A major environmental initiative, the Green Depot™ project, at the Yarra Trams East Preston Depot has not only created an environmentally “smart” tram depot but has inspired the wider community of East Preston.
The objective of the Green Depot™ project is to save energy and water at the depot as part of a wider environmental 
initiative within Yarra Trams.
In addition to reducing the depot’s energy consumption and saving water, Yarra Trams has implemented an education program to develop understanding and support among staff and the community for eco-efficient and environmentally sustainable practices at work and home.
“At the beginning of our Green Depot™ project we aimed to introduce fully integrated, eco-efficient and sustainable operating practices at the East Preston Depot,” said Depot Manager, Mr Geoff Lockwood.
“Not only have we completed this successfully, but we have also motivated the local community to become environmentally smart and introduce their own initiatives to their businesses and homes.”
“At East Preston we now capture the rainwater from the roof of our tram shed and use it for washing the trams, we have harnessed solar energy and have refitted our operating areas with the best energy saving technology,” Mr Lockwood explains.
“Now that all the practices are in place, staff have embraced the new initiatives and many are eager to implement environmental initiatives in their own homes”.
“To the best of our knowledge, such an integrated Green Depot™ model has not been developed in Australia or overseas.”
Watching the new “green” initiatives working well at the East Preston Depot, the local community is interested in learning about what it can do.
Yarra Trams is working with a number of local organisations and the Darebin City Council to develop community initiatives.
The “green” innovations introduced to the East Preston Depot include:
- Installation of three 18,000 litre rain water tanks - Stored rain water is now used to wash all trams at East Preston Depot.
- Solar Energy – saves over 15 tonnes of greenhouse gas per year
Solar power – 60 photovoltaic panels installed on the roof. - Solar hot water – three solar hot water systems have been installed.
- Lighting – motion sensor lighting and twist-timers for controlled lighting.
- A ‘state of the art’ air-conditioning system with computer controlled Co2 monitoring.
- Creating a water efficient garden and providing depot staff with improved “green” outdoor leisure areas, which include the use of effective shading, promotion of sun-smart and “water wise” practices.
- Fully segregated waste disposal - Development of an integrated waste disposal system, focusing on segregation, recycling and waste minimisation for paper, cardboard, plastics, polystyrene, waxed cartons, building materials, liquid waste, heavy industrial and food and organic waste (that is processed on site in a worm farm).
- Waterless urinals and use of rainwater to flush toilets.
- Staff involvement – communicating the range of environmental and social benefits through “hands on” workplace programs, developed in conjunction with Environment Victoria. This aims to encourage a workplace behaviour change towards more sustainable practices and assist Yarra Trams staff to establish household and family environmental programs.
Malvern Depot will be the next location to take part in the program and in its preparation to become a Green Depot™ they have already made changes to their toilet facilities to save water.
Implemented and future changes as part of the Green Depot™ program will save over three million litres a year of Melbourne’s precious water at each depot.
With serious water restrictions in effect, Yarra Trams are committed to reducing wastage across our locations and on our fleet.
