Mark Sanders shares how Third Ecology has learnt to drill down sustainability into every part of its business.
Abelief that producing projects and running our operations with sustainability at the core is a major cultural driver for our business. At a time when sustainability has become a much used term and the government and industry have not been able to provide the required frameworks for businesses to make long term decisions around the issue, a more personal commitment to the concept has been the driver for Third Ecology.
Our efforts were first acknowledged in 2005 when we were a finalist in the Premier’s Business Sustainability Awards.
From there, it seemed like a natural extension of our business to join Grow Me The Money, a 12-month, online VECCI program that helps businesses reduce their carbon footprint through simple, straightforward measures.
We joined in mid-2009 when we moved from an office of 90 sqm and 10 employees to a 220 sqm office with 13 employees. The new fitout of our long term leased office allowed us to focus on improving the sustainability performance of the space by improving comfort and decreasing our heating, cooling and water use.
Simple yet highly effective improvements included installing a large roof window to our main meeting room and shade awnings to the western windows. We also installed ceiling insulation and replaced some windows with double glazing and glass bricks.
Being an older building, a lot of draught sealing was also required to the doors, windows and walls.
Other measures included purchasing energy efficient appliances; fitting water efficient fixtures and appliances to the bathroom and kitchen; choosing company cars for fuel efficiency; doublesided printing; designated paper, plastic and polystyrene recycling facilities; and a composting system in the kitchen.
Through these simple actions, we were able to reduce our light energy consumption by 20 per cent, improve thermal performance for our building, reduce waste and provide greater comfort and well being for staff.
Encouraged by the difference we were making, we decided to invest in a heat recovery ventilation (HRV) system. The HRV system provided energy efficient heating and cooling to zoned areas through harnessing the warm air that accumulated in our roof and ducting it into our office space as warmed, filtered air. This reduced our reliance on ducted heating, decreasing our gas consumption per person by 15 per cent.
However, our biggest savings came from upgrading our server. We realised our old computer server consumed the highest amount of energy in the office as it was on 24 hours a day. Earlier this year, we were faced with the decision of clearing data on our server to make more room or upgrading to a new server.
We chose to upgrade to an energy star compliant server that used a lot less energy. Not only did computing speeds improve, but we significantly reduced staff down time and frustration, resulting in huge and unexpected productivity gains at an estimate of $72,000 per annum (calculated at 15 minutes per staff per day at $90 per hour). We also reduced our standby server power consumption from 900W to 800W.
As a strong believer in sustainability, we frequently participate in local business networking events that facilitate sustainability issues in the region to demonstrate the multiple benefits of operating sustainably to our peers. Staff members also often give presentations at local Living Green events.
Market research suggests consumer buying and spending patterns continue to evolve in the ‘green’ direction. Our annual client surveys tell us one of the reasons we’re being chosen is because we ‘walk the talk’ – we incorporate our sustainability principles into our business – and it makes a difference to our client’s perception of us.
We believe that in five to 10 years, all businesses will be held accountable for their carbon footprint. Companies who are already on that journey will no doubt fare better.
Mark Sanders is managing director at Third Ecology, an architecture firm based in Geelong. Sanders recently gained a position on the board for the Committee of Geelong and is a director at the Geelong Chamber of Commerce.
