Club Data Online (CDOL) in conjunction with EC3 Global are pleased to deliver to the licensed club industry a proven web-based reporting program that allows clubs to effectively set, measure, benchmark, report and manage their internal sustainability management programs. The program is called “CDOL Earthcheck”.

1. What are some of the problems and challenges that Tweed Heads Bowling Club was facing BEFORE entering the IDOL administered environmental program, underpinned by EC3’s Earthcheck system?
   
   The main problem that we face is the ongoing increases in Energy rates and as we consume up to 3.3gW of energy each year we need to find new ways to control these costs and our environmental impact. Earthcheck provides a new dimension in analysing our impact which provides a great basis to work from and improve against.
2. What was the motivation behind adopting sustainability practices?
   
   My motivation is to continually challenge myself in improving the effectiveness and efficiencies of buildings that I’ve managed. Cost control was always my main drive but this has now been taken over by Environmental Sustainability. Cost control was relatively simple where Environmental Sustainability requires a much higher involvement with the end users. Educational awareness programs, changes to work practices and procedures as well as identifying purchased product environment impacts are the continual challenge now. Some changes may have little cost advantages but the environmental effect has been improved which is a changed outlook.
3. What were the steps that you took to gain approval to join the program?
   
   The Club had been with Club Data On Line for some time, the program provides us with fantastic benchmarking which we use to determine future direction so the move into the EarthCheck program was a straight forward move as we wanted to future highlight our efforts within the program and to capture the reporting features that indicated our footprint on the environment. This feature has added a new dimension to the reporting method and how we promote our efforts amongst staff and members.
4. Are there any measurable successes so far?
   
   We have to date been successful in controlling energy/water/waste with fantastic returns on our investment. I call it the triple win being 1 – a win for the environment, 2 – a win for the business through reduced costs & 3 – a win for the Members, guests and staff as we have not impacted on the quality of our business. Our achievements to date include saving 172 million litres of water, 1,603,050 kilowatt hours in electricity and 1,097,445 Mega joules of gas.
5. What next? Do you have any ideas/plans on how to move forward with sustainability and EC3?
   
   My target estimates for the next year savings is a further 10% off our Electricity and 2% Water and Gas, I am also looking at a new strategy in recycling further waste to reduce our contribution to land fill. Moving forward with the program I hope that we can create an interest amongst users which will open into forums and user conferences to discuss how the program will align itself with the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme reporting criteria and how we can as a group discuss ways to assist forums achieve success. A partnering program could also have benefits in group purchasing of energy in the future.

Back to top