Council for International Development
Kaunihera mo te Whakapakari Ao Whanui
Clearing the Air:
Reducing NGO Contributions
to Climate Change
Part A: Reducing emissions
from domestic activities
Clearing the Air:
Reducing NGO Contributions to
Climate Change
Part A: Reducing emissions from domestic activities
Table of Contents
Page
Introduction
2
Six steps to cut emissions
2
Reduce
2
Reuse
3
Recycle
4
Travel
4
The workplace
5
Purchasing
6
Considering climate in decision-making
7
Offsetting and carbon trading
8
Environmental audit
9
Policy
10
Resources
11
Notes
12
CiD
Kaunihera mo te Whakapakari Ao Whanui
Council for International Development
P.O. Box 24-228
Wellington
Aotearoa New Zealand
Tel: +64-4-496 9615
E-mail: info@cid.org.nz
Fax: +64-4-496 9614
www.cid.org.nz
Cover: Sunset at Raoul Island. Photo: Sam Buchanan
Page one
REDUCING NGO CONTRIBUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE
Introduction
Human-induced climate change threatens the sustainable development of our planet. Global warming, if left unchecked, will have severe impacts on our environment, economies and communities. As
international development NGOs, we should minimise our activities that contribute to this problem,
including the way we manage our workplace. Leaving climate change unchecked can potentially be
devastating for the communities we aim to assist, ourselves and future generations.
Global warming is being fuelled by greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases include: carbon
dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), and perfluorocarbons (PFCs)1. CO2 emissions from the use of fossil fuels are the main
contributor to climate change generated by workplace activities. To address this we need to look at
how we work, and do what we can to change those behaviours that contribute to climate change,
whether directly or indirectly.
This guide looks at ways Aotearoa New Zealand NGOs can take action and reduce the amount of
greenhouse gas emissions generated through their domestic activities. It contains suggestions,
examples, resources and steps NGOs can take to mitigate their organisation’s contribution to
climate change.
Six steps to cut emissions
Reduce
Use these six steps to ensure your NGO is acting to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions from workplace activities.
A major contributor to climate change is consumerism.
Many materials we commonly use and consume impact on climate change through the generation of greenhouse gases from their production, transportation,
consumption, disposal or reuse. Reducing what we use
in the office is a simple and effective way we can act to
reduce emissions. To do this is often a case of using
common sense. It isn’t difficult to think of ways to reduce the amount of things we use during the working
day and examples are numerous.
1.
Discuss climate change. Hold a staff meeting where you can identify activities or changes in
behaviour that your workplace can do immediately to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
2.
Environmental audit. Conduct a formal or informal environmental audit of the workplace that considers greenhouse gas emissions. This will provide a
good understanding of where the organisation is doing
well and where there are areas for improvement.
3.
Implement. Put in place an action plan for the
workplace that people can use immediately in their
day-to-day activities. Use suggestions from these
guidelines and focus on reducing, reusing and recycling. Monitor implementation of the action plan, learn
from experience and consider whether new actions
and targets are needed.
4.
Environment policy. Develop policy that aims
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fits your workplace and activities. This will show your organisation
is being active in addressing climate change.
5.
Publicise the efforts your organisation is doing
through such means as websites or newsletters. Discuss with other NGOs.
6.
Advocate. Get involved in climate change
campaigns.
Page two
Two of the biggest consumer items we use in the workplace are paper and energy. They are also major contributors to climate change through the production of
greenhouse gases. The following provides some suggestions for reducing paper use and energy consumption.
Reduce paper use
• Think before you print. Printing documents creates paper waste. Even recycled paper can use a lot
of energy to produce, and its production is destructive
to the environment.
• Push buttons – not paper. Your computer is there
to be used: share, store and read documents on your
computer rather than printing out and filing. Use your
print preview software to avoid printing mistakes and
the need to re-do.
• Email or use the phone when communicating. Communicating by hardcopy, such as printing out, writing
letters or notes can consume a lot of paper.
