The indicators under Environmental care are categorised under four headings of water, waste, energy and biodiversity. Landcom’s Environmental Management System establishes the policies and procedures that relate to our environmental footprint.

Water

The aim of Landcom’s potable water and stormwater targets is to mitigate the impacts of urban development, conserve water and improve the quality of water leaving our projects to downstream environments.
 

Managing urban water
 

During the year, Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) management strategies were in place for all but one of Landcom’s projects. Discovery Point was the only one of nine projects with no strategy. This is because the development agreement for this project was signed in February 2003, before all Landcom developments were required to have such a strategy. This project will be reviewed for future WSUD opportunities before proceeding to the next stage, with the likely delivery of a blackwater recycling system to service the development’s non-potable water needs. In response to improved technology and water management practices, this year we reviewed our policy on WSUD and updated our WSUD booklets to include advice on the operation and maintenance of WSUD elements.

How this will change
 

We will continue to report the percentage of projects with WSUD strategies in place until 2015 to ensure conserving water and improving water quality remain embedded in our planning and design processes.

Conserving water

Compliance with performance measures specified in the Building Sustainability Index (BASIX) is a State Government requirement for any new or renovated home. The BASIX system aims to limit potable water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions through water and energy reduction targets for houses and units. Once targets are met in the BASIX system, a certificate is given to the owner to allow construction to start.

This year we achieved a 46% BASIX water efficiency score, which is a 109% improvement from our base year³ water conservation result of 22%. However, this result was lower than the previous year because in 2007/2008, a larger proportion of projects were serviced by a reclaimed wastewater scheme.

Nevertheless, of the seven projects assessed this year for water conservation, all dwellings had a score above the current BASIX target of 40%. Furthermore, our projects at Newbury and Parkbridge are part of reclaimed wastewater schemes whereby treated wastewater is used for toilet flushing and irrigation. Homes at these two developments achieved an average BASIX score of 50% and 49% respectively.

How this will change
 

Since we now consistently achieve the current targets, we have decided to increase our water conservation targets from 2009/2010. In future, water conservation targets for the homes we construct under partnership arrangements with builders and developers will be split into four categories. These are based on whether the dwelling is an apartment or a single/attached dwelling, and whether it is serviced by a recycled water scheme.

The new targets are:

• 45% reduction for single and attached dwellings not serviced by reticulated recycled water - with a stretch target⁴ of 60%.

• 45% for all apartments not serviced by reticulated recycled water - with a stretch target of 55%.

• 60% for single and attached dwellings serviced by reticulated recycled water - with a stretch target of 70%.

• 55% for all apartments serviced by reticulated recycled water - with a stretch target of 65%.

Improving water quality
 

This year, Landcom developed approximately 102 hectares of land, resulting in the creation of approximately 42 hectares of impervious area, including roads, driveways and buildings. This is relatively consistent with last year’s result. Measures we employed to improve the quality of water flowing off developed catchments resulted in a 45% reduction in nitrogen, a 56% reduction in phosphorous and an 80% reduction in total suspended solids when compared with those developments in the greater Sydney region without WSUD controls. In real terms, this means that approximately 85 tonnes of suspended solids, 560 kg of nitrogen and 90 kg of phosphorus will not enter our waterways when compared to similar standard developments, because of our WSUD controls.

We removed the same amount of nitrogen this year as last year and overall, there has been a 200% improvement since we first began reporting against this indicator in 2002/2003. Phosphorus removal has also increased by 115% across our projects within the same period. We achieved our target of 80% removal of suspended solids this year, and this is a 78% improvement on the score of 45% achieved during our first year of reporting.

How this will change
 

We have consistently achieved our water quality targets over the past couple of years and have decided to revise our targets upwards. All projects commencing from July 2009 will be subject to the following water quality targets:

• 45% reduction in nitrogen – with a stretch target of 85%.
• 65% reduction in phosphorus – with a stretch target of 85%.
• 85% reduction in suspended solids – with a stretch target of 90%.

