Profile
In 1997 the Williamson Family - founders of the Greenhouse Neutral Foundation were told by Waste Management Authorities in their home State of Western Australia that plastic being dumped into landfill caused no environmental damage. The product, manufactured for our use and often discarded once its purpose has been fulfilled to landfill, the family asserted, discards not only a simple plastic container, but looses to landfill forever the vast amounts of energy, water and finite resources consumed in its virgin material manufacture.
Finite, going, going, gone. Significant resource loss, significant environmental pollution resulting, significant changes needed in ‘business and living as usual’.
As pioneers with Pot Recyling their voices for change went unheard for several years.
In a landmark research project initiated by them in 2003 they would qualify and document that while accepted practice continued in the use and then disposal – without their recycling, manufacturing consumption of polypropylene in Australia (240,000 tonnes annually) could needlessly result in the loss of 1.8 million barrels of oil, 2496 million litres of water and 23,520 million M/j of embodied – consumed energy. If translated in pure energy terms this loss was (3.6M/j = 1kW) 6,533,333,333 kilowatts of electricity and was the equivalent to producing (local coal fired power supply .99kg of CO2 per kWh) 6,467,999.999kg of greenhouse emissions and equalled the loss of the same amount of electricity consumed by 278,540 homes for a full year.
In 2004 the Minister for the Environment would say,
"Family concern leads to environmental initiative. The Williamson’s family story is not just a great success story but one of vision, persistence and determination."
While their increasingly urgent message would finally translate after a decade into Government policy with" this is now poised to significantly reduce the environmental impact to landfill sites and the consumption of resources, while saving water and reducing greenhouse gas emissions".(State Governments Climate Change Statement 2007)
In March of 2006 having received State and National recognition (see environmental recognition page) they would present their message internationally in Atlanta Georgia with the Global Environment Award for 2006 for Plastics Recycling.
Bob Williamson the founder of the Greenhouse Neutral Foundation would meet with Ray C. Anderson the Chairman of Interface Inc. – a visionary captain of Industry, and there would pledge to add his voice to that for change in the ‘business/living as usual, without regard to consequence model.’
The vision of the Foundation was born that day in Atlanta.
