At Taste Gourmet Grocer and Cafe, we are personally and professionally committed to doing what we can to assist promoting a sustainable environment and we are implementing programs to show our support of this principle. We firmly believe that even though we are a very small business, if we do our little bit, and you do your little bit, very soon it will addd up to a big bit being done!
As we keep finding new ways to improve out committment to sustainability, we will tell you about them on this page. And when we see new ideas and things that you too might be able to participate in, we will include those as well.
We have a number of initiatives, including offering cloth, paper and biodegradeable plastic bags, we have an extensive recycling program, and we purchase Green Power. We also support projects that promote sustainability, including the upcoming Earth Hour. See below or click on this link for more details!
Please feel free to send us your thoughts and comments along the way!
Shopping Bags
We use only 100% biodegradable plastic shopping bags
We offer paper bags
Recycling
We recycle our paper, cardboard, tins, plastics and packaging
Green Power
Taste
Gourmet Grocer and Café buys GreenPower! Taste Gourmet Grocer & Café buys green energy, through Energy Australia'sPureEnergy. PureEnergy is an accredited Green Power product, which means that an amount of electricity (equal to the electricity supplied to us) has been or will be generated by 'new' GreenPower Generators using renewable energy sources and delivered to the national electricity grid.
What are the sources of renewable energy? PureEnergy’s renewable energy sources are: Hydro - Falling water is used to drive turbines to generate electricity.
Solar - Solar cells convert the energy from sunlight into electricity.
Biomass (Landfill Gas or Bagasse) - Landfill Gas: Methane gas and other landfill gases produced by decomposing organic matter are captured and burned to produce electricity. The advantage of this method is that it prevents methane – a potent greenhouse gas – and other landfill gases from escaping into the atmosphere. Bagasse: Bagasse is the residual fibrous waste from raw sugar processing and is sourced from various sugar mills. It is burned to produce electricity.
Wind - Wind drives turbines to generate electricity. Recent advances in wind turbine technology have allowed this source of electricity to become more widespread.
By buying PureEnergy we are financially supporting the generation of electricity from renewable energy sources. Generating electricity from these sources (instead of non-renewable resources such as coal) helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions are considered to be the main cause of climate change and global warming.
The average household adds around seven tonnes of CO2 to the atmosphere every year through electricity consumption. To put that in perspective, it is equivalent to two cars' annual emmissions. EnergyAustralia is one of the largest renewable energy retailers in Australia, so as a PureEnergy customer we're one of the many families and businesses that are helping to make a statement, and a difference by supporting the Australian renewable energy industry.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO CREATE A SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT!
There are lots of simply and effective ways for you to help combat global warming and assist in greating a sustainable enviroment. Here a few suggestions to get you started. First of all, find our more!
May we suggest on a personal note, if you haven't yet seen Al Gore's documentary An Inconvenient Truth, (click for more information about the documentary) do yourself and your kids a favour and take a look. It's now available on DVD. If you have already seen it, you'll know why we are are trying to doing our bit. Make sure you receommend it to those who haven't seen it!
There are lots of ways you can save energy and reduce your emissions everyday!
At Home
Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs to save money and reduce emissions. Lighting accounts for around 5% of household greenhouse gas emissions, and compact fluros use 75% less energy than an equivalent incandescent bulb. Although the bulbs cost more up-front, you will actually save money through the energy saved and extended life of the bulb.
Turn appliances off standby - Unplug any appliances - mobile phone charger, TV, microwave, MP3 player - which are not being used and are on standby. Appliances on standby consume up to 10% of your electricity bill.
Turn off anything that doesn't need to be on. A good rule is to turn off anything not being used. When you leave a room or leave the house, turn off your lights or appliances like the TV or computer.
Switch to Greenpower - Do what we have done. Contact your electricity provider today and switch to GreenPower, a cleaner, renewable form of energy that does not contribute to global warming. If all Australians switched to GreenPower today, Australia's total greenhouse pollution would be cut by 30% in one year. That's the equivalent of more than 40 million cars!
At work, get off standby - speak to your office manager about turning off any equipment at work that is not being used, including computer screens, photocopiers and printers.
Before you leave the office each day, remember to turn of any lights in your workspace and your computer.Remember to unplug your mobile phone or laptop charger when it's not in use.
