Sydney Opera House - An Icon of Arts, Music and Sustainable Energy
The Sydney Opera House, perhaps, one of the most recognizable arts and music landmarks in the world, is now also a symbol of environmental consciousness.
A couple of months ago, in its spectacular event called Vivid LIVE 2011, it had its famous "sails" bathed in beautiful color and imagery using biodiesel generators with carbon emissions offset by its power supplier Origin NSW.
And this is just one effort among the other environmental initiatives the world-renowned performing arts center is into.
Australia is one country that is highly vulnerable to climate change.
A leading contributor to the world's carbon emissions, the nation has its every sector, including arts and culture, involved in projects that counter the effects of climate change.
The Sydney Opera House has reduced the nightly lighting of its sails by 4 hours and has saved them approximately 12 megawatt hours every year.
Not only that, but even inside the House, energy efficient lighting is also observed.
All their dressing rooms are now lit with CFLs, which are known to consume 80% less of your total energy consumption.
Its Green Room, meanwhile, is illuminated with LED lamps, replacing their old fluorescent tubes.
Aside from the lighting system, the center also takes care of using efficient energy in its air conditioning system.
To keep the place cool, the Sydney Opera House partly uses sea water from the Circular Quay for air conditioning power.
This helps them conserve approximately 15 million liters of drinking water every year.
On top of this, they've started to switch to small air conditioning chillers whenever they require low loads.
This is to reserve their large chillers only for those times when they need to use a big air conditioning system.
In its shower rooms, the center has started using more efficient water fixtures since a couple of years ago.
They have reported that this effort alone has helped them save 600,000 liters a year.
Even with its housekeeping and garbage disposal, the Sydney Opera House has been committed to supporting a greener environment.
In cleaning the whole House, their staff uses only non-toxic cleaning aids, such as baking soda, soap flakes, olive oil and other such materials.
They also make it a point to reuse and recycle whatever they can, including electronic equipment and light bulbs.
Last but not the least, this famous landmark has recently increased their GreenPower to 10% until August 2012.
Their electricity supplier Origin is helping them in this effort in having more sustainable power.
The more serious effects of climate change are, indeed, looming over not just Australia, but all parts of the world.
But if everyone would be contributing whatever they can to all these environmental initiatives, perhaps there is a chance to lessen its harmful impact.
A couple of months ago, in its spectacular event called Vivid LIVE 2011, it had its famous "sails" bathed in beautiful color and imagery using biodiesel generators with carbon emissions offset by its power supplier Origin NSW.
And this is just one effort among the other environmental initiatives the world-renowned performing arts center is into.
Australia is one country that is highly vulnerable to climate change.
A leading contributor to the world's carbon emissions, the nation has its every sector, including arts and culture, involved in projects that counter the effects of climate change.
The Sydney Opera House has reduced the nightly lighting of its sails by 4 hours and has saved them approximately 12 megawatt hours every year.
Not only that, but even inside the House, energy efficient lighting is also observed.
All their dressing rooms are now lit with CFLs, which are known to consume 80% less of your total energy consumption.
Its Green Room, meanwhile, is illuminated with LED lamps, replacing their old fluorescent tubes.
Aside from the lighting system, the center also takes care of using efficient energy in its air conditioning system.
To keep the place cool, the Sydney Opera House partly uses sea water from the Circular Quay for air conditioning power.
This helps them conserve approximately 15 million liters of drinking water every year.
On top of this, they've started to switch to small air conditioning chillers whenever they require low loads.
This is to reserve their large chillers only for those times when they need to use a big air conditioning system.
In its shower rooms, the center has started using more efficient water fixtures since a couple of years ago.
They have reported that this effort alone has helped them save 600,000 liters a year.
Even with its housekeeping and garbage disposal, the Sydney Opera House has been committed to supporting a greener environment.
In cleaning the whole House, their staff uses only non-toxic cleaning aids, such as baking soda, soap flakes, olive oil and other such materials.
They also make it a point to reuse and recycle whatever they can, including electronic equipment and light bulbs.
Last but not the least, this famous landmark has recently increased their GreenPower to 10% until August 2012.
Their electricity supplier Origin is helping them in this effort in having more sustainable power.
The more serious effects of climate change are, indeed, looming over not just Australia, but all parts of the world.
But if everyone would be contributing whatever they can to all these environmental initiatives, perhaps there is a chance to lessen its harmful impact.
