Red Scooter was Australia’s first carbon neutral events venue! We’ve achieved carbon neutral status with Greenfleet, by planting more than 2000 native trees in 2005, 2006 and 2007 in Wedderburn Victoria, approximately one hour north-west of Bendigo. But now we’ve taken it one step further to becoming Australia’s first carbon positive event venue, by planting 3000 trees in 2008 and by working with our local community to increase the awareness of our environmental challenges.
In late 2008 Red Scooter emissions calculations were broken down into the following categories:
Source
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Background
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Tonnes per Annum
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Supplier Travel
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50 x suppliers completing a 50km return trip once a week in a Diesel truck
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28.28
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Guest Travel
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200 x guests completing a 50km return trip once a week in a Petrol car
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143.00
|
|
Staff Travel
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20 x staff members completing a 15km return trip once a week in a petrol car
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4.29
|
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Utilities
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Based on our Gas & Electricity bills for July 2007 to September 2008
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231.71
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Air Travel
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4 x guests completing a return trip from Perth to Melbourne and back again once a week
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210.29
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Waste
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1 x one tonne of Municipal waste i.e. non-recyclables picked up once a week January to November and twice a week in December
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66.60
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|
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Total CO² emissions
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684.17
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Total Trees required to offset emissions
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2,555 trees
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Red Scooter Environmental Investment
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$8431.50
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In order to offset 684.17 tonnes of carbon emissions, Red Scooter partnered with Greenfleet to plant a minimum of 2,555 native trees in the Greater Victoria area. Native trees were chosen to re-create forests in areas of environmental concern, as native trees will help to regenerate the mix of native flora & fauna that has been there originally. The trees reduce salinity and soil erosion, and provide essential habitat for native species.
Additionally, new in 2010 Red Scooter is off setting carbon emissions produced by each of our clients cars for an entire year! Just by booking your event at Red Scooter, you will be neutralising the impact your car has on the environment for the next 12 months.
We encourage you to think about not only neutralising emissions from your car but also air travel, home or office – you’ll find details at the Greenfleet website, www.greenfleet.com.au. Greenfleet is a not for profit organisation.
We also take the following environmental measures to reduce the amount of emissions we produce:
Organic By Choice
You can choose organic menus free of all pesticides and so avoid contaminating the land, wildlife and you.
Choosing GreenPower
We reinvest the money we save through energy conservation in purchasing some of our electricity from GreenPower, sourced from renewables like wind and solar.
Gas is used for our ovens, stoves, deep fryers and hot water services as it produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions than electricity, stove burners and ovens are switched off in between use and our room temperatures are set to maximise comfort and minimise energy consumption.
We choose the most efficient appliances and use only the energy we need, all equipment is cleaned and serviced regularly to maximise efficient operation.
Water Saving Strategies
We reduce our water usage through using high efficiency glass washers, aerators on all taps and high pressure nozzles for washing bins and mats. Hot water taps are regularly checked for leaks.
We’ve implemented The Green Smile Water Wise Urinal Cleaning system, specially formulated with selected natural micro-organisms to reduce water consumption in urinals by up to 95%! Now that’s something to smile about…
Recycling Waste
We enthusiastically recycle oil, card board, corks, glass and plastic. We bokashi as much organic waste as we can (not that there is much food left over to throw out!) and take it to our local community garden.
Buying Recycled
To protect Australia’s forest habitats and conserve materials we use recycled products wherever practical e.g. toilet paper, paper towels, printer paper and cartridges.
Trapping Grease & More
Our grease trap stops grease and organics entering the sewerage system and by using environmentally friendly cleaning products we reduce the amount of phosphorous products in the sewers. We provide outdoor ashtrays and sweep the area around Red Scooter after events to ensure butts are not washed into stormwater drains and into the bay.
Thinking of the Neighbours
To ensure we minimise our impact on the amenity of our neighbourhood, our guests are guided by licensed crowd controllers and car park attendants using an air craft landing torch into parking spaces. Guests are also encouraged to leave the area in an orderly manner.
What’s Next?
We are working hard to make all areas of Red Scooter are as environmentally sustainable as possible. We’ve added more kangaroo and pork dishes to our menus as these products are local and help to reduce our food miles as well as produce less methane and greenhouse gas emissions.
Like to know more or join us?
To discover how sustainable business practices can help you or your business meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations please contact us