Environmental Audit Report: Sydney Opera House, Environmental Aspects

This report presents a comprehensive environmental audit of the Sydney Opera House, focusing on its sustainability initiatives. The audit includes a detailed checklist assessing environmental policies, aspects, waste management, water usage, and energy consumption. The report evaluates the Opera House's commitment to environmental sustainability, examining its mission, goals, and commitments. It analyzes key factors such as electricity and water conservation, resource usage, waste reduction strategies, and climate change considerations. The audit utilizes information from various sources, including the company website, sustainability reports, and CEO briefings. The findings highlight the Opera House's efforts in energy conservation, waste management, and its overall environmental performance, offering a thorough assessment of its sustainability practices.

Running head: ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT
Environmental Audit
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Notes:

Running head: ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT
Table of Contents
Part 1..........................................................................................................................................3
Environmental Audit Checklist..................................................................................................3
Part 2..........................................................................................................................................7
Resources...................................................................................................................................7
Introduction................................................................................................................................8
Environmental Sustainability.....................................................................................................8
The mission............................................................................................................................9
Goals..................................................................................................................................9
Commitments...................................................................................................................10
Key factors-Sustainable Development at Sydney Opera House..............................................11
Electricity.........................................................................................................................12
Water................................................................................................................................12
Resource Usage................................................................................................................12
Waste reduction................................................................................................................13
Climate change.................................................................................................................14
Conclusion................................................................................................................................14
Literature..................................................................................................................................15
Theory of sustainable development.....................................................................................15
REFERENCES.........................................................................................................................16
APPENDIX..............................................................................................................................18

Running head: ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT
Part 1
Environmental Audit Checklist
Environmental policy
Requirements
Compliance
Y N N/A
1. Has the organisational policy been defined and documented? ×
2. Are the environmental policies based on sustainable environmental aspects?
3. Are the policies relatable to the nature of operations of the organisation?
4. Is there significant commitment to continuous improvement, compliance with
the environmental regulations and the guidelines?
5. Are there established aims and targets within the policy?
6. Are the policies communicated directly to the stakeholders?
7. Are the policies visible to the public?

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Environmental aspects
Requirements
Compliance
Y N N/A
1. Have there been processes that documented and catered to gain identification
of the current environmental components and that in the past?
×
2. Does the Environmental Sustainability Plan take into consideration the various
environmental aspects? ×
3. Are the legal and environmental aspects related to monitoring and regulation
considered significant? ×
4. Have the following aspects been paid due attentions to?
Air pollution
Wastage of Water
Efficient management of Waste
Usage of resources
Resource, energy and utility
×
×
×
×
Wastes
Requirements
Conformity
Y N N/A

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Environmental aspects
Requirements
Compliance
Y N N/A
1. Have the non-hazardous waste streams been identified?
2. Does the organisation monitor trends regarding the generation of non-
hazardous wastes?
3. Is the company aware of the wastes that are being generated?
4. Does the organisation monitor or regulate the amount of waste that is
generated?
5. Is the nature of wastes biodegradable?
6. Is the nature of wastes non-biodegradable?
7. Has the organisation carried out any waste reduction measure?
8. Is the company aware of the fact that the waste management?
9. Does the company educate its members about management of wastes?
10. Is the director of the company aware of the waste management plans oif the
company?
11. Are there waste segregation processes?
12. Does the company take help of specialists for waste segregation?
13. Are the waste containers properly labelled?
14. Are the wastes accumulated near the site of the organisation?
15. Does the company regulate the amount of waste that is generated bu the
company every day?
16. Are the sources of waste generation identified?
17. Does the company regulate the amount of wastes that are sent to landfill?
18. Is waste management a priority for the organisation?
19. Have waste management objectives been established by the company?
20. Are sustainable waste management practices carried out by the company?
Water
Requirements
Conformity
Y N N/A

Running head: ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT
Environmental aspects
Requirements
Compliance
Y N N/A
21. Has the nature of water contamination has been identified by the
organisation?
22. Have the trends in effective management of water resources been highlighted
by the company?
23. Is the use of water resources monitored by the company?
24. Are the uses of water defined?
25. Is water used for any other operation other than consumption?
26. Are water resources used in the corporates?
27. Has the use of water been recognised by the management?
28. Has the management of the company recognised the importance in
conservation of water-based resources?
29. Is water used for cooling?
30. Is sea water used?
31. Is fresh water used?
32. Have the sources of water been identified?
33. Does the organisation have its personal water treatment plant?
34. Does the company incorporate on site water conservation awareness
programs?
35. Do the operations of the company contaminate water bodies?
36. Is significant importance identified in conservation of water resources?
Energy
Requirements
Conformity
Y N N/A
37. Is the energy usage monitored by the company?
38. Are the source destinations of energy consumption are identified?
39. Does the company generate energy from natural sources?
40. Does the company generate energy from renewable sources?
41. Are petrol and diesel used for energy generation?
42. IS wind energy harvested by the company?
43. IS hydro generated energy used by the company?
44. Has conservation of energy been carried out by the company?
45. Has the conservation of energy paid due attention to by the company?

