Sustainability

Overview

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GHD recognises the rapidly increasing urgency for society and business to address the global sustainability challenges of the efficient use of natural and human capital, loss of biodiversity, poverty and population growth.

Our response to these challenges is to manage the social, economic and environmental consequences of our projects, provide positive outcomes wherever possible and avoid serious negative impacts.

We define ‘sustainability’ as improving human wellbeing without compromising the local or global environment over the long term.

Recognising the importance of sustainability to our business, GHD has implemented a framework to reduce the environmental footprint of our operations and projects in alignment with a commitment to pursue opportunities, enhance our workplace, contribute to the community and help our clients realise their objectives.

Our GLOBAL AGENDA

We are an active member of the peak global business organisation for sustainability, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and contribute to its four focus areas of Energy & Climate, Development, the Business Role and Ecosystems.

Nick Apostolidis, Water Business Stream Leader, heads the Council’s activity to support the UN International Year of Sanitation. The aim of this initiative is to help raise awareness within the business and broader community of the plight of 2.6 billion people with inadequate access to sanitation and to contribute actively and positively to the International Year of Sanitation.

2008 INITIATIVES

We are determined about the contribution that GHD can make to a sustainable society and enthused by new initiatives in the 2008 financial year:

  • The development of guidelines for office energy and travel plans as core components of our commitment to achieving carbon neutrality.
  • Substantial completion of our successful sustainability awareness program to GHD staff in Australia.
  • Creation of Sustainability and Environment Committees and sustainability networks in our offices.
  • Developing and piloting our project Sustainability Impact Assessment process.
  • Creation of a Climate Change Service Line and strategy that includes significant additional recruitment and internal retraining of staff to embed mitigation and adaptation options for
  • all projects.
  • Participation in the 2008 UN Climate Change Summit in Bali.
  • Participating in the business dialogue on key public policy issues such as emissions trading, infrastructure and future energy scenarios.
  • Engaging with our clients and their stakeholders to workshop sustainability solutions through an ongoing series of sustainability seminars.
  • Support of core environmental activities around the world including World Environment Day, Earth Hour, Clean Up Australia, Clean Up the World, tree planting days and the like.