Is there such a thing as a Sustainable Electrician?
And if there is, why should you hire one?
You’ve got the keep cup, paper straws and BYO bags, but you’re wondering what else you can do?
Have you thought about whether your electrician is environmentally friendly?
The Issue of Behind-The-Scenes Business Waste
There is a lot of waste in any industry, but especially the trade and construction industries. Whether you’ve engaged an electrician, plumber, gardener, Woolies food delivery or an accountant, any product or service you use has waste that is generated behind the scenes.
Even if the waste doesn’t come to your doorstep, or get left in your household bin, it is still a by-product of your purchase. That fridge that got delivered so efficiently, where has the packaging ended up? Does your electrician recycle cable scraps or batteries? Does your accountant recycle their used paper?
Most households nowadays are aware of our environment and are trying to reduce their impact. Why not businesses as well?
What Can You Do About It?
We should keep our trades and services accountable! A lot of this waste seems like it is out of your control, but there is something that you can do about it; hire a tradie that takes sustainability seriously!
This may take the form of a sustainability policy, membership in an industry energy efficiency body, or even a mention on their website that they recycle.
Our Top Sustainability Achievements At Kenner Electrics
The top four things Kenner Electrics has put in place to make sure we’re leading the way towards a sustainable trade industry are:
- #1 - We Plant Trees
We plant a tree for every job that we complete. We’re proud to be supporting the planting of mixed native trees through Carbon Neutral's Plant-a-Tree Program. This program aims to restore the natural landscape and reconnect habitats by linking small patches of remnant vegetation to create a natural corridor from inland to the coast.
Check out carbonneutral.com.au for more info on the Plant-a-Tree Program.
- #2 - We Have Solar Panels
We have 6.64kWh of solar panels installed at our factory. This fully offsets our electricity usage so that we can run an emissions-free office.
- #3 - We Recycle 15 Types of Waste
We have a company-wide focus on sustainably collecting, separating & disposing of all our rubbish. Our electricians take all the rubbish from job sites back to our factory so that it can be sorted for recycling.
Our waste management system includes 15 different bins to separate out various types of waste. Separating these waste streams means they can be taken to specialised recycling points to reduce toxic and hazardous materials from entering landfill.
Employees are trained to separate out polystyrene, batteries, scrap cabling, fluorescent light tubes, soft plastic, e-waste and much more.
- #4 - We Won A Sustainability Award
We are a multi-award winning trade business, but the award that gives us the greatest pleasure is the 2023 Whitehorse Excellence in Business Sustainability Award! We were so honoured to be recognised for our efforts to move towards a sustainable future. And it's only inspired us to make more changes!
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How Can You Find A Sustainable Tradie?
Some good questions you can ask to find out if your tradie takes sustainability seriously are:
- Where do you get YOUR power from? Do you have solar panels on your business premises?
- What happens to the packaging of the products that you install at my home?
- Do you recycle my old oven when you remove it, or does it get sent to landfill?
- Do you offer any energy-efficient solutions for customers to reduce their environmental impact? (such as LED upgrades, EV chargers)
- Are you involved in any green initiatives?
The business may never have considered environmentally-friendly changes they can make, and your question might be the perfect kick-start for them to make some positive changes!
Where To From Here?
We know that we’re not perfect, and there’s always more we could be doing. But we firmly believe that sustainability and community well-being are closely intertwined, and we are committed to doing our part to reduce our environmental footprint.
So we have a long-term goal of transitioning to an all-electric fleet of trade vehicles powered by our own solar panels and battery storage on our factory!
Choose a Sustainable Tradie Today
It can be hard to know what you’re getting when you pick a tradie. But choosing a tradie that has environmental sustainability at the core of their business is a good indication that they’ve got their priorities in the right place.
At Kenner Electrics, we’ve taken proactive steps to become more environmentally responsible. When you choose us, you're not just getting electrical services; you're choosing a partner in building a more sustainable world. So, make the eco-conscious choice and opt for Kenner Electrics as your sustainable electrician today.
