Register for Queenstown’s Sustainable Business Programme
June 15, 2009 by rosie
Filed under Healthy Business
Registrations are now open for the second intake of Queenstown’s Sustainable Business programme, which will kick off with a three-hour workshop on 17 June.
Several “big hitters” have signed up for the next programme, including Lakes Property Services and Pinewood Lodge.
First intake businesses have found great value in the programme and encourage other businesses to get involved as soon as possible.
Mark Rose, the Chief Executive of The Rees Hotel & Luxury Apartments, described the process as “invaluable” to his team on a number of levels.
“Through this programme we have been able to identify ways in which we can operate more efficiently and sustainably. It has also enabled us to think more clearly as a team about where we want to position our business, what our long term goals are and has shown us that sustainable practice is intrinsically tied to the general wellbeing of our business and those that operate it.”
Longtime local Tim Barke, General Manager of Kiwi Discovery & Queenstown Rafting says it was rewarding to be part of a programme that encouraged and valued participant input as well as providing guidance.
“The Sustainable Business Programme has helped us focus on the areas of our businesses that can enhance our own sustainability as well as that of our community and environment.”
Skyline Gondola, Restaurant and Luge manager Blair Deasy encourages Queenstown businesses to get involved.
“I was quietly surprised at what we have achieved in such a short time. We set up the Skyline Green Committee over 18 months ago but it was hard for staff to make inroads while keeping up with their own day to day responsibilities. The Queenstown Sustainable Business Programme has helped us prioritise and manage our sustainable action lists and identified areas that can benefit greatly from change. It has also shown us that it’s about much more than recycling. It’s been positive all round for us.”
Sustainable Tourism Advisor Sharon Schindler says there are a few remaining places for the mid June intake.
“We have a maximum of 12 places available at heavily subsidised rates and expect these to fill quite quickly so I do recommend businesses interested in taking part in the late June intake get in touch as soon as possible.”
The fee structure for participating businesses starts at $150 plus GST for businesses with 1-2 full time employees and ranges to $1000 for those with more than 50 full time employees.
Registrations are now open for the third programme intake in October.
For more information visit www.otagopolytechnic.ac.nz and click on the box “Central Otago – our Central Otago campus”.
For further information please contact:
Sharon Schindler
Sustainable Tourism Advisor
Email: sschindler@tekotago.ac.nz
Phone: 021 989 347Subsidised by the Ministry of Tourism, the Queenstown Sustainable Business Programme aims to encourage Queenstown businesses of all sizes to become more sustainable in terms of environment, social responsibilities and financial viability. The Sustainable Business Programme is delivered by Otago Polytech’s Centre for Sustainable Practice in collaboration with partners Destination Queenstown, Queenstown Lakes District Council, Ministry of Tourism, and the Queenstown Chamber of Commerce.
The programme is led by Queenstown’s Sustainable Tourism Advisor Sharon Schindler and well-known sustainable practice expert Steve Henry, who heads the Centre for Sustainable Practice.
‘Get Real’ National Plastic Bag Campaign Launched
April 9, 2009 by rosie
Filed under News, Sustainable Living
As many of you know I have been working locally on plastic bag reduction for a few years and in this time Wanaka has embraced the change with 40% of shoppers saying no to plastic bags. However our efforts here could be extended to inspired change on a national level.
I have been working with Wanaka Wastebusters on a National GetReal Plastic Bag campaign which we launched last week.
We are lobbying strongly for the major NZ retailers Progressive (Foodtown, Woolworths and Countdown) and Foodstuffs (New World, Pak n Save, 4Square) to stop giving away plastic bags for free. By charging a small amount for plastic bags countries such as Ireland and Taiwan have achieved 80% reduction in plastic bags in 3 months. Even The Warehouse is following this lead and will start charging from 20th April this year.
In our first week we have grabbed the attention of national media and even John Key has made a statement on the issue.
Now what we need is your support. Do you want supermarkets to stop giving away plastic bags for free? Then I urge you to log onto the site and spend 5 minutes online to join our campaign.
If you have friends or family who also take an interest in environmental issues please pass on the link to the site so they can join us too. The more support we have, the more likely we are to have a good outcome on reducing plastic bag usage and the ability to go on and build a series of effective campaigns around packaging issues.
This is important and will lead the way to much greater change on the packaging front. We hope that you will add your voice of concern at www.getreal.org.nz
Queenstown Tourism Operators Sign Up For Sustainable Business Practice
February 19, 2009 by rosie
Filed under Healthy Business, Sustainable Living
Some of Queenstown’s top tourism businesses are leading the way to a more sustainable future by signing up for the district’s first ever Sustainable Business programme.
NZ Ski, Skyline Gondola, Restaurant & Luge, Dart River Jet Safaris, Kawarau Jet, Kingsgate Hotel Terraces, Copthorne Hotel, Millennium Hotel, Kiwi Discovery & Queenstown Rafting, Nomad Safaris, Southern PR, Fluid Visual Communications, and The Rees Hotel & Luxury Apartments will start their longterm sustainable practice commitment on 17 February with a three-hour workshop. Further workshops, action planning and one-to-one work with a qualified adviser will follow.
