Falls Creek Resort Management Awarded for Buying Green

Falls Creek Resort Management (FCRM) has been recognised for its achievements in green purchasing at the ECO-Buy awards ceremony in Melbourne, winning the Alpine Resort Management Green Purchasing Champion 2006/07 Award.

FCRM are taking leadership by purchasing products with reduced environmental impacts compared to competing products that serve the same purpose and were recognised for their success.

Falls Creek Resort Management Natural Resource Manager Ben Derrick explains "by buying green alternatives we are reducing our costs by buying energy and water efficient products, creating a greater demand for environmentally preferable and recycled products, reducing our contribution to the impacts of climate change and creating a more sustainable future for the Falls Creek community and skiing industry.".

"We are lucky in the way that all of our employees recognise the significance of the alpine environment and are sensitive and receptive to new ideas and processes. Most other areas in Victoria need to implement a change in thinking where we have to concentrate more on facilitating the means to achieve our goals.

"We have been a member of Eco-Buy for four years and there has been a lot of hard work done by many people involved in the program at FCRM. I admit that there is a lot of good environment work that we do at Falls Creek that we don't win awards for mainly in part because we feel that it is one of our core responsibilities rather than something to get press mileage out of. However it is nice when we do get recognition.

ECO-Buy's Chief Executive Hugh Wareham added "Falls Creek Resort Management has been recognised for their commitment and achievement in this important area of environmental leadership.

"This award shows that Falls Creek is leading the way in tangibly reducing their impacts in environmental areas of greatest concern to Victorians climate change, water scarcity and waste reduction."

Results for 2006/07 show that the 59 members of ECO-Buy's local government program invested over $62 million on green products in the last year, with FCRM spending over $90,000. This amounts to 14% of Falls Creek'¹s annual purchasing directed towards products with reduced environmental impacts.

Victorian Minister for the Environment and Climate Change Gavin Jennings presented the award to FCRM and congratulated all ECO-Buy local government members on the progress they are making in buying environmentally preferable products. Minister Jennings also launched a new ECO-Buy program for Victorian Government departments and agencies.

ECO-Buy is a not-for-profit company which helps organisations buy goods and services which are less damaging to the environment and human health. ECO-Buy has provided green procurement programs to Victorian local governments since 2000. 73% (59) of Victorian local government are members of ECO-Buy.