|
Andrew.Stewart Ltd Newsletter
Hi Andrew.Stewart Subscriber,
Welcome to the Andrew.Stewart Ltd Newsletter, November edition.
In this edition we invite you to check out Andrew.Stewart news and movements, as well as some information about partner companies, CS-VUE and CarbonGroup. |
Good things take time - Karekare toilet is no dump!
In 2001, Andrew.Stewart was commissioned as project manager for the replacement of the Karekare Beach public toilets. After seven years with many
hurdles and 131 resource consent conditions, the project has now finally drawn to a close!
The project was controversial
and attracted significant community opposition. Mayor Sir Bob Harvey initially opposed the original wastewater design; therefore, carefully-planned
structural design was imperative due to the difficult coastal environment and high ground watertable.
Inclusion of state-of-the-art
technology and inspired environmental design has been well received by both Waitakere City Council and local residents. "We have been told that
the building is a credit to Karekare" says Andrew.Stewart Senior Process Engineer, Gareth Williams.
"Creating a design which was
environmentally sympathetic was integral to the success of the project due to Karekare's unique, undeveloped natural setting" Gareth says.
"The building design fits harmoniously into the surrounds, with its curved roof and natural timber finish." |
 |
The Driller in Manila
The Andrew.Stewart contaminated land management team has just completed the first stage of a large due diligence investigation in Manila, Philippines,
for a major global FMCG corporation.
Andrew.Stewart Environmental Scientist, Ian Thompson was asked to carry out a comprehensive drilling
and sampling investigation to determine if manufacturing operations had impacted soils beneath the site. “It was an interesting trip, and
maximum use was made of local expertise by contracting a Philippines-based drilling company and laboratory to provide technical support for the
project” Ian says.
A drive for urban re-development in Manila is likely to result in divestment of the site, which has been used by
the company for manufacturing since the 1950s. Should contamination be identified, the next phase of work will involve partnering with a local company
to remediate the site for a more sensitive end use. |
 |
Sustainability Officer Appointment
As a company committed to sustainability, Andrew.Stewart has created a new employee position of Sustainability Officer.
Passion for
the environment, hands-on experience and a strong will are key attributes that Kate Jackson brings to her new appointment.
Kate's position
was created to assist the strategic environmental direction of the company, and ensure that Andrew.Stewart is ‘walking the talk', following the
group's membership acceptance into the New
Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development.
Kate says that to achieve the long-term master plan, behavioural changes at
the individual level are required. “We started by decreasing our waste production and minimizing our electricity usage, now we are reviewing our
supply chain - shortly all of our suppliers will be asked to provide us with basic environmental credentials".
“We had set a
goal of 10% energy reduction for the Auckland office, and in the last three months we have achieved a 15% reduction – a considerable saving
despite increased staff numbers." Composting office food scraps has also cut waste to landfill by 65%, saving 375kg a year of waste going to
landfill.
The Sustainability Officer appointment goes hand in hand with the implementation of an updated ‘hard line’ Environmental Policy, which
will deliver energy, waste, carbon, and financial savings across all three companies in the Andrew.Stewart group. |
Tree House
A boyhood dream was recently realised by Environmental Planner, Bevan Hudson when Andrew.Stewart was commissioned to acquire resource consent for a
project quite like no other.
As part of their promotional campaign, Yellow™ are attempting to build a tree-house restaurant,
elevated ten meters above ground in a large Redwood Tree, in Rodney.
Andrew.Stewart was introduced to the project, with an urgent request
to get consent before the film crew arrived and nationwide television advertisements started.
Bevan says that this was a unique and
exciting opportunity which he was more than happy to undertake. “This is every boys dream isn’t it?” he says. “We pride
ourselves on being responsive, so consent was granted in very quickly and work was able to commence on site within 10 days” says Bevan.
“It was a fun project, although I fear I have set the benchmark too high for my son Joel, who is 8 months”, he jokes.
You can
see progress to date on the yellow treehouse web page or keep an eye
out for the advertisements on the television. The restaurant is due to open mid November. |
 |
How Low Can You Go?
Andrew.Stewart partner company, CarbonGroup, is poised to launch a revolutionary carbon
emission reduction program.
CarbonGroup is in the process of establishing the very first Low Carbon Zone in Auckland's Victoria Quarter.
The LowZone is a new breed of community-based initiative, aimed at driving down costs and carbon at the same time.
CEO Alice Andrew
explains, "The Victoria Quarter LowZone project is aimed at raising awareness of good carbon management and sustainability in the SME (Small to
Medium Enterprises) community, and will provide participating businesses with cost savings and a marketing edge."
More than 200 SMEs
in the area will be invited to participate in the new year. "We will also be using this project to collect and analyse benchmark emissions data,
which is much needed for business and government policy development" says Alice.
More LowZones are planned throughout New Zealand,
"The advantage of LowZone is its' one-to-many approach - we can engage and work with hundreds of people at the same time, instead of just one at
a time. This means the overall emission reductions are vastly larger." says Alice, "We can basically draw a circle around any group or
community and help them to become a LowZone - companies, communities, schools, even cities can participate."
CarbonGroup provides
services to assist individuals and organisations understand, navigate and benefit from the emerging area of greenhouse gas awareness, its
quantification, mitigation and offsetting.
The company is also focused on clean technology investment, and is currently in the process of
raising capital for a large energy efficiency refrigeration project in South America. |
 |
Technology for Environment
Another member of the Andrew.Stewart group of companies, CS-VUE™, provides an online product suite that encourages sustainable business
practices and corporate environmental responsibility through systematic statutory risk management.
CS-VUE™ works by providing a
sophisticated web-based digital framework that supports Environmental Management Systems and compliance with statutory requirements and environmental
permits. This systematised approach to compliance goes hand-in-hand with effective and integrated corporate Environmental Management Systems and
strategies.
Clients include local and regional councils, power companies, mining sites, concrete operators, fertiliser manufacturers,
aggregates, and more. The CS-VUE™ team is excited to welcome aboard Envirowaste to the CS-VUE™ community this month, and look forward
to working with them.
For the latest in RMA news and views, visit the CS-VUE™ Blog by clicking here |
Feedback and Comments
Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter, we hope you have found it both interesting and informative.
If you have any suggestions of what you would like to see in future, or if you would like to contribute, please feel free to contact Rebecca Barclay. |
|