Assessment: Portfolio of Evidence

Implement and monitor environmentally sustainable work practices

In this task you will undertake a number of steps to collect the information you will need to be able to plan improvements to procedures or duties carried out in your workplace.

In order to prepare for Assessment Task (plan, implement, monitor and evaluate improvements), you will need to collect enough information to help you set appropriate efficiency targets and determine strategies for improving sustainability. The two main types of information you need collect are:

? measurements of current resource usage

? workplace documents.

For this task, you will need to create a portfolio of documents that you will submit to your assessor. The portfolio may be a collection of hard copy documents, or an electronic portfolio of documents. Make sure that you keep your own copies of documents and information in a safe place to use them in the next two assessment tasks.

You are required to plan improvements to workplace sustainability. This activity is split into three parts.

Part A - Measure resource usage

1. Identify two key procedures or duties that are central functions of your work team. Confirm these with your assessor to make sure they are appropriate for the assessment task.

2. Develop a process map for each of these processes and identify the resources used and wastes generated for each of the processes. List the resources that you use in the Resource Identification Table (attached). List one resource per row as well as the waste and environmental impacts that are caused by using the resource (where appropriate).

3. Identify an accurate method of measuring the usage of the resources you have identified and listed.

4. Complete a simple environmental monitoring activity by measuring the daily usage of the key resources for a period of at least five days. Record the daily amounts and totals in the environmental monitoring table (attached). You will need to complete a separate table for each team member you monitor.

Part B - Collect information

1. Fill out the purchasing strategies template (attached) in order to document and analyse purchasing strategies.

2. Collect a variety of documents and information that will provide you with the necessary background information to start planning improvements. This information will be added to your portfolio. There is a wide range of information that may be relevant, but you must include:

a. A list of relevant environmental regulations (laws, by-laws, standards, codes of practice, best practice guides) that apply to your workplace and their relevance to your workplace, for example the Green Office Guide. You can fill out the Regulations Template (attached).

b. Workplace policies and procedures that have an impact on workplace sustainability.

c. Workplace information about how the organisation assesses compliance with environmental/sustainability regulations (preferably procedures for assessing compliance where possible).

d. Workplace information about resource efficiency systems.

e. Workplace procedures relating to resource usage.

f. Sustainability performance benchmarks for similar businesses in your industry, e.g. a water, energy or resource use target.

g. Feedback from stakeholders, e.g. feedback contained in audit reports, emails from suppliers, emails from customers.

h. Organisational structure and reporting channels.

i. At least one external source of relevant information/data such as:

i. Australian Bureau of Statistics data

ii. fact sheets from government departments and regulatory bodies.

iii. information about sustainable suppliers where they could provide an alternative to your workplace's current suppliers.