The 8th annual ECO-Buy Awards for Excellence in Green Purchasing were held at the Malthouse Theatre, Southbank, Melbourne, on Thursday May 6.
Award sponsors presented the winners with their awards at a ceremony hosted by Ms Bernie Hobbs, regular judge on ABC TV's The New Inventors.
Business and Government are starting to make green a priority in their quest to be better corporate citizens and make every dollar count on the triple-bottom line level.
Cr. Tang from Glen Eira City Council with The Garden Party view online gallery.
With some Victorian councils spending upwards of $4.5 million annually on environmentally- sound products and businesses investing heavily in green innovation, that means a considerable green wedge opening up in the accounts.
ECO-Buy CEO Hugh Wareham says the ripples of this increase in green purchasing are far-reaching.
“The flow-on effect of encouraging more and better green products to enter the widening market is the resultant green collar jobs and strengthening the so-called ‘green economy’.
“From IT data centres and event management systems, to compostable cutlery and recycling car tyres for use in road works, green products and services are expanding to meet the needs and demands of organisations – and of the environment.”
The Awards recognise innovative green purchasing initiatives undertaken by state government, local government, businesses and green product suppliers.
The ECO-Buy Awards for excellence were planned with a strong focus on minimising their impact on the environment. Click to read the Green Event Policy.
THE WINNERS ARE:
Excellence in Green Purchasing – Victorian State Government – MUSEUM VICTORIA
Environmental responsibility is listed as one of Museum Victoria’s six strategic directions and as a result they have created an environmental sustainability policy. The need to embed environmental practices and products into the procurement procedures of goods, services and works is listed as a key priority in the policy.
Museum Victoria has introduced a number of green purchasing initiatives, including: installing infrastructure in the Melbourne Museum car park to reduce lighting demand; introducing a 100 desktop and 50 notebook Energy Star–compliant computers; and creating the Museum Victoria Cost of Life (MVCOL) tool which enables users to calculate the environmental and operating impact of technology across the life of a Museum exhibition.
Highly visible on the environmental agenda is the organisation’s commitment to procuring sustainable exhibition design for all new exhibitions following successful trials with exhibitions such as such as Dinosaur Walk, Waters of Tuvalu and A Day in Pompeii.
Museum Victoria aims to use best sustainable practice in new exhibition creation by applying life cycle thinking – addressing all the life stages of a product’s impact from... Read the entire case study (PDF- 152KB)
 |
 |
Gunther Jahnke from Australian Paper presenting the award to Tim Rolfe, Head of MV Studios, Museum Victoria view online gallery.
Excellence in Green Purchasing – Business – BORAL 
Boral is Australia’s largest building and construction materials supplier, with significant operations in the USA and Asia and directly employing around 15,000 people.
As a large organisation, Boral is used to making big decisions. But when a small question was asked – how can we improve our packaging (paper sacks) for cement and concrete products? – it set off a quest that improved not only Boral’s packaging, but the sustainability standard for the cement industry.
The result: a seemingly small change from a 3 ply to a 2ply paper sack reduced annual paper consumption by 860 tonnes, and has set a global benchmark with regard to paper grammage, strength, customer satisfaction and lowest environmental impacts.
Boral consumes more than 15 million paper sacks annually. These sacks represent the customer interface for Boral’s Blue Circle Southern Cement (BCSC) brand and in doing so make a strong statement about the organisation.
|
|
|
Don Carroll from Corporate Express presenting the award to Jim Young, General Manager Victoria, Cement division at Boral view online gallery.
Excellence in Green Purchasing – Metropolitan Council – GLEN EIRA CITY COUNCIL
Excellence in Green Purchasing – Metropolitan Council – GLEN EIRA CITY COUNCIL
Green purchasing is now embedded in Glen Eira City Council’s corporate culture. But it has been a gradual process over seven years – requiring the support and leadership of staff at all levels of the organisation.
Since joining the ECO-Buy program in 2002-03, the Council has increased its green expenditure from $112,000 to more than $4.5 million in 2008-09.
