THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2019

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) is walking its talk on reducing emissions by becoming a certified carbon zero organisation.

EECA has cut its greenhouse gas emissions by a third since 2007, and is now offsetting the difference.

EECA’s chief executive Andrew Caseley says EECA’s role in promoting energy efficiency and opportunities to reduce emissions means ‘we need to walk the talk, and show how we’re doing it by being clean and clever energy users.’

EECA has been measuring and reporting its emissions through the Certified Emissions Measurement and Reduction Scheme (CEMARS) run by Toitu (formerly Enviromark) for 12 years.

EECA’s carbon footprint for 2018/19 was 247 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), a reduction of 35% since 2007. This has been achieved mainly through transport usage.

Emissions from plane and car travel by EECA staff has reduced by 31% in that time.

‘Transport has been challenging because we have staff who need to travel as part of their work, for example, to visit large energy-using businesses around the country.

‘We’re embracing the use of EV car share schemes and rental cars so our Auckland office is now exclusively using EVs.’

‘We’ve worked hard to reduce travel by doing video meetings whenever we can, and when we can’t, we’re offsetting emissions by buying emissions credits.’

Mr Caseley says EECA’s Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch offices all hold excellent energy savings credentials of either 4 or 4.5 out of 6 stars through the NABERSNZ scheme.

In addition, the Auckland office’s electricity has for the last two years been supplied by a retailer that offsets emissions, at no extra cost to EECA.

Mr Caseley says ‘understanding and measuring where your emissions are coming from is a critical first step in figuring out what needs to change, and knowing exactly what you can achieve.’

EECA is a member of the Climate Leaders Coalition, whose organisations are taking voluntary action on climate change.

‘There’s plenty of scope in both the public and private sectors for reducing emissions and we’re proud to be showing leadership by reducing what we can in our own operations.’

‘We’re also aware through our Gen Less campaign there are lots of people and businesses who are finding ways to take action on energy related carbon emissions.

Every positive action achieves something, and it all adds up to make a difference’, says Mr Caseley.

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