I grew up on a hill country sheep and beef farm in Southern Hawkes Bay. As a third-generation farming kid we were new on the block but I couldn’t have wished for a better childhood. Complete freedom and unlimited imagination. Three schools combined to make numbers for a sports team but we never lacked for anything despite the scarcity of money. Before turning eight years old, my brother, friends and I camped without seeing parents for days on end. The outdoors created independence, learning and as you rode bareback off a bluff you learned about risk.
Last century, farming was the backbone of the country. This century, it’s been described as a body part just south of the spine, largely on the back of intensive dairying and water pollution. The fall from grace is stoked by the rural-urban divide.
And now it’s as if everyone is wading in. Customers in foreign lands are demanding animal welfare, traceability, land sustainability and reduced carbon emissions. Oh, the cost of compliance.
Well, maybe these practices are good for business. Now and for the next three generations. Ember Technology and GreenHalo started toward net carbon zero in 2020 because it seemed like the right thing to do. It cost us but we’ve found that far more has dropped to the bottom line. Yep, we’ve made money from tracking our carbon footprint.
The obvious savings have come from reduced landfill waste, electricity waste, air travel, bulk ordering to reduce freight and switching to electric vehicles. Those alone more than cover our costs.
But the biggest savings have come from our team, though I’ll admit some weren’t on board to begin. As the impact of climate change is more apparent, you sense their growing engagement with our vision to do more than our fair share to make New Zealand a better place to live. It’s contributed to very low churn and their sense of pride drives some hard yards in demanding times.
If you’re tempted to reduce your organisation’s carbon emissions, you’re welcome to take a commercial view. Feel free to crunch the numbers. You might also find it mitigates some risk, impresses your customers and you might be labelled the backbone of the country in the 21st century. Something three generations from now might remember you for.
Chris Bailey
GreenHalo Founder
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