What is CitySwitch?

What is CitySwitch?

CitySwitch helps office-based businesses to improve their energy and waste efficiency.

The program, which is free to join, is helping commercial office tenants around Australia to:

  • Enhance energy efficiency and reduce costs

  • Manage energy price increases and mitigate business risks

  • Work towards a carbon positive future

  • Reduce waste

  • Improve the health and productivity of employees.

When you join CitySwitch, you gain access to one-on-one support and a wide network of other companies also taking steps to improve their sustainability.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name

Organisation

Title

Why

Alley Koster

Finder

Publisher

Ally has been pivotal in getting Finder Green content live across the Finder website. Ally has been the technical driving force behind our Finder Green push with all the skills to publish pages on the internet and has an eye for design that has made everything look amazing.  

Amy Bradney-George

Finder

Editor

Amy is the editorial powerhouse behind Finder Green and has led the charge on our "Going Green" interview series as well as writing and improving a huge number of pages in the name of Finder Green. Without her, Finder Green would not exist today.

Kamisha Goburdhun

Steensen Varming

 

Kamisha has shown drive and a tenacity for sustainability outcomes. Kamisha has been able to cut through beauracracy and bring teams together to drive outcomes.

Kate Jermyn

JLL

Sustainability Manager

Kate has been working with the Department of Home Affairs for over 3 years and through her tenacity finally got them to sign up to CitySwitch and start pursuing sustainability projects.

Olivia Leal-Walker

Fraser Property

Sustainability Coodinator

Olivia has been nominated for her work with Fraser’s “A Different Way”. A Different Way is how Frasers talk about their vision for a more sustainable future. It has three core areas: progressive thinking, restoring resources and people focus.

Phil Ridler

Envisi

Senior Business Development Manager

Phil has a Masters Degree in Environmental Management from UNSW and is a past director of Australian Alliance to Save Energy (A2SE). Additionally Phil has a Permaculture Design Certificate and teaches Permaculture part time at the Permaculture Sydney Institute. Phil has also undertaken consultancy in renewables, solar and batteries and a background in Energy Management, Energy Efficiency and Sustainability here in Australia, the UK and in the US.

The George Greenies

Designlogic Australia

Operations Manager

Our committee, The George Greenies, is a group of 15 volunteer staff who are passionate about sustainability. They work in their own time on sustainability activities in the workplace and actively promote sustainability to senior management to ensure sustainability is embedded in business practices. They are tenacious in their efforts and work hard to improve corporate responsibility.

Alex Sejournee

HFM

 

 

David Low

Knight Frank

 

 

Francis Stockwell

HFM

 

 

Kaushik Sridhar

Regis Aged Care

 

 

Melissa Cutler

ANZ

 

 

Kelly Johnson

Uniting Communities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Typically 80% of a city’s emissions come from its buildings. Half are generated by the use of base building services, the other half by tenant activity.

Esther Bailey, CitySwitch National Coordinator

The good news is that so many businesses are seeking the challenge and opportunity to become front runners in the shift to a low carbon economy.

Ross Gittins AM, SMH Economics Editor

Improving building energy efficiency by committing to targets and networking with other CitySwitch tenants and peers is the most effective and immediate way to achieve meaningful progress.

Norton Rose Australia, CitySwitch Signatory of the Year (NSW) 2011

The connections that we have made through our involvement in CitySwitch and the resources we have been able to utilise have made it possible to achieve what we have in sustainability.

Laim Henderson, Baptcare - CitySwitch Award winner in Victoria 2013

It has been an interesting, educational and commercial experience to be part of CitySwitch and we thank them for their dedication and constant support.

Baenziger Coles, CitySwitch Signatory, Victoria

CitySwitch Green Office is a tremendous sustainable energy initiative.

Peter Wyton, Managing Director AECOM NSW + ACT

Having a central contact point helps me keep up-to-date with the various local initiatives taking place around the country, so that I can follow up with our local people or attend events.

Dale O'Toole , National Sustainability Manager, Savills Australia

We are now building business opportunities using CitySwitch as a catalyst.

Amanda Steele, National Sustainability Manager CBRE

With the tools given to us by CitySwitch we were able to calculate the cost saving to our company by powering down and utilised this in our messages.

Priya Pathmanathan, Manager, Environmental, Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd

Join
Australian
Business
Leaders

Currently 869 tenancies covering over 
3,844,258 sqm
have committed to CitySwitch

Latest news

Collaboration drives collective impact

Collaboration drives collective impact Sep 2, 2019

The change we need will to tackle our trickiest problems will be led and delivered by people.



Read more

CitySwitch Signatory of the Year and New Signatory Awards - category judging criteria

  • Delivering outcomes as demonstrated by an improved or maintained current NABERS Energy rating and achieved energy savings* (up to 28 points)
  • Implementing one or more energy saving initiatives (up to 10 points)
  • Demonstrating leadership by undertaking innovative, creative or progressive office energy efficiency activities (up to 10 points)
  • Engagement of staff/ customers/suppliers and/or stakeholders to educate and create market transformation (up to 10 points)
  • Participation in CitySwitch local program activities (up to 10 points).
Note, new Signatories submitting for New Signatory of the Year Award need only complete an indicative rating – all other submissions must be accredited.

CitySwitch Partnership of the Year Award - category judging criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Submitted projects should:

  • Involve more than one registered company 
  • Demonstrate that they are  innovative and over and above “business as usual”
  • Demonstrate that they catalyse “market transformation” and or “address a market barrier”
  • Deliver a reduction in energy consumption and carbon emissions within the built environment 

Judging Criteria

  • Delivering outcomes as demonstrated by an improved or maintained current NABERS Energy rating and achieved energy savings* (up to 14 points)
  • Implementing one or more energy saving initiatives (up to 10 points)
  • Demonstrating leadership by undertaking innovative, creative or progressive office energy efficiency activities (up to 17 points)
  • Engagement of staff/ customers/suppliers and/or stakeholders to educate and create market transformation (up to 17 points)
  • Participation in CitySwitch local program activities (up to 10 points)
  • The submitting entity MUST be a CitySwitch Signatory
Note, Signatories submitting for the Partnership of the Year Award may submit an accredited NABERS tenancy, whole building or base building rating.

It’s easy and free to join the program. Your good-will commitment to the program is an acknowledgement of the business sector’s role in
contributing to environmental sustainability and your intention to reduce your own energy consumption and associated carbon emissions.

As part of this, Signatories to the program commit to achieve an accredited NABERS Energy tenancy rating (between 4 and 6 stars) and
work with CitySwitch to improve their tenancy’s environmental performance.

Find out more about how obtaining a NABERS Energy rating ensures you can benchmark your performance, better manage your progress
over time and promote your star rating achievement.