QTPA Member Alert |Eco Turf Project (13/3/2013)
Eco Turf Project
Turf Queensland commenced their Eco-Turf project in September 2011 with support funding from the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection. The project focused on taking a sample group of Queensland based production farms through an eco-efficiency assessment process to identify opportunities for operational improvements, which translate into cost savings.
Embarking on the journey of integrating sustainable business practices into their industry, Turf Queensland established a project oversight committee supported with a project charters and produced a sustainability policy.
The project consisted of a six-phase process, which included:
Assessment took the form of quantitative data analysis using square meters of land under production as the unit indicator. Indicators were set and benchmarks calculated for the group and sub-group categories based on size.
Snapshot Outcomes
Over an 18-month period, the project assessed operational baseline for electricity, diesel and fertiliser consumption on farms. At the 12-month mark, farm performance was reassessed and compared against the original metric to determine performance changes.
Farms managing their delivery vehicle routes and driver behaviour will achieve diesel consumption reductions and savings. Farm 1 reduced their overall diesel consumption by 100,027 litres and saved $101,296.
Farms using a higher mix of organic to manufactured fertiliser will use a greater volume of product but it will be more cost effective. Farm 2 highlights the opposite. They reduced overall fertiliser consumption by 29%, but increased the ratio of manufactured product in the mix costing an additional $11,993 for the period.
Electricity consumption for all farms increased. This is reflective of climatic conditions experienced during the project, with the baseline assessment year and extremely wet period, then the reassessment period being dryer. Increased irrigation hours needed during the period therefore increases the volume of electricity consumed for pumping.
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