Our environmental performance
Greenhouse gas emissions
We reduced our greenhouse gas emissions for the second year in succession, despite an increased ‘capture’ of emission sources to meet best practice as recommended by the carboNZeroCert TM audit last year. We now include emissions associated with hotel and motel accommodation nights, compostable waste to landfill, and embodied emissions in new buildings.
Landcare Research uses extensive specialist climate–conditioned vaults, fridges and freezers in the course of its science. In 2009/10, refrigerant leaks accounted for 16% of our total emissions. We invested in additional monitoring, maintenance, and some equipment replacement – this has paid dividends with no significant refrigerant losses experienced this year.
Energy management
Energy consumption was down 8% compared with last year. We are making steady progress towards our target of reducing energy consumption by15% over three years (our commitment to the Energy Efficiency Conservation Authority – EECA). Such good progress is largely due to our investment in energy–measuring equipment, and monitoring and managing energy use.
Carbon neutrality
Telarc, approved verifiers to the carboNZero programme, reviewed our systems and records to verify that our carbon neutrality claims again meet carboNZero certification standards across all sites, including Sirtrack.
Our main energy provider, Meridian, can no longer guarantee that our electricity comes from renewable sources. Hence we had to purchase more carbon credits than last year despite a reduced greenhouse gas footprint (166 tonnes CO2e less than last year). We bought a total of 2800 carbon credits (Beijing 48 MW Guanting Wind Power Project) through the carboNZero programme (2640 for Landcare Research, 160 for Sirtrack) to offset emissions for the year and achieve net annual emission–neutrality.
Accidental by–catch of native animals
Three endemic bird species and 22 individuals were recorded as by–catch in routine field studies involving pest trapping. Unfortunately 19 were South Island robins, and they were all killed, mostly in snap traps set to kill rats. The traps had been placed in tunnels with the entrance restricted by sticks, but robins are naturally very inquisitive and tame. Robins are locally very common in the area, and the trapping has had little or no impact on their numbers. However, in future, we will endeavour to avoid methods that catch endemic species.
Key performance indicators (KPIs)
We report on a wide range of environmental KPIs including materials use and recycling, energy, travel, emissions and offsets, water and wastewater, solid waste, and biodiversity impacts. A selection of KPIs are summarised on page 49, with comprehensive reporting and data on these sustainability web pages.
Compliance
Our operations are subject to a broad range of legislation covering environmental, good employer, human rights, ethical and financial issues. There were no material instances of non–compliance in 2010/11.