Appendix L
Ecologically sustainable development and environmental performance
Energy use reduction
In 2005–06 the Archives continued to make reductions in energy usage and improvements in environmental management of its property portfolio. The Archives undertakes regular monitoring of energy consumption through exception reporting, fault analysis and corrective action.
Certification to the ISO 14001 standard will shortly be achieved for the Environmental Management System (EMS) developed for the National Office in Canberra. It is proposed to apply the EMS template developed for the National Office to all Archives’ sites.
The Archives has negotiated collaborative energy procurement arrangements with the Department of Defence that will contribute to savings at the Archives’ Canberra sites. Similar arrangements for procuring natural gas are being discussed with other Canberra-based cultural institutions.
Photovoltaic system
The Archives has capitalised on the success of the small solar photovoltaic system (2 kVA) installed in the National Office building to construct a larger (24 kVA) system at its Cannon Hill site in Brisbane. The solar energy produced is providing a real contribution to green energy and the Government’s commitment to improving the energy efficiency and reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of Government operations.
Waste
Waste from the Canberra sites of the Archives was weighed and monitored.
Waste products and material sent for recycling included toner printer cartridges, paper and paper products, classified waste, photocopiers and mobile phones. The contract to replace printers and multifunction devices at all Archives’ sites was undertaken by Kyocera, a company that actively pursues minimisation of impact on the environment through its environmental charter, which is used worldwide.
Staff development
The Archives’ Facilities staff regularly attended seminars and briefings organised by the Facility Management Association of Australia and the Australian Greenhouse Office.
These meetings assisted Facilities staff to keep up-to-date with practical techniques in ecological sustainability and energy consumption reduction. Topics in the reporting period included the green building ratings system.
The Archives also participated in the energy data gathering analysis and retrieval program initiated by the Australian Greenhouse Office, and provided feedback on improving this program for participating Australian Government agencies.