Sustainability in the Workplace

Written by Network member: Michele Matthews, Australian Conservation Foundation

The Australian Conservation Foundation’s GreenHome program is a community education program which was developed in 2004 to deliver sustainable living programs in New South Wales. In 2007, due to its success, it was extended to operate in Victoria. It is currently funded by the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) Victoria and Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW) NSW. The GreenHome program aims to help achieve reductions in resource use and encourage sustainable patterns of production and consumption. It focuses on individual action and sustainable lifestyle choices. Beginning initially as a residential program, it has now expanded its target to include offices and workplaces.

The program involves a series of community workshops and events, as well as web-based tools which focus on what people can do in their own homes and offices to help the environment and lower resource use.

There are two ACF GreenHome programs for business.  Firstly the ACF GreenHome Workshop Series inspires individual action and supports workplace environmental initiatives. The programs are tailored accordingly by factoring in the current level of knowledge and awareness of staff and the companies relevant sustainable policies and existing community and environment programs. This increases capacity in the workplace to operate in an environmentally sustainable manner. 

Secondly, ACF GreenHome delivers a Leaders Program that focuses on developing skills for organizational leaders to facilitate change. The training teaches staff leaders to include facilitation and understand the benefits of group discussion to enable support for sustainability actions.

All ACF GreenHome programs incorporate consultation and engagement approaches to ensure that relevant networks are involved in program design and promotion. Participant support following program delivery is integral. A rigorous evaluation process is also undertaken.

Over the last six years, ACF GreenHome has worked with over 7,500 people in 40 programs in NSW and Victoria. There have been substantial savings in resources at all of the companies GreenHome has worked with. Additionally, according to the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), companies which embed sustainability practices into their business increases profitability up to 38%. 

Westpac Case Study

In 2007 Westpac Banking Corporation approached ACF GreenHome to provide their staff with a platform to discuss environmental sustainability issues and devise solutions reduce the businesses footprint.

GreenHome worked with over 160 Westpac staff at Westpac’s call centre in Concord and their head offices in Sydney. The ACF GreenHome team delivered workshops on efficiency of water and energy, as well as impacts of general consumption. Specifically for this program they developed presentations, organised relevant key speakers, demonstrations and hand-outs. 

With senior level support, employees were granted time out of work to attend the workshops held in the workplace. This senior level support meant staff felt supported to attend and to champion sustainability values.

From this project, resource savings at Westpac’s call centre in Concord and their head offices in Sydney resulted in the following:

• 66% reduction in water use
• 39% reduction in CO₂-e emissions
• 17% reduction in waste produced.

An evaluation of the project showed an increase in staff interest and understanding in environmental issues. It also increased knowledge in strategies to minimise resource use would apply in the workplace. The discussions following the GreenHome workshops alleviated some confusion for staff around workplace sustainability initiatives such as office recycling.

Following this trial, Westpac and ACF GreenHome have agreed on a longer-term partnership that will engage a wider community. This will include working with Westpac customers and stakeholders in an attempt to build strong relationships between business and environmental sustainability.