Tim Jarvis takes on Strata Sustainability

He’s followed Shackleton and Mawson to the depths of the Antarctic and is scaling the heights of the 25 remaining glaciers in equatorial regions. Only one bigger challenge remains….convincing Australian strata buildings to take sustainability seriously.

Have you ever tried to eat olive oil and muesli for breakfast for 93 days straight? Tim has.
 
Set the record for the fastest unsupported journey to the geographic south pole from the true edge of Antartica? Tim did.
 
Tried to make sustainability in strata buildings interesting for facilities managers, strata managers and strata committee members? Tim can.

Tim Jarvis has masters in environmental science and law. He’s recently taken on a corporate sustainability ambassador role for Australia’s largest strata manager, Pica Group.
 
At a recent presentation he covered Climate Change, the Global Response and Elon Musk, with the obligatory reference to Mars and the fact it should be easier to buy an electric vehicle in Melbourne.
 
We live in a world where atmospheric carbon has increased from 280 parts per million to 403 parts per million….or ppm if you want to sound knowledgeable at the next BBQ. According to Tim Jarvis, the sun provides 1000 watts per square metre but as a society we’ve added 120 watts.
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And if you thought Australia were the good guys, ecological footprint analysis shows that Australia is climbing upwards from 6.8 hectares per person. That is the biologically productive land area required by each person, in a world where the global average is 1.74 hectares per person.

​Tim nails it when he says you “can’t see greenhouse gas” and therefore you “can’t get emotionally attached to it.” For this reason it’s often not the most pressing thing on a strata manager or facility manager’s mind.
 
Australian buildings consume 39% of our energy. Breaking this down further, the main culprits are HVAC contributing 33%, lighting contributing 16% and heating water contributing another 14%. 1 in 3 buildings in Australia are strata buildings and a portfolio like Pica Group’s is consuming 1.5%-2% of the national grid.
 
Tim Jarvis brings something unique to the sustainability effort in strata. Leadership. More specifically, the leadership principles espoused by Shackleton. "One of his key messages was the importance of team work," Jarvis said. "We need to all act together in this world today, to overcome our problems."
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For further reading and photos try "Adventurers recreate 'greatest survival story' of the Antarctic" by Jenny Soffel for CNN.
 
Brent Clark
CEO, Wattblock

Strata managers can now register buildings in the City of Sydney and in Melbourne for a fully funded electric vehicle recharge assessment. Registrations for Brisbane have closed. However, if you're interested in learning more contact Scott Witheridge on (02) 9977 1801. Read more about the program here.