programs implemented across facilities; and
• waste streams transformed into high value products.

What were the results?

BREP participants reported:

• less use of resources and smaller waste streams;
• productivity gains and smaller operating costs; and
• practical and tailored information to improve business resource efficiency.

Feature: Bridestowe Lavender Estate

• The original project aim was to reduce food waste, but the program highlighted that primary packaging was a bigger problem for the business.
• Staff learnt to look at waste streams and work backwards up the supply chain.
• Implemented processes for sorting and monitoring waste streams, replaced an oven to eliminate the bulk of food waste from the café, and installed a cardboard perforator to reuse almost all cardboard on site as a substitute for plastic bubble wrap.
• “I had really good engagement from staff. Everyone wanted to be part of the solution.” Anna Robertson, General Manager.

Feature: Red Brick Road Ciderworks

• Aimed to convert waste cider from spill trays into new products.
• Worked to get the whole team on-board to collect cider waste.
• Undertook new product development.
• Resulted in the commercialisation of two new products through their ReGINeration project: Gin Garden Cider and Ginposter Zero Alcohol Gin.

What can you do?

Online resources are now available to help businesses understand their resource use and waste streams, and design and implement resource efficiency improvements, and include:

• videos
• case studies
• fact sheets
• links to templates

The resources are available on the Tasmanian Climate Change office website, and more information is also available on the Business Action Learning Tasmania website.

Participant feedback

• “…we can all improve on what we are doing.”
• “The benefits are a mix of values in the practical and intangible sense.”
• “...a few small changes really do add up and can have a very big long-term effect.”
• “This process has opened my eyes.”
• “I learnt that there are opportunities to improve things that have not been thought of previously.”

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