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Environmental aspects
Requirements
Compliance
Y N N/A
46. Are the sources of generation of energy clear?
47. Is the top management concerned about energy usage minimisation?
48. Is energy consumption monitored by the company?
49. Are the lights kept on all throughout the day?
50. Are there messages regarding the minimisation of wastes?
51. Are the energy resources utilisation techniques identified by the company?
52. Does the company use industrial energy supply?
53. Is energy generated on site?
54. Has the organisation carried out practices related to minimisation of energy
consumption?
55. Has the company been able to save electricity over the past few years?
56. Is the energy consumption of the company going up?
57. Is the energy consumption decreasing?
58. Has the company saved a considerable amount by conservation of energy?
Part 2
Resources
The information regarding the development of the environmental audit were acquired from
the following sources:
1. Company website
2. Sustainability report
3. CEO report
4. Director briefing
5. Official Instagram
6. Official Facebook
7. You Tube channel

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8. BBC
Introduction
One of the most notable monuments of Australia is the Sydney Opera House (Burke and
MACDONALD 2014). It is a venue that was developed for performing various types of
Musical Arts. Currently, the Sydney Opera House has gained the stature of a world heritage
site. It is situated in Sydney Harbour, Sydney, NSW. The monument was built by Jorn Utzon,
a Danish architect who was influenced by the various components of nature in coming up
with the idea of the Sydney Opera House (Andersen 2014). The construction of the
monument started on first march 1959 and the Opera house was inaugurated on twentieth
October 1973 (Sydneyoperahouse.com 2019). The procurement cost of the structure back in
the day was A$ 102 million which is equivalent to A$ 927 million in the current valuation of
currency (Sydneyoperahouse.com 2019). Since the idea behind the creation of the Sydney
Opera House was characterized by a great deal of inspiration from the abiotic components
and nature as a whole, it is evident the environmental sustainability is on the top of the
organisation’s priority. The environmental audit can be justified by the sustainable activities
that are carried out by the company on a regular basis. Hence, the following part of the paper
is concerned with evaluation of the factors that are responsible for the environmental audit
that has been carried out in the above section.
Environmental Sustainability
The Sydney Opera House is an iconic monument that helps in identifying Australia
other than various other than various other components (Hughes, Wang and Shu 2015).
Furthermore, the monument attracts millions of tourists and visitors across the year. Hence,
the Sydney Opera House has been identified as a medium and a symbol through which the
issues such as sustainability of the environment can be highlighted. Furthermore, the people

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across all ages in the country and around the world can be educated about the issues that are
being catered to by the organisation as well as what the people of the community need to do
in order to cater to the diverse needs of the community. Furthermore, it was highlighted by
the creator or the architect of the structure that the latter derived a great deal of inspiration
from the environment and the abiotic components that constitute nature. Thus, it is evident
that incorporation of due attention to the components of nature are on the top of the list of
priority of the organisation.
The mission
The structure that was devised for the purpose of artistic performances, music and
other forms of art was created with inspiration from the nature. Thus, it has been rightfully
identified by the organisation, that the same must be protected so that the future generations
of Australians and people all over the world can enjoy the beauty of the Sydney Opera House
(Sydneyoperahouse.com 2019). The organisation has been recognised as a “Masterpiece of
Human Creative Genius” by the world Heritage Listing of UNESCO (Unesco.org 2019).
Inspiration behind the creation of the monument came abiotic factors such the sea, Coral,
Clouds, sea shells, palm trees, birds and various other components of nature. Accordingly, the
protection of the same was prioritised by the company. In the mission of carrying out the
latter certain goals and commitments have been incorporated into the operations of the
company. The goals and operations of the company in terms of sustainability as declared by
the CEO of the organisation is as follows;
Goals
 To be recognised as leaders in matters such as sustainability of the environment and
the society by incorporating the same with the symbolic structure and providing
inspiration to communities across Australia (Sydneyoperahouse.com 2019).

