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Brightwater Commons Takes Up The "Green” Challenge
Be Seen to be Green and Be Green
By: Cheryl and Amanda - Shopping SA September 2008
In one of the most talked about films in recent years, ''An Inconvenient truth", former US Vice President Al Gore gives a persuasive argument that we can no longer afford to view climate change as a political issue: rather, it is the biggest moral challenge facing global civilisation. With increasing stress being put on resources and environmental systems such as water, land and air the realisation is growing that the current model of development is unsustainable. From the loss of biodiversity through the felling of the rainforests or over-fishing, to the negative effect our consumption patterns are having on the environment and the climate, the increased burden on the planet is turning our world into a ticking time bomb.
As sustainable development fast becomes one of the most important political issues on a global and local scale the South African government and business sector are rapidly taking heed of the above by entrenching programmes to reduce negative impacts on the environment. in the government's case through campaigns such as, Indalo Yethu: Save Tomorrow, Today and in local corporate circles, organisations such as SAPOA and the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA), with its Green Star environmental rating system for buildings, are leading the way.
''Consumers are also becoming more knowledgeable and demanding about the environmental credentials of the products and services they buy as the desperate race to save our planet and species gains some momentum,'' says Cheryl Adamson - a noted speaker on local and international trends. With this has come an increased global awareness of and a dire need to measure corporate social responsibility with the business community fast devising its own frameworks and evaluation systems to this end. Much as Gore, through ''An Inconvenient Truth", is on a crusade to halt climate change's deadly progress in its tracks, so too are the founders of A-Z Philosophy, Cheryl Adamson and Amanda Grobler, only on a local and smaller scale.
This impressive pair, with two decades of experience in the marketing and retail environment behind them, knows that a company has as much responsibility to the environment as it does to its shareholders and consumers, None more so than the corporate property industry, Adamson says, which has a critical role to play from a local perspective in the fight against climatic change and sustainable development.
''The shopping centre and retail industry is undergoing huge changes and we are likely to find ourselves in the frontline of the environmental agenda, with a real opportunity to lead the way. In much the same way, the GBCSA is doing for the commercial property industry with the Green Star SA green building rating system toolset.'' It is for this reason that A-Z, in association with Organisation, a one-stop sustainable development company, has embarked on a trailblazing project with Fountainhead Properties, owners of Johannesburg shopping centre, The Brightwater Commons. The aim of the project is to have Brightwater Commons – Be Seen to be green and Be Green - and, in so doing, set benchmarks for future analysis. ''Considering studies show that 40% of the world's energy is consumed by buildings this is an area were a large potential exists to cut greenhouse gases (GHG) and carbon emissions with a significant portion of this opportunity resting with corporate property were, for example, CO2 emissions (mainly through energy use) can be reduced substantially,'' says Karen van Helsdingen, CEO of Organisation.
Corporate properties, like shopping centres, are also a major source of waste generation and a huge consumer of water resources. As astute trackers of local and international consumer trends and the industry within which they work, Adamson and Grobler are of the opinion that corporate boards will be asking property and facilities executives to supply ever more detailed and higher quality environmental performance information. ''This will be to support their corporate social responsibility (CSR) statements and to prove their environmental performance's they both add. Not only will shareholders, consumers and employees (as well as the CEO) all want to know the hard facts but, if these can be independently verified, so much the better. As environmental issues remain relatively new to the majority property executives will be faced with a major challenge to achieve the above.
It is here that the association between A-Z and Organicarbon provides the knowledge and support to make clients, such as The Brightwater Commons, important players in their sectors - with a social conscience that has achieved strategic growth on a broad front and unlocked new sources of profit in the process. With this project, Organicarbon aims to create value for the client (Fountainhead Properties) in a responsible and sustainable manner. ''By owning and managing the value chain, we not only create our own value but create value for our strategic partner, client and end user's says van Helsdingen. ''Our operational model allows for true transformation in a company by ensuring that sustainable in its broad sense becomes a cornerstone of the strategy that all can buy into without Brightwater interfering in the operational activities of the business's adds van Helsdingen.
Typically – as with Brightwater Commons – the first phase of the project will concentrate on assessing centre management and ensuring that management's deliverables are in place before they look at tenants. The collation regarding electricity usage, travelling, water usage and office operation will be the bulk of the work followed by a carbon footprint calculation, reduction plan, audit and the setting up of standards to be used in future projects. The second stage will focus on the services centre management provides with a similar action plan to the above, followed by assessing the status of tenants and assisting those with the greatest need and providing detailed assessments.
During this process, A-Z's vast experience in internal and external communication in this industry will be put to good use. ''As co-custodians of the brand and responsible marketing practitioners, we are bound to analyse the nature of the environmental requirements - which we are doing at Brightwater Commons - with reference to the community and develop an accurate, appropriate, audited and substantiated ''green'' communication and PR strategic plan which takes cognisance of all the relevant factory's says Grobler.
It will be A-Z's task to target all shareholders and role-players, to keep everyone well informed of ''green'' progress and to facilitate a shift in mindset from reactive to creative with regards to sustainable development.
Energy saving
Another key factor to be concentrated on during these projects will be energy efficiency. Considering South Africa ranks in the top 20 countries in the world in emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). a major factor contributing to the depletion of the ozone layer, it is inevitable that this will be in the spotlight. In 1990, South Africa contributed 1 ,02% of the GHG emissions globally, due mainly to this country's reliance on coal resources for electricity, as well as the mining industry and the generally inefficient use of energy which also contributes to Eskom's struggle to keep up with electricity demand.
Mooted plans to introduce a new levy this year on the sale of electricity generated from non- renewable sources - at a rate of 2 cents per kWh - in an effort to stem demand (in response to power shortages) will come into effect. Households and businesses who reduce their consumption by 10% or more will find that this levy does not affect their monthly costs. It is for this reason that energy savings will be implemented at Brightwater during the carbon reduction plan and accumulated towards a 10% savings target. ''The end result will not only be that we create a carbon footprint for the centre but that we will embed the values of CSR and sustainability into the centre's corporate culture and day-to-day working practice's says Adamson.
With Organicarbon's wealth of intellectual capital and A-Z's knowledge of the industry, this association is ideally positioned to meet the challenge of sustainable development in South Africa Shopping Malls and, in so doing, to set indicators of progress for others to follow in the fight against climate change. Half measures won't do and, while there is still a long road ahead, there is time to make a difference - so, we must start today to save tomorrow!