While the increase alone is impressive, it’s the range of environmentally preferable products purchased that makes Glen Eira City Council’s investment unique.
From simple inclusions such as recycled paper for in-house printing and publications to using recycled rock in road base construction, Council staff have investigated and adopted products from suppliers across the ECO-Find supplier database.
The decision to integrate green purchasing started slowly. Council was willing to take green products on board, but needed to be convinced that ratepayers’ dollars were being spent wisely, efficiently, and with longevity in mind... Read the entire case study (PDF- 137KB)
 |
|
John Watson from Department of Planning and Community Development presenting the award to Cr. Steven Tang and Aubrey Jansen, Manager of Purchasing and Fleet at Glen Eira City Council view online gallery.
Excellence in Green Purchasing Regional Council – CITY OF GREATER BENDIGO 
The purchase of a wide range of ecologically sustainable products—from the standard (recycled copy paper) to the more unusual (hybrid composting toilets) —saw City of Greater Bendigo achieve a green spend equivalent to 5% of its total budget to take out the ECO-Buy Award for Excellence in Green Purchasing-Regional Council for 2010.
Greater Bendigo is a major regional centre servicing the towns and rural areas of the Loddon region, about 150 kilometres North West of Melbourne.
The region experiences comparatively good solar exposure, making investment in products powered by solar energy a logical choice.
What has been impressive is the range of products purchased, and willingness of Council to test new technologies as part of their regular maintenance and replacement programs.
The noticeable breadth of green product purchasing by Greater Bendigo is testament in part to the success of its Natural Environment Strategy, which places efficient use of resources and reduction of everyday environmental impacts squarely in the consciousness of policy makers and operational managers.
The big tick on Councils action plan last year was the purchase and installation of 22 solar powered ticket machines to replace the City’s 100 conventional mains power operated machines... Read the entire case study (PDF- 269KB)
 |
 |
John Watson from the Department of Planning and Community Development presenting the award to Jan Boynton, Director of City Strategy at the City of Greater Bendigo view online gallery.
Excellence in Green Purchasing Small Rural Council – ALPINE SHIRE COUNCIL
Alpine Shire is situated around 300 kilometres north of Melbourne in the Ovens and Kiewa Valleys and takes in some of Victoria’s most spectacular features. Bright, Myrtleford and Mount Beauty are the main townships in a Shire which consists of 92% public land.
Investment in green products has delivered some outstanding results for the Shire – including the award for Excellence in Green Purchasing by a small rural council.
A total of 7% of the Shire’s available funds in 2008-09 were spent on green products, with the Shire reporting green purchases in almost every category.
39% of the spend was on recycled products, from organic mulch, recycled content papers for outsourced printing, biodiesel, cleaning products, banner stands and bollards right down to pencils. The recycled copy paper purchases alone over the twelve months saved 400 kilograms of CO2-e, or just over one acre of forest habitat.
Water saving devices, drought tolerant grasses, computer controlled irrigation systems, reusable bags, water tanks, dual flush toilets and sensor lights were also purchased. Replacement of office air conditioning with a more efficient system brought energy savings along with a more comfortable environment for staff.
 |
 |
Daryl Pearce, Acting Mayor at Alpine Shire Council with Hugh Wareham, CEO, ECO-Buy view online gallery.
Local Government Recycled Champion – BAYSIDE CITY COUNCIL
Bayside City Council’s northern boundary is about 8 kilometres from Melbourne.
The coastline of Port Phillip Bay forms the western boundary, while the Nepean Highway and the Frankston railway line form most of the eastern boundary.
Achievements that led to Bayside City Council’s nomination as a finalist in the Local Government Recycled Champion category include significant investment in recycled asphalt and crushed rock through an infrastructure contract and recycled content mobile garbage bins... Read the entire case study (PDF- 137KB)
 |
 |
Daniel Fyfe from SITA Environmental Solutions presenting the award to Charles Turner, Manager Asset Management at Bayside City Council view online gallery.
