Making a difference to our environment
A programme is now underway to improve sustainability across the New Zealand Defence Force. This involves improving sustainability practices in areas such as buildings, transport, waste minimisation, water conservation and carbon emissions.
Programme Sponsor and NZDF 'Sustainability Champion’ Dr Graeme Benny (NZDF’s General Manager Organisational Support) says sustainability is a matter of smart business. ‘We all have a part to play, not only in being friendlier to the environment, but in doing things better and more efficiently. It’s about reducing our impact on the environment and at the same time being safer and more cost effective in our business practices. We're aiming to integrate sustainability across NZDF. We've already started doing it and it's making a difference.’
The NZDF sustainability programme is part of the Govt3 Programme. Govt3 is a government sponsored project led by the Ministry for the Environment to improve the environmental, social and economic sustainability of public sector agencies. The government wants agencies such as NZDF to show leadership in sustainability. Graeme Benny says that Defence, because of its size and diversity, has a real opportunity to make a significant difference by reducing its impacts on the environment and being more sustainable. ‘A great deal has been achieved in this area as an organisation but we want to do more and are seeking to continually improve our practices over time,’ Dr Benny says. NZDF has developed an Action Plan and a working group has been set up. The Air Force is represented on the Working Group by WGCDR Colin Marshall. The RNZAF have been looking at this situation for some time now. Bus routes are being trialled, transporting personnel to and from the Bases in order to reduce the carbon footprint in the areas, reducing fuel costs for individuals and also reducing demand and maintenance of car parking spaces. Ohakea’s bus trial to and from Palmerston North has been well patronised. The environmental spin-off here is that there are approximately 25 fewer private vehicles on the Base on a daily basis with the associated environmental and private benefits as above. The viability of all these services is to be determined at a later date. Recycling is also a current topic on all Bases. Currently Whenuapai and Woodbourne have recycling facilities nearby which are available to Service personnel and their families. Within Ohakea, an investigation concerning the viability of instituting a scheme for both Base Married Quarters and the Air Force Base is underway.
Additionally, all Bases have been spending considerable sums over the past few years upgrading service houses with clean, sustainable and environmentally friendly heating sources, coupled with insulation measures to prevent heat loss and reduce resource consumption. Fortunately, the end result is happier Service personnel, happier families, and a happier environment.
Environmental and energy sustainability is at the front of everybody's mind in the RNZAF with many individuals doing their own bit for the environment from turning off lights to recycling their daily sheets of paper.
There will always be those who say that NZDF could not possibly be sustainable with all the equipment, fuel and travel that is used. However, the idea is to prove that while we face a challenge due to the nature of our activities, all that can be done to avoid unnecessary consumption of resources is being done, and the Defence Force aims to be as efficient as possible when using those resources. ‘Sustainability within the Defence Force is not a short term project. It will become business as usual and will benefit us all,’ Dr Benny says.