Benchmark Study on Green Buildings - Royal Architectural Institute ...

water bill remains with the company. This type of pay arrangement is called “payment by
savings.”
For the first time in 2006, savewater! sponsored the Melbourne International Flower and
Garden Show. As a great deal of water is used on maintaining the outside of people’s
properties, the savewater!/Our Water Our Future exhibit at the show offered visitors
insight into being water efficient and still having a beautiful garden. The interactive
exhibit showcased innovative water saving products, great ideas and practical information
that can be applied in a home and garden to reduce water use and help save this precious
resource now and for future generations. The display was developed by savewater!, with
the support of “Our Water Our Future’s” Water Saver Garden Centres and a wide range
of product suppliers. The savewater! team and partner organizations will return to the
show next year, with loads of new ideas to show that water conservation and gorgeous
gardens are not mutually exclusive. Since 2000, the prestigious annual ‘savewater!
Awards’ have recognized and rewarded achievement in the sustainable management of
Australia’s water supplies. The Awards provide a positive and credible platform to show
Australians how businesses, schools, individuals, community groups and government
departments or agencies are making significant contributions to water sustainability. The
savewater! Awards raise awareness about people’s impressive efforts to conserve water
and inspire others to follow their lead. The introduction of the savewater! Awards has
certainly led to reductions in water consumption. At the 2005 Awards, for example, the
21 finalists collectively helped save a massive 832 Olympic sized swimming pools worth
of water over 18 months.
Australian Government’s Sustainable Cities Program:
The Australian Government’s Department of the Environment and Heritage has
developed the Sustainable Cities Program to help make Australian cities and towns
cleaner and more sustainable. Announced in May 2003, the Sustainable Cities Program
will receive $40 million over five years. $24.2 million will be spent on a package to
improve our understanding of environmental pollutants, and to develop standards that
minimize the impact of buildings and some household appliances. A new green buildings
program that includes the National Buildings Environmental Ratings Scheme (NABERS)
will ensure that future building projects are more environmentally-friendly. Another
component of the Program will be to develop and strengthen national standards and
enforcement of regulations to improve air quality, fuel quality, ozone protection, and
waste and chemicals management. The Sustainable Cities Program will also extend the
Australian Greenhouse Office’s successful Photovoltaic Rebate Program (PVRP) for
another two years, and will start the Cycle Connect Program, which will enable cyclists
to use public transport with new bicycle facilities at bus and train stations. Finally,
Sustainable Cities will put some funding aside to help develop and improve the WELS
Scheme (described earlier). The Sustainable Cities Program will be implemented by
directly funding projects with national strategic benefits.
Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator (ORER):
The Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator (ORER) is a statutory authority
established to oversee the implementation of the Australian Government’s mandatory
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