Protecting our waterways   The aim of this indicator is to reduce the adverse impact of increased volume and frequency of water released into natural waterways from urban development, compared with natural conditions. All projects included in this report had flow attenuation strategies on site to ensure downstream waterways were protected and we have achieved a 72% improvement since we began reporting our performance against this indicator in 2003/2004. How this will change   We have revised the mechanism and targets for reporting the impacts of our developments on receiving waterways in order to improve accuracy. The Stream Erosion Index5 (SEI) is a more complete measure of waterway protection and in future, we intend to use the SEI to report our impacts. From July 2009, all projects will aim for a benchmark SEI score of 2 (equivalent to best practice) - with a stretch target score of 1. Ramsar wetlands   Ramsar wetlands are highly sensitive ecological areas which are protected by international treaties (refer to www.ramsar. org). Our Discovery Point, Potts Hill and Waterford projects all fall within the greater Botany Bay catchment which contains the Towra Point Nature Reserve (a designated Ramsar wetland). We expect these projects would have minimal impact on the Towra Point wetlands. Nevertheless, in keeping with our urban water management targets, we have strategies in place to reduce the impact of these projects on local waterways which ultimately feed the Towra Point wetlands. We will continue to report on all projects that fall within Ramsar-listed wetland catchments.

³ 2002/2003
⁴ A stretch target is an ambitious target used as a driver for greater performance beyond Landcom’s adopted target.
⁵ SEI refers to the ratio of post-development duration of stormwater flows greater than the stream forming flows to the duration of flows greater than the stream forming flow for the catchment under pre-development natural conditions. We will maintain the 1.5-year average recurrence interval peak discharge to pre-development levels.

Waste

We have developed targets that promote reuse and recycling practices in order to reduce construction and demolition waste going to landfill.
 

Reusing and recycling building materials   We have increased the recovery of materials from our projects over the past five years and this year was no exception. Works undertaken on our sites resulted in the production of 172,329 tonnes of recyclable waste, of which 98.85% or 170,345 tonnes was actually recycled. Our projects generated 22,462 tonnes of contaminated waste, of which 17,585 tonnes was remediated and reused onsite. How this will change   We will maintain the targets of 95% recycling of waste through civil contracting works, but will raise the existing target for builders from 76% to 95%. This is in recognition of the increasing number of builders who are demonstrating improved design and building techniques and new waste management practices. Collection of comparable and reliable data for this indicator has been difficult in the past and will be the focus of attention with builders in the coming year.

Buying and recycling office materials
 

All paper purchased in our office operations during the year⁶ contained 60%, 80% or 100% recycled content.

All of the 321,000 communications and marketing documents we produced this year were printed on recycled ‘Options PC 100’, using vegetable based inks. Options PC100 is made from 100% post-consumer waste⁷ and is independently certified as chlorine-free and manufactured using GreenPower from wind energy.

We also recycled 8 tonnes of office paper, 0.4 tonnes of co-mingled bottles and cans, and 245 toner cartridges. Two printers and 23 monitors could not be recycled and were disposed of by waste management contractors.

Energy

We measure the energy efficiency of all buildings in our projects where we have control of the building and delivery process. We have energy targets in place to ensure that these buildings are designed and equipped to minimise energy use. We also measure the energy performance and greenhouse gas emissions from our own Corporate operations.

Producing energy efficient buildings
 

This year we achieved a 17% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the homes constructed in this reporting period, against the Landcom base case. This is equivalent to an overall BASIX score of 46⁸, which is a total greenhouse gas savings of 219 tCO2e.

The percentage of homes we built that achieved 4.5 star or five star thermal efficiency significantly increased this year with a 296% increase since we began measuring our results in 2002/2003. Of 227 homes constructed, 91% achieved a NatHERS rating of 4.5 stars and above.

How this will change
 

Our stakeholders suggested that we need to demonstrate leadership beyond regulated minimum targets in areas of climate change mitigation. Through research and targeted feedback, we have identified new greenhouse gas reduction targets for homes built in partnership with a builder or developer. These homes will be required to achieve the following greenhouse gas reduction targets measured through BASIX over the next five years:

• 50% for detached and attached dwellings
• 40% for three-storey apartments
• 35% for four and five-storey apartments
• 30% for six storeys and more

In addition, all new homes will, in future, be required to achieve a minimum thermal efficiency rating of six stars or greater. Finally, all new commercial buildings must be designed and constructed to achieve a five star energy rating under the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS)⁹.

Promoting sustainable or renewable energy supply
 

We measure sustainable or renewable energy technologies installed in our developments. These include energy generation options that produce lower emissions than traditional coal-fired power plants such as wind power, solar power and sewage gas.

