SECTION 1: INVESTIGATE CURRENT PRACTICES IN RELATION TO RESOURCE USAGE
Activity 1
1 What is the purpose of the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007 (NGER Act)?
2 What is the purpose of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act)?
3 What is the Kyoto Protocol?
4 Who has the prime responsibility for environmental protection?
5 How do organisations know how to behave ethically in regards to sustainability?
Activity 2
1 What process might an assessor follow when analysing procedures to ensure compliance with environmental regulations?
2 How might an assessor conduct an assessment?
Activity 3
1 What is resource efficiency?
2 What is an Environmental Management System (EMS)?
3 How can a work group be engaged in disseminating environmental and resource efficiency information?
Activity 4
1 Explain the differences between qualitative and quantitative information?
2 What do you think are the advantages of presenting analysed data in graphical format, rather than a written report?
3 Your organisation is interested in analysing and organising information about the amount of paper it uses. Convert the data provided into a format that is easily used. Use a computer program (such as a spreadsheet) to handle the conversion.
o 2006: 27 reams
o 2007: 25 reams
o 2008: 55 reams
o 2009: 58 reams
o 2010: 69 reams
Upload your answer for assessment. Optimum file size should be less than 7MB (Separate Excel file required)
Activity 5
1 What are the goals of resource usage assessments?
2 List the steps (in order) that need to be taken when carrying out a resource usage assessment.
Activity 6
Identify five benefits of environmental purchasing.
Activity 7
1 How can organisations ensure that work processes meet environmental requirements and to identify areas in which changes need to be made?
2 What is problem-solving in the context of environmental work processes and what is its aim/s?
SECTION 2: SET TARGETS FOR IMPROVEMENTS
Activity 8
List the various ways that organisations can access stakeholders’ input.
Activity 9
1 What are the advantages of joining an industry association?
2 What are the advantages of joining an environmental program?
Activity 10
1 What is the hierarchy of controls?
2 Rearrange the following controls in their correct order, as specified in the hierarchy of controls:
a. administration
b. elimination
c. engineering
d. personal protective equipment
e. substitution
Activity 11
1 What are Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)?
2 What five criteria should be met when creating targets?
3 Identify what is wrong with the following targets and rewrite them so that they conform to SMART criteria:
a. The Absolute Advertising Agency will reduce its paper waste.
b. The Fish Factory will reduce its energy consumption to zero in the next month.
SECTION 3: IMPLEMENT PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES
Activity 12
1 Identify five things a business could do to reduce its energy consumption.
2 Identify five things an organisation could do to reduce its waste.
Activity 13
1 Identify the four steps of the continuous improvement cycle.
2 Identify five things an organisation can do to improve the performance of its employees.
Activity 14
1 Explain why it is a good idea to integrate environmental procedures and practices with pre-existing organisation procedures and practices.
2 What needs to be done when existing procedures or work practices are changed or new procedures and work practices are introduced?
Activity 15
1 Define the term engagement.
2 Why is it important to ensure that employees do not become disengaged?
3 What are the benefits of having a diverse team?
Activity 16
1 List the people/ groups who might make up an organisation’s stakeholders.
2 Each stakeholder will have different areas of expertise. Complete the table here by providing reasons that an organisation should seek suggestions and ideas about their environmental and resource efficiency management for each of the listed stakeholders. Upload your answer for assessment.
Optimum file size should be less than 7MB (Separate file required)
Activity 17
A school is thinking about installing low-flush toilets in all of its bathrooms and air hand-driers to replace paper towel dispensers. Purchasing new toilets for the entire school will cost $22,000. It will need to employ plumbers to fit the toilets at a cost of $9,500. It is estimated that this will save the school $16,000 in water consumption fees. The hand-driers will cost $13,500. The cost of employing electricians to install the hand-driers will come to $4,400. As the school will no longer have to purchase paper towels, it will save $7,300 per year. It also estimates it will save $1,000 per year in cleaning costs, as the bathrooms will take less time to clean and bins will need to be emptied less frequently. The school will incur additional electricity costs of $1,700 per year, however. Calculate the combined payback period for the installation of low-flush toilets and air hand-driers. Upload your answer for assessment.
Optimum file size should be less than 7MB (Separate file required)
SECTION 4: MONITOR PERFORMANCE
Activity 18
Determine whether the following statements are true or false. Upload your answer for assessment.
Optimum file size should be less than 7MB (Separate file required)
Activity 19
1 Place the following steps, which need to be observed when creating an environmental report, in their correct order.
2 Identify five benefits of creating and distributing an environmental report.
Activity 20
Why is it important to carry out regular evaluations of environmental management systems, strategies and improvement plans?
Activity 21
List five reasons that efficiency targets should be/ might need to be regularly reviewed.
Activity 22
Identify the characteristics of an effective reward system.
Written / Oral Questions
1 Define the term sustainability and explain how it relates to resource usage.
2 Define the term best practice and explain how it can be used in setting targets for improvement.
3 Define the term continuous improvement and how it can be used in team meetings to identify improved practices.
4 Identify the characteristics of an effective evaluation.
5 Explain why it is important to constantly monitor your own work, know and understand the organisation’s goals.
6 What is the effect of regulations and legislation on business?
7 Is it necessary for an assessor to view work activities and areas in their natural state? Explain your answer.
8 What are the essential features of a non-compliance form that could be used by employees to report any non-compliance issues?
9 What are the steps in creating an Environmental Management System (EMS)?
10 How do sustainable businesses foster ethical behaviours in staff and management?
Project 1
Essay question—write a response to the following essay question:
Organisations today are being asked to address an increasingly complex set of environmental issues. As noted in the following quote from Unlimited Sustainable Development Solutions:
‘Sustainability is achieved when we understand the economic, environmental, and social consequences of our actions and make deliberate choices that allow all people to lead healthy, productive and enjoyable lives.’
Discuss.
Word limit—2,000 words.
Your response should include a discussion of:
o complex environmental issues
o methods of measuring an organisation’s environmental impact
o methods of managing an organisation’s environmental impact
o methods of reducing an organisation’s environmental impact
Upload your answer for assessment.
Optimum file size should be less than 7MB