Green Policy
Contal believes that doing good business with the community brings with it responsibility, including to the natural environment in which we all live.
Nearly half of energy use in developed countries is related to their buildings. Construction, design, building materials, and heating and cooling all contribute to this significant impact on the environment.
With technologies available today, it doesn't have to be that way. At Contal we believe we can conduct business in more responsible ways that eliminate or reduce our impact on the environment.
The benefits of greener business practices don't stop with the environment. Ensuring energy and resource efficiency and minimising waste can greatly reduce business operating costs. And working for a business that actively demonstrates its commitment to the environment and staff health and comfort raises morale and employee satisfaction, and potential productivity.
For all of these reasons, the Contal Group aims to undertake its business in a green-friendly manner at all levels, from construction to day-to-day business operations.
To this ends, we have adopted the following environmentally responsible practices:
- Following environmentally-friendly building construction and renovation practices and principles, including thoughtful placement of windows; high R-value wall and ceiling insulation; light-coloured roof and wall finishes to deflect solar radiation and reduce cooling needs; embracing original brickwork as a feature rather than treating it as something to be hidden with additional construction materials; and use of on-site ground water (bore water) for cleaning and flush toilets.
- Managing day-to-day office energy use via methods including skylights; solar cells to produce renewable energy; water efficient fixtures; sensor-automated light dimming; and appropriately-sized automated cooling systems to reduce demand for and consumption of natural resources.
- Aspiring to the ideal of the "paperless office" by storing documents electronically rather than filed on shelves; employing electronic dry-erase whiteboards in meetings to eliminate the need for paper note-taking; sending email rather than paper correspondence; and distributing brochures in digital format at every opportunity.
- Adhering to a "reduce, re-use, recycle" philosophy in our purchase and use of paper, printer cartridges, and other unavoidable office consumables.
- Encouraging alternative transportation. Locations convenient to public transport access, and provision of bicycle parking, encourages modes of transport healthy for both the environment and for workers.
The growing body of knowledge about climate change indicates that drastic reductions in emissions are going to be needed in the near future to stabilise carbon in the atmosphere.
Success in this task is going to take inspiration, and it's going to take vision. It's a task Contal means to be a part of.
