B.12 Ecologically Sustainable Development

Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment

The Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment, and the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) had regular meetings in 2018-19 to discuss and progress environmental issues.

The EPA is assisting the Commissioner’s Office with supplying relevant data for the next State of the Environment Report.

Contribution to Sustainability and the Environment

The directorate has a Resource Management Plan and its associated Action Plan. The plan sets out the key principles of integrating efficient and effective use of resources within our operations, including energy, water, waste and recycling, sustainable transport, procurement and events.

The directorate also participates in the Carbon Neutral Government Implementation Committee, the Climate Change Working Group, the development of a Climate Risk Assessment tool and the implementation of the ACT Zero Emission Vehicles Action Plan.

To align with the Carbon Neutral ACT Government Framework target to achieve zero emissions in its operations, CMTEDD has identified actions and initiatives to improve energy efficiency across priority facilities. The directorate actively monitored progress against set targets via the regular Carbon Budget reports provided to the Carbon Neutral Government Implementation Committee and reporting to the directorate’s Executive Management Group.

Actions to improve ecologically sustainable development performance

Individual business units within the directorate undertook a range of activities to support ecologically sustainable development. These activities are summarised below.

Improving energy efficiency

Facility upgrades within the CMTEDD portfolio

Upgrades to facilities included:

• completion of sub-metering and energy efficient HVAC control upgrades at 255 Canberra Avenue Fyshwick to reduce electricity and gas consumption on site;
• continued implementation of ecologically sustainable work practices at Venues Canberra’s major sporting and entertainment venues. This includes the installation of LED Lighting systems at Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC);
• completion of feasibility studies into the transition of space heating from natural gas to electric at several facilities;
• through the National Arboretum Canberra, in partnership with the Carbon Neutral Government Loan Fund and ACT Property Group, management of the completion of a solar panel installation project that allows the horticultural team to charge portable hand-held equipment with clean energy; and
• Green Leases are in place for Winyu House (Winyu), Canberra Nara Centre (Nara), Nature Conservation House (NCH) and 220 Northbourne Avenue (220 NBA). Building Management Committees (BMC) are established in these office locations with regular meetings to discuss facility matters and energy performance. These office facilities have achieved NABERS base building energy rating (Winyu 5.5 stars, Nara 5 stars, NCH 5 stars, 220 NBA 4 stars).

Facility upgrades by ACT Property Group and artsACT

In 2018-19:

• ACT Property Group commissioned several energy audits for public swimming pools and community centres to investigate energy conservation opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and operational costs. Internal analysis of solar PV opportunities at community centres was also completed;
• ACT Property Group also undertook integration of building envelope thermal assessments to major facility upgrade projects as part of a more holistic approach to sustainability, allowing more comprehensive life-cycle assessments to be applied to upgrade projects;
• big data and building analytics were implemented at the North Building/Canberra Museum and Gallery to further optimise the new HVAC system operation, providing a case study to consider an expanded deployment across the portfolio in future years;
• a number of measures to improve sustainability were included in the design for the expansion of Belconnen Arts Centre (Stage 2). These include the decommissioning of an in‑slab gas-powered heating system in the existing foyer. There are no new gas appliances or systems specified in the building extension. The new studio theatre includes large double glazing to the north with sun shading to limit solar glare and heat gain. The extension will be constructed with light coloured metallic cladding which will minimise heat absorption. All external walls and roofs will be thermally insulated to ensure that energy reduction targets can be achieved.
• the architectural design of Belconnen Arts Centre has incorporated the requirement of access to the roof for future installation and maintenance of solar panels. Initially, a small number of panels will be installed on the roof to offset the environmental impact of the increased power requirements in the building.

Energy efficiency advisory services

ACTPG sustainability officers provided ongoing support to EPSDD’s Carbon Neutral Government Team in progressing the implementation of energy efficiency projects across multiple directorates. This support was instrumental in multiple applications to the Carbon Neutral Government Fund by TCCS and JACS, totalling in excess of $2 million. The ACTPG sustainability team also provided advisory services to CIT and Education, facilitating boiler burner management system upgrades at CIT Bruce, Erindale and Canberra Colleges and Lyneham High School.