Taste Gourmet Supports Earth Hour 2008 8.00pm on 29st March 2008
Taste Gourmet Grocer and Cafe was pleased to support and participate in world's first Earth Hour in March 2007. We were the first business on the NSW Central Coast to sign up for Earth House, and the first to sign up for 2008.
Earth Hour 2007 was a Sydney region event. Earth Hour 2008 is a global movement. We are pleased once again to be a supporter and participant.
Created to take a stand against the greatest threat our planet has ever faced, Earth Hour uses the simple action of turning off the lights for one hour to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming.
This simple act has captured the hearts and minds of people all over the world. As a result, at 8pm on the 29 March, 2008 millions of people in some of the world’s major capital cities, including Copenhagen, Toronto, Chicago, Melbourne, Brisbane, Tel Aviv and Manila will unite and switch off for Earth Hour.
The first Earth Hour was an initiative of WWF-Australia and The Sydney Morning Herald, which called on individuals and businesses in Sydney to turn off their lights for one hour on Saturday 31 March 2007 between 7:30pm and 8:30pm. The aim of the campaign was to reduce Sydney's greenhouse gas emissions by 5% in 2007. The event itself clearly demonstrated in Australia's largest city, the connection between energy usage and climate change, showing that what we as broader community can address the biggest threat our planet has ever faced.
The Issue
Climate change is the most significant threat to life on Earth. One way to slow the current rate of global warming is to get each individual to make small adjustments to the way they live. To achieve individual change we need to demonstrate how simple and easy the changes are.
The solution
An event that got full community involvement in a simple action that will make a difference. WWF-Australia and Fairfax invited all Sydney households and businesses to turn off their lights for one hour at 7.30pm on 31st March 2007 – this was Earth Hour. Earth Hour had the full support of the Premier of NSW, the Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney, and all city and emergency services.
EARTH HOUR 2007 RESULTS (Courtesy of the Earth hour official website)
More than 2 million Sydney residents joined Earth Hour on Saturday March 31 between 7.30 and 8.30 by flicking the switch, turning appliances off stand-by and enjoying an hour of quiet darkness, according to poll results. Residents and businesses across the city showed their support for Earth Hour resulting in an impressive 10.2% drop in energy usage across the usually glittering CBD, according to Energy Australia. This is double the anticipated energy saving and represents a reduction of 24.86 tonnes of carbon dioxide - the equivalent of taking 48,613 cars off the road for an hour.
"The overwhelming support for Earth Hour from Sydneysiders and from many communities across the country has amazed us and shows the willingness of both business and individuals to start cutting emissions," said WWF-Australia National Communications Manager Andy Ridley. Polling company AMR Interactive surveyed close to 1000 Sydney residents and found 57% participated in Earth Hour by either switching off lights, turning off computers, televisions and other household appliances. Energy Australia's Retail General Manager Tim O'Grady said the success of Earth Hour was evidenced in the energy savings made between 7.30 and 8.30 pm on Saturday night. "People really got behind the cause and showed they care about global warming. We originally thought 5% would be a good result but this is more than double that - an exceptional result."
Leading into the event over 65,000 individuals were registered and over 2,000 businesses. "We are thrilled with the participation and energy reduction results on the night which have been greatly exceeded our original expectations," Mr Ridley said. "It shows Sydney is committed to reduce the threats linked to global warming and we hope Sydneysiders have proved by acting together we can start to make a difference." Earth Hour was initiated by WWF-Australia and is the start of an ambitious campaign to cut Sydney's greenhouse gas emissions by 5% by March 2008.
TASTE GOURMET SUPPORTS EARTH HOUR 8.00pm on 29th March 2008
Taste Gourmet Grocer and Cafe is pleased to announce our support for and participation in Earth Hour 2008. We were the first business on the NSW Central Coast to again sign up for Earth House in 2008 and we are urging you, your families and your businesses to join us.
Earth Hour started in 2007 as an initiative of WWF-Australia and The Sydney Morning Herald, and calls on individuals and businesses in the Sydney metropolitan region to turn off their lights for one hour on Saturday 29 March 2008 between 8.00pm & 9.00pm.
