Environment

Environmental Policy and Objectives

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Photos Credit Australian National Botanic Gardens

Ryde Hunters Hill Community Housing Co-op Ltd (RHHCH) is committed to becoming a leader in exercising environmental responsibility in all areas of its business operations.

Our pursuit of best practice in the exercise of environmental responsibility focuses on the following objectives:

  • Ensure RHHCH better understands the environmental needs of its tenants
  • Aim to provide tenants with a home environment that promotes good health, energy efficiency and resource conservation
  • Provide information on environmental and energy efficient aspects of our work to tenants and the wider community
  • Encourage tenants to have pride in their community’s physical environment
  • Conserve RHHCH’s resources and to show leadership and commitment to sustainability – such as promoting sustainable building designs and encouraging sound recycling practices
  • Encourage our housing partners, suppliers and contractors to act with a sense of environmental responsibility
  • Aim to continuously improve our co-operative’s environmental performance
  • Contribute to a coordinated approach to environmental sustainable development within the community

The environmental policy and objectives are carried out through a detailed annual Environmental Sustainability Plan (ESP). This outlines all the tasks and projects undertaken to meet the policy objectives.

Environmental Sustainability Plan

Projects under way include:

Information

  • Informing tenants about energy efficiency, water conservation and recycling measures and services
  • Informing tenants regularly about State and Local Government regulations relating to energy and water use and restrictions and recycling services where applicable

Promotion

  • Promoting healthy housing lifestyles and maintenance practices e.g. tenants’ energy efficient lifestyle competition, use of non or low-toxic household chemicals, use of low toxic pest control treatments
  • Promoting better gardens amongst our tenants and within our capital housing portfolio e.g. tenants’ garden competition, use of native plants in common areas
  • Promoting more gardens and green areas in neighbourhoods where possible

Conservation

  • Installing energy efficiency features in the co-operative’s capital properties e.g. instantaneous gas HWS, energy efficient lighting
  • Sustaining an efficient responsive maintenance program e.g. rapid rectification of reported water leaks etc.

Research

  • Researching environmentally sustainable house designs for future construction projects e.g. use of solar technologies, grey water recycling, water tanks
  • Reviewing housing design specifications to ensure new properties are built with energy efficiency considerations

Office environment

  • Working to reduce energy use and waste within our office.

Helpful Environmental Info

The following contacts provide really interesting and useful information.

Councils

Auburn Council
Baulkham Hills Shire Council
Hornsby Shire Council
Hunter’s Hill Municipal Council
Ku-ring-gai Municipal Council
Lane Cove Municipal Council
Parramatta City Council
City of Ryde
Warringah Council
Willoughby City Council

Water

Nature Conservation Council
Coastal and Urban Sustainability
www.nccnsw.org.au
Save Water Australia
www.savewater.com.au
Sydney Water
www.sydneywater.com.au
Phone:13 20 92
Urban Water
www.urbanwater.info
Water For Life
www.waterforlife.nsw.gov.au

Waste

NSW Department Of Environment And Conservation
www.environment.nsw.gov.au
Phone: 02 8837 6000
Environment Line: 131 555
www.recyclingnearyou.com.au
Phone: 1300 733 712
Reverse Garbage Nsw
www.reversegarbage.org.au
8/142 Addison Road, Marrickville, NSW
Phone: 02 9569 3132

Energy

Department Of Energy, Utilities And Sustainability
www.deus.nsw.gov.au
Energy Smart
www.energysmart.com.au/les/
Phone: 1300 138 638
Green Power
www.greenpower.gov.au
Phone: 02 9281 7777
Nabers Home energy and water rating tool
www.nabers.com.au
Your Home Technical Manual
www.greenhouse.gov.au/yourhome/technical/index.htm

Food

Australian City Farms And Community Gardens Network
www.communitygarden.org.au
The Organics Directory
www.theorganicsdirectory.com.au

Gardens

Australian Botanic Gardens
www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/index.html
Green Harvest Organic Gardening Supplies
www.greenharvest.com.au
Phone: 1800 68 10 14
Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens
www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/information_about_plants/gardening_info

Transport

Bicycle NSW
www.bicyclensw.org.au
Phone: 02 9218-5400
Go Get – Car Sharing
www.goget.com.au/
Phone: 02 9571 7700
Public Transport Info
www.131500.com.au
Phone: 131500
Travelsmart
www.travelsmart.gov.au/government/#nsw

Green Cleaning

Total Environment Centre – Safer Solutions
www.tec.org.au
Phone: 02 9261 3437

Green Shopping

Australian Consumers’ Association Choice
www.choice.com.au
Phone 1800 069 552
Green Pages Australia
List of green businesses, organisations and products
www.greenpagesaustralia.com.au

Green Finance

Corporate Responsibility Index
www.corporate-responsibility.com.au
Ethical Investment Association Australasia
www.eia.org.au
Phone (02) 8224 0314
United Nations Principles For Responsible Investment
www.unpri.org/principles/

Stand Up For The Environment

Consumer Affairs NSW
www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au
Environment Defender’s Office, NSW
edonsw@edo.org.au
Phone: (02) 9262 6989

Acknowledgement:

Some of the above contacts sourced from the Australian Conservation Foundation publication, ACFs GreenHome www.acfonline.org.au/greenhome