REDUCING NGO CONTRIBUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE
Share and circulate reports rather than printing out multiple copies.
• Double side. When you have to print, double side
your documents by printing on both sides of the paper.
This not only saves on paper but also reduces the
amount you need to store, recycle or eventually throw
out. Reuse your one-sided copies. Check printer settings to ensure double siding is standard;
• Mail-outs. Try to fit as much material in your mail
outs as you can to avoid multiple send outs;
• Return to sender. Send unwanted mail back rather
than throwing away;
• Reduce the use of fax cover sheets when not needed;
• Share and circulate hard copies of reports and other
items rather than printing out multiple copies;
• Avoid paper towels. Use a cloth towel roll dispenser
in the toilet and cleaning cloths in the kitchen;
• Use whiteboards and electronic presentations rather than printing out hand-outs.
Reduce energy consumption
Electricity generation is often associated with CO2
emissions. It also contributes to other forms of environmental degradation. Reducing energy consumption
reduces environmental impact and also saves money.
Some simple methods for reducing electricity consumption in the workplace include:
• Turn-off. Ensure electronic equipment and lights
are turned off when not in use. Have a ‘turn off’ checklist in the office. Turn off computer monitors when
going out of the office or if you are away from the
Photo: Sam Buchanan
computer for more than 15 minutes;
• Switch to energy efficient light bulbs where possible. LCD monitors for computers are more power efficient than older models;
• Use energy efficient modes and settings for electronic equipment and ensure they are enabled. Timers
and thermostats on heating and air-conditioning should
be used as well as screensavers for computers;
•
Take the stairs rather than the lift;
• Ventilate naturally to reduce heating and air conditioning. Heat pumps are one of the most efficient methods of controlling office temperature.Ensure windows
can be opened and install windows and doors that insulate. Close doors and windows when it’s cold;
• Move towards renewable forms of energy such as
solar power for water heating;
• Fit seals around computer server rooms that need
to be kept cool;
• Choose an electricity provider with the best environmental record;
• Save hot water. Ensure dishwashers are full before running a cycle and hand wash when possible.
Re-use
Reusing items is an efficient and cost effective way
your office can reduce its impact on the environment
and climate change. Try to purchase re-usable items
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REDUCING NGO CONTRIBUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE
and avoid throw-away materials. Some suggestions
include:
Reuse envelopes, cardboard boxes and packaging
such as bubble wrap. Ask suppliers to take away packaging for reuse;
Office supplies. Refill pens and tape dispensers. Reuse items like ring binders;
Set-up an area in your office where unwanted paper
can be re-used. Use both sides of the paper and then
recycle. Examples for doing this include printing on
unused sides and using scrap paper for notepads;
Lunch waste. Re-use containers and recycle disposable plastic, glass or cardboard packaging. Compost
any bio-degradable waste;
Get rid of those plastic cups. Get cups and mugs you
can wash and use over and over;
Store cleaning products in re-usable containers;
Use durable cloths for cleaning rather than disposable paper towels or wipes.
Recycle
Recycling reduces the amount of waste that enters
our CO2 and methane emmitting landfills and recycled
material can be re-used to make products rather than
using natural resources. Some items you can recycle
include:
your recycling, with a little bit of effort:
•
Mobile phones and batteries;
• Office equipment. Give your old usable equipment
like computers, chairs, decks or furniture to charities
or community groups rather than just dumping them;
•
Waste oil and chemicals;
•
Paint.
Make it easy to recycle and deal with waste
Have a waste management plan for your office that
includes recycling. This can inform staff on how to
deal with different types of waste, pick-up times and
days and encourage re-using and recycling.
Install waste separation units that are easy to use
for material that must be thrown out (alongside recycling bins).
Have clear posters and signs encouraging recycling
so staff are aware of how to dispose of their waste
suitably.
Encourage staff to have and use paper recycling
bins near their desks. This makes it easy for people to
recycle without having to leave their desk.
