Unf*ck the Planet
Here’s the low-down on environmental initiatives at Centrality Australia HQ
To stay up-to-date on the progress of Centrality’s ecosystem, follow us on Twitter and our Telegram Announcements channel, plus join our community on Centrality’s Official Telegram, Instagram, Reddit and Facebook.
At Centrality, our whole team is on a mission to unfuck the world. For the Melbourne office, a part of creating tomorrow together means taking care of our planet. We’ve introduced some neat initiatives to make a more positive impact on the environment and create a better future.
Renewable energy — we’re big fans
The electricity we use is 100% carbon neutral. Our electricity provider offsets 100% of the carbon associated with their operations and customers’ electricity usage. We’re proud to be using Australia’s first and only energy company to be accredited 100% carbon neutral by the Australian government.
Energy saving mode
Screens and equipment in the office have 4+ star ratings for energy consumption. The office is transitioning to LED lights and we’re collectively making a conscious effort to minimise power usage where possible.
Hand towels, not paper towels
It takes 17 trees to make 1 tonne of paper towels, meaning we’d need to plant 51,000 trees every single day to offset the current paper towel production. Instead of creating more trash to send a landfill, we use organic hemp wash cloths. The wash cloths are laundered by a laundry service that runs entirely on solar power and uses eco-friendly detergents.
We give a crap about toilet paper
The toilet paper and tissue we use are manufactured from bamboo by the company Who Gives a Crap. The socially-conscious business donates half their profits to non-profit organisations working to improve access to hygiene, water and basic sanitation in developing countries. To date, they’ve donated $1.2 million to organisations implementing high-impact sanitation projects throughout the developing world including WaterAid Australia, Sanergy, Shining Hope For Communities and Lwala Community Alliance.
Cleanliness is next to godliness
We use an award-winning cleaning contractor who has been recognised by the local council for sustainability. We work with the cleaners to reduce the amount of waste generated in the office. They provide their staff with bicycles and caddies to get from job-to-job, encouraging a low-carbon footprint. They also use all non-toxic cleaning products and reusable cloths to minimise waste.
Cleaning hacks from Grandma
All the soaps stocked in the office are paraben and sulphate free, making them environmentally friendly. Additionally, our cupboards are stocked with soda, white vinegar, borax and eucalyptus oil. These are not only cost effective but smell nicer and do a better job at cleaning than most cleaning products you buy at the supermarket.
Do you even compost?
The principals behind the office kitchen is waste minimisation so it’s stocked with compostable clingwrap, baking paper and bin liners. We prefer compostable packaging over bio-degradable as it can be broken down in 90 days and eaten by worms and the other microbial species involved in decomposing. It’s a better alternative than breaking down into micro-plastics which leach into waterways, then get eaten by fish (while destroying plankton) then ultimately end up in our bellies.
Waste consciousness
We have signed up to a great website called ShareWaste allowing us to contribute our bokashi bins, recycled paper and cardboard to our community gardens. Terracycle is a worldwide company that turns plastics like mail satchels, office supplies, coffee pods and other soft-plastics into things like park benches that companies can donate to local schools and parks. Terracycle’s interactive map shows other people/companies that have purchased their bins for recycling and are open for anyone to utilise, motivating us to get involved. We are working towards turning our waste, starting with snack wrappers, into something truly useful that we can donate. Our local recycling centre is luckily not far from our office where we are able to effectively recycle polystyrene, wood, metal and e-waste.
Recycled chairs can be comfy too
Our task seating and board room chairs are not only ergonomic but 97% recyclable. The boardroom chairs have been purchased second-hand then ““upcycled” while the stackable dining chairs are 100% recyclable.
Print and shred
Only 100% recycled paper is utilised in the office. To minimise paper waste, a tray is provided where staff can drop off documents that have been printed on one side and can be reused. Otherwise, documents are shredded and composted.
Supporting our community
We are lucky to be situated in an area filled with people and businesses with a similar ethos to our own. We have a local boutique dairy factory called Saint David’s Dairy where we buy amazing full cream milk and milk products produced with smaller equipment and less additives that is sourced from a farm 100kms from the Fitzroy factory, in Gippsland. The farm doesn’t send bobby calves to market like traditional dairy farms either. We purchase glass bottles that we wash and sterilise then get refilled to eliminate the use of plastic.
To stay up-to-date on the progress of Centrality’s ecosystem, follow us on Twitter and our Telegram Announcements channel, plus join our community on Centrality’s Official Telegram, Instagram, Reddit and Facebook.