Improving water efficiency

The National Arboretum Canberra (NAC), in partnership with the University of Canberra, launched a Smart Sensor Soil Moisture Project with Minister Ramsay in March 2019. The software, which can be viewed in real time, is installed in ten of the 94 forests and allows the NAC to manage the unique requirements of each tree species, indicating excessive or insufficient soil moisture.

The NAC continues to manage sustainable water retention with tree mulching, including recycled mulching made from onsite tree pruning, and is also rolling out an upgraded irrigation system that reduces water run-off and soil erosion. Recycled bitumen is used onsite when possible, for example in Forest 20.

Venues Canberra has continued use of rain and non-potable water for irrigation of grounds and use of soil monitoring systems on the fields of play at Manuka Oval and GIO Stadium.

Improving recycling, reduce waste

Office locations

The majority of CMTEDD locations are ACTSmart Business (Recycling) accredited and have bins for sorting waste, including co-mingled recycling bins, and organics. Paper, secure paper, and cardboard recycling bins are also available in all CMTEDD facilities. Battery recycling stations and toner recycling stations are provided within several CMTEDD offices. The directorate is also trailing soft plastic recycling in the Canberra Nara Centre.

All new staff are required to undertake ACTSmart recycling training following the CMTEDD Induction Program.

Recycling of ICT assets and packaging

The high rate of turnover of ICT assets, (such as obsolete computer and television equipment, old cables and other ICT hardware), presents a significant waste impact. Shared Services ICT uses Reuse RecycleIT to manage the resale and disposal of ICT Assets on behalf of the Territory. The method in which the Territory disposes of ICT devices and associated consumables is crucial in minimising our environmental waste footprint. Since the initial engagement of Reuse RecycleIT, no ICT equipment processed through Shared Services ICT has been sent to landfill.

Additionally, packaging including polystyrene from all Shared Services ICT HP equipment is taken back to logistics company, Verser technology lifecycles, and is recycled. This year Verser sent
57 x 1m pallets to the recyclers of polystyrene.

Reducing office paper consumption

The directorate has undertaken several initiatives to reduce paper use, including:

• Access Canberra continuing to develop digital capabilities that enable the community to engage with Access Canberra online and reduce reliance on paper-based processes. During 2018-19 there were 41 additional services made available through digital channels;
• as part of the Smarter Modern Strategic program, Shared Services ICT is implementing a WoG ecologically sustainable business improvement to install the PaperCut software program. PaperCut is a printing system which only prints when the staff member accesses the printer using their ACT Government pass. This improvement has led to a successful reduction in the number of prints being observed;
• continuing the implementation of different digitalised customer services to replace paper-based processes, such as Shared Services Customer Portal, Shared Services WoG Accounts Payable Invoice Automation system (APIAS), and ACT Revenue Office electronic rates notices;
• more business areas within the directorate are moving to electronic document storage and record keeping. This has significantly reduced printing and use of paper both operationally and for record keeping; and
• encouraging all business areas to use 100% recycled paper wherever possible. Printer default settings have been set to print documents as double-sided and in black and white.

Promoting sustainable transport

To reduce transport emissions, the directorate has:

• actively worked with all business areas to identify fleet reduction opportunities, including replacing existing vehicles with electric or hybrid models, or leasing more fuel-efficient vehicles when it is operationally feasible;
• encouraged staff to use directorate MyWay bus pass cards to reduce the use of cab charges when travelling to meetings in the town centres or locations that are serviced by ACTION buses or Capital Metro;
• made electric bikes available in numerous office locations such as city, Dickson, Woden, and The Canberra Hospital, to encourage staff to use sustainable and active transport options for short distance travel to meetings;
• made a suite of technology options available to assist staff connecting without local or interstate travel, thereby reducing vehicle emissions and saving travel time for staff. This includes Meet-Me phone conferencing, WebEx, Jabber, teleconference, and internet-based video conferencing;
• installed electronic logbook system in most fleet vehicles to more easily monitor distance travelled; and
• made end of trip facilities available in most CMTEDD buildings to encourage staff to ride, walk or run to work.

