One degree
Nationwide News publishes The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph, The Australian and Weekend Australian, mX and racing newspaper Sportsman from its head office near the Sydney CBD, and also operates a major print site at Chullora in south-western Sydney.
Nationwide News (NWN) employs over 1,500 people. Its carbon footprint in the year to June 2007 was 32, 127 tonnes of CO2 eq.
Much work has already gone into reducing emissions at the Chullora Print Centre and more is planned. Inefficient air compressors have been replaced; automated curtain doors have been installed to cut emissions from air conditioning, power factor correction equipment has been fitted and reflective infrared paint has been applied to reduce heat absorption through the press hall roof. The building management system is being reviewed to better control chilled water dispersal, air conditioning and lighting. Future initiatives will include energy efficient lighting and timers. As part of News Limited’s extensive audit program, the Chullora print site is due for an energy audit in the second half of 2008.
The Holt Street CBD office was recently audited to identify areas for energy efficiency and potential savings. This office has already been fitted with time controls for both lighting and air conditioning, while new motor systems have been requested for the lifts to reduce electricity consumption. Video conferencing is being encouraged to reduce travel and the number of bike racks at Holt Street has been doubled in the past 12 months, with the register of users now full. Wake-on-LAN software will be installed so computers can be turned off during down time. All magazines from NWN premises are now re-distributed to local Sydney hospitals rather than discarded.
NWN has already replaced 20% of its fleet with energy efficient vehicles and has recently entered into a successful partnership with the hybrid car company ‘Greentomatocars’ to partly replace taxi use with a more environmentally-friendly option when walking is not possible. All travel with Greentomatocars is offset and “carbon neutral”.
NWN has put a Green Procurement Policy in place, giving each of the top 200 suppliers a rating which is then incorporated into the tender process. And readers are being offered opportunities to change their own behaviour with over 90,000 households registering to receive a climate saver pack as a result of just one Daily Telegraph promotion.
Cumberland Courier Newspapers publishes 31 titles and reaches more than two million readers each week, with offices across Sydney and the Central Coast within the communities it serves. Its newspapers are printed at the Nationwide News facility at Chullora, at Rural Press and at Hannan Press in Sydney. Over 810 people work across the group.
The group’s carbon footprint in the year to June 2007 was 4,082 tonnes.
Since the launch of One Degree, 90% of all Cumberland sites have improved their footprints, with the recent relocation of 5 offices to new premises with vastly improved energy efficiency. The planned relocation of 6 additional offices (which will result in over 55% of total staff moved), will further reduce emissions from Cumberland operations.
All CRT monitors will have been replaced with low-energy LCD monitors by the end of June 2008.
Key future plans include auditing and reducing after-hours energy usage, a desktop and screen-saver design competition, and a dedicated editorial section in each newspaper to drive community awareness.
Cumberland-Courier newspapers are leading the way in their local communities with environmentally-friendly shopping trolley promotions, challenges to other local businesses and support for local transport.
Cumberland staff made more than 500 suggestions on how to increase energy efficiency with many of these ideas – such as window tinting, greater use of natural light in the workplace and reduced newspaper overruns - now being progressively introduced.
One Degree cycling team from Nationwide News
Cumberland Newspapers’ staff seedling giveaway
