Sustainable Business Programmes
Help for your business on the journey to sustainability
Resource Efficiency
Research shows that businesses generate 40% of the waste stream. Reducing you waste volumes can be a simple as sorting your waste and setting up a recycling system.
Local Business Programmes
Quick Steps | Environment Southland inconjunction with WasteNet Southland run the Quick Steps to Sustainability Programme for Southland Businesses. The free programme provides the participating business with a environmental audit and recommendations for improving the businesses resource efficiency. The business is assessed in 6-9months time to see how they are progressing with the recommendations. Participants attend a networking breakfast and recieve a certificate for participation, which is upgraded to a certificate for action for any actions they take.
Contact - Gretchen Ledington, Environment Southland
Workshops | Businesses attend a three-hour sustainable business training workshop at Venture Southland. This is followed up by a two-hour on-site visit with a sustainability consultant, to assess areas of their business where there are opportunities for sustainability.
Contact: Alistair Adam, Venture Southland
Sustainable Tourism South | Sustainable Tourism South charter programme is a sustainability programme for tourism operators. Operators assess themselves against the charter, have a site visit and assessment undertaken by a consultant and then operators develop their own unique action plan. Members look at their effect on the environment and the community whilst taking into account their staff, their clients, themselves and their financial bottom line. Ongoing support is provided by Venture Southland to implement action plans and there are networking opportunities with other members.
Contact: Karyn Owen, Venture Southland
National Business Programmes
Green Globe - Sustainable Tourism | Green Globe is the worldwide benchmarking and certification system for the travel and tourism industry across the triple bottom line of economic, social and environmental management. The site includes a friendly tips to improve environmental performance and you can check out the successes of participants. And links to the Green Globe International website.
Enviro-Mark NZ | Enviro-Mark is an environmental management system marketed and supported throughout New Zealand by Landcare Research. Enviro-Mark provides the business with a framework to systematically assess their performance again agreed standards and work towards a Environmental Management System (EMS). There are five stages to certification - Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond. Achievement of each standard is verified by an external audit to complete the certification process.
ISO 14001 | ISO 14001:2004 specifies requirements for an environmental management system to enable an organisation to develop and implement a policy and objectives which take into account legal requirements and other requirements to which the organisation subscribes and information about significant environmental aspects.
CarboNZero | The carboNZero programme is an internationally recognised provider of tools and resources to measure, manage and mitigate your greenhouse gas emissions with credibility and integrity. The site includes simple calculators, templates and guidances for both organisations and individual to measure, manage and mitigate their greenhouse gas emission or carbon footprint.
The Natural Step | The Natural Step (TNS) is an organisation providing a strategic planning tool for sustainability. This tools is a clear, conceptual framework that explains the 'why' and 'how' of a long-term vision for a truly sustainable society. The framework can be applied to businesses of all sizes. TNS are actively involved in outreach, and through public presentations and workshops, newsletter, tools and resources.
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