How We Make a Difference

Environmental Management — Practising what we preach

Everything about Going Solar reflects our commitment to sustainability — including how we run our business. We work out of the 60L Green Building, one of the most environmentally friendly buildings in Melbourne. As well as this, we have a range of internal environmental policies:

  • Purchase of 100% green electricity
  • 100% purchase and use of recycled paper
  • Collection and use of rainwater in our offices
  • Reduced paper consumption through dual and multi-page printing
  • Separate collection of recyclables and compostable waste in our office
  • Use of composting bins for compostable waste in our office
  • Use of energy efficient lighting and other appliances

Staff are encouraged to walk or cycle where possible, and to reduce the use of motor vehicles. As promoters of renewable energy and sustainable living, Going Solar and its employees are advocates of an energy efficient and environmentally friendly way of life.

Sustainable Transport

In parts of Australia, the transport sector accounts for around 25% of our greenhouse gas emissions. Clearly this needs to be addressed with solutions coming from innovative thinking and technologies. Conventional practices have created the problems of pollution, congestion and traffic trauma. We need to start planning for the future and freeing ourselves from dependence on oil.

Going Solar principal Stephen Ingrouille has long been a champion of sustainable transport. For many years, Stephen edited a widely sustainable transport newsletter. Stephen maintains an active interest in the issue and is available for consulting around sustainable transport solutions including Transport Oriented Development.

See the Sustainable Transport Newsletter Archive.

International Projects

Going Solar has worked on sustainable development projects in East Timor, The Maldives, Vanuatu, The Solomon Islands, The Gambia and Nepal.

The projects were serviced by a team member who joined the project at the pre-planning stage and stayed until completion. Each project was thoroughly researched and had local advisers participating, to ensure that the context was fully understood.

The projects involved installing solar power systems to provide energy for:

  • water pumping
  • school services — lighting, audio visual, computers
  • office or household appliances
  • communications
  • water purification
  • refrigeration
  • livelihoods — workshops, fishing freezers, irrigation, biofuel production