Caulfield Hosts First Green Olympic Championships

The Games have begun and it is not just the ones in Beijing. Monash is staging its very own Green Olympic championships at Caulfield campus. And the Gold medal will go to the department that can achieve the best environmental performance in H building over the coming months.

The flame of competition was ignited when the Department of Accounting and Finance at Business and Economics laid down the environmental challenge to other departments in its building.

Green Programmer Coordinator Cathy Gibson who got the challenge underway with her very own Olympic "torch" said: "The competition will help introduce small and simple initiatives that will help reduce energy, save money - and make a big difference.

Green Olympics at Caulfield: "Torch bearer" Cathy Gibson with three team captains, from left, Annette Parkin, Accounting and Finance Academic Staff; Michelle Ketchen, Caulfield School of It and Travis Stone, Advancement.

Departments are able to choose from a range of "events" which involve waste, energy, purchasing and transport. The competition will be run over the next three months.

For a place on the environmental podium teams will be required to promote the challenge throughout their departments and encourage staff to support the implementation of simple green initiative.

The final days of the event will involve a relay of staff carrying out a simple audit to process waste and energy savings.

There will be Green Champion awards for the best initiatives and efforts to engage staff to change behaviour. Further awards will go to those that achieve the biggest improvements.

In order to take part or gain further information on the challenge contact Ms Gibson on cathy.gibson@adm.monash.edu.au