Why is MASCA NSW going green?

In these days of soaring heat waves, global warming, and record pollution, "going green" has become a buzz word we see frequently splashed all over the media. But what exactly does that mean? Does "being green" require you give up all the creature comforts that make up the modern lifestyle? Where does one start? And why should the average person care?

We have all become victims to the consumption driven consumerism that is part of the global epidemic. It's part of our lifestyle. Until recently, that right has not been contested, until it became globally evident that our resources are dwindling and the earth as a whole is becoming affected. The public consciousness has shifted in a very good way towards more of an attitude of conservation and we are beginning to stop and take notice of the fragility of out Planet. Many people are concerned now and realize the full potential of our ability, or even responsibility, to make positive change.



How is MASCA NSW going green?

We pledge to use the knowledge and skills that we have acquired to improve and sustain the natural world and resources around us. We also pledge to minimize the impact of our ecological footprint and promise to take action to fulfill this commitment.

We Pledge to make MASCA NCG 2009 a ‘Green’ event that will contribute to the protection of the environment, We take action by:

• Reducing carbon emission by making efforts that has an a direct or indirect affect to the carbon emission.
• Ensuring venue of event is walkable and easily accessible to accommodations of participating members.
• Reducing paper usage and using recycled or recyclable materials in all our activities.
• Adopting and E-MASCA NCG by distributing event material by way of electronic
• Using plates, glasses and utensils that are reusable or sustainable friendly.
• Minimizing waste in all areas and encouraging recycling during the events and providing recycling bins in all event venues.
• Ensuring maximum utilization of local resources in all its activities and ensuring a cost-effective event.
• Reducing power consumption during event by limiting activities to day events and reducing dependency on use of electricity.

Also, you could...

1. Be bright about light
Make it a habit to turn off the lights when you're leaving any room for 15 minutes or more and utilize natural light when you can. Buy Energy Star-rated light bulbs and fixtures, which use at least two-thirds less energy than regular lighting.

2. Maximize computer efficiency
Make it a habit to turn off your computer—and the power strip it's plugged into—when you leave for the day. During the day, setting your computer to go to sleep automatically during short breaks can cut energy use by 70 percent. Remember, screen savers don't save energy.

3. Print smarter
Make it a habit to print on both sides or use the back side of old documents for faxes, scrap paper, or drafts. Avoid color printing and print in draft mode whenever feasible. Also consider switching to a lighter stock of paper or alternatives made from bamboo, hemp, organic cotton, or kenaf. Recycle toner and ink cartridges and buy remanufactured ones.

4. Go paperless when possible
Make it a habit to think before you print: could this be read or stored online instead? When you receive unwanted catalogs, newsletters, magazines, or junk mail, request to be removed from the mailing list before you recycle the item.

5. Ramp up your recycling
Make it a habit to recycle everything you collect. Just about any kind of paper you would encounter, including old seminar notes, envelopes, and junk mail, can be recycled. So can your old cell phone, PDA, or charger.

6. Close the loop
Make it a point to purchase items made from recycled materials.

7. Watch what (and how) you eat
Make it a habit to bring your refillable water bottled. Switch to Fair Trade and organic coffee and tea, and buy as much organic and local food as possible.

8. Rethink your travel
Make it a habit to take the train, bus, or subway when feasible when traveling. Walking is another option, it's good for the environment and good for your health.

9. Create a healthy living environment
Make it a habit to use nontoxic cleaning products. Brighten up your home with plants, which absorb indoor pollution. Make it a policy to buy furniture, carpeting, and paint that are free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and won't off-gas toxic chemicals.

Currently, only 11 per cent of office paper is recycled in Australia - one of the worst rates in the developed world.

The average office worker throws away 50 kilograms of high-grade recyclable paper a year .

A 240-litre wheelie bin can contain up to 10,000 sheets of A4 paper.

Each tonne of paper dumped into landfill occupies approximately one cubic metre of increasingly-valuable space.

A typical office tower’s waste contains 55 per cent paper.

Australians use around 1.5 million laser cartridges a year, leading to around 1500 tonnes of waste – an amount that would cover the Sydney Cricket Ground to a depth of half a metre, every year.

Steel is 100 per cent recyclable. It can be recycled over and over again without reducing the quality of the end product.

Glass can be recycled indefinitely; hundreds of times; thousands of times; even millions of times.
Each tonne of recycled paper saves:

• three trees
• 2.5 barrels of oil
• four cubic metres of landfill
• 31,780 litres of water

If an office uses 15 reams of paper per week, at athe cost of approximately $5 per ream, this adds upequates to $75 per week or $3900 per year. If half of the paper wasere printed either double-sided or two pages per sheet, this would save 3.75 reams aper week, which is a dollar savingequates to $18.75 per week. Over the year, the saving is $975, or 25%.
Every tonne of aluminium recycled means:

• 13,300 kilowatts of electricity is saved
• 95% less air pollution is produced
• four tonnes of chemical product is conserved

Recycling resources that have already entered the human economy uses much less energy than mining and manufacturing new materials. There is an energy saving of 95% when using recycled aluminium, 85% for copper, 80% for plastics, 74% for steel and 64% for paper. Through re-use and recycling, the energy embodied in waste products is retained and thereby slows the potential for climate change.

source: greengc.com.au