Start up a worm farm in your office. These aren’t as
hard to set up and operate as they sound, and are cleaner and produce less smell than a compost bin. Worm
farms mostly produce liquid fertiliser which is easier
to use than solid composted waste.
• Paper and cardboard;
• Plastic;
Travel
• Aluminium and tin;
Domestic and international travel is likely to be essential for many NGOs. Transport, especially, air travel,
creates considerable amounts of CO2 emissions. Lowering the use of transportation that produces large
amounts of emissions is another way your organisation can reduce its impact on climate change. Some
key areas to look at include reducing both air travel
and private car commuting.
• Clothing and rags (use a clothing bin or take to
your local op-shop);
• Printer toner;
• Kitchen waste. A lot of organic and other material
can be composted and re-used in the office (e.g. for
plants) or for staff to take home with them. Compostable wastes include:
√ Food scraps;
√ Tea leaves and bags, coffee grounds and filters;
√ Plant trimmings and flowers;
√ Paper plates and napkins;
√ Paper towels and tissues.
You can often recycle more than you think. Check
with your local council about recycling services, times
and locations. Here are a few items you can add to
Page four
Reduce air travel
Air travel is often the easiest and most convenient
means of travelling. It is also one of the most emissions-intensive activities we can do. Globally, the
world’s 16,000 commercial jet aircraft generate more
than 700 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
Aviation generates nearly as much CO2 annually as
that from all human activities in Africa.2 Having to
fly is sometimes unavoidable, especially when employing participatory approaches to development;
however, there are actions that NGOs can take to
reduce air travel.
REDUCING NGO CONTRIBUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE
Avoid unnecessary travel. Prioritise trips, plan
carefully and consider environmental implications
when making decisions that will involve air travel;
Hold meetings and events in locations that minimise the distance people have to travel to attend. Consider travel distances for development
partners;
Avoid flying short distances. Look to use means
other than air travel for domestic transport such as:
√ Public transport;
√ Car pooling;
Look for alternatives to face-to-face meetings
such as:
√ Email conferences;
√ Teleconferences;
√ Videoconferences;
Emissions reducing options for private car use
If unavoidable, there are options that can reduce the
generation of emissions from using a private car for
commuting or other travel. Examples include:
• Car pooling;
•
Car sharing services;
• Adopting fuel efficient driving habits;
• Ensuring the vehicle is regularly maintained and your
tyres are properly inflated;
• Purchasing fuel efficient vehicles or those that use
alternatives to petrol – LPG, electric, hybrids;
• Using bio-fuels or petrol/bio blends;
• When renting a vehicle, choose one that is the most
fuel efficient and produces the least emissions;
• Keep old cars in service rather than buying new ones.
√ Skype and web-based presentations.
Reduce car travel
Forty percent of Aotearoa New Zealand’s CO 2
emissions come from transport, with private car
use being the biggest contributor. Alternatives to
private car use for commuting and other work-related travel should be encouraged.
‘Active transportation’ such as walking or biking,
is cheap and provides health benefits for those who
are able to do it. It is also improves staff retention
and productivity. Public transport, such as catching the bus or train to work is also preferable to
taking the car.
Some simple ways of encouraging active and public transport in the workplace include:
Incentives to those who walk or bike to work e.g.
subsidise cycle gear (bike locks, helmets, gloves)
or personal security items (personal alarms);
Secure and easy to access bike stands and ensure there is adequate security lighting for walkers;
Showers and changing room facilities for staff
needing to shower and change their clothes;
Small items can make a difference e.g. coat racks
for wet clothes and umbrellas or providing a basic
bicycle repair kit at work;
Consider subsidising public transport for staff;
Be flexible with those staff who rely on public
transport (it’s not always their fault that the bus or
train was late).
The workplace
Worktowards having an office environment that has
features that can lower workplace emissions.
