New VEET Rebate Activities Are Just Around The Corner!

Good news! 

Yesterday at about 5pm we were notified that the new commercial activities have been ratified for the VEET scheme. This includes Commercial Lighting, Refrigeration Display Cabinets, Refrigeration fans and 3 phase motors.

There will be some minor hurdles to jump as we get the documents and processes signed off prior to being able to generate our first certificates for these new activities.

This may take several days or several weeks. We are hoping several days but it is more likely to be several weeks.

Regardless, the big thing is that we are underway in Victoria.

Keep an eye our here for more news soon

Regards

Ecovantage Commercial Rebate Team

Letter to The Editor – The Age

Re: Green Programs to be Axed, The Age May 3rd.

Submitted By: Bruce Easton, CEO, Ecovantage

I noted that the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target is referred in the article as a Green Program and on the list to be axed.

Whilst saving energy will deliver some green outcomes, the scheme is actually more about avoiding energy cost and allowing people to live in comfort and within their means. It is about supporting Victorian businesses to reduce capital costs in becoming more energy efficient (rebates for efficient lighting, refrigerators, pumps and so on). Businesses get a rebate to change to more efficient appliances, reduce spending on power, leading to an ongoing reduction in operation costs. They may pass some of those savings on or use them for further production and increasing employment.

There are also hundreds of people employed in rolling out the program, axe the program and they lose their jobs. By simply lumping the VEET scheme into ‘Green’ is to undervalue this important state program. There is no current federal program that supports energy efficiency, reduces costs and improves productivity in a similar manner.

Don’t touch VEET.

Ecovantage Gets a New Fridge That’s Risen From the Potential Ashes

In 2008 Ecovantage put down its roots to become the company it is today.
To service the four staff members, a small fridge was purchased.
As the company grew and grew and… you know where this is going; our fridge did not grow.

With the thirty plus staff we have today, the decision was made that our four person fridge could no longer meet our needs and we had to part ways with our wee fridge.

Knowing what we do about sustainability; it wasn’t just a question of popping down to the local white goods store and selecting a new model.
We had questions; the most important one being, “Do we need a brand new fridge?” No! Well where do we head from here? With the vast array of second hand white goods stores we needed to know that our fridge was as good as new.

Over the years, Ecovantage has developed many relationships with community based organisations – and when we decided what we wanted, we knew we wouldn’t have to look further than one of these groups. the answer to our refrigeration problem was readily apparent.
Phoenix Fridges; a community organization run by the Brotherhood of St Laurence that trains and employs the long term unemployed to assess the quality of donated fridges and where possible repair those that are able to be resold or recycle those that no longer perform sustainably.
While the process of purchasing our new fridge was no different from purchasing a sparkling new one, it was the knowledge we gained from this experience which was different.

When purchasing a second hand fridge and also when assessing the efficiency of one you currently own; you need to take the following into consideration..

“Is my current fridge more than 50% full at all times? What size do I need?” A fridges’ motor works harder to keep the internal temperature cool when there are fewer items in the fridge retaining the temperature after opening and closing the fridge door. TIP: If you do find yourself with an emptier than usual fridge, put water filled drink bottles in there until it becomes full again to maintain the internal temperature.

“Is my fridge sealing properly?” Door seals are important to stop the cold air from leaking out and the warmer air getting in causing the motor to work harder to regulate the desired cooling temperature. Phoenix tests and reseals where necessary all fridges prior to sale.

We are very happy with our new fridge, especially because we know that not only have we saved a fridge from landfill but the purchase of our fridge has given work to those that have struggled to gain employment in the past.

Needless to say, our first and faithful fridge as good as it was, has gone to Phoenix for a makeover and a new home.

 

Phoenix Fridges - 1300 366 283

http://www.phoenixfridges.org.au/

VEET Goes Commercial and Ecovantage is Here to Help

Only two more weeks to go!

The Victorian State Government stated at a public seminar today that new commercial activities will be added to the  Victorian Energy Efficiency Target (VEET) scheme by mid May.  These activities include installing a range of commercial lighting technologies and upgrades to refrigeration and motors.  Once formally approved by the Energy Minister, these activities will attract rebates.

This means that companies that, for example,  upgrade their office lighting to more efficient technologies or cafes that improve the efficiency of their refrigerated display cabinets, may be eligible for a rebate.

While this is a slight delay on the original time frame it is still very positive given that it is only two weeks away.

We will continue to monitor developments and will let you know as soon as the new activities are approved and ready to go, so keep your eyes peeled for a new blog soon.

Earth Day – Sunday 22nd April

This Sunday is Earth Day. I know some of you may be feeling fatigued by the idea of yet another day dedicated to something, but I think this is an important day to remind us how crucial it is that we look after where we live, so it can continue to look after us.
We are very lucky to have a somewhat resilient planet despite all the poking, prodding and extracting that we subconsciously do to it in our everyday lives. Every now and then however it does remind us it is still a living breathing cluster of organisms that deserves our respect and kindness.
I guess we should consider Earth Day as our humble planet’s birthday and celebrate it like we would celebrate our loved ones birthdays.
In lieu of cake why not commit to only purchasing organic foods?
In lieu of gifts perhaps we could commit to reducing, reusing and recycling- steering clear of products that cannot fit within this life cycle.
But most importantly, let’s still have that party where the earth is the centre of attention. Lets celebrate everything it does for us and show it our appreciation and love. After all, it has done so much for us, what’s not to celebrate?