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 To incorporate sustainability with the diverse nature of operations of the business that
is considered to be diverse and simultaneously communicating the values of the
company at the same time that would help in the protection of the world heritage site
(Sydneyoperahouse.com 2019).
 To carry out sustainable development of the environment, influence and communicate
values while in partnerships with stakeholders of the organisation
(Sydneyoperahouse.com 2019).
 To engage the staff of the organisation by educating them about issue of
environmental sustainability, so that they can communicate the same collectively or in
person (Sydneyoperahouse.com 2019).
Commitments
Following are the activities that the organisation aims to stay committed to the goals of
environmental sustainability;
 To communicate and deliver objectives, targets and implementation regarding
sustainability of the environment and repeat the same every three years
(Sydneyoperahouse.com 2019).
 To make the accountabilities clear.
 Assess the performance of the organisation against established benchmarks and,
targets and standards.
 Maintain transparency in reporting the performance of the organisation to the public
without filtration (Sydneyoperahouse.com 2019).
 Carry out environmental review of the performance of the organisation with the help
of the upper level of the management once every year.
 Communication with the members of the committee and the stakeholders regarding
the environmental sustainability plan (Sydneyoperahouse.com 2019).

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 To maintain a lean supply chain and minimise wastage
 To abode by and carry out practices that follow the environmental legislations and the
policies set by the government and maintain the standards in the industry
(Sydneyoperahouse.com 2019).
Key factors-Sustainable Development at Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House has become a part of the heritage of Australia (BBC.com
2019). Thus, it is the duty of the Australians engaged in the operations of the Sydney Opera
house to protect the same. Furthermore, the structure is used as a symbol that acts a base for
sustainable development of the environment. As mentioned before, inspiration for creation of
the structure was derived from the environment and abiotic components of nature
(Sydneyoperahouse.com 2019). Thus, the aim of the organisation is to give back to nature by
protecting the latter from depletion and conserve nature to ensure the sustainability of the
nature and the Sydney Opera House as a whole. The sustainability initiative of the company
caters to factors such as conservation of energy, conservation of water, minimisation of
waste, adhering to the change of climatic conditions, managing transportation effectively
along with effective management of risk. The organisation has successfully implemented a
plan that involves the targets that has been established by the company
(Sydneyoperahouse.com 2019). The objective that have been established by the company are
achievable provided the successful implementation of the plan. The aim of the organisation is
to improve the green star rating from a 4star rating to a 5star rating, to change, to incorporate
responsibility in the operations of the company with adequate conservation of energy and
doing the same responsibly and finally to use the structure as a symbol to spread the message
of environmental sustainability.

Running head: ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT
Electricity
The creator of the Sydney Opera House believed in the fact that efficiency was a thing
of beauty. Conservation of energy is one the top of the list of priority of the company.
Furthermore, the plan relating to conservation of energy was taken up by the organisation
before six years. Hence, the organisation has been able to curtain the costs on energy and the
savings amounted to more than A$ 1 million (Sydneyoperahouse.com 2019). The
environmental sustainability plan of the Sydney Opera House is perfectly aligned to the
achievement of the becoming one of the most cost and energy efficient large-scale
organisation in Australia.
Water
It has been found that the water usage in the Sydney Opera House is rising every year. With a
greater number of guests and tourists visiting the monument, it is the aim of the
Environmental Sustainability plan of the organisation to deliver efficient services to the
visitors while ensuring that the water resources are not misused. The advent of summer heat,
calls for thorough cooling of the facility. While, other large-scale organisation uses fresh
water at their disposal for the purpose of cooling, things are done differently at the Opera
House (Larsen et al. 2016). The Opera House is situated at the Harbour of Sydney as a result
of which there is abundance of sea water that is available for the use of the Sydney Opera
House. Thus, from the beginning of introduction of cooling at the Opera House, sea water is
being used as a coolant (Sydneyoperahouse.com 2019). For maintaining efficient usage of
water and in order to prevent misuse of water-based resources, the water audits are carried
out by the organisation. This helps the organisation monitor the usage of the amenities that
are at their disposal.

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Resource Usage
The usage of resources from the part of the organisation is paid due. Resources involving the
resources used for maintenance, resources such as plastic and paper has been considerably
minimised by the organisation. It is the aim of the organisation is to minimise the impact of
the use of resources on the environment. Thus, the best quality resources are provided to
protect and ensure the level of quality of services and facilities. The walls of the building are
made of concrete and the railing of the stair ways of the structure are made of bronze.
Materials as such are easily contaminable. Hence, for the past 40 years the bronze railing and
the walls of concrete of the building are being cleaned with Olive Oil and Baking Soda
respectively to preserve the life of the same and to maintain the prime quality of the building
for future generations to witness. The aim of the Environmental Sustainability Plan of the
organisation is to minimize the usage of paper in office and marketing use by 10%.
Furthermore, the organisation aims to successfully reduce and finally eliminate the use of
plastic bags along with incorporation of recycling in 50% of the of the paper that is used for
corporate and office usage.
Waste reduction
The nature of waste generated by the businesses include biodegradable and non-
biodegradable wastes. The nature of wastes that are generated by Sydney Opera house
include wastes from food and beverages. It has been found out and that wastes of this type
cause maximum amount of hindrance to the smooth and effective operations of an
organisation regarding the mitigation of the wastes. The aim of the Environmental
Sustainability Plan is to collaborate with various contractors and staff to minimise the amount
of wastes that are sent by the company to the landfills (Sydneyoperahouse.com 2019). The
aim of the organisation is to recycle the biodegradable wastes, minimise the usage of the
wastes by working with cleaning contractors and by reducing the generation of wastes that