When choosing a new premises (due to relocation or
expansion) look for locations that already have these
features. These include:
Access. Being close to public transport reduces private car commuting;
Insulation. Good insulation and features like double
glazed windows cuts down on heating and air conditioning emissions and costs;
Vegetation. Gardens and other green areas not only
help offset workplace emissions but also provide a
pleasant environment for staff and visitors. Rooftop
gardens are becoming more popular and have numerous benefits;
Windows and ventilation. Windows that let in sun
and other natural ways of ventilation reduce the need
for heating and air conditioning.
Working from home
Working from home reduces transport emissions by
removing the need to commute, however it can duplicate energy use (e.g. lighting and heating) which would
normally be shared in the workplace. Unless enough
staff work from home to enable offices to be closed,
this practice can create more emissions than from the
workplace alone. It can also be expensive for workers
through having to cover their own energy costs. There
is no clear answer on working from home as a means
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REDUCING NGO CONTRIBUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE
of reducing work-related CO2 emissions, but it may
suit some NGOs.
Flexible work hours
One barrier to public transport use is its irregularity. Becoming late for work due to a hold up to
buses or trains can be a big incentive to take the
car. Flexible work hours make it easier for staff to
access public transport and can encourage staff
to make the change from private car commuting
to public options.
Implement flexitime or self-rostering systems of
work that allow flexibility for when staff need to
be in the office as a means to enable staff to use
public transport. Roster part time staff to avoid
purchasing duplicate equipment that may remain
unused for much of the week.
Dress codes
Dress codes in the workplace mean people conform to a certain way of looking but they can also
have environmental implications. Suits and other
expensive items of clothing can be energy intensive to produce, and dry cleaning uses chemicals
that are damaging if they get into the soil or water
aquifers. A lack of a dress code gives staff the
ability to choose work clothes that have less of an
impact on the environment, such as second-hand
clothing or clothes made out of recycled or environmentally friendly fibres, and which don’t require
dry-cleaning.
Purchasing
Use your purchasing power. Almost all items you purchase or consume create greenhouse gas emissions.
Simply put, reducing the amount of items your workplace purchases or consumes will lessen its impact on
climate change.
To buy, or what to buy? That is the question.
Purchasing products and materials in the workplace is
unavoidable. When you have to buy, think of the environmental implications of what you are purchasing and
choose products or materials that are less environmentally damaging than others on the market. Make informed purchasing decisions by looking at labelling and
questioning retailers.
Questions to consider when choosing products:
• Is it durable and designed to last?
• Will it damage the environment when you use or
dispose of it?
• Where has it been made? Has it been sourced
locally? Is it fair trade?
• How was it manufactured? Was this process environmentally damaging or emissions/energy intensive?
• Is it biodegradable?
• Is it energy efficient? Does it have a low power mode?
• Is it recyclable or does it contain recycled material?
Do you have workplace facilities to recycle it?
Recycling paper and maintaining a casual dress code can reduce impacts.
Photo: Sam Buchanan
Page six
REDUCING NGO CONTRIBUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE
• Are there other options that have less impact on
the environment?
• Is it ‘tree free’ (i.e. material that did not involve
cutting down trees)?
• Does it have a credible environmental label (e.g.
the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) label on paper
and timber products)?
Suggestions for purchasing
Buy local products. Transporting goods creates emissions. Choose products that are locally made.
Buy fair trade. When you can’t buy local coffee,
tea, cocoa and cotton, buy fair trade products which
include environmental standards that reduce emissions.
Buy second hand. Purchasing second hand equipment avoids production emissions… and is cheaper.
Buy in bulk to avoid packaging and transport emissions.
Repair where possible rather than purchasing a new
product.
Share office equipment (such as staplers, scissors and
hole punches) rather than having one each.
Don’t purchase unless you have to!
What to look for when purchasing common workplace
items:
Paper. Look for 100 percent recycled paper that has
a chlorine-free production, or paper from ‘tree-free’
sources (i.e. hemp, kenaf, recovered cotton etc). Avoid
coloured paper.
Food. Organic and vegetarian foods create fewer
emissions in their production than conventional options.
