Pushing Ourselves – Not Our Planet

Puhi Peaks Station, Kaikoura - Permanent Forests Sink Initiative

Morphum is thrilled to announce we have successfully reduced our carbon emissions for the 12th year running – and in doing so we have secured our 2021 Toitū carbonzero certification!

Compared to our base year (2016), we have managed to reduce gross emissions by 45% per each dollar of revenue. This equates to a 21% reduction of emissions per full-time equivalent employee. We are proud to prove that business growth can be achieved sustainably and does not mean we have to push planetary boundaries to their limits.

How we got here

A big emphasis of Morphum’s culture is environmentalism. The team are united by our vision to co-create thriving ecosystems and our mission to help lessen the effects of climate change. We understand that all projects have an impact on the environment, so we create rigorous and resilient solutions with our clients, partners and communities by considering life cycle, material selection, carbon reduction opportunities, and climate change adaptation.

The biggest challenge to reduce our carbon emissions is domestic and international air travel. Our projects require us to visit locations all over New Zealand - flying is often the most efficient way to ensure practical and sustainable environmental outcomes can be achieved. We try to mitigate the impact of these emissions by timing our trips to maximise collaboration between our offices.

The second biggest contributor to our carbon emissions is our vehicle fleet. We often need to carry a large amount of equipment to site, and in New Zealand we rely heavily on roads and vehicles. All our employees learn driving techniques to maintain high fuel efficiency during their environmental management system (EMS) training.

When choosing office locations we consider access to public transport, cycle lanes and whether employees can easily walk or cycle to meetings. We have also increased our use of electric vehicles in the last two years by utilising car-sharing companies such as Mevo in Wellington and Zilch in Auckland.

Where are we going next?

The Covid-19 pandemic has helped reduce our carbon emissions – we produced less office waste, used our vehicles less, and flew less due to health restrictions. At the same time, we experienced the range of impacts that remote work had on our wellbeing, team culture, productivity and collaboration efforts.

In weighing up these factors and mixed emotions, we are moving into a new era of hybrid work by introducing more flexibility for employees, taking a strategic approach to company travel, and working with clients predominantly on-line when site visits are not required.

We're improving our data collection and management, along with more regular reporting and monitoring in the form of a sustainability dashboard. This will help inform strategic and procurement decisions, and track progress in a more interactive way. For example, a decision-making tool is being developed to ensure we do our due diligence when air travel decisions are made.

We are also excited about future hybrid and electric vehicle options. As these become more readily available and fit for purpose, we will continue to make the most of our fleet before upgrading to the latest sustainable solutions.

In order to offset the 45.2 tonnes of carbon produced by Morphum in 2021, we have opted to support the New Zealand Forest Sink Initiative and the Bagepalli Coolie Sangha Biogas Stoves project in India. Forests play a vital role in the water cycle. As the most biologically diverse regions on land, they help to regulate precipitation, mitigate flooding and drought, assist erosion control and purify water. We are proud to be restoring native vegetation and supporting biodiversity, as well as supporting communities in India’s Chickballapur District to replace kerosene and non-renewable biomass combustion with biogas for cooking and heating water.

Looking ahead to next year, Morphum aims to reduce emissions by 30% per full-time equivalent employee compared to our base year. This is an ambitious target as high demand for our services, overall company growth, and the removal of Covid travel restrictions will likely increase our business travel in 2022. We chose this emissions reduction target as it closely aligns with the New Zealand Government’s commitment to the Paris Agreement to reduce emissions by 30% by 2030.

Are you coming with us?

Morphum hopes to empower other organisations and institutions to commit to making the changes necessary to ensure a thriving ecosystem for the next generation. Through our conversations with clients, partners, suppliers, and industry representatives, we can influence change and guide ethical decision-making that will positively shape the future of infrastructure and the environment.

There is still time to change but there won’t be for much longer. We must act now! Are you coming with us? We have the tools, knowledge and experience to help you and your organisation on its journey to becoming carbon neutral.

Structural engineer turned environmental engineer

Structural engineer turned environmental engineer

In a past life, Environmental Engineer Theo Dombroski was a structural engineer. Now you’ll find Theo working on projects to help cities work towards being a liveable, water sensitive community, or reducing erosion and improving the ecological health of NZ streams.

Modelling water quality: the strengths of the Freshwater Management Tool as an Accounting and Decision-Support Tool

Modelling water quality: the strengths of the Freshwater Management Tool as an Accounting and Decision-Support Tool

Morphum Environmental and Paradigm Environmental are building a freshwater quality and quantity accounting tool that will facilitate transparent and informed freshwater resource management.

Big Blue Waitākere Community Hui

Big Blue Waitākere Community Hui

Big Blue Waitākere, a coastal and marine information report was launched in Glen Eden by the Waitākere Ranges Local Board at a community hui on the 20th of June, to showcase the publication of this valuable resource and seek input from the community on local projects.

A Method for Improving Water Quality: Water Sensitive Design in Auckland Schools.

A Method for Improving Water Quality:  Water Sensitive Design in Auckland Schools.

Educational lessons on water, stormwater, pollution and water sensitive design were delivered in Auckland schools, paired with relevant interactive activities to get the students out of the classroom and implementing their learning. The lessons aim to increase the number of people educated about pollution prevention in our waterways through stormwater management practices, including rain tanks and stormwater harvesting.

Our commitment to Wai Ora and the 2018 Stormwater Conference.

Our commitment to Wai Ora and the 2018 Stormwater Conference.

Morphum Environmental is proud to continue its support of Water New Zealand’s Stormwater Conference, this year sponsoring the conference app and supporting the initiative to make the event environmentally friendly and 90% paperless.