Celebrating World Earth Day

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Environment, sustainability and climate change are always important conversations but how are Hardie Grant Media and our clients trying to look after our earth?

Brittany Daniel

The theme of World Earth Day 2021 this April is Restore Our Earth. It began with a global youth summit led by Earth Uprising with youth climate activists including Greta Thunberg.

And parallel to the Biden administration’s global climate summit there was a live digital event including workshops, discussions, and special performances.

At Hardie Grant Media we strive to set the benchmark in the way we work. We are always learning and working towards minimising our footprint. Here are some of the initiatives we have in place at Hardie Grant plus a few ways our amazing clients are leading the way.

Hardie Grant

COVID-19 has been difficult to navigate in many ways including being environmentally friendly with the increase in single-use coffee cups and single-use plastic for food items. However, we are pleased to be using our Hardie Grant Keep Cups again. Each new Hardie Grant employee receives a reusable cup when they start. It’s a great gift and way to ensure less company waste – we all love a coffee before a busy day.

At Hardie Grant we established an internal working group focused on reducing our carbon footprint and establishing more sustainable business practices. A long list of recommendations were provided and initiated. This includes formal requirements on printing. We ensure magazine print runs are regularly reviewed and reduced to avoid waste, our print partner Ovato also use FSC and PEFC – a chain of custody accredited paper. We have new recycling and rubbish bins, lightbulb replacements in all offices and we purchase carbon offsets on all flights. 

Hardie Grant also supports the team to volunteer and attend protests or events we feel passionate about including one paid volunteer day off a year. We have an annual group in Melbourne that go to the Yarra Valley and plant trees plus last year many people in Sydney attended the protest to ‘fund the firies and demand climate justice’.

Planting a Tree

The Star  

The Star has an established sustainability strategy that focuses on reducing energy, carbon emissions, water use and waste to landfill. Their beyond 2020 action plan includes more than 70 initiatives. As a long-term goal, they have set a target to achieve net-zero carbon emissions for their owned and operated assets by 2030.  

The Star are tackling waste in many ways with one being food. Peter Robertson at Flying Fish encourages buying what you need and using everything you buy. Sustainability and wastage go hand in hand, when The Star does have left over, they donate to food charities. Amanda Visser, group head of sustainability for The Star Entertainment Group says “during 2020 we diverted 33 tonnes of food waste to OzHarvest and Foodbank which created the equivalent of 100,900 meals.” 

Other ways they reduce their environmental impact every day is through energy and water saving projects, recycling, donating furniture and linens to charities and reducing single use plastics. They even donate felt from their old gaming tables to become dog beds: how cute!

Check out The Star Moments for other stories on sustainability. We love writing these and are excited to watch what The Star achieves in this space.

The Star Sustainability

Zoos Victoria

Zoos Victoria work hard on environmental sustainability and carbon reduction. In fact they are a carbon neutral organisation and the world’s first zoo to achieve carbon-neutral certification.

They are committed to eliminating their carbon footprint through improvements to operations, carbon offsets and fighting wildlife extension. They understand if widespread action is not taken to limit global warming many species of wildlife will become extinct. In each issue of Zoo News, produced by Hardie Grant Media, you will find an article on sustainability which focuses on the many different initiatives they run. Zoos Victoria strive towards zero waste to landfill and in the Autumn 2021 issue it was ‘all about poo’ and their fantastic waste management program.

They are also committed to energy efficiency, a reduction in greenhouse gasses, water-saving measures and environmental management. Their member publications (Zoo News, ZV Magazine and their annual calendar) are printed on 100% FSC recycled paper with vegetable-based inks.

Zoos Victoria sustainability article

RACT

RACT is supporting the roll out of an electric vehicles network across Tasmania. RACT know electric vehicles are on the road right now and the numbers will only continue to grow. Electric vehicles have many environmental benefits including reduction in greenhouse gas and air pollution. RACT answers some of the commonly asked questions and concerns related to electric vehicles.

RACT is also working on other initiatives such as active and public transport. The are supporting the use of public transport and separated cycleways and walkways to make people feel safe. They want to see a fast reliable and affordable public transport in Tasmania. Click here for more information on how RACT are advocating change and sustainability.



We would love to hear from you with the initiatives you and your workplace have in place so we can keep learning and talking about this important topic. Follow the movement and find out more about World Earth Day here.

Brittany Daniel, publishing executive  

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