They are also good for you.
etc);
• Advertising;
• Training;
• Catering;
•
Event hosting and preparation.
Questions for suppliers:
When choosing a supplier, ask them about their environmental practices.
• What sort of products do they use? Are they environmentally safe?
• Does their sector have environmental standards?
Do they adhere to them?
• Are the products they supply sourced using fair
trade standards?
• Do they carry out any ‘environmentally friendly’
activities? (e.g. supporting an environmental cause or
an environmental organisation, carbon offsetting or conducting their own environmental activities or campaigns) But be aware of greenwashing.
• Do they have any environmental policy relating to
the work they undertake?
• What sort of greenhouse gas emissions do their
activities produce? What are they doing to mitigate
them?
Talking to suppliers about these issues allows you to
choose the one that provides the most ‘environmentally friendly’ service and produces the least emissions.
It also shows suppliers that climate change is an issue
consumers want them to address. This can encourage
suppliers that are not already acting to reduce their
emissions to do so.
Services and suppliers
Many companies and products do not have specific
information on the emissions they create. In most cases, those companies that are implementing other aspects of corporate social responsibility will also be those
who also act to reduce their climate impacts. Seek out
those companies that are able to demonstrate sound
practices towards the environment, their workers and
their communities.
At times Aotearoa New Zealand NGOs need to outsource services from external suppliers. Such services commonly used by NGOs include:
Considering climate
Office equipment. Purchase items that are energy
efficient and have low-power modes. Check and compare energy ratings.
Cleaning products. Purchase biodegradable cleaning products. Look for those that use organic rather
than synthetic compounds.
• Printing;
• Secretarial services;
• Marketing;
• Production of promotional material (T-shirts, hats
Combating climate change will require concerted
awareness and action. Climate change needs to be
an ongoing consideration for NGOs in Aotearoa New
Zealand. Keep climate change high on your conscience when making decisions that have environmental implications.
Page seven
REDUCING NGO CONTRIBUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE
Steam age communications technology can reduce the need to travel.
Day-to-day activities: Choose options that lessen
your contribution to climate change by thinking about
the consequences of your activities. For example, when
deciding how to get across town to attend a meeting,
think about the options you can take and choose the
one that causes the least emissions. Take the bus instead of a taxi, or even better, walk. Changes to these
types of day-to-day activities can make a difference.
Innovate: Addressing climate change will require us
to come up with new ideas and ways of doing things.
We need to look at how our behaviour contributes to
climate change and make changes that mitigate our
impact. Identifying new ways of doing things in the
workplace that are less environmentally damaging and
produce fewer emissions is important in achieving this.
Look at how your workplace operates and encourage
innovative ideas that will reduce the environmental impact of your office.
Some suggestions that encourage innovation include:
• Brainstorm. At the next staff meeting have a
brainstorming session on how to reduce your workplace’s contribution to climate change. Document and
investigate new ideas that come up.
• Don’t scoff. Ideas that originally sound implausible might have merit. Have an open mind.
• Share your ideas with others. They may also have
ideas that your workplace can use.
• Measure success in ways that consider environmental impact. Evaluating solely by quantity rather than
Page eight
Photo: Sam Buchanan
quality can increase NGO impact on climate change.
For example, increasing the number of subscribers to a
hard copy publication is often a measure of success. An
increase in emissions from the production of the publication may be disregarded as an inevitable cost of this
success. If qualitative means of evaluation were used,
such as how the publication was being utilised by readers, then success can be measured without increased
production. More isn’t always better.
• Invest ethically and choose investment options
that do not involve the production of large amounts of
greenhouse gases.
Offsetting and carbon trading
Offsetting… or putting off?
Carbon offsetting is a means of mitigating climate
change by engaging in activities that compensate for
the production of greenhouse gas emissions. It usually
involves voluntary actions and is seen as a means of
addressing climate change when reducing emissions is
expensive or not possible. An example is planting trees
to offset emissions from activities such as air travel.