New Acquisitions from Arts Project Australia!

We are little excited to be able to show you a sneak peak of our latest paintings from Arts Project Australia.

The following three paintings are from Patrick Francis a very talented 21 year old, who clearly has an eye for colour!

What do you think?

Ecovantage and Arts Project Australia – The story so far…

Whilst Ecovantage is all about saving the world “one globe at a time”, by assisting households and businesses in becoming more energy efficient, this was feeling slightly one dimensional for a company with such a strong vision of staff and community engagement. We really felt the need to complete the picture more holistically.

Arts Project Australia seemed the perfect opportunity; sharing the same values, notions and concepts of community and proactive involvement as the CEO and staff of Ecovantage. The organization promotes and supports artists with intellectual disabilities, providing a studio space and gallery for these talented artists and has “advocated the artists’ inclusion within the contemporary art practice for the last 37 years.”

Staff members at Ecovantage have been encouraged and inspired to visit Arts Project Australia, to spend some time there watching the artists at work and to help select some pieces that they would like to see exhibited around the office.  A number of the lucky staff members who have had the privilege of being a part of this experience, have been able to enjoy the hospitality and the wonders of the Arts Project Australia stock room, as well as being a part of the first major selection of the pieces that are now a part of the growing Ecovantage collection. We also were given the wonderful opportunity to hear firsthand about the project from gallery director Sim Luttin, who visited the office recently educating, entertaining and inspiring the Ecovantage team with the incredible stories of the organization and the unique accounts behind each of the pieces we were lucky enough to acquire.

We would like to think this is an ongoing and growing project, with only a few more artworks for the office needed to complete the first stage of our relationship with Arts Project Australia. Ecovantage is proud and privileged to be a part of such a wonderful organization and encourages everyone to stay tuned, as we delve deeper into the community of Arts Project Australia.

Ecovantage Volunteers to Help Protect the Eastern Barred Bandicoot

The Eastern Barred Bandicoot is a small rabbit sized marsupial native to Tasmania and Victoria.

Since the introduction of foxes, cats and dogs to Australia the Eastern Barred Bandicoot has had a hard time holding its own in the wild with the total population hovering around 500. As a result there are 8 sanctuaries currently being created in their native lands across Victoria. These sanctuaries have been designed to keep out the introduced predators and give them a chance to survive back in the safety of their home environment.
Three Ecovantage Staff members had the pleasure of working with Conservation Volunteers Australia last week to help build the predator deterrent fence that surrounds the Bandicoots sanctuary in the Woodlands Historic Park, North-West of Melbourne CBD, one of the 8 sanctuaries currently being upgraded in Victoria. In one day the volunteers were able to put up 400 metres of ‘floppy top’ fencing, this stops any predators that try to climb the fence by creating an unstable surface once they reach the top causing them to fall back down to the ground.

I think all volunteers that pitched in that day would agree with Adrian Wallace of Ecovantage when he said “It gave me a great sense of achievement knowing I had helped just that little bit to stop the extinction of a native marsupial, and a cute one at that!”
Spring 2012 will see several of the Eastern Barred Bandicoot from the Melbourne Zoos breeding program, released into the newly secured sanctuary at Woodlands Historic Park to begin their journey back out of near extinction.

Walking in her shoes – A CARE Australia Fundraiser

From Monday 12th March to Sunday 18th March thousands of women around Australia clipped on their pedometers to challenge themselves to walk the distance the developing world does every day to collect food, water and firewood, simple necessities that most of us take for granted.

Ecovantage was able to raise $1,200 through sponsorship which can provide an education for 5 girls that includes uniforms, travel costs and food for one year, so she can stay in school longer.
Most women and girls in these developing countries have to spend their days collecting such basic needs instead of getting an education, simply to be able survive. If we are able to help them access these basic needs closer to home and empower the women with more skills, their children will have a better opportunity to get a good education.

CARE Australia believes that if you
“Help 1 woman out of poverty and she’ll bring 4 people with her”

Educating girls has cascading benefits. Educated women are:
• less likely to die in childbirth
• more likely to have healthy babies
• more likely to send their children to school
• better able to protect their children from HIV, trafficking and sexual exploitation.

Put simply, educating women and girls provides the single highest return on investment in the developing world.

In total CARE Australia was able to raise $513,000 dollars through the walk in her shoes challenge 2012, which will go directly to help the 8.5 Million women across South-East Asia, Africa and the Middle East in need of a helping hand.

Click here for more information about CARE Australia and the 2012 Walk in her Shoes Challenge

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRUCE!!

The team at Ecovantage wishes Bruce Easton the CEO of Ecovantage a very Happy Birthday