The University of Queensland has been awarded more than $260,000 in community water grants to consolidate an environmental record that has already seen it cut water consumption by around 47 percent since 2004.
The funding, handed down by the Australian Government Water Fund, will go towards a range of initiatives that will include new underground water collection and storage facilities, the installation of rainwater tanks at UQ’s Gatton campus and a rainwater harvesting program at UQ Ipswich.
The grants will supplement UQ’s investment of approximately $1 million on water savings since 2002 and help maintain a record that last year saw the University crowned “Top Water Saver” for 2006 in the Brisbane City Council area.
Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman has commended UQ on its environmental achievements, noting that its water saving strategies have led to a drop in water consumption equivalent to 780 million bottles of drinking water.
“Those bottles, if stacked side by side, would stretch one and a third times around the world,” he said.
Savings to date have been achieved through a range of initiatives including retrofitting toilets, urinals, hand basins and showers with water efficient devices; using recycled water or harvested water for irrigation of ovals and campus grounds; installing water meters to monitor water consumption and identify leaks; and installing two 110,000 litre rainwater tanks as part of a new building being constructed at St Lucia.
UQ Environmental Coordinator Ms Kay Ollett said it was important to note, however, that water conservation was just one aspect of a multi-faceted environmental strategy that also includes the “Unigreen Awareness” and the “Green Office” programs.
The Green Office Program in particular has achieved an overall average improvement in environmental performance of 15 percent across measurements covering energy management, waste management, environmental awareness and environmentally-responsible purchasing.
Specific results included estimated energy savings of over 91,000 kilowatts per year, an annual reduction of 85 tonnes of Greenhouse gas emissions, a 44 percent reduction in the amount of recyclable material going to landfill, and an increase in the purchase of environmentally preferred products.
Close to 40 University business areas have joined the program to date, and according to Ms Ollett, stakeholder involvement and regular communication had been the keys to the program’s success.
“UQ’s staff have really taken hold of opportunities to be involved in environmental initiatives on campus,” she said.
“To date, 60 staff in 47 areas across three campuses have taken on the role of Green Office Representative and these people have committed to spend 30 minutes per week on the program, as well as attending quarterly update sessions.
“To keep these key people engaged we also have a monthly newsletter and we provide incentives – trophies and vouchers for green products – to most improved areas each year.”
Through a system of annual Green Office Assessments, improvements have been measured and benchmarked, and priority areas for future focus also highlighted.
Results show recycling has also improved, with 2007 waste audits revealing that recyclables going to landfill have been reduced by more than 50 percent since 2002.
Ms Ollett said all the various green initiatives and improvements, implemented across a range of areas, have made for some solid environmental foundations at UQ.
Media: For further information contact Kay Ollett (07 3365 2076 or k.ollett@pf.uq.edu.au) or Lucy Manderson at UQ Communications (07 3365 2339 or l.manderson@uq.edu.au).
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