BSBSUS501 Develop workplace policy and procedures for sustainability

ASSESSMENT 1- Theory questions

Part A

1. Why is the study of sustainability important?

Humans must continue to live as we do now, but conserve our resources, and protect the natural environments so that future generations may survive hereWhat is the “Brundtland Definition” of sustainability?

2. What is the “Brundtland Definition” of sustainability?

The Brundtland Commission of the United Nations on March 20, 1987: “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs”

3. What are the three pillars of sustainability?

• Economy
• Society
• Environment

4. What is the difference between the traditional thinking and ‘interconnected thinking’ about sustainability?

Traditional Thinking	Interconnected Thinking
Focus only on one aspect	Focus on related fields within the main
Economy-Stockholder Profits, Materials for Production, Jobs	Economy-Jobs, prosperity wealth creation its interconnected with society by social equity and environment by sustainable economy, society-social inclusion communities interconnected with local environment
Environment- Water Quality, Air Quality, Natural Resources.	Environment –natural environment, resources
Society-Education, Health, Poverty, Crime	All three interconnected by sustainable development

5. Give five examples of what humans can do to live more sustainably?

• pollution prevention
• waste prevention
• protecting habitat
• environmental restoration
• less resource waste

 6. Explain any TWO of the six principles of sustainability in your own words

1. Measurement- Sustainability measurement is about identifying how we manage our sustainabilitypractices
2. Carrying capacity: Carrying capacity is “the maximum number of animals that a specific habitat or area can support without causing deterioration or degradation of that habitat.”

7. What is ISO 14000?

International regulations–Kyoto Protocol; ISO14000

It provides practical tools for companies and organisations looking to identify and control their environmental impact and constantly improve their environmental performance.

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8. What is the purpose of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999?

Designed to protect the environment and provide guidance to businesses and industry on how to meet environmental responsibilities mainly air, water, soil quality and contaminated land, managing waste, preventing or controlling pollution.

9. What is the difference between a ‘carbon footprint’ and ‘ecological footprint’?

Carbon Footprint	Ecological Footprint
A carbon footprint focuses strictly on the greenhouse gases released due to burning of fossil fuels	An ecological footprint compares the total resources people consume with the land and water area that is needed to replace those resources

 

Part B

10. GLOBAL WARMING

a. Do you think global warming is real?

Yes. Earth is already showing many signs of worldwide climate change

b. Why or why not?  Give reasons and examples to support your answer

Average temperatures have climbed 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius) around the world since 1880, much of this in recent decades, according to NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies

The Arctic is feeling the effects the most. Average temperatures in Alaska, western Canada, and eastern Russia have risen at twice the global average, according to the multinational Arctic Climate Impact Assessment report compiled between 2000 and 2004

11. Describe ‘How Green’ your workplace (or a company you do business with) is.

a. Company name: Mac Donald Restaurant

b. What do they do?

Having green energy plan, having biodegradable food wraps &cups, have environmental sustainability plans when building up, restricted smoking areas & greener rubbish removal method.

c. Rank how green they are: Medium Green

BBD2124 Management of Human Resources

12. What are some of the ways you can ‘live green’ on a daily basis?

Recycle food containers, grocery bags etc., reduce plastic usage, reduce energy consumption.

Using resource when you canE-file instead of print, Use crockery not throw away cups, plates etc, Do not over package products, Avoid non-biodegradable products and disposable items

13. Explain the 5 ways we can be more resource wise?

• Think avoid
• Upcycle
• Reduce
• Reuse
• Recycle

14. What are the resource areas you can do a ‘Sustainability Analysis’ on?

• Manufacturing
• Distributing
• Disposing of packaging and product after end use

15. A sustainability policy should follow a framework. Describe what these areas should cover:

a. Background:

• Who the organisation is
• The reason for the policy
• What are the goals?
• Are there compliance requirements that need to be followed?

b. Responsible Persons:

Who is responsible for: Developing the policy, Implementing the policy, Managing the policy, Monitoring the policy once it is accepted and released

c. Impact on the Organisation:

• What resources are needed
• Financial
• People
• Operational

d. Stakeholders:

• Who might be needed to assist?
• Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
• Community groups

16. Watch the following videos:

The first is Adobe http://www.adobe.com/corporate-responsibility/environment.html

The second PWChttp://www.pwc.co.uk/corporate-sustainability/7morelondon.jhtml

Explain the benefits they identified in developing and implementing a sustainability policy.

Adobe -Help the planet by building green within & out. BENEFITS-good business ,it has paid back save them money over the long term, awarded platinum, leading through

PWC-professional service help clients adapt & prosper business landscape, minimise its own environmental footprint enhance the prospect of all stakeholders, build a really effective workplace, value for money in sustainability,

ASSESSMENT 2- SustainabilityPolicy

Assessment 2 is in two parts and is based around a printing company ‘Focus Press’. Please refer to the additional case study information when answering the following questions for both Part A and Part B.

PART A – Sustainability Analysis

1. What is the business name?

Focus press

2. What type of business is it (Industry)?

Organisation (Tutors comment –  what do they do ?)

3. Who is the main person or persons in this business that is responsible for sustainability?

Managing director (Tutors comment – give me the name )

4. Why is sustainability important to for this business and its local environment?

Efficient use of resources, using environmentally responsible raw materials, striving to reduce our impact on environment through new & emerging technologies & maintaining a program of continuous improvement as managed through the lean manufacturing model

5. Compliance: Write down the names of any Australian Commonwealth legislation (law) or compliance requirements that they may need to considerwhen developing their sustainability policies.