Local Government Water Saving Champion – GLEN EIRA CITY COUNCIL 
Green purchasing is now embedded in Glen Eira City Council’s corporate culture. But it has been a gradual process over seven years – requiring the support and leadership of staff at all levels of the organisation.
Since joining the ECO-Buy program in 2002-03, the Council has increased its green expenditure from $112,000 to more than $4.5 million in 2008-09.
While the increase alone is impressive, it’s the range of environmentally preferable products purchased that makes Glen Eira City Council’s investment unique.
From simple inclusions such as recycled paper for in-house printing and publications to using recycled rock in road base construction, Council staff have investigated and adopted products from suppliers across the ECO-Find supplier database.
In the past financial year they have invested significantly in water saving products such as drought resistant plants, trees and turf for the Council’s parks and gardens, water tanks and soil wetting agents to maximise moisture retention in sportsgrounds... Read the entire case study (PDF- 137KB)
 |
|
Karen Wilson from Sustainability Victoria presenting the award to Cr. Steven Tang (Mayor) and Aubrey Jansen, Manager of Purchasing and Fleet, Glen Eira City Coucnil view online gallery.
Local Government Energy Saving Champion – DAREBIN CITY COUNCIL
Achieving carbon neutrality is no mean feat. It requires a significant commitment to sustainability and a methodical approach to detail.
In fact, it requires an all-encompassing no-holds barred plan. And that’s exactly what Darebin City Council has with its award winning Climate Change Action Plan 2007-09.
Adopted in June 2007, the plan committed Council to carbon neutral building for all new municipal buildings and to purchasing 100% Green Power, in line with its goal to cut corporate emissions to 20% of 1995 levels by 2010.
Situated in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, the City of Darebin is home to more than 135,000 residents. In 2008-09 Council spent more than 8%, or more than $4.4 million, of its total budget on a wide range of green products – the equivalent of nearly $70 per rateable property in the municipality.
 |
 |
Sara Gipton, CEO Greenfleet, presenting the award to Libby Hynes, Executive Manager Sustainability at Darebin City Council view online gallery.
Local Government Green Powered Champion – DAREBIN CITY COUNCIL
Achieving carbon neutrality is no mean feat. It requires a significant commitment to sustainability and a methodical approach to detail.
In fact, it requires an all-encompassing no-holds barred plan. And that’s exactly what Darebin City Council has with its award winning Climate Change Action Plan 2007-09.
Adopted in June 2007, the plan committed Council to carbon neutral building for all new municipal buildings and to purchasing 100% Green Power, in line with its goal to cut corporate emissions to 20% of 1995 levels by 2010... Read the entire case study (PDF- 128KB)
 |
 |
Lane Crockett, General Manager at Pacific Hydro presenting the award to Libby Hynes, Executive Manager Sustainability at Darebin City Council view online gallery.
Green Supplier of the Year (NEW CATEGORY) – GOING GREEN SOLUTIONS
Proudly presented by The Sustainability Card
When your supplier has as good a relationship with their couriers and manufacturers as they do with their customers, then you know they’re serious about providing good service.
For Going Green Solutions, those relationships mean good business and a better environmental outcome. And the team is certainly passionate about both.
Going Green Solutions is a supplier of environmentally preferable product alternatives for home, events and workplaces.
A family run business, Going Green Solutions evolved from a desire to integrate a more sustainable and healthy way of living into home, work and lifestyle...Read the entire case study (PDF- 123KB)
 |
 |
Michael Stovin-Bradford, Managing Director, The Sustainability Card presenting the award to Lucinda and Sean Flynn at Going Green Solutions view online gallery.
MEDIA
Media release (7/04/10): Hey Big Spender - Why Green is the New Black in Purchasing
Media release (7/04/10): How Green is Your Budget?
Please contact Amelia Chapman for all media enquiries including access to the press gallery on (03) 9349 0408, achapman@ecobuy.org.au.