 |
No, we haven't made a mistake in adding in this section.There is no beautiful Wedding Photography, no timeless children's portraits nor any stunning Model Portfolios to be found on this page. Instead we present to you a different side to our studio but yet a vitally important side that illustrates our values and ethical responsibility to our planet. The issue of Global Warming and the Green House effect has become increasingly critical as we as a human race pump out over 700 million tonnes of CO² green house gas into the atmosphere every single day. The responsibility of changing the damage we have created falls upon each and every one of us. And therefore the term carbon footprint takes on a very personal and accountable reality. |
After viewing the movie 'An Inconvenient Truth' presented by former Vice President Mr. Al Gore and becoming acutely aware of the global devastation caused by the human race we have decided to take on the 10 step action plan outlined in the movie effectively immediately. Interestingly, most of these initiatives we had already put in place prior to watching the movie.
For comprehensive information about Global Warming go to www.climatecrisis.net
Change a light
We have replaced all the incandescent light globes with Fluorescent light globes. We used to use globes that were either 75W or 100W in power. So the only lights you'll see in and outside the studio are Fluorescent and low voltage lights. Additionally, we always turn off the lights that we are not using.
For example, when you enter the studio and walk into the gallery, showroom and photo studio you will find that these areas are all well lit with a combination of Fluorescent and low voltage lights. What you don't know is that these lights are off before you arrived at the studio and turned 2 minutes before you enter. Conversely, the lights are turned off after you leave the studio. In this way we save energy by only having the lights that we need on when we need them.
Drive less
Before we moved into our new studio in Hawthorn our business was mobile. We drove everywhere, to our clients, to photo shoot locations, to meetings with business colleges, etc. To add to this most of our clients were in the Eastern suburbs and our small office was in the Western suburbs. Since moving to our new studio we have some days were the company car is not even used at all. Most of our photography is conducted in and around the studio. When we have to travel for our photo shoots the locations are within 5-10km of the studio.
Our clients come to us, we meet in the showroom with our business colleagues and walk to the nearby cafes when we need to get out of the studio for a business lunch. So where we used to travel around 25,000km per year we are now traveling about 15,000km per year. This translates into a saving of 10,000km per year, less servicing on the car, a reduction in the petrol we consume and hence the amount of CO² we are responsible for producing.
Furthermore, we have replaced the company vehicle with one that has a smaller engine. The current vehicle has a turbocharged 1.8 litre engine and the new car will have a 1.6 litre engine vehicle. And so we will be further reducing the CO² gases we produce.
Now that our studio is better located for our daily functions we can now walk to the local shops for supplies and the cafes for meetings and lunches instead of driving around town.
Recycle more
We have a policy in the studio - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. For everything that we consider to be 'waste' we take measures to reuse the item in some way. For example, paper from the printer that is not needed any longer is used as scrap paper, ie. for writing notes, taking messages, etc.
Cardboard boxes from printer paper reams that are no longer needed are reused for storage boxes in the store room. And lastly we recycle everything we can no longer reuse. There are three recycling bins located throughout the studio and right next to every general waste bin so there is no reason for any team member to not use the recycle bins.
Check your tyres
We service the company car every 10,000km to ensure that we not only have the tyres at the right pressure but also that the whole vehicle is running efficiently as possible. Additionally we check the tire pressures weekly to ensure that they are always inflated as per the manufacturers recommendations.
Use less hot water
The hot water system that we have in the studio only heats up the water when we need hot water thus saving energy heating a large tank of water day in and day out for the few times we actually need the hot water. Additionally, we have reduced the thermostat on the hot water system by 5 degrees Celsius.
Avoid products with a lot of packaging
Where possible we buy products and materials in bulk as opposed to smaller quantities therefore saving on packaging material. Also, we prefer the packaging that is not glossy in presentation but suited to containing the item we require. Additionally, we look for packaging that we can reuse, re-purpose or at least recycle.
Adjust your thermostat
When winter comes around and we need to turn the ducted heating on in the studio we make sure that rooms like the store room, that have a heating duct running into it are closed to avoid unnecessarily heating unused rooms and therefore wasting energy.
Plant a tree
When we moved into the studio we realised that the garden in the front and the back would have to be totally redone. The existing plants were dry and looked more like a weed fest than anything else.
So we decided to invest in landscaping that would be low maintenance, hardy and drought resistant. To this end we planted 18 hedging plants, mature couch grass and 10 agapanthus. More plants equals more oxygen and that's good for everyone.
Turn off electronic devices
All computers, printers and lights are all turned off when not in use on a daily basis. The electronic devices that are on during the day are on because we are using them at the time.
Spread the word
Encourage your friends to buy An Inconvenient Truth. If you've read this far you'll know that we are serious about making a positive impact on Global Warming. If you haven't seen the movie, it's time that you did. Watch it with your friends and family. Life will never be the same again.