• Environment protection & biodiversity conservation act 1999
• Certified environmental (ISO 14001)
• Quality (ISO 9001) & colour (ISO 12647.2) management systems

6. Stakeholder Engagement: Who are the key people or groups of people that has been involved in developing their sustainability policy?

• Business owners, Company Directors, Shareholders, EmployeesIndustry experts , Customers, Community representatives

7. What did they do? Explain the steps that were taken to improve sustainability practices

• Identify risks & opportunities
• Train staff in environmental responsibilities
• Benchmark against best prac-tices
• Reduce energy consumption
• Introduce digital workflows
• Improve waste handing & disposal
• Reduce hazardous waste
• Certification

8. What are the environmental gains? List the benefits that were achieved by the company

Environmental gains

The quantity of alcohol used is at least 60% lower,waste send to landfill has reduced from 9 square meters to 3 square meters a week saving (saving $3000) per year,water consumption has dropped by over 62.5%, with further gains to come, by changing to soy-based inks, ink usage has reduced by 30%, usage of paper & other raw materials in setting up & running print jobs has reduced by up to 85%, quantities of hazardous substances have been reduced.

Benefits that were achieved by the company

Refining existing processes,implementing new processes as they are developed here & over-seas,working with environmental groups,industry leaders& government departments to identify areas for future development,educating clients & the industry in general about the benefits of cleaner production,sourcing new materials & consumables to reduce production costs & lower the environmental impact of the printing process

9. Explain what else they plan to do in the future

• Refining existing processes
• Implementing new processes as they are developed here and overseas
• Working with environmental groups, industry leaders and government department to identify areas for further improvement
• Educating clients and the industry in general about the benefits of cleaner production
• Sourcing new materials and consumables to reduce production costs and lower the environmental impact of the printing process.

Focus Press Case Study continued:

PART B – Policy Development, Implementation & Monitoring

10. Focus Print developed their sustainability policy and implemented action plans in 1999. Briefly explain their achievements and key action outcomes identified in their 2012 report.

National carbon offset standard (NSCO) certification

11. Action Plan Carbon Reduction:

 a. What is the sustainability goals identified at Focus Print?

• Scope 1: emissions are company vehicles, gas forklifts & staff air travel

• Scope 2: emissions are from our purchase of grid electricity,& have been partially offset by our purchase of green power
• Scope3: emissions from the bulk of our Footprint & are generated predominantly through paper manufacture, followed by aluminum plates, freight & waste disposal

b. What carbons off set projects were undertaken?

ACTION PLAN   What were the carbon offset projects undertaken	WHO?   Which country was involved?
A Hydropower project	Zhongfang country, China
A landfill gas project	Greater new bedford, USA
A bundled wind power project	Tamil Nadu, India
A project to recover & resume caustic soda a side-product of paper manufacturing	India
A wind-power project	Chongli, China

c. Explain how they calculate their overall carbon footprint?

Using input-output modelling developed by the integrated sustainability analysis team (ISA) at the University of Sydney,this model has been certified for use under the Australian Government National Carbon Offset Standards.

12. The Case study – Satia Energy Efficiency Project, Punjab, India discusses what Focus press did to help achieve part of its 3^rd goal, answer the following:

a. Who is Satia Industries?

One of the leading paper manufacturers in Punjab state in India

b. How much paper do they produce per day?

130 tonnes of paper per day

c. What hazards did they identify in the paper production process?

This process consumes large amounts of caustic soda

d. What was the new process?

To recover the caustic soda from factory’s waste stream,this can then be reused to make more paper.

e. What did they use less of as a result of this new process?

Use less electricity to recover the caustic soda than to manufacture caustic soda

f. What has been the overall benefit of this project

The project earns carbon credits for the greenhouse gas emissions prevented by these electricity savings. This is an innovative process to reduce resource use, waste & greenhouse gas emissions, prevented by these electricity savings

13. What other areas of sustainability did they address?

The project has helped to develop & ‘mainstream’ cleaner more efficient manufacturing technologies in India

14. What targets have they achieved?

Company has involved in various charitable activities with the local community, including support of local school programs & the Thalassemia Children Welfare Association, as well as provision of free medical & eye examination

15. How do they communicate the sustainability plan and goals to staff and get them involved?

• Staff training & cooperate awareness
• Inform them about regulatory requirements
• Involve them in the EMS process

16. What kind of documents will be useful in analyzing the success or failure of the sustainability actions?

• Checking your usage against industry benchmarks
• Checking your previous energy bills against current bills
• Keeping a record of the amount of resources used during the year and comparing them to previous years
• Tracking use and management of hazardous materials
• Keeping a record of your waste management activities

17. What can you recommend they do if their sustainability goals are not achieved?

• Consult with industry leaders and other businesses to see how they are achieving their targets
• Consult with senior management to generate new ideas
• Consult with staff on the ground to get their ideas
• Analyse your processes and procedures to identify the points of weakness
• Set new targets-make sure they are realistic and achievable
• Provide training to staff
• Set incentives for staff who demonstrate a high level of commitment towards achieving targets

18. Why is it important they are able to modify a sustainability policy and make sure that improvements are made?

• The environment is constantly changing
• As a business we need to adapt to continue to deliver the best as a sustainable organisation
• It about doing the right thing
• Leaving the world a better place for future generations