Carbon trading is purchasing carbon credits from an
organisation that conducts activities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to offset the activities you
conduct that produce emissions. This puts a monetary
cost on emissions with the aim of discouraging activities
that produce them because of their financial cost. An
example would be an NGO purchasing carbon credits
REDUCING NGO CONTRIBUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE
from another organisation that plants trees in order to
offset CO2 emissions from air travel.
A carbon marketplace, where carbon credits are traded has been promoted as a means of reducing emissions.
Carbon offsetting and carbon trading are aspects of the
same concept and are controversial. Critics claim offsetting is too scientifically imprecise to be effective2.
For example, while it is possible to measure CO2 emissions from a smokestack, it is not so easy to accurately
measure the CO2 uptake of a forest planted as an offsetting measure. There is also a time lag between the
CO2 produced by the smokestack now, and the CO2
the forest will absorb once the trees reach maturity.
In this way offsetting could be seen as ‘putting off’–
carrying on with emissions producing activities now
by investing in activities that would absorb emissions
at a later date. It also enables activities that are lucrative enough to bear the cost of offsetting payments to
continue even though they may produce substantial
emissions, thus discouraging them being phased out.
Addressing climate change requires us to drastically
reduce activities that create emissions now. Offsetting should be seen as a last resort for NGOs that are
otherwise unable to reduce their emissions or when
activities that produce high emissions, such as air travel,
are essential. Offsetting should be used to complement emissions reducing activities, rather than a means
of avoiding them.
Look to offset when:
• Your workplace has exhausted all other means of
reducing emissions;
• Emissions-producing activities are essential for your
work and unavoidable;
• The activity is of a nature that produces considerable emissions (e.g. air travel).
Environmental audit
An environmental audit is a systematic and comprehensive evaluation of an organisation that investigates
its environmental performance.
Its objective is to provide a documented overview of
the organisation with regards to its impact on the environment, and identify areas of achievement and
improvement.
An environmental audit of your workplace:
• Provides a ‘snapshot’ of an organisation’s environmental performance that enables both management and staff to identify what they are doing well
and establish a baseline from which improvements
can be made;
• Raises awareness in the workplace on how the
organisations’ activities impact on the environment
and the importance of considering issues such as climate change in day-to-day operations;
Air travel wrecks the planet. Stay at home or take the train.
Photo:Wikimedia commons
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REDUCING NGO CONTRIBUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE
• Can be used as a public relations tool. Making
public the findings of an environmental audit can be
used to show that an organisation takes climate
change seriously and is acting to reduce its environmental impact. This may be particularly important for
NGOs if they are involved in advocacy on environmental issues and wish to maintain credibility;
• Encourages good environmental practices and
discourages damaging activities.
An environmental audit of your workplace can be
done internally or be outsourced and will provide
your organisation with a good understanding of how
it can improve its practices in order to reduce its
impact on climate change.
It also positively reinforces behaviours that help
reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Involve staff as
much as possible.
Ecological footprint
Measuring your ecological footprint is one way of
auditing your workplace or your own activities and
lifestyle. Your ecological footprint shows how much
land is required to support your lifestyle and your
CO2 emissions.
Policy is a tool for organisations to address issues and
guide decision making. An environment or climate change
policy can be used to steer organisational behaviour towards reducing emissions and demonstrates that your
organisation is acting to address climate change. Again,
involve staff in the process as much as possible.
Develop a policy that:
• Explicitly aims to address climate change and reduce the emissions your organisation creates;
• Looks at issues includes reducing, reusing and recycling, energy, procurement, travel, work, conditions,
the work environment, carbon offsetting and monitoring and evaluation;
•
Is simple to read and implement;
•
Is continually reviewed and updated;
•
Has input from staff and management;
•
Is measured and reported on;
•
Is adhered to and not ignored.
Policy Framework
NGOs often have policies for many aspects of work
such as travel, communications and procurement.
Review your organisations’ policy framework to
ensure it is coherent and does not contradict emissions reducing initiatives.
