We're serious about the Sun
Carbon neutrality is the environmental buzzword on everyone’s lips right now, and rightly so, it’s the most effective way to act against our climate crisis (global warming) by ensuring businesses and individuals are taking the same amount of greenhouse gasses (carbon) out of the atmosphere that they put in.
Working towards carbon neutrality is top of the agenda at Temple of the Sun, it’s a commitment that takes time, money, and resource to map and offset any emissions that occur across all areas of our business. We’re looking forward to sharing our carbon journey with you soon, but first we’d like to talk about where our power comes from, and a term that may be familiar to you– renewable energy. Located in sunny Byron Bay,Temple’s boutique and design HQ is proudly powered by renewable energy sources. Here’s what exactly this means, how we do it, and how you can too!
What is renewable energy and why is it important?
Renewable energy, often referred to as clean energy, is produced by natural resources or processes that will never deplete as they’re constantly replenished.
This includes solar, wind and hydropower to name a few – many of these methods of harnessing power from the earth have been used for centuries, but innovations in technology mean they’re becoming more sophisticated, storable, and widely available.
Unfortunately, ‘dirty’ sources of energy such as fossil fuels like gas, oil and coal have been the most common. These sources are not renewable and take a very long time to replenish, the methods used to obtain them are also often harmful for the environment and human health. Mining, fracking, and burning coal can cause earthquakes, water pollution, deforestation, and air pollution. To make matters even worse these methods of obtaining and creating energy cause greenhouse gas emissions, significantly contributing to the global warming climate crisis. A world exclusively powered by renewable energy is something we should all strive for.
What does renewable energy mean for Temple of the Sun?
Renewable energy is far better for the environment, sustainable for future generations and part of our journey towards carbon neutrality as it significantly reduces our emissions in the first place. Temple of the Sun’s boutique and design HQ is fitted with solar panels, used to power our electricity, and put any unused energy back into the grid of our supplier Enova.
If we’re experiencing cloudy weather or don’t have enough solar electricity to power our building, we use energy supplied by Enova Energy. Enova is Australia’s first community-owned power company based in our hometown of Byron Bay. They sell electricity to households and businesses; and are also a registered not-for-profity charity who donate 50% of their profits back into community renewable energy projects, education, and energy efficiency services. Enova’s energy sources are renewable, powered by customer rooftops (such as ours) and through their partnership with Diamond– a renewable energy generator and retailer who owns and operates renewable energy generation and storage projects like wind, solar and bioenergy generation plants across Australia.
Through the solar power we generate ourselves, and our relationship with Enova – Temple of the Sun is proudly powered by renewable sources of energy.
What can you or other businesses do to support renewable energy resources?
Installing solar panels is a great way to know exactly where your power is coming from, and if you’re based in Australia many states offer incentives and rebates. Have a look at the renewable power incentives website to find out which apply to you. If you’re renting or encounter cost prohibitions, solar panels may not be the right solution for you. And that’s fine, sustainability is all about progress, not perfection and luckily there are many energy providers such as Enova and Diamond that you can transition to. It’s just like receiving your electricity from any other provider, but you can be certain the sources are renewable. Green Electricity Guide is an unbiased and helpful resource to learn more about renewable energy providers to find the right one for your household or business.
Here at Temple of the Sun we embrace the role we play in shaping the world we want for our future.
Using renewable energy sources to power our boutique and office space is one of the ways we express our commitment to creating positive environmental change.
Read more about our commitment to the environment and our sustainable journey as a brand.