b'2021/22 ANNUAL REPORTTHE FARM - EMILY HENDERSON Emily Henderson grew up in a farming family, experiencing a range of habitats and climates, from sheep farming in New Zealand, to hydroponic market gardening in the Falkland Islands and life on a traditional English country estate.Since becoming Farm Manager at Green Connect in 2021, this diverse background has helped her respond to the challenges of climate change which have hit the farm during months of extreme weather.The flourishing 11 acres had always enjoyed sunshine, bumper crops and a variety of volunteers. It won an international award for its global leadership in urban agriculture. But when it didnt stop raining for months, a range of issues demanded new infrastructure planning to ensure the whole enterprise could remain sustainable.The rain made much of our eleven acres quite difficult for visitors and staff, Emily explains. Wheelbarrows and gumboots got stuck in mud. Sometimes parts of the path were under waterZERO WASTE SERVICESmaking access for people during tours andZero Waste is a stand-out business unit ofThe many positivedeliveries very difficult.So, it was decided that the creation of accessibleGreen Connect in terms of building commercialoutcomes we identified engagement and community awareness for our pathways would be the first step in achievingsustainability message. The Zero Waste teamreflect the success of the long-term vision for a weatherproof income stream, sustained by regular farm tours cateringkicked off this year with 17 waste audits andMirvacs sustainability to locals, schools, organisations and tourists.various events including the popular Illuminate and Steamfest community events.efforts at the site, andThe rain also had repercussions for the picturesque crops which have featuredthe benefits for businessIn terms of audits, Green Connect has continued tointernationally in news media as an exemplar ofsupport Mirvacs commitment to send zero waste toof a Zero Waste audit.urban farming.landfill by 2030. Many well-established avocado trees died. TheThe 2022 Zero Waste Audit was conducted at theANN BURBROOK vegetables wed spent months prepping didntMirvac Birkenhead Point Shopping Centre in Sydney.ENGAGEMENT AND SUPPORT MANAGERgrow. There was so much water in the soil thereThe audits key objective was to determine the was no oxygen left.composition and quantities of recyclable, organic But Emily and her team have worked hard to turnand problem waste, and waste with energy recovery-the setbacks into positive action. Professionalpotential in the landfill stream. Each of these categories plans for the farm driveway are almost complete;were identified, sorted and weighed separately to if the grant application for works is successfulenable an assessment of opportunities for further then the upgrade will commence early next year.source separation, recycling and resource recovery.Significant upgrades to pathways, toilets and tracks are planned to commence in October.Assessing one days generation of waste we foundStage One of the new chicken run is done, andthat the shopping centre was generating 926.64 a tree-planting scheme with Tibra, a leadingkilograms of waste per day of operation into the Proprietary Trading Firm, is in the pipeline. landfill stream.We need to be in the line of vision ofFood waste was the most significant category, making corporations and other collaborators, so we canup 99.5% of organic waste, or 473.42kg per day. Much continue to transform the way business can beof this waste was tenant waste and not food scraps from done, says Emily the public. This information alerted Mirvac to the need Despite the recent setbacks she believes thefor further training with tenant staff around using their farm will come out of this past twelve monthsgreen bins correctly and not disposing of organics in the stronger and more resilient than ever. landfill bins. I believe the future is bright, she grins. The Green Connect Zero Waste team at a Mirvac waste audit.PAGE 29'