The aim of the campaign is to reduce Sydney's greenhouse gas emissions by 5% in 2008. Last year more than 2.2 million Sydney & region residents and 2,200 Sydney and region businesses turned their lights off for one hour to show it’s possible for individuals to take action on global warming. Many committed to reducing their emissions on an ongoing basis. Sydney and the region’s amazing support of the initiative inspired global action. So far, 14 cities around the world have signed up to turn off their lights for Earth Hour 2008.
The event itself will clearly demonstrate in Australia's largest city and the region, the connection between energy usage and climate change, showing that what we as broader community can address the biggest threat our planet has ever faced. Everyone in Australia is encouraged to take part, whether it’s at home, with friends, in a big city or a rural town!
Climate change is the most significant threat to life on Earth. One way to slow the current rate of global warming is to get each individual to make small adjustments to the way they live. To achieve individual change we need to demonstrate how simple and easy the changes are.
The solution
An event that gets full community involvement in a simple action that will make a difference. WWF-Australia and Fairfax again invite all Sydney households and businesses to turn off their lights for one hour at 8.00pm on 29 March 2008 – this is Earth Hour.
Earth Hour has the full support of the Premier of NSW, the Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney, and all city and emergency services.
The Objectives
Get as many individuals, households and businesses as possible to turn off their lights as a symbolic statement about the greatest contributor to climate change (coal-fired electricity).
Educate the community on the threat of global warming and what each individual can do to make a difference in their day-to-day activities to reduce their emissions
Get corporate participants to communicate Earth Hour through internal and external channels and commit to turn off their lights on the night
Provide precedent for an annual event and seek involvement from other cities across Australia and around the world
Measure the change in Sydney’s greenhouse gas emissions, aiming for a 5% reduction in the year following Earth Hour.
The Message
Commercial Sector
If Australia’s commercial sector turned off lights when buildings weren’t in use and combined this action with other cost effective technology they could reduce lighting emissions by 70%, this would save 2-4 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. Earth Hour aims to show these companies how easy and cost efficient these changes can be through case studies of companies that have already achieved massive reductions in their emissions. Earth Hour is working with 3CBDs, a City of Sydney initiative which aims to reduce the climate change impact of office buildings.
Households
We want each individual to understand that electricity consumption is a direct contributor to global warming and that small actions by every individual can make a big difference. When households sign up to take part in Earth Hour they will receive a pack with all the information and tools they need to cut their emissions (and their energy bill).
If all Australian households simply turned off unused lighting and appliances on standby at the power point it would reduce Australia’s emissions by at least 5 million tonnes per annum.
The Facts
69% of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions come from energy production (CSIRO)
October 2006 was by far the hottest October on record for NSW with the state wide average maximum temperature more than 3.2ºC above the historical averageof 24.4ºC (records since 1950). Australian Government- Bureau of Meteorology
By 2100, up to 15,000 Australians could die every year from heat-related illnesses and the dengue transmission zone could reach as far south as Brisbane and Sydney if we continue to allow [greenhouse gas] emissions to increase. (Australian Medical Association).
Why do we need to act?
Global warming is one of the greatest threats Australia has ever faced. Our continued reliance on electricity sourced from coal-fired power stations is causing a dramatic increase in the Earth's temperature, resulting in rising sea levels, an increase in drought and severe storms, and massive changes to the environment we all rely on to survive. If all Australian households simply turned off unused lights and appliances on standby at the power point, Australia's emissions would be reduced by at least 5 million tonnes per annum. The greenhouse gas savings would be equivalent to taking 1.5 million cars off the road for a year
How will Earth Hour help?
Earth Hour shows that, together, our small actions can make a difference to global warming. There are two key objectives for Earth Hour. The first is to engage as many households, communities and business in Sydney to turn their lights out for one hour on 31st March.
It also marks the beginning of a 12-month campaign by WWF-Australia and Fairfax Media to reduce Sydney's greenhouse gas emissions by 5%. This could be achieved if all businesses and households turned off unused lights and appliances that are on standby.
Who is behind Earth Hour?
Earth Hour is a partnership between WWF-Australia and Fairfax and has the full support and commitment of The City of Sydney and the NSW Government.
Why should we participate?
We've all heard about global warming and it's sometimes hard to see what we, individually, can do. Earth Hour is a great way to show your commitment to our goal of reducing Sydney's greenhouse gas emissions and to tackle the climate crisis. Earth Hour will work best if as many people participate as possible, so everyone's participation is vital to making the event a success.