Photo: Sam Buchanan
Ecological footprint calculators have limitations and
are not as comprehensive as a formal audit that is
tailored for your workplace. A number of ecological footprint calculators have been developed and
are available on the internet (see Resources).
Policy
Stairs are nature’s cardiac monitor and a means of changing altitude without using fossil fuels.
Page ten
REDUCING NGO CONTRIBUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE
Make the effort
Changing workplace practices to reduce emissions
won’t happen overnight. Make the effort and do what
is practical and possible from these guidelines. No
effort is wasted.
Resources
Climate Change
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
http://www.ipcc.ch
Driving more efficiently (US Dept of Energy)
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/driveHabits.shtml
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change
http://unfccc.int
Reuse
Rooftop Gardens
http://rooftopgardens.ca
New Zealand Climate Change Ministry for the Environment
http://www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/climate
Worm Farms
http://www.ccc.govt.nz/Waste/Composting/
WormFarming.asp
4 Million Careful Owners (Ministry for the Environment)
http://www.climatechange.govt.nz
Reduce
Greenpeace New Zealand Only Planet Guide
http://www.greenpeace.org/new-zealand/only-planet
Greenpeace New Zealand Clean Energy Guide:
http://www.cleanenergyguide.org.nz
Reduce Rubbish
http://www.reducerubbish.govt.nz
CarbonZero (Landcare)
http://www.carbonzero.co.nz/
Greenpeace International: Your energy savings
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/
climate-change/take_action/your-energy
The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority
(EECA)
http://www.eeca.govt.nz
EnergyWise (Energy Management for homes)
http://www.energywise.org.nz
Emprove (Energy Management for businesses)
http://www.emprove.org.nz
EECA Business
http://www.eecabusiness.govt.nz/
Transport
Motor Vehicles (Ministry for the Environment)
http://www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/transport/sustainable/
vehicles.html
Transport (Ministry for the Environment)
http://www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/transport
Recycle
Plastic identification codes
http://www.reducerubbish.govt.nz/recycle/plasticid.html
Can recycling:
http://www.canzbac.co.nz
The Carbon Gym
http://carbongym.cat.org.uk/carbongym
Carbon zero
http://www.carbonzero.co.nz
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
http://www.fscus.org
Environmental Audit
Simple Guide to Environmental Audit
http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/how_help/
tools_ea/audit_1.html
Environment Policy
Development Resource Centre
http://www.drc.org.nz/environpol.htm
Campaigns
Be the Change
http://www.bethechange.org.nz/
Climate Defence Network
http://www.climatedefence.org.nz
Climate Action Network
http://www.climatenetwork.org
Campaign Against Climate Change
http://www.campaigncc.org
Page eleven
REDUCING NGO CONTRIBUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE
Ecological Footprint
Footprint of Nations
http://www.ecologicalfootprint.org
Ecological Footprint quiz
http://www.myfootprint.org
Calculate your personal ecological footprint (Ministry
for the Environment)
http://www.mfe.govt.nz/withyou/do/footprint
The Office Footprint Calculator
h t t p : / / w w w. t h e g r e e n o f f i c e . c o m / c a r b o n /
our_calculator.php
Global Ecological Footprint Calculator
h t t p : / / w w w. e c o l o g i c a l f o o t p r i n t . o r g /
Global%20Footprint%20Calculator/GFPCalc.html
carboNZero Business
h t t p : / / w w w. c a r b o n z e r o . c o . n z / c a l c u l a t o r s /
calculators_smallbusiness.asp
Notes
1 http://www.carbonzero.co.nz/faq.asp#Whatgases
2 George Monbiot, The scam of global warming is
that we pay others for our complacency. The Guardian, January 17 2006.
Page twelve
Trampers in the Mount Arthur region of the South Island. Responding to climate change may require cultural and behavourial changes.
Photo: A. B. McGillicuddy.
Council for International Development
Kaunihera mo te Whakapakari Ao Whanui
Aotearoa New Zealand