[ANUgreen.announce] ANUgreen Bulletin - May 20th 2004

[Oliver Story]

ANUgreen bulletin
May 20th 2004

In this email:

- World Environment Day
- Footprints on Campus Visual Art Competition
- Gear Up your Bike
- Streetlights
- Annual Report Highlights
- Learn to Use CERAM
- Habitat Features in the Landscape
- Green Office Program Launch
- Recycled Content Paper Now Even More Affordable!
- Steel and Furniture Recycling
- ANUgreen Goes International


** World Environment Day

ANUgreen and the National Institute for Environment are celebrating World Environment Day and you're invited! On Thursday June 3rd from 11am to 3pm there'll be environmental stalls, live music, competitions and activities in Union Court. In the evening find out about "The Future of Green Building in the ACT" at a public lecture by three speakers from the ACT Property Council, Brindabella Park and Daryl Jackson Alastair Swayn Architects, 6-7.30pm in the Hayden Allen Tank (building #23).


** Footprints on Campus Visual Art Competition

ANUgreen and the National Institute for Environment invite all staff and students at the ANU to submit artwork to the competition "Footprints on Campus: Connections with environment". Show us what you see when you think about environment at ANU.

There are prizes for the three entries judged the best, and selected works will be exhibited in September.

For details and entry forms see www.anu.edu.au/nie/art.


** Gear Up your Bike

ANUgreen is selling bike lights, locks and helmets as part of the University's transport strategy. Available to ANU staff and students at a reduced price:

  *  Lights (front and rear set): $45
  *  Locks: $20
  *  Helmets: $30

To buy any of these items, just come to the ANUgreen office on the ground floor of the John Yencken Building (no. 45). Please note we can only accept cash payment, and correct change is appreciated.


** Streetlights

Many of you may have noticed streetlights on during the day at the ANU. On some rare occasions this may be due to a fault in the control system but in general they are on because they are being checked and serviced. To ensure they are working effectively and providing a safe environment at night, Facilities and Services test the lights on a regular basis. This testing involves turning on a section of streetlights and visually inspecting/servicing each fitting. This has to happen during the day when maintenance staff are available. The duration lights are left on is kept to minimum.


** Annual Report Highlights

The 2003/4 Annual report for the ANU Environmental Management Plan has been finalised and is now available online at www.anu.edu.au/facilities/anugreen/EMPC/Reports.

Highlights include:

  *  4.7% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions per staff and student in the last year.
  *  2,776,000 kWh of green power purchased in 2003 (enough to power about 200 homes for a year).
  *  135 million litres less water used in 2003, representing a 20% decrease in usage compared to the previous year.
  *  A 9% reduction in environmental risk as assessed by the University's CERAM environmental risk assessment methodology (contributing to a 28% reduction over three years).
  *  An 18% reduction in total waste to landfill, although waste disposal costs increased by 22%.
  *  Over 30% of copy paper purchased on campus has at least 50% recycled content.
  *  Nearly 25 tons of redundant IT equipment either recycled or resold.
  *  Collection of biodiversity survey baseline data completed.
  *  45% of staff and students using alternative transport to get to campus.


** Learn to Use CERAM

For environmental professionals, a 2-day Comparative Environmental Risk Assessment Method (CERAM) training course is now available, leading to a Graduate Course Award. CERAM was first developed by Su Wild-River through environmental consultancy work linked to her PhD studies. In 1998 CERAM became the University's main tool for assessing and managing environmental risk. By implementing assessment recommendations ANU has managed to reduce stormwater pollution risk on campus by 28% over the last three years.

The course provides participants with a simple, flexible, quantitative method for assessing and preventing pollution at any site. The course was developed as a collaboration between ANUgreen, the National Institute for Environment and the Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies.

Three courses will be held later this year-one each in Canberra, Brisbane and Adelaide.

For more about CERAM and course details see the newly-released website  <http://cres.anu.edu.au/~swildriv/ceram> http://cres.anu.edu.au/~swildriv/ceram .


** Habitat Features in the Landscape

The way we perceive our landscapes is ever changing. With increased awareness of the value of biodiversity in maintaining healthy landscapes, new concepts of urban landscape design are evolving. The ANUgreen office, in consultation with Manteena Project and Construction Managers, recently implemented a landscape feature incorporating biodiversity values. The feature, located beside the new Phenomics Building, consists of a habitat swale and clay-base water retention body affectionately called the 'frog hollow'. The landscaping is designed to allow water to slowly infiltrate into the soil, creating a seasonal pond to attract frogs and aquatic insects (which the frogs eat!). The pond and surrounding landscape will also provide year-round habitat for small reptiles and birds. The landscape is designed to require minimal maintenance and should increase the distribution of our resident fauna.

Early signs are positive with the frog hollow already home to two species: the whistling tree frog (which made its own way to the site) and the striped marsh frog, relocated to the site when earthworks disturbed their habitat in an adjacent area. The whistling tree frog has not been recorded on the ANU in previous surveys, with no frog species previously being recorded away from Sullivans Creek.


** Green Office Program Launch

Representatives from 7 departments across campus convened on Thursday April 29th for the launch of the University's first ever Green Office Program. The program aims to help campus workplaces improve their environmental performance through energy conservation, water conservation and waste minimisation initiatives. A designated "Green Champion" in each area is given an enviro tip to focus on every 2 weeks, such as "greening paper culture in your area," or introducing recycling.

Participating departments thus far include John Curtin School of Medical Research, School of Resources, Environment and Society, Research School of Physical Sciences and Engineering, Statistical Services, Chancelry, School of Business and Information Management, and School of Social Sciences.

After the initial morning tea (which was attended by the Green Champions, departmental business managers and ANUgreen staff), Green Champs stayed back for the first in a series of environmental workshops, "Creating a Green Office Culture," facilitated by program coordinator Clare Lawlor. Since the commencement of the program, JCSMR has already arranged for the installation of co-mingled recycling bins within the building to reduce their volume of waste-to-landfill. An encouraging start!


** Recycled Content Paper Now Even More Affordable!

Corporate Express have recently lowered the price of 50% recycled paper (with the remaining 50% being sourced from virgin fibre) to $5.10 per ream. This means making the switch from 100% virgin fibre paper, which maximises tree felling, to the more environmentally friendly 50% recycled content paper easier on the pocket. For those interested in an affordable and high quality 100% recycled content paper, contact ANUgreen on 6125 3211 to trial Evolve paper at $5.80 per ream.


** Steel and Furniture Recycling

Steel recycling is providing ongoing reductions in waste-to-landfill as more areas becoming aware of the service. Any predominately steel items can be recycled, such as old fridges, steel-framed chairs and tables. So far this year we have recycled 18.5 tonnes. Furniture recycling has also been developing well with pre-owned bookshelves and storage cupboards being requested by many areas. Areas with items for recycling or reuse should email details to recycle at anu.edu.au


** ANUgreen Goes International

Members of the ANUgreen team Su Wild-River and John Sullivan this month provided seminars on CERAM (Comparative Environmental Risk Assessment Method), the introduction of the ANU recycling infrastructure, and the University's Environmentally Sustainable Design building standards to a delegation from China. The group of 18 delegates representing the solid waste management industry in China was particularly interested in passive heating and cooling systems used in new buildings on ANU campus. The seminar was coordinated by the Australia-China Training and Technology services (ACTT) ANU office.



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