Regional Facilities Auckland (RFA) has taken a step closer to its flagship carbonzero division, Auckland Zoo, by gaining organisation-wide Toitū carbonreduce certification. Auckland Zoo has been Toitu carbonzero certified for three consecutive years.
RFA embarked on the Toitū carbonreduce certification programme in mid-2019, committing to progressively reduce its total operational emissions on an annual basis. This followed the development of an organisation-wide sustainability strategy focused on waste minimisation, energy and carbon management, water management, green building construction and facilities management, sustainable transport, procurement and minimising chemical usage.
Data from across RFA’s business units was captured to quantify its operational carbon emissions footprint, focusing on activities that generate greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change. The results are captured in RFA’s inaugural sustainability publication, Our Footprint.
RFA’s carbon emissions inventory and reduction plans were independently audited by Toitū Envirocare, who verified that RFA’s management plans meet the requirements of the international standard for emissions management.
RFA also recently joined the New Zealand Green Building Council.
CEO Chris Brooks says, “We are excited about our Toitu Carbon Reduce certification and Green Building Council membership ─ both important steps on our journey to becoming a more sustainable, environmentally-friendly business.
“Looking after areas such as our stadiums, art collections and precious wildlife is an important responsibility, and these will always be resource intensive. However, we are committed to improving our footprint as much as we can, and offsetting through the Toitu programme.”
Recent RFA sustainability initiatives and achievements include:
- Educating visitors on conservation and sustainability issues at Auckland Zoo and the New Zealand Maritime Museum
- Reducing operational waste by 44% and water use by 26% at Auckland Zoo
- Minimising waste generated at venues, events and concerts through implementation of reusable cup schemes and hand-sorting of recycling
- Influencing the supply chain through its procurement processes, and
- Seeking opportunities to minimise the environmental impacts of capital projects.
