The Green Port Guidelines have been developed by Sydney Ports Corporation to improve the environmental sustainability of new developments and to encourage continuous environmental improvement of existing activities at the port. The Sydney Ports Corporation (SPC) has a history of taking proactive efforts to manage port activity to minimize its impact on both Sydney Harbor and Botony Bay. The guidelines identify and investigate ten key environmental issues related to port operation and facilities, including:
- Materials selection
- Waste management
- Water consumption
- Energy use
- Transportation
- Indoor environment
- Emissions
- Water quality
- Land use
- Environmental management
Under each environmental issue, the Sydney Ports Corporation sets goals for reduced environmental impact, a set of evaluation criteria, and suggested actionable measures for each organization to consider. Each measure is also assessed for its potential environmental benefits, the ease of implementation, and the overall return on investment. The guidelines uses general definitions to make these assessments. These guidelines also identify methods to meet the requirements necessary to achieve Green Star certification, a rating system for design, construction, and operation of buildings commonly used in Australia.
Included in the full guidelines booklet is a checklist that must be submitted to the Sydney Ports Corporation by any organization that is applying for new developments or new activities. The checklist requires each applicant to state whether each issue item has been addressed and how they plan to address it or why they haven’t addressed it.