Name: Tropical Plant Rentals
Address: Australia

What is a Green Star Rating System?

The Green Star Rating System is an internationally trusted and recognised sustainability rating system introduced by the Green Building Council of Australia in 2003. This green star system is used for the design, construction and ongoing operation of sustainable buildings and fit-outs. It is a voluntary rating system that is changing the way our man-made, built environment is designed, constructed and operated.

What is the Aim?

The green star rating system is aimed at creating healthy places for people to live and work, minimising the environmental footprint and financial spending for businesses. The Green Star Buildings Council of Australia has included indoor office plants in their rating assessment of a Green Star building’s interior.

The Green Star Rating System is an effective tool for businesses to measure their environmental performance. Green Star helps organisations make informed decisions about how to become more sustainable and reduce their impact on the environment.

The green star system is used by many industries, from buildings and construction to manufacturing and transport. But it’s not just big companies that can benefit from Green Star – even small businesses can improve their green star credentials with a green star system like this.

What do we Measure through Green Star Rating?

At Tropical Plant Rentals, our Green Star rating system measures our performance in terms of energy efficiency, water efficiency, waste management and other sustainability initiatives. The green star ratings go up to five stars, so customers can rest assured that when they hire plants from us, they’re doing so with an eco-friendly business.

What makes our rating system stand out is its focus on every aspect of sustainable indoor plant hire – from selecting environmentally friendly plants and suppliers to maintaining them properly during hired periods. When customers rent plants from us, they know that we are ensuring only the highest standards of sustainability are met throughout our entire process.

We use low-energy consumption equipment such as LED grow lights and water-efficient irrigation systems which help us keep energy usage down while still providing healthy plants for our customers. We also compost or recycle any organic waste generated during our operations.

We feel strongly about reducing our environmental impact, which is why we chose to take part in the Green Star Rating System and commit ourselves to environmental excellence and sustainability. Our commitment doesn’t end here – by taking part in this rating system we hope to inspire others in the industry to follow suit and reduce their environmental footprints too.

Using Indoor Plants to make your Building More Green

(Increase your Green Star Rating)

The Green Buildings Council of Australia has included indoor office plants in their rating assessment of a Green Star building’s interior. Indoor plants hold a value of 2 credit points towards Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ-15) “Green Star – Interiors” rating, however, plants must be maintained by a professional office plant hire company.

This ensures the condition of the plants is maintained for maximum health of the plants.

Nowadays, there is much more emphasis on the impact our carbon footprint is leaving on the environment. More and more designers and architects are now using the Green Star Rating System.

What does Science say about Green Star Rating?

Scientific studies such as the NASA study have shown us that bringing plants indoors into our homes and workplaces has many health benefits. Indoor plants help to remove harmful airborne Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) such as Acetone, Benzene, Ethylene, Formaldehyde and Trichloroethylene from the air we breathe.

These VOCs are commonly found in cleaning products, printers, furniture and paint and when inhaled can lead to allergies and headaches. Some are known carcinogens and prolonged exposure can lead to much more significant health risks.

What are the Benefits of Green Star buildings?

According to the Green Building Council of Australia, Green Star Buildings produce 62% fewer greenhouse emissions and use 66% less electricity than average Australian buildings.

The Green Star System is an internationally trusted and recognised sustainability rating system introduced by the Green Building Council of Australia in 2003. This rating system is used for the design, construction and ongoing operation of sustainable buildings and fit outs.

Choosing green star rating can help you save money, create a healthy place for people to work and minimise your environmental footprint, helping to build a better future for us all.

Some Benefits of Green Star Buildings Include:

Green star buildings are designed to reduce the impacts of buildings on the environment, while also improving occupant wellbeing. By being a part of this voluntary rating system and incorporating efficient and renewable energy systems, green materials, water conservation technology and improved ventilation, these green star buildings can contribute significantly to their local community and environment.
Green star buildings are designed to reduce the impacts of buildings on the environment, while also improving occupant wellbeing. By being a part of this voluntary rating system and incorporating efficient and renewable energy systems, green materials, water conservation technology and improved ventilation, these green star buildings can contribute significantly to their local community and environment.
Green Star buildings use sustainable design principles such as natural ventilation and lighting, eco-friendly materials, reduced water consumption and energy efficiency measures like LED lighting and solar panels which reduce running costs while also reducing carbon emissions.
By using state-of-the-art construction techniques, Green Star buildings are more resistant to extreme temperatures and weather conditions such as storms or floods which can improve the overall safety of occupants during extreme weather events.
Green Star buildings are healthier places for people to work in due to increased air quality from better ventilation systems coupled with improved temperature control, humidity levels and light levels inside the building adding further comfort for occupants whilst also improving productivity in the workplace
Green star certified buildings such as LEED or BREEAM award points when certain criteria are met during construction; however, none are as stringent as those required by Green Star certification making it the preferred certification for many organisations looking for true sustainability credentials from their building projects.

Green Star Certification

Tropical Plant Rentals have been an inaugural member of GBCA since 2005 and have assisted many businesses to achieve their Green Star Certification. Tropical Plant Rentals have a Green Star Rating team who are qualified to assist you with the installation, indoor environment quality and maintenance of your interior plantscape.

How Can We Assist You?

We can assist you throughout the entire plant-out process of your Green Star Certification. We stay up-to-date and well-informed of any changes to the Green Star Rating with ongoing training.

About Green Star Ratings and Certifications:

The Green Star Rating System is a Certification that rates the environmental sustainability of buildings,interiors, and communities in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.
It was developed by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) to ensure that the built environment meets high standards in reducing the use of natural resources and improving human health.
The green building council certification system is based on nine core environmental impact categories:
1. energy efficiency,
2. water consumption,
3. greenhouse gas emissions reduction,
4. indoor air quality,
5. materials selection,
6. waste management,
7. innovation and design process,
8. land use
9. ecology and community benefits.
Each category of the green star building council has its own set of criteria broken down into credits which are awarded for each performance level achieved.
Green star-certified buildings are then rated from one to six stars depending on the number of credits attained in each category.
Buildings that achieve four stars or more are eligible for a green star rating certification from a licensed Green Star Rating assessor after verification that the criteria have been met.
Benefits for those who obtain a Green Star certification include reduced operating costs associated with resource conservation as well as increased value through enhanced reputation and productivity gains associated with better indoor air quality.
Additionally, a higher green star rating can increase tenant satisfaction leading to higher occupancy rates while also providing an opportunity to attract green financing initiatives due to improved environmental performance.
To maintain a green star rating certification over time green star certified buildings must demonstrate continuous improvement over their life cycle through regular monitoring to ensure they remain compliant with current standards.

What is the Green Building Council?

The Green Building Council (GBC) is an organization that promotes healthier and more resource-efficient buildings by encouraging their creativity and providing guidance and resources to those who seek to build them including the building owner. The GBC utilises a suite of tools and services, such as green building certification, research, strategic partnerships and training, to drive the growth of green construction practices.

By certifying buildings as green, the GBC helps decision-makers make informed choices about building materials and standards to achieve a sustainable built environment.

What does the GBC Guide?

The GBC guides the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. This includes information on building materials that can reduce energy costs or use natural light or ventilation systems instead of air conditioning; water management strategies; waste reduction initiatives; indoor air quality measures; and renewable energy options.

Through green building certification programs like LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design), Living Building Challenge, WELL Building Standard and Permaculture Design Certificate, the GBC set benchmarks for what it considers to be environmentally friendly buildings.

The organization also helps promote sustainability policies at local government levels, with over 60 cities worldwide having adopted their guidelines into legislation. Through their efforts, they strive to limit carbon emissions from new developments while enhancing occupant health by using fewer toxic materials in their construction process.

Additionally, the GBC encourages energy efficiency through retrofitting existing structures with more efficient technologies such as LED lighting systems or solar panels. It also advocates for smart city initiatives which include reducing urban sprawl by better utilising existing infrastructure.

How Tropical Plant Rentals can best assist you?

We can assist you with initial consultation, lighting requirements, design and selection process right through to your maintenance program. Not only that, we can assist with the completion and submission of your compliance documentation to the GBCA.

The GBCA (Green Building Council of Australia) developed LEED to make sure that buildings use fewer natural resources and thereby improve human health.

Contact Us

For more information on the green star rating system, our friendly team would love to have a conversation with you. Contact us today!