The Government-subsidised programme aims to encourage Queenstown businesses of all sizes to become more sustainable in terms of environment, social responsibilities and financial viability. The Sustainable Business Programme is to be delivered by Otago Polytech’s Centre for Sustainable Practice in collaboration with partners Destination Queenstown, Queenstown Lakes District Council, Ministry of Tourism, and the Queenstown Chamber of Commerce.
Queenstown’s Sustainable Tourism Advisor Sharon Schindler and well-known sustainable practice expert Steve Henry, who heads the Centre for Sustainable Practice, will lead the programme.
Ms Schindler says the programme is designed to support organisations as they work towards sustainable practice with a strategic, future-focused approach.
“We’ll provide general managers, CEOs, business owners and senior managers with the advice and skills they need to evaluate, implement and manage sustainable practice from the top down in their businesses.
“Each business will benefit from access to expertise across a range of business disciplines. All attendees will receive a tailormade solution and action plan to follow which includes how to reduce costs on waste, water, power and maintenance, reduce waste, and assist with achieving or upgrading Qualmark certifications and Enviro-ratings.
“The benefits for businesses are huge. Efficiencies will reduce costs, tight focus will reveal weak points and, in the end businesses will have a real point of difference that could offer competitive advantage in the market. Our vision is for every business in Queenstown to complete the programme,” says Ms Schindler.
Mr Henry, of the Centre for Sustainable Practice, says sustainable practice has become integral to long term business success, particularly in the tourism industry.
“Businesses will be at risk if they don’t head down the track of sustainable practice. The expectation of meeting the needs of the more discerning, environmentally aware visitor is increasing around the world.
“Our Ministries of Tourism and the Environment have set a clear direction for New Zealand’s sustainable future. These Sustainable Business programmes aim to improve the overall operation of the business community, bring local tourism businesses into line as per the Tourism Strategy 2015 and provide regionwide economic, social and environmental benefits.”
Author: The release was issued by Otago Ploytechnic. For more information visit www.otagopolytechnic.ac.nz and click on “Changing our Ways, Sustainable Practice”.
The fee structure for participating businesses starts at $150 plus GST for businesses with 1-2 full time employees and ranges to $1000 for those with more than 50 full time employees.
Registrations are now open for the second and third programme intakes in June and October.
Build Green: Eco-friendly Insulation & Energy Saving Heating
December 6, 2008 by rosie
Filed under Sustainable Living
New Zealand homes have historically been extremely inefficient: 30 years after insulation became mandatory, around 350,000 homes are poorly insulated or have no insulation at all. Many of those are in the Queenstown Lakes District, where many houses were built for summer use only but are now lived in year round.
In addition to the insulation problem, the cost of energy to households has risen in real terms by 16% since 1995. Owners of thermally inefficient homes are paying more year-on-year to heat their homes or are accepting inadequate levels of heating to keep the cost down.
At Alexa Forbes’ house in Frankton, there are many examples of energy efficient measures that have made their old villa more comfortable, liveable and cheaper to run. Alexa and her partner, Sean Drader, have spent the last five years adapting the old house, including removing internal walls to make an open living room, adding large windows to the north facing side of the house, retrofitting insulation in the ceiling and floor, installing solar water heating, a heat recovery ventilation system and thermal blinds.
However, some parts of the house are still very cold in winter and Alexa called me for advice on how to improve it further. The ‘Eco Design Advisor’ scheme, which I provide through Sustainable Wanaka, is a free service for homeowners, designers and builders wanting advice on any aspect of sustainable building: healthy materials, passive solar design, energy and water efficiency, renewable energy and landscaping, to name a few of the main issues.
Alexa and Sean converted six small rooms into one on the north side of the house and opened up the entire north wall to the sun. They laid a stone floor in the two-metres adjacent to the glazing (using stone from Dunstan). This ‘thermal mass’ absorbs the sun’s heat and, although it doesn’t feel warm, it regulates the internal temperature of house by storing the sun’s heat captured during the day and re-releasing it at night. It also helps keep the house cool in summer.
The new windows are double glazed ‘composite’ windows – timber frames (for warmth and resistance to heat loss) on the inside and aluminium on the outside (for durability and stability).
The Yunca fire does a good job of heating the house and also provides a back up to the solar for water heating. Alexa says there are only three months in the year when they use any electricity for water heating. Her solar panels were installed five years ago when experience of solar in the industry was generally minimal. However, some initial glitches aside, the solar is now working very well. I suggested insulating the pipes that run between the fire and the cylinder above and adding a cylinder wrap, to minimize heat loss.