This year, 37% of dwellings constructed were fitted with gas-boosted solar hot water. This score is lower than our base year result (2003/2004) of 44% and continues to fall well short of our target of 100% of dwellings to be fitted with solar hot water by 2008. These results reflect the high number of legacy projects being reported this year that were not required to include mandatory solar hot water system installation, and studio apartments where the suitability of solar hot water systems is limited.

Despite this, Landcom remains committed to promoting sustainable and renewable supply. Landcom is currently a partner in the Blacktown City Solar Cities program being facilitated by the Federal Government. Landcom’s commitment to sustainability under the Solar Cities program includes the completion of a five-star Australian Building Greenhouse Rating (ABGR)¹⁰ Sales and Display Centre. Further details on this initiative will be included next year, once the first year of performance monitoring is completed and approval for certification is obtained.

How this will change
 

Since the introduction of our indicators, the Renewable Energy Certificates System has been introduced, which requires all solar hot water systems to be rated with a Renewable Energy Certificate (RECS) score¹¹.

We have updated our indicator to reflect this change. From July 2009, all new homes built in partnership with a builder or developer will be required to be fitted with a gas boosted solar hot water system, capable of generating a minimum of 30 RECS (or 19 RECS for small systems – i.e. suitable for 2 bedroom or smaller homes).

We will also include a minimum of 5% onsite or offsite renewable energy supply for all projects with more than 500 dwellings or with a commercial component or town centre. In addition, these projects must achieve a minimum 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions when compared to the base case.

These targets will work together to lower energy demand by improving energy efficiency and by driving investment in less polluting energy supply to the residential market. Measuring and reducing our corporate energy use We measure the energy used and greenhouse emissions generated at our Parramatta head office, our Newcastle and Campbelltown regional offices and from our corporate vehicle fleet. While Landcom is not a budget-dependant agency, we aim to achieve the requirements of the Sustainability Policy for New South Wales Government¹².

For the first time this year, the National Greenhouse Accounts (NGA) Factors (June 2009), prepared by the Department of Climate Change, were applied to our energy consumption. This updates and replaces the January 2008 version used previously. As in previous years, we have based our calculations on this methodology and have included scope one and three emissions from our car fleet and scope two and three for energy used in our buildings.

Electricity
 

Scope two¹³ electricity emissions from Landcom’s head and regional offices generated 387 tCO2e. Scope three¹⁴ energy emissions were 78 tCO2e. The total greenhouse gas emissions from our electricity use was 465 tCO2e, a slight increase on last year. Landcom increased its staff numbers by 25 and obtained 226 square metres of additional office space in June 2009. This resulted in an adjusted figure of 3.6 tCO2e per person due to the significant staff increase requiring the opening of additional office space in our Parramatta head office.

How this will change
 

Landcom must meet the Sustainability Policy for NSW Government and incorporate best practice corporate energy initiatives. This means that from next year we will:

• Seek to achieve a minimum score of 4.5 NABERS energy rating for our head office and regional office operations;
• Buy green electricity;
• Offset our remaining emissions; and
• Reduce our reliance on offsets to achieve annual carbon neutral operations.

Car fleet
 

Based on the Sustainability Policy for NSW Government, Landcom’s vehicles are required to meet an average annual environmental performance score target. This is calculated using a vehicle scoring system adopted for the NSW Clean Car benchmarks¹⁵, which rates vehicle impacts in terms of greenhouse emissions and air quality.

This year, Landcom’s average environmental performance score of 13.3 was above the NSW Government benchmark of 12 out of 20 (a higher score equates to superior performance). The total greenhouse gas generated through the use of our car fleet was 43 tCO2e. Scope one petrol use¹⁶ generated 39.7 tCO2e. Scope three emissions¹⁷ were approximately 3.1 tCO2e.

Landcom encourages greater fuel efficiency awareness among its staff and continues to promote the use of ethanol-blended fuels. Over the reporting period, we used approximately 4,500 litres (26%) of E10 ethanol-blended fuel. We also maintained our commitment to Greenfleet¹⁸ to offset emissions from our car fleet, with 162 trees being planted to sequester 43.3 tCO2e from our operations¹⁹.

