The City of Whitehorse have an array of programs and initiatives businesses can participate in to assist reducing their water and energy use, decrease pollution and save money.

Please refer to the Sustainability section of the Whitehorse City Council website for further details.

Sustainability Courses provided by VECCI

• A full day- Sustainability in Action – Resource Efficiency course (http://www.vecci.org.au/Training/Pages/Resource_efficiency_training.aspx)
• A half day -  Creative Thinking and Sustainability Workshop (http://www.vecci.org.au/Training/Pages/Business_Innovation_and_Sustainability_Creative_Thinking.aspx)
• A 2 hour briefing – Carbon Management 101 (http://www.vecci.org.au/Training/Pages/Carbon101.aspx)

A 2 hour Green Office Briefing is currently in development and will be available from August 2010.

More Sustainable Workshops include;

Sustainability Group Program Overview
Workshop 1 -Sustainability in Action
(full day)  VECCI will help businesses kick off their participation in the Sustainability Program  and establish a strong framework for how a business will participate in, and benefit from, their participation
Initial Visit and Opportunity Assessment
(On site, ~3 hrs) VECCI visits each business to get the participant started in the program, help identify key sustainability issues and establish a baseline of resource use
Briefing – Carbon Management 101
 (~2 hrs) Information session to establish the framework for conducting a carbon footprint
Carbon Footprint Assessment
(On site, ~2.5 hrs)  VECCI assists participating businesses in conducting a carbon footprint to understand their risks and opportunities
Workshop 2 – Action Planning
(Half day)  A workshop to identify opportunities for action, engagement and strategies to overcome potential barriers
Action Planning Visit
(On site, ~2.5 hrs) VECCI visits each business to review their progress in implementing actions, assist them in implementing strategies to overcome potential barriers and encourage them to maintain their actions and develop further sustainable business practices
Report Back and Celebration Event
(~ 2 hrs) Businesses present on the actions they’ve taken, and planned for future, and outcomes to date, and are presented with their Sustainability Program Certificates at a celebratory event

Other services VECCI has developed to support small and medium enterprises include the campaigns and initiatives below:

1. The ‘What can I do right now’ campaign is an initiative to encourage SME’s to make a pledge towards environmental sustainability in their business. The website provides a lot of resources to download for free.
http://whatcanidorightnow.com.au/

2. Carbon Compass is a place where small and medium businesses can find knowledge, share information and get practical advice on how to reduce their carbon footprint.
http://www.carboncompass.com.au/

For more information on any of the above courses/workshops please contact;

VECCI - Head Office
Telephone: (03) 8662 5333
Facsimile: (03) 8662 5462
Email: vecci@vecci.org.au
Website: www.vecci.org.au