Parkes Automotive

Parkes Automotive is committed to sustainable business practice as the preservation of our environment for future generations is something we feel strongly about.

Sustainable practice means we will meet our present needs without compromising the ability of future generation to meet theirs and to achieve this we will go beyond compliance through the adoption of pro-active strategies to restore and enhance the environment in which we work, live and play!

Our long term goal is being carbon neutral and zero waste!

We strongly agree so these are the steps we have taken to minimise our impact on the environment:

*Have a membership of the Sustainable Business Network which provides a forum for the exchange of ideas and experiences.

*Regularly receive newsletters and magazines from local and international organisations which include information on sustainability strategies in our industry.

*Draw on expertise and advice from Waste Education Services and the Nelson Environment Centre.

*We have reduced our electricity consumtion by 20% by:

-responsibility placed on workshop manager to ensure lights are turned off a.s.a.p.

-hot water heating contained to a zip only.

-fan heater in office replaced by a gas heater and office renovations saw a new large ranch slider replacing a wall to capture more heat/light from the sun.

-the use of skylights in the workshop and fluoro tubes and eco bulbs where possible.

*Fuel consumption being reduced by replacing an old tow truck with smaller vehicle and using a scooter rather than a car to collect local parts. Vehicle trips are planned to ensure as much is done in one trip as possible to save too much travelling.

*We have reduced our waste by at least 80% by:

-placing recycling bins at each work bench.

-all waste oils and fuels are sent to refiners.

-old printer cartridges and toners are sent to be recycled with any financial return being donated to Ronald McDonald house.

-all plastic/glass and cans collected at roadside.

-paper has been reduced by emailing invoices etc, paper is reused as note pads where possible, paper and cardboard collected in large bins we provided by Street-smart when they do the school recycling.

-scrap metal and old batteries sold to scrap merchants who strip what recyclable metals they can and the rest is disposed off correctly.

-out dated l.p.g bottles collected and sent in mass to be re-tested at Fire Protection Services and then resold.

-tyres reduced by offering customers a discount if they take them to use in their gardens etc, farmers using them as tree protection, listing them on the “Terranova Waste Exchange” website

-cloth towels are washed to use in wash rooms.

-food scraps are taken home in biodegradable cornstarch bags to the compost or worm farm.

-aerosol cans reduced by buying cleaners etc in bulk and using re-usable spray bottles.

-recycled rags from laundries and customers are used in workshop.

-installations of l.p.g systems to vehicles which reduce fuel emissions.

-a parts cleaning station that filters and recycles the chemicals it uses has been introduced.

-a contained outdoor area and shed has been built for larger parts washing etc which channels water into a storage tank and is emptied by oil refiners, greatly reducing impact on waterways

-consciously seek to deal with environmentally conscious businesses including giving consideration to packaging used and wherever possible using local suppliers to reduce transport emissions.

WE HAVE ALSO RECENTLY STARTED TO:

*Working with the Enviroschools programme to donate trees as a yearly scheme to help offset our carbon emissions. We feel that educating children at an early age about environmental issues will make a huge difference for the future and we look forward to encouraging/supporting their projects.

*Being put in touch with garages N.E.C who want to find out what we do.

*We purchased a large recycling bin which we have gifted to the community to increase education and reduce waste. This bin is outside the museum on High St.

*Saving our used postage stamps for the Christian Blind Mission who use them to generate funds for over 1000 relief projects.

*Reducing junk mail received by putting signs on our letter box and p.o box.

*Further reduction of paper use(now using over 50% less) by increasing emailing of WOF reminders, invoices etc. This has been helped by the incentive we give customers who receive emails and pay accounts by internet banking etc. We put those who help us to help the environment in a monthly $100 workshop voucher draw.

*Re-usable boxes and packaging are saved to be re-used when sending parts to be fixed.

*Emails sent have “Please think about the environment before printing this page” on them to discourage waste at receiving end.

*Improving our emergency spilling procedures by having an oil spill kit, emergency procedure book hung in office with appropriate contacts etc, channelling to prevent waterway impacts and absorbency pellets to soak up oil if needed.

*Working with suppliers to provide products in cardboard packaging rather than plastic.

*Making our customers aware of the option to use second hand parts if appropriate for job.

*Saving our fluorescent tubes to be sent in bulk to recyclers in Christchurch.

*Replacing a large old fridge/freezer with a smaller one more suited to our needs.

*Purchasing an external hard drive to do backups onto rather than printing daily reports.

*Setting up a computer network from home to office to reduce travel to work when not necessary.

*Turning all electronic equipment off when not in use.

*Purchasing recycled stationery to close the recycling loop and ensure recycling is being successful and encouraging local retailers to supply it.

*Introduced “Skype” so that we can internet conference with Sustainable Business Network and hopefully soon more organisations that take it on board greatly reducing the need to travel.

*Purchasing “Kiwi Green” cleaning products for use in workshop and domestic uses.

*Saving our oil filters for crushing to remove last of oil before being accepted by scrap merchants.

*Making worm farm plans using old tyres available to customers

*Using a staple less stapler to attach eftpos receipts etc (these use a form of paper binding to bind up to 5 pieces of paper without staples)

*Installing a PDF printer on our computers enables us to convert any file to PDF format ready for emailing.

*Replaced a leaky toilet cistern to reduce water waste. Water pump(as on well) turned off at night to stop any waste.

*Replacing machinery with more energy efficient ones when they need replacing.

And of course we constantly continue to look for new ideas that will help us reduce our impact on the environment….so if you have any ideas or feedback, please contact us!