TGL News: From the inside of cars to snake plants

Damian Clarke

What can you do about the carbon emissions from INSIDE the car?

Sustainable activewear brand, First Base, knew it couldn’t do much about the carbon emitted by vehicles so the company’s design team put its hive mind to work on cars’ interiors instead.

The project finally came to fruition last month in the form of a one-off Toyota Yaris Hybrid trimmed completely in a minimalistic patchwork fabric design using locally sourced, recycled nylon and pre-loved garments.

The fabric draws cues from the Summer 2020 colour trends of desert inspired tones – sand, saffron and terracotta shades with a shot of blood orange. The sustainable trimming inside the Yaris includes seat covers, floor mats, steering wheel and trims.

What about how to certify an airport’s carbon performance?

It’s not a question you ask every day, but on the days that you do, Alexander Strathakis of Conversio Consulting has the answer. Last week be became Australasia’s first approved Level 4/4+ verifier under the Airport Carbon Accreditation Program, an initiative to reduce the carbon impact of flying by making airports carbon neutral. He can verify airports’ commitments to the IPCC aligned 1.5 or 2 degree emission reduction targets.

Conversio Consulting has been working with businesses to reduce their carbon emissions for several years. Now, if your business is an airport, you can join the movement.

Planet Ark ups the ante on business recycling

Planet Ark re-launched its business recycling drive at the beginning of this month. Ten years after it first started encouraging businesses to recycle more, research commissioned by Planet Ark shows that nearly 40 per cent of Australians still think that their businesses lack recycling options. Planet Ark’s re-launch is a redoubling of its effort to link up the circular economy.

Research commissioned through Pollinate found:

  • 69 per cent of Australians agree that recycling at work makes them happy
  • 68 per cent of Australians claim workplace recycling services improve perceptions of employer responsibility
  • 62 per cent of Australians claim that recycling at work is easy and convenient
  • 43 per cent of Australians claim there aren’t enough recycling options at work
  • 39 per cent of Australians claim their employer does not communicate waste and recycling information well

Plant of the month

Love The Garden wants to remind us of the benefits of plants indoors, claiming that they have been found to improve our mental health and overall wellbeing and can boost our concentration and productivity by up to 15 per cent.

And people are getting the message. On Instagram, #houseplants’’ returns 4.6 million posts. To make sure we get the message, Love The Garden has released a set of eight infographics extolling the virtues of different plants. This month, it brings us the snake plant.

How do you certify an airport’s carbon performance?

It’s not a question you ask every day, but on the days that you do, Alexander Strathakis of Conversio Consulting has the answer. Last week be became Australasia’s first approved Level 4/4+ verifier under the Airport Carbon Accreditation Program, an initiative to reduce the carbon impact of flying by making airports carbon neutral. He can verify airports’ commitments to the IPCC aligned 1.5 or 2 degree emission reduction targets.

Conversio Consulting has been working with businesses to reduce their carbon emissions for several years. Now, if your business is an airport, you can join the movement.

Byron Bay ‘hippies’ high tech fundraising

Iconic Byron Bay, and Australian, brands Brookfarm, Cape Byron Distillery and Stone & Wood have joined forces launch a new environmental initiative, “We the many”.

The group is running an Indiegogo campaign to produce the first product range – breakfast cereals rich in prebiotics, antioxidants and curcumin for gut health, sports performance and anti-inflammatory effects. We the Many* pledges to donate 50 per cent of profits to environmental and sustainable causes.

Better Building Finance smooths out the bumps

The Better Building Finance team has been relentlessly expanding its Environmental Upgrade Finance (EUF) scheme with councils around Australia.

Now its technology is catching up with its new Billing Service currently beta-testing with its council partners before a wider rollout later this year.

This is a significant development because making it easier for councils to process Environmental Upgrade Charges lays the foundation for offering residential EUFs in the future.

In addition, the Better Building Finance team has created a video to showcase its “new normal”. Have you ever wondered how the Better Building team stay susty at home? Now you can see for yourself.

Better Building Finance team