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Business Whangaparāoa is working with Hibiscus Coast Zero Waste to inform, educate and assist local businesses as they strive to reduce their carbon footprints.
The initiative began a few months ago, when the two organisations jointly received an Auckland Council climate grant for $5000.The money allows them to collaborate to support local businesses around climate related issues, obligations and regulations, and also to champion businesses that already take action through promotion and Green Scheme Certification.
Business Whangaparāoa business and project manager, Sarah Carr, says businesses are among the biggest contributors to carbon emissions and more of them want to do something about that.
“From my perspective as a business owner, it’s working out what I can do, and how,” Sarah says.
Business Whangaparāoa has a database of businesses, split into industry groups. The pilot scheme involves getting businesses on board to take part in a survey, which has been designed by Zero Waste’s Estefania (Stef) Muller Pallares.
The survey is focused on different sectors, such as hospitality, construction, office-based businesses and retail, which all have very specific and different issues when it comes to things like waste.
“We want to better understand what is already being done, what the problems and barriers are and support businesses by providing information, contacts and ideas,” Stef says.
An example she gives is second hand clothing shops, which end up with a lot of fabric waste because of donated items which can’t be sold.
“We are assembling a list of what can be done with unsaleable second hand clothing for the shops to put on their windows so that customers know how to divert that waste from landfill,” Stef says.
“It’s important that any solutions we suggest are targeted, relevant and realistic,” Sarah says. “We are only too aware of the pressures businesses are under, and how precious their time is. That’s why we need to work together.”
She says, for example in construction, Business Whangaparāoa will talk with a company like G J Gardener to find out what they are doing to reduce their carbon footprint, then share those ideas with smaller building businesses.
And with Tetra Paks (milk, juice and alternative milk cartons) which will soon no longer be able to go in Auckland Council’s recycling, Sarah suggests that businesses in the same area, such as Red Beach or Gulf Harbour, could get together and take it in turns to drop their combined empty Tetra Paks at the Whangaparāoa Recycling Centre, rather than putting them in landfill.
“It might mean you only have to take a turn every six weeks to do the drop off, which is more realistic for busy businesses,” she says. “We all lack time, but we need to stop and think. Every small action adds up.”
Sarah is keen to hear from local businesses about environmental issues, or solutions they have come up with. She also wants to find around five businesses that are able to take part in the pilot scheme. Info: email info@businesswhangaparaoa.co.nz
