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Govt3 - towards sustainable practice

Walking the talk to sustainability

Walking the talk to sustainability

Under the motto ‘walking the talk’, the Ministry for the Environment leads and manages the Govt3 programme for government agencies. This programme aims to change behaviour and practices within government agencies by increasing capability and knowledge, identifying best practice and promoting practical solutions and tools in four key topic areas:

There are also two major cross-cutting themes, sustainable procurement and energy efficiency.
Govt3 agencies and industry work together to reduce the environmental impacts of government operations within New Zealand, such as waste generation, energy consumption, transport, building and procurement
The priorities for Govt3 between now and 2010 are to:

  • provide resources, information and training to Govt3 agencies
  • develop and deliver programmes that influence behaviour change
  • work with the Ministry of Economic Development to deliver best practice guidance to the state sector on sustainable procurement policy and practice

Govt3 is about practical action. It promotes a “learning by sharing” approach where participating agencies learn from each other’s experiences. Govt3 runs regular network meetings and workshops, links up people across agencies and sectors, and provides case studies and technical information.

As of 1 August 2008,  fifty seven agencies (circa 75,000 FTEs) have formally signed up as members of the Govt3 programme. The Govt3 programme also engages in less formal partnerships with sustainability leaders in the wider public and private sectors.

While Govt3 is led by the Ministry for the Environment's Leading Government Sustainability Team, it does so in close collaboration with the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, the Ministry of Transport, the New Zealand Transport Agency, the Ministry of Economic Development (on sustainable procurement and eco-verification), and other agencies as appropriate.

In February 2007 Cabinet agreed to a range of new initiatives to elevate and progress sustainability. Two of these initiatives – Towards a Carbon Neutral Public Service and the Sustainable Government Procurement Project – are centred on government leadership by example. These initiatives build on the existing work of the Govt3 programme by promoting sustainable business practice within government. Read the Prime Minister’s Statement to Parliament.

Find out how to make your workplace more environmentally sustainable with our How-to guide. It provides a range of ideas on how to improve the sustainability of day-to-day activities. It also includes figures on what an average New Zealander consumes in a year. The accompanying diagram Walking the talk to sustainability shows what joining Govt3 means for your agency.

How will we demonstrate success?

The Ministry for the Environment will collect information that, over time, will demonstrate progress on specific sustainability indicators and related targets reported on annually by Govt3 agencies. This information will be used to refine current actions and develop future sustainability initiatives.

 

Govt3 awards

The purpose of the Govt3 awards is to recognise core government agencies that have excelled in the area of implementing sustainability practices.

Govt3 awards 2007 summary of the winners and highly commended

Govt3 awards 2006 summary of the winners and highly commended

Govt3 awards 2005 summary of the winners and highly commended