Compton Green’s innovative environmental program, Goes Green wins national award for changing the industry
Compton Green was recognized as one of Australia’s best property and media industry’s innovators last month when it was awarded the AREA Game Changer of the Year Award for its visionary environmental program, Goes Green.
The man behind the campaign, Compton Green Managing Director, Adrian Butera was honored to accept the award at the second Annual REA Excellence Awards (AREAs). Hosted by REA Group, the AREAs celebrate their customers’ success, achievements and their contribution to the Australian property and media industry.
“To be recognised nationally for this prestigious award is one of the highlights of our business career and to our long standing team. “Goes Green has meant so much to us for a few years now and it continues to create a positive impact to the environment through our rental properties,” Adrian Butera said.
The Goes Green program involves a simple yet incredibly effective process of an environmental audit for each rental property that has become an embedded part of Compton Green’s business way of working.
“Property is Compton Green’s business and wanting to make a difference to the environment, our customers and communities in which we operate is the key driver of Goes Green. This is the core of our business and a key to how we strive to help make happy buyers and happy sellers,” said Mr Butera.
“After analyzing our own behavior in terms of making an environmental difference at both our offices and homes, we at Compton Green advanced this to try and help landlords and subsequently their tenants achieve real benefits for improving the ‘green’ credentials of properties under our management”, he added.
Through this drive to contribute to the environmental sustainability of rental properties, in late 2006 Compton Green launched Goes Green, a program that enables real estate agents to check and assess potential environmental improvements that can be made to rental properties.
Since launch, more than 5,000 environmental audits have been conducted, positively impacting the environment by saving water, energy and money whilst improving investment. The core part of the program is a checklist that the agency undertakes on properties that they manage.
The checklist assesses for each property:
- water saving measures such as low flow AAA rated showerheads and dual flush toilets in all bathrooms, water tanks and grey water systems;
- facilities for recycling for green waste and other recyclable materials;
- whether air conditioning and heating units are up to date with servicing requirements; and
- whether there is low energy lighting installed.
In the early stages, with considerable support from the Victorian Government and City West Water, Goes Green was responsible for exchanging hundreds of showerheads at Compton Green’s managed rental properties. When Compton Green found that one of its properties did not have a AAA rated showerhead, City West Water offered a water efficient showerhead for the property owner to have installed. Each water-efficient showerhead installed has saved around 12,000 litres of water a year.
Over the life of the 10-year program, this part of the Goes Green program has translated to water savings well into the double digit millions. By 2010 alone the water savings were at seven million litres, not to mention the reduction levels to landfill and energy savings delivered.
Adrian Butera has estimated that the program would save 33 million litres of water a year if it is adopted by all of its 800 rental houses managed by its Williamstown and Maribyrnong’s offices.
“If extended to all of Victoria’s 300,000 to 400,000 rental properties adopting the program, there is the potential to save many more millions – or even billions of litres – a year,” he added.
“At the time of launch, there was no program like this for rental properties and nor to the best of our knowledge is there today. We are exceptionally proud to have been trailblazers in this area, had such an impact on the environment and been recognized for it by this national award,” Adrian said.
Before he has even had time to dust off his AREA Game Changer of the Year Award trophy, Adrian Butera has alluded to another brainchild in the works…
“We don’t believe in resting on our laurels: we’re committed to continuous improvement. We see the opportunity to trail blaze again, this time with an initiative around solar panels which will deliver exciting energy and cost savings,” he said without giving more away.
Watch this space for more news and innovations from Compton Green!
To find out how to green up your investment property contact your local Compton Green office or visit goesgreen.com.au
