CSR - Corporate Social Responsibility

When it comes to being green, the RAS and Sydney Showground are working hard to lead by example. Aside from participating in Earth Hour and working with Greenfleet to offset our carbon footprint, the Easter Show is a recognised Green Date. What does all that mean?

Our contribution can be assessed through a range of economic and social measurements, as well as through educational, cultural, environmental, charitable and social impacts delivered through a number of activities, including the:

• Sydney Royal Easter Show
• Sydney Royal Competitions
• Sydney Showground
• Australasian Animal Registry
• RAS Foundation

We have implemented a range of activities with the intent of decreasing our environmental impact. Currently, we are developing a series of factsheets that explain what actions the RAS takes that will be available on our website soon.

Here are a few examples of the types of activities that we are involved in:

Racing To Success

Sydney Showground recently had the opportunity to give young upstarts a chance by providing the venue for the Racing NSW/Darby McCarthy Aboriginal Employment and Training Program.

From across the state and from all walks of life, 22 students selected for the project were given the chance to follow in the footsteps of former Indigenous racing legend Darby McCarthy.

The project is a fantastic new strategy developed to increase the number of Indigenous participants currently employed within the thoroughbred racing industry.

The Royal Agricultural Society (RAS) and Sydney Showground united with Racing NSW and South Western Sydney Institutes (SWSI) in May to support the Program.

With the help of a number of stakeholders including TAFE NSW, the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations and Yarn’n Employment Training Consultancy, the venture aims to provide young Indigenous people with the skills and knowledge for entry level positions into the racing industry.

With a limited budget it was proving difficult to find a suitable location with adequate facilities to host such an event. RAS Councillor and Chairman of Sydney Turf Club Bill Picken, together with Maurice Logue, General Manager of Racing NSW Training and Education, found a solution and decided to host the program at Sydney Showground.

“When I heard of the event I thought it would be a great opportunity for the RAS to jump on board and lend a hand... we have some great facilities at Sydney Showground and it would have been a shame not to use them,” said Mr Picken.

Luke Millington, Racing NSW Training and Development Co-ordinator, who assisted in managing the on-site component of the project commented, “The undercover marshalling arena, wash bays, covered stabling and yards, Schmidt Arena and round yards [at Sydney Showground] were ideal to house our team of horses.”

It is through projects like this that the RAS is able to assist in developing and strengthening the agriculture industry in NSW. Students leave the program with a number of invaluable skills used to gain employment as stable hands, stewards or track work riders (just to name a few). More importantly, these skills can be taken back to their rural communities to gain employment in one of the many vacant positions in the horse industry.

Mr Picken added that he was “very impressed with the way in which the RAS and Sydney Showground management welcomed the event and accommodated the needs of the project.”

Since its inception, 13 out of the 22 students who undertake the project have found jobs in the industry, reinforcing the success and continued need for the annual event.

Getting Greener Every Day

Sydney Showground is continually striving to identify new and better ways to lessen our impact on the environment and be more sustainable. We are now working even harder has part of the DECC’s Sustainability Advantage program.

The Sustainability Advantage program offers support to organisations to improve business sustainability across a number of key areas, including resource efficiency, environmental risk and responsibility, staff engagement, supply chain and climate change.

Sydney Olympic Park Authority joined the program, which incorporate many of the businesses within SOP. Some of these include Sydney Showground, the Commonwealth Bank, Royal Agricultural Society, the Accor hotels within the precinct, as well as several sports facilities, including the Aquatic Centre. It’s been deemed the Sydney Olympic Park Sustainability Advantage Cluster.

The program has helped almost 300 businesses save close to 6,000 tonnes of greenhouse gasses and $3.9 million from their bottom lines, to 30 Jun 2008. To further promote this initiative, the NSW Government has allocated $20 million to expand the program to assist 1,000 organisations achieve similar savings.

If you want to learn more about the SOP Sustainability Advantage Cluster contact Marianne Sheumack on (02) 9714 7300 or email her.

Is your organisation interested? Visit the NSW Government’s website.

Easter Show is a Green Date

Since 2002, the Sydney Royal Easter Show (SRES) has been recognised internationally as an official ‘Green Date’ by the Environment Protection Authority. A ‘Green Date’ is a green event celebrated throughout NSW, Australia and around the world.

Each year we aim to improve on the previous year’s results, by enhancing and developing additional ways that lessen our environmental impact.

To give you an idea of what we’ve accomplished, here are some green facts from last year’s (2008) Sydney Royal Easter Show:

• 95% of waste from the 2008 Sydney Royal Easter Show was recycled, reused or turned into green
  power
• 262 tonnes of greenhouse gasses were offset by planting more than 1,000 trees via Greenfleet.
• 86% of used water was recycled.
• 52 tonnes of CO2 saved by using green power in the agricultural pavilions.
• 57 tonnes of cardboard, 76 tonnes of drink cans, PET and glass, 72 tonnes of green waste
  (woodchop), and 10,800 litres of cooking oil were recycled.
• 3,200 tonnes of bedding was turned into commercial compost.
• All packaging in our food outlets is made from recyclable materials.
• All remaining produce from the District Exhibitions (the big walls of fruits and vegetables) was donated to OzHarvest at the end of the Show.
• Colourful and prominent recycling stations were placed throughout the Show.
• Over 66% of Showgoers used public transport instead of cars.
• On average, over the last three years, the Show has diverted 98% of all its waste from landfill.

The same initiatives have been used in this year’s Show. As a result, the Show’s environmental and recycling program has been used as an educational case study by the Department of Environment and Conservation, highlighting the event’s excellence in this area.

Earth Hour 2009

Earth Hour is an international initiative that strives to combat the issues of climate change and global warming. Since its inception, the RAS has been a committed participant.

This year’s efforts by the RAS alone resulted in a saving of 266 kg of greenhouse gas emissions. This may not sound like very much – it’s equivalent to approximately one flight from Sydney to Melbourne – but if this is what we can do in only one hour, imagine what we can do when we switch off the lights every night for several hours!

To do our part for Earth Hour, nearly all the lights in the RAS Administration building and across the Sydney Showground site were switched off. As preparations for the Show were underway during this time, some lights were required to remain on. To offset the energy generated, we enlisted the help of Greenfleet.

Greenfleet is a registered environmental charity that works with companies and individuals to measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by offsetting any remaining emissions through planting native trees and forests. Greenfleet has planted trees on behalf of the RAS to offset the lights left on during Earth Hour.

On top of Earth Hour, 23 RAS vehicles are part of RAS’ Greenfleet program, resulting in the RAS receiving a Greenfleet Certificate of Participation. In 2008, this program offset greenhouse emissions by 90 tonnes through the planting of 357 trees.

For more information on how you can offset your emissions with Greenfleet visit www.greenfleet.com.au