With the support of EnergyLink Services, Global Skills is proud to be the first Australian Government funded employment service to be officially Certified Carbon Neutral by Climate Active.

Climate Active is an ongoing partnership between the Australian Government and Australian businesses to drive voluntary climate action. The brand represents Australia’s collective effort to measure, reduce, and offset carbon emissions to lessen our negative impact on the environment.

The certification is a new iteration of the Australian Government’s carbon neutral certification that better reflects the role that government, business and community have to play in working together to address climate change.

Certification is awarded to Australian businesses who meet rigorous requirements to achieve net zero emissions, otherwise known as carbon neutrality.

Global Skills have credibly reduced our carbon emissions and offset any remaining emissions by investing in projects that reduce or remove emissions from the atmosphere. Overall now our emissions equal zero or are ‘neutral’. Therefore, the activities associated with running our organisation have no net negative impact on the climate.

Global Skills Managing Director, Rebecca Nicholls said, “Our organisation has held a long-term view that we have a responsibility to limit our business impact on the environment and on our local communities. Voluntarily choosing to be certified by Climate Active authenticates and drives our ongoing commitment to lesson our impact on the environment.

“Several years ago, we commenced our journey to reduce our emissions footprint including a company-wide LED lighting upgrade through the NSW Energy Savings Scheme.

“We are proud of the changes we continue to make in our business to reduce our environmental impact on the community. We believe that decisions are easy when they are the right thing to do, so as an organisation, our staff want to set the standard and deliver a sustainable business for all our stakeholders.

In 2020-2021, Global Skills offset residual emissions by investing in the following projects, deeply aligning our sustainability and gender equality values.

Human Induced Regeneration – Goonery & Trigadee, Bourke NSW Australia

The project is located roughly 150km west of Bourke, NSW within the Mulgalands bioregion and is a collaboration between two farmers whose properties were suffering the effects of overgrazing and feral animal invasion. The project was established in February 2018 and covers an area of 20,745ha. 

Revenue generated from the sale of carbon credits has enabled the property owners to upgrade existing fences and install new internal fences and water points that allow rotational grazing across the properties. Repairs to boundary fences have restricted the movement of feral goats and trapping efforts have been increased to keep the population under control. This, along with a small reduction in stocking numbers, has allowed native vegetation to regenerate including Mulga, Gidgee, Leopardwood, Rosewood, Hop Bush and Turpentine.

Malawi Cookstove Project – Malawi, East Africa

Most people in Africa cook on a three-stone cooking fire which typically uses three large bundles of firewood per week and is a cause of the devastating deforestation in much of Africa. Ripple Africa has developed a simple fuel efficient cookstove which is referred to by locals as a Changu Changu Moto (Fast Fast Fire). The cookstove is made out of mud bricks and mud, and the householder is taught how to make it and maintain it. Each cookstove saves two bundles of wood per week and so far, Ripple Africa has provided 40,000 households with this simple technology helping save 80,000 bundles of wood per week, helping tackle deforestation.

Not only does the Changu Changu Moto save wood, but it also improves the health of women and children as it produces less smoke and reduces injuries from burns. According to the World Health Organisation, close to four million people die prematurely each year from illness attributable to smoke inhalation from inefficient cooking methods.

The improved burning efficiency of the stove means that time and money are saved, freeing up time to tend to other matters such as education, house maintenance and other activities.

Global Skills is proud to be part of a network of like-minded Climate Active certified organisations, collectively leading the way in positive climate action.

To find out more about Climate Active visit https://www.climateactive.org.au/