How this will change
 

We will seek to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, continue to achieve an environmental performance score above 12 out of 20 and offset all remaining emissions. In addition we are exploring opportunities and strategies to calculate, reduce and offset our non-fleet travel emissions.

Biodiversity

Land use planning and biodiversity management systems within NSW have put in place detailed statutory controls and processes for the management of biodiversity. This is because biodiversity is often challenged by the process of land development.

Landcom measures the impact of our activities on the ecological systems we encounter on our projects. While acknowledging that urban development can adversely affect biodiversity, our aim is to minimise our impact on ecological communities, threatened species, and on riparian corridors.

Managing native vegetation and riparian corridors
 

We assess the significance of native bushland, individual species and streams. We then measure our performance in the conservation of Endangered Ecological Communities, threatened species and riparian corridors identified on projects in order to conserve riparian corridors that have significant conservation value and to repair those that are degraded. Appropriate impact offset ratios are negotiated with the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change for each project.

This year, concept masterplans were completed for our Bungarribee and Potts Hill projects. Both sites have Endangered Ecological Communities and threatened species, and Bungarribee has two Category three streams. Both sites will be subject to appropriate vegetation management plans.

Significant vegetation at the Bungarribee site includes Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest and Cumberland Plain Woodland. At Potts Hills, significant vegetation includes Cumberland Plain Woodland, Cooks River Castlereagh Ironbark Forest and Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest. These communities are all listed as endangered under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. Seventytwo per cent (16.7 hectares) of these communities are to be retained and set aside for conservation, with 6.4 hectares to be cleared. The cleared areas will be offset through onsite and offsite conservation and revegetation programs.

At Bungarribee, 4.9 hectares of vegetation will cleared. This will be offset through revegetation of 24.3 hectares in the Western Sydney Parklands. This area will enhance the existing conservation areas within the Parklands including Eastern Creek, and will be managed by the Western Sydney Parklands Trust.

At Potts Hill, 1.6 hectares of vegetation will be cleared and offset through revegetation and conservation of up to 10.5 hectares. The rehabilitation and management plan will be the responsibility of the owner of this site, Sydney Water. Approximately 34 hectares of native vegetation deemed suitable as habitat for specific threatened species was identified at these two projects. Of this area, approximately 14 hectares will be cleared, with two-thirds of this being of low conservation significance. Close to 20 hectares will be replanted. This area will provide potential habitat for threatened species such as the Grey-Headed Flying-Fox, Eastern Bent-Wing Bat and Cumberland Land Snail. The restoration and enhancement of the creekline area at Bungarribee will allow for indigenous heritage protection. It will also maximise potential biodiversity opportunities for areas of habitat, and provide linkages to the Western Sydney Parklands20.

How this will change
 

Our biodiversity indicator targets will remain largely unchanged for future reports. However, we are adding indicators to measure our offsets and biobanking activity (www.environment.nsw.gov.au/biobanking), and the monetary value of works we undertake to help conserve biodiversity.

⁶ 2,910 reams of A4 and 148 reams of A3 paper.
⁷ Waste that is collected and stored for reuse after disposal.
⁸ BASIX is measured against a New South Wales average.
⁹ NABERS is a performance-based rating system that measures an existing building’s overall environmental performance during operation.
¹⁰ Australian Building Greenhouse Rating (ABGR) is a commercial building energy and greenhouse rating tool.
¹¹ Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) are an electronic form of currency initiated by the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000 used by eligible parties for each megawatt-hour of eligible renewable electricity generated or deemed to have been generated.
¹² Refer to www.dpc.nsw.gov.au/publications/memos_and_circulars/ ministerial_memoranda/2008/m200828_sustainability_policy_for_nsw_ government for further details.
¹³ The electricity used to run Landcom operations.
¹⁴ The energy used to extract, transport and produce fuel sources.
¹⁵ Refer to EPA 2003 www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/air/cleancars. pdf
¹⁶ The petrol combusted as a result of the use of Landcom’s car fleet.
¹⁷ The emissions calculated as a result of the extraction and refining of the petrol used in Landcom fleet.
¹⁸ Greenfleet plants native vegetation to offset emissions from vehicles and to contribute to its biodiverse forest sink program.
¹⁹ CO2e emissions are estimated over 12 months and will be sequestered over the life of the trees planted that year.
²⁰ The Western Sydney Parklands is home to one of Sydney’s largest corridors of Cumberland Plain communities.