Vega Press grows with green Victorian program

Green printing pioneer, Rob Nugent, steps up as one of the first ambassadors for new VECCI program, Grow Me the Money.

Under the online program, which encourages business throughout Victoria to adopt more environmentally friendly practices, the 50-year-old Notting Hill-based company has installed light eco units, a system which made its 2000 fluorescent tubes run in economy mode, and installed a power factor correction system to smooth current to its printing machines, saving several thousand dollars a year in lower electricity bills.

According to Nugent, (pictured) the company had been formalising its environmental credentials but it wasn’t until he was trawling the internet that he found the Grow Me the Money program. “I wanted something to show what we’d done as a company and the savings that we’d made,” he said.

Since getting involved in the program back in 2007, Nugent found it so rewarding that Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) and Environment Protection Authority Victoria, which runs the program, asked him to become an ambassador.

Nugent said that the invitation was an honour. “I’ve spoken to others, not just in printing, but in other businesses like banks and employment groups,” he said.

“The important thing for us is to let small businesses know that it doesn’t cost the earth to make savings; in fact if you get it right you can actually save money by being environmentally friendly.”

Those interested in getting involved can find out more information by clicking here.