Part B – Short response inquiries
Answer the questions below in your assessment document.
What is the most recent Act that governs ‘Littering and illegal dumping’ in Queensland? Can you provide an example of a fine for littering in Queensland?
2. Provide a description of three strategies for improving water efficiency in either a home or office setting.
3. If you are working in a business office and have been given the responsibility of reducing printer paper usage, outline your approach to gathering input from your colleagues to successfully implement a paper reduction initiative.
4. What is the definition of Quality Assurance? Moreover, please specify the existing International (ISO) Quality Assurance standard that is applicable to all organizations irrespective of their size, industry, product or service. (Please be aware that this standard is overarching and does not specifically address sustainability concerns.)
The concept of a benchmark and its usefulness in goal-setting and target-setting can be explained. A benchmark is a standard or reference point that is used to measure progress or performance. It provides a comparison against which achievements can be evaluated. In the context of resource efficiency, such as energy waste or water usage, benchmarks can be set to determine the desired level of improvement. For example, in an organization’s effort to reduce energy waste, they may set a benchmark by comparing their current energy consumption with industry standards or best practices. This benchmark serves as a target for the organization to strive towards and helps them track their progress over time.
Implementing five communication strategies in your workplace can effectively engage with a diverse group of sustainability stakeholders.
7. The ResourceSmart Green Procurement Guide is recommended for integrating sustainability into the purchasing process. This guide offers valuable information on incorporating green practices in procuring goods and services. It can be used to create a list of three questions that can be asked to potential suppliers.
Outline the primary duties of a Sustainability Compliance Officer:
Part C – Case study
The Company Director at “TRAL Consulting” recently introduced a sustainability strategy aimed at decreasing energy, waste, and water usage. As the sustainability representative, your initial responsibility is to research, gather, and document relevant information to create a plan for reducing energy consumption. Once implemented, you must communicate the results to the company director and other key stakeholders. TRAL Consulting has 20 administration staff members who each have their individual desktop computer and LCD screen. The Company Director uses a laptop. Both the front office area and back office area are equipped with a fax machine, laser printer, and photocopier. Furthermore, there is a conference room as well as a staff kitchen which includes an urn, large fridge/freezer, toaster, and microwave oven.
TRAL consulting’s conference room is equipped with an old TV and a data projector. The company operates from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. During the lunch break, from 12 noon to 1pm, all staff members take a break except for one person who remains on duty in the front office. In terms of lighting, the front office has 10 standard fluorescent lights while the back office has 20. Additionally, there is one standard fluorescent light each in the conference room, Directors office, and staff kitchen. The staff toilets have a total of eight standard fluorescent lights with single tubes.
The building features air conditioning throughout with two ducted air-conditioners in the front office and five in the back office. Furthermore, there is one ducted air-conditioner each in the conference room, Directors office, staff kitchen as well as male and female toilets.
A timer controls the building’s air conditioning system which operates between 7am and 7pm daily. However, it is uncertain whether or not the lights are switched off at night.
All electrical equipment at TRAL Consulting is kept on 24/7. Although staff may log off their computers, they leave them turned on. The cleaner’s schedule is Monday to Friday from 5pm to 7pm. Staff meetings are held every Tuesday from 5pm to 6pm.
For Part C questions and answers, write in the assessment document. Follow the provided instructions for questions 1-4. If additional data is needed, assumptions can be made.
On the Energy_Audit worksheet, list all electrical items at TRAL Consulting and their potential weekly electricity cost. Refer to the Energy_device_table for wattage reference of devices.
Analyze the data from the Energy Audit worksheet and suggest an improvement opportunity for each electric device. Document these suggestions in the Improvement Opportunities column of the worksheet.
Use ResourceSmart Victoria’s sample Preliminary Action Plan as a guide for layout and create a similar MS Word or MS Excel version called Action_Plan. Utilize the identified improvement opportunities from the energy audit worksheet to complete the Action Plan for lights, air-conditioning, computers, and two other chosen devices or work practices.
Answer questions 5-8 in the assessment document.
Describe how you will support the staff at TRAL consulting in implementing your Action Plan.
Four weeks after implementing your action plan, a staff member suggests including recycling in the organization.
Create three recycling suggestions for a typical office and explain how to support TRAL Consulting staff in implementing them. Seek input from other stakeholders using effective communication techniques. After three months of implementing the energy action plan, receive the quarterly electricity bill and observe a decrease in electricity usage resulting in a lower bill. Report on the ‘energy use’ initiative, referencing the outcomes of the Improvement Opportunity Action Plan. Include a chart or graph illustrating one of the improvements made. Identify consulted stakeholders during the energy use initiative, describe the communication strategies employed, and discuss data collection methods used.
Note any problems or issues that are associated with your initiatives.
