04/04/07 - BRISBANE PADDLING WITH GREEN WAVE

The Green Wave showed further signs of gathering momentum when the Brisbane City Council recently allocated $10 million worth of funding to its CitySmart program. An article from "Green Building Voice", a newsletter published by the Green Building Council Australia, detailed the initiative:

Brisbane given Incentive to Build Green

In line with the Lord Mayor's CitySmart commitment to make Brisbane Australia's most sustainable city, the City Council has approved a $10 million program to make office buildings more environmentally friendly.

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said office spaces built with sustainable features would soon be eligible for financial grants where a development application was lodged with Council between May 1 2006 and 30 June 2009.

"This new grants program for offices is just one of the actions Council will be undertaking in the near future to make Brisbane more sustainable," Cr Newman said.

"The Sustainable Built Environment Policy commits us to global leadership in this area, and we will be looking at our own activities, regulation, incentives and advocacy as well.

"The long-term benefits of sustainable buildings include decreased water use, increased waste water reuse, reduced energy use, reduced impact on the sewerage system, and less building waste to landfill. "Brisbane residents and workers will all benefit from living near and working in these sustainable buildings across the city.

"The CitySmart initiative is about working with residents and business to develop smart environmental ideas that will reduce our impact on the environment. We have to use practical ways to green our city, our homes, our workplaces and our suburbs.

Applicants for the grants must undertake a two stage assessment process to be eligible, including obtaining a 'Green Star Office As Built' certification.

Both the federal and state governments actively support and advocate sustainable development practices and Council's new grants program will complement the ongoing shift to workplace sustainability.

The new policy and grants program follows from the draft Sustainable Development Incentives Policy, which was available on Council's website and open for a two-month consultation period from May to July last year.

Council received more than 50 submissions from industry, government, environment and community groups on the development of this draft policy.

For more information visit www.brisbane.qld.gov.au or phone Council on (07) 3403 8888.

It is encouraging from NMP's perspective to see a greater awareness and push to use eco-friendly products from government bodies. Real change will only begin when the decision makers commit to environmentally-friendly goals and initiatives such as these are steps in the right direction.

15/04/07 - NMP SIGN UP NEW CALEDONIAN REPRESENTATIVE

NMP have added to it's international presence by establishing representation in New Caledonia.

The company, Speed Services, is one of the largest service companies in the French territory and cater for a full range of coating and maintenance applications - from domestic to underwater/diving.

The diverse and versatile nature of their business is a perfect match for the high-quality, field-friendly products NMP provide, and it is this connection that generated interest in a long-term partnership.

We'd like to take this opportunity to welcome Speed Services aboard and extend an invitation to other international companies to take advantage of our export-ready products. For more information on our export program, click here.

01/05/07 - JAXXON CATALOGUES NOW AVAILABLE

The new A5, full-colour JAXXON catalogues are now available from NMP!

The catalogues contain all the information you need on our range of coatings, adhesives and specialist maintenance products: Data Sheets, Colour Charts, Case Histories, Laboratory Test Results, Letters of Support and great images of our products at work.

If you wish to get your hands on one for free, please call NMP - 1300 66 33 17