Page 9 - HW November 2020

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energy, this is a fantastic shift away from polluting sources of the past and towards clean, modern renewable energy.”
Greenpeace says Bunnings plans will cut emissions by 257,000 tonnes of CO2 and lead to about 110MW of new investment
in wind and solar, enough to power about 44,000 Australian homes – one for almost every staff member employed by the organisation.
Having praised Bunnings’ strategy Greenpeace is now calling on the DIY giant to solidify its commitment by signing up to the global RE100 initiative and for the whole of the Wesfarmers group to follow suit.
Indeed, since Bunnings announcement, stablemate Officeworks also announced that it would follow the same path as Bunnings ANZ.
While Bunnings is looking towards renewable energy and some as yet unspoken other measures to soften its touch on the world, other retailers are also already well underway with lightening their footprint.
Take Mitre 10 Te Kuiti, whose roof now hosts 114 solar panels, hoping to produce around 85% of the store’s annual electricity needs and possibly push a small surplus back out on to the grid.
Mitre 10 Te Kuiti owner, Vaughan Wheeler (photo below left), says the new system is guaranteed to generate power for 25 years, but reckons the investment will pay off within six years.
Slated to open its doors this month, and with a stated goal of being “off the grid” for 50% of the year (weather permitting), Martin and Allan Dippie’s new 9,000m2 Mitre 10 MEGA Wanaka is rocking a grid-tied 900m2 100kva photovoltaic solar array on its roof (photo top left) which will help power not just the store but also two electric vehicle charging stations.
The interior of the MEGA also makes extensive use of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), with the timber acting as a carbon store, on top of smart lighting, automatic opening windows for passive ventilation, evaporative cooling units, R5 rated Kingspan PIR core fire resistant roof and cladding panels all contributing towards high efficiency.
Also leaning towards a more efficient model is PlaceMakers’ newly opened Warkworth branch (photo above), which opened in September and is part of John Gair’s Northern Hub, along with the Silverdale and Whangarei branches.
Led by Branch Manager Lathem Broadstock, the pre- engineered lightweight PlaceMakers Warkworth structure was locally built and constructed.
The new purpose-built store also features green building initiatives, such as daylight harvesting, energy efficient lighting and water-saving systems, all designed to minimise the store’s environmental footprint.
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