NSWTSUS403A Apply sustainability practices

To complete this unit, please do the following 4 tasks:

  1. Define sustainability and write about how this definition applies to you.
  2. Analyse a Triple Bottom Line Report (also called a ‘Sustainability Report’) or a company you are interested in and describe what they are doing for ecological, economic and social sustainability.
  3. Report on your ecological footprint.
  4. Report on improving sustainability, both in your life and what the company you choose to study in task 2 (above).

1.  Define sustainability

Provide a definition of sustainability (include social, economic and ecological aspects of sustainability) and write about how these three aspects relate to each other and how this definition applies to your life. Make sure you include a reference of where you got the definition from.

2.  Analyse a Triple Bottom Line Report

Visit a couple of the following websites and view their Triple Bottom Line Reports (also called a Sustainability Report):

·  McDonalds ‘Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Report 2010’ available online at http://mcdonalds.com.au/about-us/responsibility

·  Various reports on Westpac Business operations including ‘Our Approach’, ‘Environment’ and ‘Social and Community’ available online at: http://www.westpac.com.au/about-westpac/sustainability-and-community/

·  Aspects of the sustainability practices of the NSW Department of Climate Change & Water available online at: http://npws.nsw.gov.au/performance/

·  Teachers Credit Union Corporate Responsibility information available online at: http://teacherscreditunion.com.au/GI_About%20us/Corporate%20Responsibility.aspx

Research a few companies, organisations and/or Government agencies you are interested in until you find one that has a Triple Bottom Line (or Sustainability) Report. You might like to use Google to search for “Sustainability report” and the name of the company you are interested in to see if they have a report published on their website. You might like to choose TAFE NSW – the Sustainability Report is available online at:

Read the report and describe aspects of social, ecological and economic sustainability the company states they are doing in the Report. Please include a link to the webpage where the sustainability report is published.

3.  Report on your ecological footprint

Read the information from the Victorian EPA Website about Ecological footprints (http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/ecologicalfootprint/default.asp), Australia’s average footprint (http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/ecologicalfootprint/ausFootprint/default.asp) and then do the long version of the personal ecological footprint calculator available online at: http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/ecologicalfootprint/default.asp

Take a screenshot of your results (or print the results and hand them in). Use these instructions to take a screenshot of your results:

1.  Have your results showing on the computer screen (in an internet window)

2.  Hit the ‘Print Screen’ button on the keyboard

3.  Paste the image below

Describe what the results mean (describe both the ‘global hectares’ and the ‘number of planets’ results).

4.  Report on improving sustainability

List at least 3 practices and/or behaviours that you can do to improve your own sustainability at home and list at least 3 practices and/or behaviours the organisation you studied in task #2 can do to improve their own sustainability.