The challenge of acting sustainably
Working at the Department of Conservation is like operating inside a kaleidoscope - it's a pretty colourful, many-faceted organisation.
The Department runs species recovery programmes, carries out weed eradication, operates sheep farms, maintains offices in every type of building imaginable as well as offering visitor accommodation and facilities ranging from basic huts and campgrounds to brand-new state-of-the-art visitor centres.
Depositing food scraps in a worm farm
There are many challenges DOC has to meet while doing this - the diverse range of environments we manage means that not every place is on the mainland with easy access to mains power and water!
The challenges of working across such a wide range of environments, climates and weather conditions have meant that DOC has had to get creative in order to reduce its CO2 emissions.
But it's not simply about reducing the department's carbon footprint. Acting more sustainably also means being able to channel more conservation money into conservation work. A win-win situation for everyone.
The following case studies show some of the ways in which DOC has met the challenge of becoming sustainable - maybe some of our creative solutions could help you become more sustainable too.
If you have some suggestions about ways in which DOC could become even more sustainable, please contact us.
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