Ceiling
Alexa and Sean installed extra insulation in the ceiling, which has helped save money on power bills and made the house feel warmer. They have done a good job, installing the insulation tightly between the joists without compressing them. However, I discovered a few gaps in the insulation that need to be filled in. It is worth noting that even a two-mm gap around the edge of insulation batts can reduce the ‘R-value’ (a measure of a material’s resistance to heat loss) by around 20%.
I also advised Alexa to add a second layer of batts over the top, running perpendicular to the existing batts. This will cover up any gaps in the bottom layer and cover the joists, which transmit far more heat than the insulation that surrounds them.
Alex resisted having recessed down lights fitted in the living room during the renovation. Recessed down lights, favoured by electricians for the uniform light they provide, are inefficient for several reasons. Firstly, they require an aperture to be made in the insulation, which compromises the thermal integrity of the building and, secondly, the heat they generate causes warm air to rise from them which pulls warm air out of the living space below. If the living space is a kitchen or bathroom, this air is damp and the moisture condenses in the roof space. While recessed down lights create uniformly lit spaces, they are not a sustainable lighting option.
Floors
Sean has insulated under parts of the existing floor with foil faced batts or reflective foil. However, there are some parts of the floor that are still completely uninsulated and draughty. Insulating the whole floor with foil-faced blanket will make the house a lot warmer, and will reduce draughts as well.
If you are doing this yourself, be careful! Several people have electrocuted themselves by stapling through electrical cables while installing foil insulation under houses. Sean had to contend with white tail spiders and cat poo – it may be worth employing someone to do this for you!
Heating
The heat recovery ventilation system has proved to be failure. The system is designed to extract warm ‘waste’ air from the living room and use it to preheat incoming fresh air from outside, which is then ducted into the bedrooms. However, Alexa says that even when she holds a fan heater to the extract vent in the living room, no heat arrives in the bedrooms. I suggested removing the heat exchanger as it is obviously not working, and convert the system to a standard heat transfer system, in which heat is extracted from the living room and ducted directly into the bedrooms. New heat transfer systems can be bought from hardware stores or from specialist companies.
Windows
Most of the windows are old single glazed timber sashes (the new French doors excepted). These are losing a significant amount of heat and make the bedrooms uncomfortably cold. I suggested fitting ’secondary’ glazing, which is effectively a second, single glazed window, fitted internally within the existing reveal. These could be fixed panes – which are cheaper – and can be removed in summer. The principle is to create a still layer of air between the window and the room – it is the air that is the insulator in double-glazing. Old windows – or any windows for that matter – can be improved by fitting well-fitting blinds or curtains which also provide a still layer of air: good curtains can effectively make single glazing perform the same as double glazing. This is why it is so important to close curtains at dusk. I also suggested fitting draught-strips to opening windows and fixing gaps in the frames of fixed panes.
Sustainable Living
Alexa has implemented a number of sustainable living measures, beyond the alterations to the house. She and her neighbour share a chicken house (with very happy occupants), a vegetable garden, a compost heap and greenhouse. Both houses have their own private outdoor space, but they share these parts of the garden, saving them both space.
Each 1% improvement in energy efficiency in New Zealand Homes will result in $17 million of savings and reduce the country’s CO2 emissions by 0.1%. Little changes such as those made by Alexa and Sean – and the changes they will be making – will make a big difference to your comfort, your heating bill and your environment.
Author – The Eco Design Advisor is an initiative of BRANZ and is funded by QLDC, Ministry for the Environment and EECA in this district. Sustainable Wanaka project manage the service. To make an appointment, contact Jessica Winter on 027 5837444 or email jessica@sustainablewanaka.co.nz
Top Ten Tips For a Waste Free Christmas
December 5, 2008 by rosie
Filed under Sustainable Living
- Buy services or experiences as presents such as memberships, event tickets, vouchers or donations to a favourite charity.
- Buy quality products with zero or minimal packaging. Buy locally made with natural materials that last for years, not just until the end of the holidays.
- Write I.O.U.s. Dust off your babysitting, dog walking, housecleaning, gardening or haircutting skills – whatever you’ve got – and make someone’s day just a little bit easier.
- Get crafty and make your own presents. Home made chutneys, cakes or chocolates make a thoughtful and low impact present.
- Plan your menu around seasonal and local food and drinks. Buy nudevegetables with no packaging and no plastic bag.
- Avoid serving food and drink on disposable plates and cups. Borrow what you don’t have from neighbours or get a spare set from the recycle centre.
- If you buy a real tree consider buying a living native tree that you can plant afterwards. Or give your tree a second life by taking it to the green waste depot.
- Use recyclable paper, newspaper, ribbon or string to wrap presents. Take care when opening gifts so you can reuse the wrapping paper.
- Vent your festive frustration by crushing your tins and plastic bottles before putting them in your crate.
- Spare some festive cheer for the good folk that collect you recycling who hand sort all of your empties by giving them a quick rinse out before putting in your crate – especially milk bottles please.
Author - Wanaka Wastebusters was set up by the local community with the goal of achieving zero waste. See www.wanakawastebusters.co.nz.
