ENERGEX recognised for Greenhouse efforts
Posted: 12 April 2005
ENERGEX has been formally recognised among 100 Australian businesses that have been working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The organisation has long acknowledged the need to reduce the impact of greenhouse gas emissions, planting more than 170,000 trees and initiating a number of other strategic projects and initiatives since 1996.
And two current projects will completely offset the company’s greenhouse emissions from its operating plant and fleet of 1500 vehicles for the 2004-05 financial year.
Federal Environment and Heritage Minister Senator Ian Campbell and Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources Ian Macfarlane jointly launched the Greenhouse Challenge Plus program in Canberra , which promotes and facilitates greater transparency in companies reporting greenhouse gas emissions.
ENERGEX Principal Environmental Consultant Chris Delamont was presented with a certificate of appreciation from Warren Entsch, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources during the launch celebrations.
Mr Delamont said ENERGEX was recognised by the Department of Environment and Heritage for its continued work on reducing greenhouse gas emissions since 1996 when it became one of the first energy corporations in Australia to commit to the original Greenhouse Challenge program.
“ENERGEX has been reporting on its Greenhouse Challenge targets since 1996, and we will soon release our updated Sustainability Report as part of our reporting commitments,” Mr Delamont said.
“ENERGEX is also currently in the process of renegotiating a renewed two-year forecast on projected greenhouse gas emissions.”
Mr Delamont said one of ENERGEX’s key greenhouse initiatives was tree-planting projects, which are conducted in partnership with Greening Australia Queensland.
“One hectare of revegetated land can typically absorb about 10 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year,” Mr Delamont said.
“ENERGEX funds a number of revegetation projects within our south-east Queensland electricity distribution network to neutralise the company’s greenhouse emissions.
“ENERGEX is currently sponsoring major revegetation projects at Reedy Creek on the Gold Coast and at Fernvale in the Esk Shire, west of Brisbane .
“When complete, the Gold Coast project will have added 72,000 plants over 10ha of land.
“Through a partnership with Greening Australia Queensland, ENERGEX chose The Observatory residential development because it takes an environmentally sensitive approach and meets a number of criteria.
“At Fernvale, ENERGEX is planting about 5000 plants over 4ha of land, and will assist naturally germinating plants to regenerate a further 1ha of degraded land.
“This project will re-establish pre-existing blue gum forest beside Banks Creek, which runs through the township.
“The trees that Greening Australia Queensland is planting create ‘Forests of Diversity’ where original native vegetation is restored to provide permanent habitat for fauna, while also tackling salinity and erosion.”
For more information see www.energex.com.au
Posted by Richard Price, Editor, EnergyME.com
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