Finding the Biggest Carbon Loser

Climate Positive offset partner VicSuper borrowed from the small screen for its latest carbon-cutting and team-building initiative, 'VicSuper's Biggest Carbon Loser'.VicSuper Corporate Sustainability Consultant Matt Wicking said he began the initiative to encourage VicSuper's 184 employees to cut greenhouse gas emissions at work and home. Staff won points by cutting emissions and inventing creative team-based reduction measures.

"Eighty per cent of our staff took part in the competition in some way,"
Matt said. "And while the competition encouraged employees to reduce their carbon footprint, its primary objective was to engage them on VicSuper's approach to managing its carbon impact."

Matt attributes the success of 'Biggest Carbon Loser' to encouraging team work and healthy competition, while enabling staff to further identify ways to reduce their carbon footprint in their everyday lives.

While the 'Biggest Carbon Loser' competition succeeded in helping employees reduce their carbon footprint, it also assisted in engaging staff in the company's approach to managing its carbon impact.

Similar events are planned to further encourage employee engagement and behaviour change.

VicSuper is a Climate Positive offset partner and has committed to measure, reduce and offset its emissions each year and to continue to report its progress in its annual sustainability report.

The Biggest Carbon Loser falls under VicSuper's broader Carbon Management Strategy which includes the not-for-profit organisation's commitment to make its operations carbon neutral from the 2007/08 financial year onwards.

According to Matt, VicSuper managed to reduce its annual emissions by 6.8%
(97.6 tonnes) between 2007/08 and 2008/09 via a number of key initiatives including energy efficiency improvements, the replacement of a number of IT servers in the Melbourne office and a significant reduction of paper use.

More detail is available in VicSuper's Sustainability Report (on page 99) at www.sustainabilityreport.vicsuper.com.au

VicSuper Fund is one of Australia's fastest growing superannuation funds with over 251,000 members and $7.3 billion in net assets as at 31 March 2010.