What does Earth Hour mean for our business?
Earth Hour is not about us telling you what to do.Earth Hour is about individual action.We want you to tell us what your business or community is doing to support Earth Hour and reduce energy usage within the workplace / community.
www.earthhour.org will give you more tips and hints of what you can do on the night, and also give you an opportunity to share your ideas about how to spend Earth Hour.
Is this just the Sydney CBD?
Earth Hour encompasses the greater Sydney metropolitan region.
Why is it only in Sydney Metropolitan region?
We hope that Earth Hour can grow into a global campaign. To start this process, we have focused on one of Australia's, and the world's iconic city's - Sydney.Following Earth Hour's success in 2007, other cities, both in Australia and internationally, are joining us in supporting Earth Hour.
Of course, we can all take small actions everyday to reduce our emissions and we would be delighted if you can join us by turning off your lights for Earth Hour, regardless of where you live.
Will all electricity be turned off during Earth Hour?
No – we are only asking for lights to be turned off. Businesses should adhere to OH&S standards and security and emergency lighting (where required) should remain on.
Isn't switching the lights off dangerous? What about public safety?
We are asking people to turn off non-essential lights for one hour - no lights that affect public safety will be turned off. We want everyone to enjoy Earth Hour in a safe and energy efficient environment.
Will there be road closures?
No, there will not be any road closures.Earth Hour is about a celebration of individual and community action.We hope you will all celebrate the evening with your friends and families in a safe environment.
Will street lights remain on?
It is important that Earth Hour is celebrated in a safe and secure environment, so we will not be turning off any of the street lights, nor any lights in public spaces (which may impact on public safety), nor hospitals or emergency services.Earth Hour is about living in a modern world whilst doing the right thing.
Earth Hour is fully supported by all Sydney’s emergency services, including RTA, Police, Fire and Ambulances.
What about the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House – are they turning their lights off?
Yes, The Harbour Bridge and ANZAC Bridge will turn their lights out for one hour at 7.30pm on 31 March (except for the street lights). Traffic conditions will remain unchanged and the bridges will be open as usual during Earth Hour. The Opera House must still deliver their entertainment schedule, however they will turn off external lights for Earth Hour.
The City of Sydney is fully committed to Earth Hour and will assist in ensuring that all iconic buildings, and as many individuals and businesses, turn off their lights for Earth Hour at 7.30pm on Saturday 31 March 2007.
Is Earth Hour just about the event on 31st March 2007? Is there ongoing action?
There are two key objectives for Earth Hour. The first is to engage as many households, communities and business in the Sydney region to turn their lights for one hour on 31st March. By creating awareness and securing engagement of the broader community, the second objective is to measure the change in Sydney’s greenhouse gas emissions over the following 12 months– aiming for a 5% reduction in the year following Earth Hour.
Daylight savings ends on 25 March - and 7:30pm will be roughly twilight. Check out this discussion at the Sydney Observatory for more information.
Does this mean I have to turn of everything in my home and use absolutely no electricity?
Not at all. The main point of this campaign is to show people and companies how easy it is to take action to avoid global warming.
This does not mean you have to turn off your fridge, but we do encourage you to join the rest of Sydney by switching off your lights and make a statement, as well as changing your habits in the long term.
How much CO2 will be saved during the event?
We will be measuring how much energy is saved during Earth Hour - but the main aim of the campaign is to continue to be energy efficient beyond Earth Hour, making small actions everyday, to achieve our goal of a 5% reduction in Sydney's greenhouse gas emissions in 2007.
Aren't you using a heap of electricity and resources to promote this event?
Earth Hour is operating under our Principles of Operation, which we are happy to share with you. Earth Hour is a carbon neutral event.
If everyone turns their lights back on at the same time – will there be a power surge?
No
How can I find out more?
www.earthhour.orgwill be a way in which you can show your commitment to Earth Hour, and to sign up to receive an Earth Hour pack which will give you more information about Earth Hour, hint and tips on how to live a sustainable life, and ideas on how to spend Earth Hour.
Taste Gourmet Grocer & Cafe is committed to building a sustainable enviroment. Click here to see what else we are doing and how you can help!
GREEN TASTE
