Media Releases

21-08-2006

Water wise initiatives enhance Triple Bottom Line

Reed Property Group has recently reviewed its water usage across the company as part of its new Triple Bottom Line approach to business success.

A first step in the review process for Reed was to determine the significant areas of water usage during and after the construction process.  Reed’s waterwise team met with Maroochy Water Services and discussed conducting water audits on their Maroochydore developments of Aurora , Platinum and m1.

Maroochy Water Services will be working with Reed to initiate a water audit to help track water usage and pinpoint where the company could modify equipment or change behaviour to reduce water consumption. 

Being water wise is just one of many initiatives that Reed is adopting as part of their new triple bottom line approach to reporting.  This approach makes it possible to plan strategically, capture data, measure and report on the company’s economic, environmental and social outcomes.

A component of Reed’s corporate social responsibility is to be sensitive to the needs of its stakeholders. Managing Director of Reed Property Group, Ken Reed, said a key element of this is understanding the need to ensure decision making takes into account the Triple Bottom Line in order to meet the company’s requirements of today, without compromising the needs of future generations.

“In today’s business, it’s an absolute ‘must’ to take the bigger picture into perspective when making long term decisions on the direction of our business,” Mr Reed said.

“Being water wise not only introduces immediate savings by reducing operational costs but it also allows us to play our part in the longer-term sustainability of water because we will be in a stronger position to compete in global and national markets as the price of water increases with world demand.”

Reed Property Group has already established a number of water initiatives within their developments. Ramada Pelican Waters Resort has a 22,000 litre water harvesting tank where rainwater is collected and recycled on surrounding gardens. m1 in Maroochydore and a new shopping centre which Reed Construction is building in Childers have also been structurally designed to harvest runoff rainwater for maintaining the landscaping. 

Chancellor Park residential gated communities, The Parks and The Lakes were fitted with rainwater tanks on every house when they were developed in 2003 and 2004 and this was well before their time. Rain water tanks are now mandatory on new developments. Reed followed strict Environmentally Sustainable Designs (ESD) procedures when developing both of these developments and they were fitted with water saving plumbing throughout the duplexes which included shower fittings, taps and laundry facilities.

Mr Reed said that the company’s latest developments are all fitted with mandatory duel flush toilets which represents a saving of up to 42 litres of water a year over the standard flush cycle for every apartment.

“I firmly believe that if each of us plays our part in being water wise, together, we can make an enormous difference,” Mr Reed said.

“The benefits of being water wise have tremendous flow-on effects – more than what most would imagine.

“They include less demand on water supply infrastructure (including dams, pumping stations, purification plants, reservoirs and pipelines), greater drought resilience, reducing the need for mandatory water restrictions and less water processed by wastewater treatment plants, reducing the amount of waste discharged to waterways,” Mr Reed said.

There is much yet still to be done in regards to advancing Reed’s Triple Bottom Line philosophy, however it is work in progress and they are heading in the right direction. Recently ranked No. 18 in the 2006 Queensland Business Review (QBR) Top 400 privately owned businesses, Reed Property Group believes that together, with their business partners, stakeholders and the community and the right environmentally sustainable attitudes, they can achieve amazing things.