Creating a Sustainability Management Plan: How to Improve Your Building’s Green Star Rating with Help from an ESD Consultant in Australia

Does your business need a sustainability management plan? Currently, the answer is probably ‘Yes.’

More and more, tenants, homebuyers, and businesses are considering their carbon footprint. This awareness has led to everything from different choices in the products that people buy to differences in the cars that people drive. It’s also changed many things in the construction industry. While we often think of gas guzzling cars and smog producing factories as the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases, the fact is that commercial and residential buildings are huge contributors, too. Indeed, buildings account for roughly 40% of the world’s energy and produce 40% of the world’s waste.

Allying Your Business with an ESD Consultant

Because of all this energy usage, more businesses, property managers, development companies and other players in the building industry are paying attention to energy usage. The growing focus on sustainability—coupled with Australia’s federal and state energy efficiency requirements for buildings—have pushed many businesses to hire ESD consultants.

If you are looking for an ESD consultant in Australia, look no further than Certified Energy. We have already grown into one of the biggest and most trusted ESD specialist businesses in all of Australia. With offices in the central business districts of both Sydney and Melbourne, we are an ideal partner for businesses working towards sustainability management plans.

What You Need to Know about Green Star Ratings

Developers and building designers who are serious about promoting sustainability will often invest in Green Star ratings for their projects. Unlike nationally required ratings such as NABERs and NatHERS, the Green Star rating is completely voluntary. Established by the Green Building Council of Australia in 2003, Green Star certification is ‘a trusted mark of quality for the design, construction, and operation of sustainable buildings, Fitouts and communities.’

A building with a Green Star rating in Australia indicates a sustainable, safe and environmentally friendly place. These buildings produce fewer greenhouse gases, use less electricity and consume less potable water than average buildings in Australia. Green Star rated projects also recycle most of their construction waste, which is a big draw for sustainable companies.

According to Green Star, roughly a third of all office space in Australia is Green Star certified. Furthermore, 34,000 people live in Green Star certified apartments and 150,000 live in (or will soon live in) Green Star rated residential communities. The Green Star rating marks these offices, apartments, and communities as attractive places to work and live. In addition to helping the environment, Green Star ratings in Australia also act as marketing boosts for new buildings.

Does pursuing a Green Star certification make sense for your company’s sustainability management plan? Ask an ESD consultant in Australia to determine what is best for your business. At Certified Energy, we would be happy to serve as your ESD consultant. Give us a call on 1300 443 674 to get started.