Coast businesses fight to save the environment
Tue 30 June 2009
Chantel Vieritz, Journalism
Three Sunshine Coast businesses are being rewarded for their groundbreaking environmental initiative, being named finalists in the 2009 Queensland Sustainable Industry awards.
Queensland Complete Printing Services, Noosa Community Training Centre’s Brite Side Industries project and Cooee Products were all nominated for their environmentally friendly innovations which were contributing to a sustainable future for Queensland businesses.
The awards had run annually since 2006, and recognised companies that were revolutionising their regular workplace practices to make them more environmentally sustainable.
Queensland Complete Printing Services (QCPS) was nominated for the Corporate Sustainability Award for valuing the protection of natural resources while continuing to provide quality services to their customers.
QCPS employee Anne Blacklaw said they had integrated green technologies into every aspect of the business and had already cut energy consumption by 50 per cent.
“We recycle almost everything we use in the printing process,” Ms Blacklaw said.
“We have 13 staff but our entire business, including the factory, only produces one wheelie bin of waste each week.
“That’s about the same as an average residential home.”
QCPS had already won several awards for their environmental efforts, and Ms Blacklaw said they helped to prove the credibility of the business’s green policies.
“Lots of businesses claim they’re environmentally friendly because they use recycled paper, but the recycling processes they use are actually wasting a lot of energy,” Ms Blacklaw said.
“We research all of our printing and recycling methods to make sure they use the smallest amount of energy possible.”
QCPS had improved traditional methods of printing by recycling all waste materials and developing organic inks derived from soy beans and vinegar.
The Noosa Community Training Centre (NCTC) Brite Side Industries project was also being recognised for its innovative recycling and its contribution to the development of the local community.
NCTC employee Glenda Lane said the project was providing locals with the training and skills they needed to start their own entrepreneurial endeavours while generating employment and significantly reducing the amount of landfill going into the Noosa Refuse Centre.
“The mass volumes not going into landfill are being given back to the community to be reused and re-loved,” Ms Lane said.
The project involved salvaging and restoring goods before selling them to the public.
Since its initiation about three years ago, the project generated over $1.8 million in sales.
Their efforts earned the organisation a nomination for the Sustainability Partnership award.
Cooee Products had also been acknowledged for developing a dust suppressant which was helping the mining industry save over 3 million litres of water every day.
The non-toxic treatment was applied to roads to improve safety as an alternative to the huge amount of water that was normally wasted to achieve the same results.
This drastic reduction in the mining industry’s environmental impact earned the Sunshine Coast company their place as a finalist for the Innovation in Sustainable Technologies award.
The finalists were selected from over 100 entries, with the winners of the awards to be announced on June 12, 2009.
Image(s) designed by n/a