International service firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers has estimated the clean technology sector could be worth between $7.5 billion and $22 billion to the New Zealand econony by 2015. Will it be the former or the latter?
In a three-part series on transport, efficiency and policy, we take a look at some of this country's trailblazers.
Turning prison food waste to compost
A total of 200 Hungry Bin worm farms and 12 vegetable gardens has allowed Mt Eden Corrections Facility (MECF) operators Serco to compost organic waste on site and save more than $200,000 per year in the process.
"We are working with staff and prisoners to shape behaviour and improve our recycling," says MECF Director Gareth Sands. The Hungry Bins process around 200kg of food scraps daily, and the fertiliser they produce is used to grow vegetables and herbs.
This has led to clear environmental outcomes with half the number of skip bins sent to landfill. Prisoners using the system gain valuable skills and experience in waste separation and handling, composting and gardening.
NZ-based Hungry Bins turns scraps to food - for worms. Photo / Supplied
Construction course for Living Buildings
A course for all those working in the built environment is designed to dramatically raise building standards in New Zealand.
Creating Living Buildings is an NZQA-approved programme designed by Otago Polytechnic's Centre for Sustainable Practice to teach The Living Building Challenge.
Living buildings are cost-effective, high-performance buildings that create long-term value for people without harming the environment.
Auckland-based architect Jerome Partington will lead the programme which starts with two-day block courses in Christchurch on June 3 and 4 and in Auckland on June 17 and 24. These are followed by 10 weekly webinars.
"We have the technology and the knowledge to create buildings that are net zero (energy, water and waste), built from non-toxic, locally sourced materials and that are beautiful and inspiring, says Partington.
"All we need now is to spread the know-how and integrate our processes."
Micro power in the shadow of Mt Taranaki
A respectable chunk of our claim to Kiwi ingenuity has been claimed by a Yorkshire man running his business in the shadow of Mt Taranaki.
Michael Lawley, who runs renewable energy consultancy Eco Innovation with his wife Linda, uses off-the-grid renewable power generated on his property and makes more of it, producing miniature hydro turbines. The PowerSpout is made from 68 per cent recycled materials, including the recovered motors from Fischer and Paykell Smart Drive washing machines, and 70 per cent of the unit can be recycled.
"They're a niche product," explains Michael, who currently sells around 300 units a year, mostly to clients in the northern hemisphere.
"It's why we can compete - they're niche enough not to be mass produced."
He also runs an eco inn on his property - so clients can see it works themselves.
Switching off the lights to save power isn't just a gimmick. In New Zealand, commercial buildings use about 20 per cent of the country's total electricity and lighting makes up about a third of that.
Auckland-based Eurotec, a member of the New Zealand Green Building Council, is a supplier of specialist occupancy sensors and lighting controls.
You could remind employees to switch off the lights, Eurotec's Chris Farmer says - but they'll usually still forget. For organisations such as universities, even making that kind of request is impractical.
The cost of kitting out a building with movement sensors to automatically manage lighting varies but Farmer says it will usually pay for itself between six months and two years.
He recommends dual technology sensors (which combine ultrasonic and passive infrared technology) for added sensitivity, to avoid unexpected darkness during a pause in typing or quiet moment in the bathroom.
For extra savings, it's also worth looking at combined daylight/ movement sensors, which check levels of natural light in an area before switching a light on.
Two NZ companies' sustainability software products are being used around the world. Ecoportal is an online sustainability management system which allows organisations to effectively measure, manage and report their performance. Ecoportal has become a global provider of software to clients around the world from its office in Mt Eden, Auckland. The company was recently awarded Callaghan Innovation funding to further support its growth in export sales in strategic markets.
Meanwhile, the small team at FoundationFootprint is working on cloud-based carbon accounting software used by clients from BNZ to Ben & Jerry's.
Cleaning up air conditioning
Oblivious office workers may be being subjected to harmful pathogens which naturally build up in air conditioning (AC) systems and are pumped throughout the building. A non-chemical solution to both issues of poor indoor air quality and AC energy expense comes in the form of UV Solutionz Limited of Auckland, which uses UV light technology that destroys harmful pathogens.
A silver lining is that it also clears the build-up on AC fins, greatly increasing the performance of the systems, resulting in an ROI of often under two years.
This technology has been introduced in Auckland International Airport, SkyCity Auckland, AUT, F&P Healthcare, Waikato Hospital, Mercy Ascot Hospital, and the NZ Defence Force.
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