Shoal certified carbon neutral
Shoal has become the first systems engineering firm to be certified Carbon Neutral by Climate Active, joining 180 Australian organisations that have proven that we are measuring, reducing and offsetting our emissions, with a net result of zero emissions.
“As a company, we take charge of our responsibilities in the local and wider community and have taken action to actively and sustainably reduce our emissions,” says Michael Waite, CEO of Shoal Group. “We then purchase carbon offsets to take responsibility for our unavoidable emissions and become carbon neutral.”
Climate Active is Australia’s collective initiative for climate action. Driven by members and activated by consumers, Climate Active is a unique government-backed program that enables businesses, government and the community to reduce carbon emissions. The Australian Government’s carbon neutral certification is the most rigorous and credible carbon neutral certification available. Climate Active certification is awarded to businesses and organisations that have achieved carbon neutrality.
“Across the office and around the lunch table, conversations grew around waste, pollution, climate change, climate initiatives, personal and professional responsibilities,” says Michael. “It was clear that there was a groundswell of support to align personal and workplace values, and take collective action at Shoal.”
While Shoal has made choices and changes in the way we do business to reduce our carbon emissions as much as possible, a carbon footprint remains. To offset this, Shoal has chosen to invest in two carbon offset projects. Our company values and distribution of staff across Australia and New Zealand inspired the selection of options, with the final projects being a wind power project, through Greenfleet, and a project in the Tiwi Islands, through The Aboriginal Carbon Foundation. Both projects involve the local community, with benefits extending to job creation, social, cultural, environmental, political, economic and community health.
“As systems engineers, we know that successful systems are those that are effective in meeting the needs that they were designed to meet and are sustainable in the face of change,” explains Michael. “We need to do more than simply plant trees. Our carbon offset projects both consider the broader system that influences and affects the local environment.”
Shoal has appointed an Environmental Officer to manage our Climate Active certification program and continue to drive environmental initiatives in the firm.
Thank you to Pangolin Associates for supporting our journey towards certification.
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