Supporting sustainable procurement

The directorate, through Infrastructure Finance and Capital Works:

• worked in collaboration with directorates to develop construction project briefs that include sustainability criteria. For example, buildings may include a number of measures, such as solar passive design, energy efficient building engineering services, solar panels, rainwater harvesting, air quality monitoring, and water efficient landscaping. Briefs for all construction projects include waste management plans;
• asked tenderers to describe what actions they will take to reduce waste, such as disposal methods and using recycled materials. Project briefs seek advice from tenderers regarding ways to decrease the use of potable water; for example, by installing alternative grass mixtures (that use less water) and planting Australian natives or drought tolerant plants;
• contributed earlier in the development of business cases under the Capital Framework to include the requirements for Ecologically Sustainable Design in the budget for the capital works projects;
• assisted in strategic planning of facilities to encourage location of facilities such as schools on major public transport routes, such as light rail;
• continues to contribute to the Sustainable Procurement Policy development and its implementation which includes ESD in the triple bottom line approach;
• worked in collaboration with directorates to include ecologically sustainable criteria in both the assessment criteria and product or service specifications in procurement where applicable and possible; and
• administered a Climate Change Adaptation Strategy Implementation Plan to introduce minimum sustainability requirements for capital works.

Supporting sustainable innovation trade and investment

The objectives of the ACT Climate Adaptation Strategy are integrated into Innovation, Industry and Investment’s key strategies on investment, trade, innovation and business development. Renewable energy is a key capability of the ACT. The ACT Government continues to pursue investment opportunities and support innovation and industry growth across the sector. CMTEDD, through Innovation, Industry and Investment, continues to support development for agri‑technology and food tech capability across research, teaching and industry in the ACT

The ACT Government’s Priority Investment Program is a competitive grant program aimed at driving research and industry collaboration to generate ongoing investment opportunities in the ACT. In the 2018-19 Priority Investment Program funding round:

• $1.5 million over three years was awarded towards a collaborative project between the Australian National University and IT Power (Australia) Pty Limited to develop a distributed energy resource laboratory, to support growth opportunities in the renewable energy sector; and
• $1.3 million over three years was awarded to support the ongoing growth of the Centre for Entrepreneurial Agri-Technology, to include an innovation hub for ACT based start-ups and agri-technology SMEs, and to facilitate regional collaboration to support Canberra Region agri-technology innovation.

Supporting sustainable events

To support sustainable events, the directorate:

• through Events ACT, participates in the ACTSmart Public Events Program and works closely with key stakeholders to improve recycling and reduce waste to landfill for all major events. These include Canberra Nara Candle Festival, New Years Eve in the City, Australia Day Fireworks Spectacular, Enlighten Festival, Floriade, and Reconciliation Day;
• all major venues – GIO Stadium, Manuka Oval, Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC) and the NAC – are Accredited ACTSmart Business Recyclers, and recycling bins are located around the venues for use by participants and attendees. Additionally, event organisers, caterers and general public are encouraged to reduce waste, to recycle, and to use recyclable and reusable packaging;
• all major and medium scaled events held at EPIC participate in the ACTSmart Public Events Program, including the National Folk Festival, Capital Region Farmers Market and Canberra Kids Market;
• all major venues have water bubblers and bottle filling stations installed; and
• site users at Stromlo Forest Park are required to take all rubbish away.

Sustainable Development Performance: Current and Previous Financial Year

Notes:

[1.] The directorate’s data (for both years’ measure with the exception of paper usage) include the ACT Insurance Authority as it cannot be readily separated.

