It isn't always easy to sell the benefits of environmental compliance to your colleagues, and while some of us don't mind being "the bad guy", not all of us are comfortable in this role.

To help, the Auckland Regional Council has released an environmental checklist to assist organisations with ensuring that operations are up to date environmentally, and helping to highlight any areas that may require further action.  Below is an excerpt from this document:

"The law requires every person in New Zealand to take care of the environment.  These checklists will help your business comply with the law.  They can also help you make big savings and enhanced profits.  If you think you're too busy to look at your firm's environmental effects, weigh up your options:

What it could cost you to invest the time to do these checklists

If your time costs you $50 an hour... $2,700

$100 - 2 hours to read the booklet
$300 - 4 hours to look over the checklists and 2 more to meet with staff
$200 - 4 hours to walk over your site with your drainage plan and check any issues
$1,600 - 4 hours each to study the other 8 sections (not all may apply to you)
$500 - 1 - 20 hours for staff training; say

If you find major problems, you will need more time and you may also have to pay to fix them.  If you get enthusiastic, you may need more time for the last section on environmental management.  You will also need to invest this time on an ongoing basis - but look at the other side of the picture.

What it could cost you if you are found causing pollution

The ARC recovers costs from polluters, approximately . . $57,000

$500 - Average staff and vehicle costs
$500 - Average laboratory analysis of samples
$1,000 - Environmental Infringement Notice
$20,000 - Product loss - between $20 - $200,000
$5,000  - Clean up costs between $1,000 to $800,000
$20,000 - Fines and court costs range from $2,000 to $80,000
$10,000 - Your legal costs (approx)

This does not include the cost of fixing the problems, which you will be required to do anyway.  And what about the costs which are less easy to put a dollar price on? Think about the negative PR of your firm's name in the paper and the ire of your marketing manager.  What about higher insurance premiums and loss of credibility with lenders?  Bring the balance back in favour of the environment - and your business!  Use our checklists and reap the benefit of a healthy environment and safe, lawful and profitable business!"

To read the original PDF, click here.

NZ By the Numbers - ARC deals with 420 "major" pollution problems in 2007
From the Auckland Regional Council:

Wash Water Discharge (30%)
Discharge from an Industrial Process (6%)
Contaminated Sites (5%)
Deliberate Discharge to Stormwater System (15%)
Site Housekeeping (Multiple Pollution Problems) (10%)
Not Traced (5%)
Material Spill (16%)
Discharge Outside the Metropolitan Area (6%)

NZ By the Numbers - Property Developer Fined $60K for Polluting
A property development company has been fined nearly $60,000 after almost 10 tonnes of extra sediment is estimated to have flowed into Te Kowhai stream and the harbour at Raglan due to a failure to comply with resource consents.

By the Numbers - Lagoon polluter fined $28,500 under RMA
Contaminating the Opui Lagoon with dairyshed effluent led to a fine of $28,500 for an Opiki dairy farmer in the Palmerston North District Court.  Gilmor Roy Funnell had pleaded guilty to two charges, laid under the Resource Management Act, relating to significant levels of pollution at the Lagoon during May 2008.

NZ By the Numbers - North Canterbury Company fined $2,500 for burning tyres
A North Canterbury company has been fined $2500 after pleading guilty to a charge of causing air pollution by the illegal burning of rubber tyres. The case was heard in the Christchurch District Court earlier this year and occurred in June 2008.

Excerpt taken from the latest Minter Ellison Envirolink Newsletter, Minter Ellison Rudd Watts:

"Local authorities are not feeling the warmth of Parliament that they used to receive.  Quite aside from Rodney Hide's attentions, Dr Smith has recently warned particular councils that he is aware that they breach the law more often than they comply.  His threat is that if they don't improve compliance then he will personally take over."

To read the original PDF, click here.

Andrew.Stewart would like to give thanks to everyone who came to the planting day at Bastion Point on Saturday 20 June. We put 3000 plants in the ground, and Ngati Whatua were great hosts (as usual!).  Andrew.Stewart also welcomes Sandspit Yacht Club Marina Ltd, Kerikeri Falls Investment Ltd and Duck Nominees Ltd as new clients this month.

CarbonGroup welcomes new client North Shore City Council.  CarbonGroup and Andrew.Stewart will be assisting North Shore City's sustainability manager, Michael Field, in gaining a better understanding of greenhouse gas emissions associated with the North Shore wastewater treatment plant.  Michael Field has been in the job less than two years, but over the past 12 months has saved the council $1.2m from city-wide and in-house sustainability initiatives with a positive environmental outcome.  "Sustainability is primarily about creating efficiencies, which simply makes good business sense, with the added bonus of helping protect our environment," Field said.  It is expected that the work undertaken in this small project will contribute to achieving further efficiencies in the future.

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Our technical team will review all development ideas, and as always, we roll-out product updates to all of the CS-VUE community - meaning everyone benefits.