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are deemed to be unbiodegradable. The aim revolves around activities such as strategic
recycling, adaptation of best practices for refurbishment and construction, effective waste
disposal and expansion of services related to recycling of the wastes.
Climate change
There have been significant changes to the environment and climate as a result of
exploitation of the resources of the environment and emissions (Hööks and Tang 2013). The
same has been identified by the organisation and it has been realised that they should
contribute to the sustainability of the environment in order to preserve the structure for the
future generations. Hence the Environmental Sustainability Plan of the Sydney Opera House
has been paying due attention to the achievement of the state of becoming free of emission.
The organisation has developed a climate resilience strategy through which they aim to
reduce the carbon footprints by 7% by the year 2019 and achieve the state of being carbon
neutral by the year 2023 (Sydneyoperahouse.com 2019). Furthermore, brainstorming session
and staff interest has given rise to the idea of sustainable transportation. The latter is
characterised by reduction of the number of personal vehicles that is used to commute to and
from the facility. By incorporating the concept of sustainable transport plan, the organisation
aims to reduce the amount of emission generated by the different means of transport and save
resources such as petroleum and diesel.
Conclusion
On a concluding note it can be said that the Sydney Opera House has been identified
as a world heritage site that was created by Jorn Uzton with the inspiration from nature and
the abiotic factors. Thus, initiatives have been taken by the organisation to preserve the nature
and the biotic components through sustainable initiatives. The aim of the organisation is
reflected in the Environmental Sustainability Plan. The sustainable initiatives taken up by the

Running head: ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT
company include activities such as conservation of energy, reduction of misuse of water,
efficient usage of resources, adhering to climate change and effective management of the
wastes by incorporating recycling.
Literature
Theory of sustainable development
The amount of adverse effects that are being suffered by the environment as a result
of the depletion of resources and the misuse of the same. It the nature from which human
being obtain the resources and utilise for their personal use (Assembly 2015). However, it
must be recognised that these practices cause adverse effects to the environment. Even if
people are taking from the environment, the amount of returns is considered petty. Hence this
leads to degradation of the environment. Furthermore, it has been witnessed that the number
of industries is on the verge of rise. As a result of that the consumption of resources and
depletion of the same are occurring at alarming rates. This, is acting as a catalyst to
degradation of the quality of the biotic factors if the nature (Rydz et al. 2015).
One must realise the latter forms an integral part of the eco system. Hence, it should
be protected by practices that help conserve the same. In order to sustain the environment,
activities are being carried out by organisations worldwide. The activities involve
minimisation of waste generation, conservation of usage of energy, awareness against
malpractices that are carried out and so on. The activities as the latter are considered helpful
for then nature and the word as a whole. These activities help in sustaining the natural
components and thus, are know as sustainable activities (Chiaramonti et al. 2014). The
growth and operations of a company while catering to the needs of environmental
sustainability is known as sustainable development (Broman and Robèrt 2017).

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REFERENCES
Andersen, M.A., 2014. Jørn Utzon: drawings and buildings. Princeton Architectural Press.
Assembly, G., 2015. Sustainable development goals. SDGs), Transforming our world:
the, 2030.
BBC.com, 2019. The architectural masterpiece that wouldn't stand up. [online] BBC News.
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Broman, G.I. and Robèrt, K.H., 2017. A framework for strategic sustainable
development. Journal of Cleaner Production, 140, pp.17-31.
Burke, S.H.E.R.I.D.A.N. and MACDONALD, S., 2014. Creativity and conservation:
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Höök, M. and Tang, X., 2013. Depletion of fossil fuels and anthropogenic climate change—
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Hughes, K., Wang, J. and Shu, M., 2015. Exploring the travel patterns, preferences and
recommendations of Chinese university students living in Australia. Journal of Hospitality
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Larsen, T.A., Hoffmann, S., Lüthi, C., Truffer, B. and Maurer, M., 2016. Emerging solutions
to the water challenges of an urbanizing world. Science, 352(6288), pp.928-933.

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Rydz, J., Sikorska, W., Kyulavska, M. and Christova, D., 2015. Polyester-based (bio)
degradable polymers as environmentally friendly materials for sustainable
development. International journal of molecular sciences, 16(1), pp.564-596.
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APPENDIX