[2.] Energy, water, and transport fuel data was extracted from the Enterprise Sustainability Platform (ESP) on 14 August 2019. Data completeness in the ESP for current year is 100% electricity, 96.8% gas use, and 97.9% water use. For analysis and reporting purpose the ESP dashboard reports ‘accrued’ data, which incorporates estimated missing data in the full year performance. Accruals are calculated from the average annual daily consumption of the most current
12 month period applied for the number of days of missing data.

[3.] In some instances, data for the prior year has been updated from that previously reported to allow for updates to agency occupancy and historical consumption data and to annual adjustments to the ACT specific electricity emissions factors.

[4.] Reduction in electricity and gas use is largely due to the consolidation of CMTEDD office locations and reduced area of ACTPG vacant premises (demolition of Dickson Motor Vehicle Registry and Macarthur House, and full occupations of 255 Canberra Avenue).

[5.] Diesel was used for onsite generators at major events held at GIO Stadium and Manuka Oval. The majority of the increased diesel use was for generators at the cricket Test Match during 2018-19.

[6.] For the purposes of annual reporting, plug-in hybrids have been treated as electric vehicles. A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (also known as a range-extended vehicle) is fuelled by electricity as well as having either a petrol or diesel tank to extend the range of the vehicle for long trips. These vehicles can be run either on electricity or fuel but are considered to be zero emissions vehicles as it is most likely that the vehicle will be run on electricity for the majority of trips (due to lower cost for charging than re-fuelling). Fleet data related to electric vehicle and hybrid vehicles for both years have been updated to reflect this treatment.

[7.] The increase of water use in 2018-19 was largely due to the increased usage for irrigations at the major venues (EPIC, Canberra Stadium, NAC).

[8.] The decrease in paper use relates to the increase use of Electronic Document Records Management Systems, using electronic means to communicate with clients, the use of ‘PaperCut’ Printing technology, and transition to Digital Customer Services within the directorate. The decreased percentage in recycled content of paper purchased was partly due to the transition to new stationary suppliers and new office products. The majority of the paper products with low recycled content are environmentally friendly products such as those defined as ‘carbon neutral’ paper.

[9.] Almost all CMTEDD locations have been accredited as Actsmart Business Recyclers. Waste and recycling data was calculated on a basis of Total (L) = Capacity of bins (L) x No. of bins x No. of times emptied during the reporting years. 2018-19 waste and recycling data related to Actsmart accredited sites is provided by EPSDD Actsmart Program Office.

[10.] Waste and recycling data related to major events held by Events ACT (including Canberra Nara Candle Festival, New Years Eve in the City, Australia Day Fireworks Spectacular, Enlighten, Floriade, and Reconciliation in the Park) is reported as a separate line item. Events ACT participates the Actsmart Public Events Program and ensures recycling is in place in all major events.

[11.] The reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is largely due to the increased proportion of renewable energy purchased by the ACT Government. Emissions reported include Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions only. Emission factors used to calculate natural gas, fleet fuel, and non-transport fuel use are based on the latest National Greenhouse Account (NGA) Factors.

1. a factor of 0.507 kilogram (kg) CO2-e / kilowatt hour (kWh) or 0.507 tonne (t) CO2-e /megawatt hour (MWh) has been used to calculate electricity emissions (Scope 2) for the 2017-18 period. It is based on actual historical data and is a retrospective adjustment of the original 0.455 factor (Scope 2) used for 2017-18 annual reporting;
2. a factor of 0.255 kilogram (kg) CO2-e / kilowatt hour (kWh) or 0.255 tonne (t) CO2-e /megawatt hour (MWh) has been used to calculate electricity emissions (Scope 2) for the 2018-19 period;
3. a factor of 2.38374 tCO2-e per kiloliter of diesel use (non-transport).

Further information can be obtained from

Robert Wright
Executive Group Manager
Corporate
+ 61 2 6207 0569
Robert.Wright@act.gov.au