This year’s CitySwitch Awards were announced to more than 100 leaders from Melbourne’s business community at a ceremony last night, with winners crossing the spectrum, from a major law firm to a community organisation.
Legal firm Norton Rose Fulbright, community organisation Baptcare and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation took out the top accolades as announced by Environment Portfolio Chair Councillor Arron Wood.
In a major milestone for switched-on Australian companies, commercial floor space covered by the CitySwitch Green Office program has now topped two million square metres. The office energy-efficiency program now represents about 12 per cent of all Australia’s CBD office space with the addition of two new Brisbane tenancies for long-standing program member, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
CitySwitch has expanded its recognition of environmental excellence with a newly announced Partnership Award as part of this year's national program awards. This new category aims to showcase cross-industry collaboration and calls for submissions for projects that show leadership in working with industry stakeholders for increased sustainability outcomes.
Thanks to a major cash injection from the Energy Efficiency Information Grants Program, CitySwitch can now bring carbon-cutting benefits to office-based businesses Australia-wide.
Can better collaboration, shared goals and sustainable outcomes be achieved between commercial tenants and landlords?
Find out how in the newly launched ebook, The Tenants and Landlords Guide to Happiness produced by The Fifth Estate in partnership with the Better Buildings Partnership.
The NSW Government has announced that the NABERS program has expanded across the Tasman.The launch of NABERS in New Zealand marks the first time the Australia’s star rating system for offices has been adopted overseas.
RICS launch a new guide, mobile and web tools to help SMEs understand the office leasing process and energy efficiency. An app will help compare energy, occupancy and lighting costs of a space for lease and track energy bills.
NABERS have announced the launch of their Energy for Data Centres rating tools in response to increasing energy consumption for data processing and storage as a result of the rapidly growing technology sector.
CitySwitch in Victoria has announced continued financial support to help CitySwitch Green Office Signatories. The rebates, up to $9,000 per grant, reflect the cost of obtaining an accredited NABERS rating.
Investa today announced it has achieved Australia’s first approved real estate Science Based Target, verifying Investa’s ambitious, net zero carbon emissions by 2040 target and re-enforcing Investa’s leadership in committing to the rigour and quality of this globally recognised framework.
Take part in Fujitsu's research on the enablement potential of ICT
Fujitsu Australia has become what is believed to be the first Australian company to have its entire data centre portfolio rated by NABERS.
Source: Infolink
Leading Western Australian property developer Psaros was the recipient of two prestigious awards for sustainable development, cementing the company’s position as the leader in environmental design and sustainable practices in Perth.
In a first for a WA developer, Psaros won the National Banksia Sustainability Award for Sustainability Leadership as well as the CitySwitch State Award for New Signatory of the Year.
Source: The Fifth Estate A project that slashed carbon emissions by 43 per cent has seen Future Proofing Geelong and Ryrie Centre Property take home the National Partnership of the Year Award at the national CitySwitch awards for commercial office energy efficiency. CBRE took home the National Signatory of the Year award following their NSW win, while another NSW winner, Echo Entertainment Group, took home the National New Signatory of the Year award
Source: Retrofit AustraliaIn June, the City of Sydney signed an Environmental Upgrade Agreement (EUA) to fund energy efficient lighting, air conditioning and building management system (BMS) upgrades to James’ Hall in Sydney. Under these agreements tenants provide contributions equal to or less than the savings they make in their utility bills as a result of the upgrade works. These contributions can then be used by the building owner to service the loan repayments and greatly improve the return on investment. In addition, once the EUA is paid off, the tenants and building owner continue to benefit from reduced utility bills.
Despite the best intentions, most building owners and tenants struggle to keep up regular communication that could enhance their efficient use of the building, improve wellbeing of employees and substantially cut their business costs. Find out more about the CitySwitch Vertical Communities initiative, the benefits of collaboration from industry and successful tenant and landlord staff engagement programs in this latest chapter.
Source: The Fifth Estate Changes to the RET could have significant implications for businesses wanting to take steps to reduce carbon footprints. Darren Willman from Climate Friendly a CitySwitch signator, discusses the impact of changes to the RET and why businesses should want to defend it in this article for The Fifth Estate.
Source: The Fifth EstateCommercial office tenant energy efficiency program CitySwitch has partnered with graduating environment students from RMIT to deliver resource assessments for participating signatories in Melbourne. There is only availability for 10-12 businesses this year, with only current CitySwitch signatories eligible.
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CitySwitch signatory, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (Vic Branch), are hosting a seminar and building tour at their Melbourne head office.
This case study looks at how Frasers Property Australia are creating places that support healthier lives.
Eligibility Criteria
Submitted projects should:
Judging Criteria
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.