A gentle 20 minute drive south of Wollongong lies Oak Flats Bowls Club, Australia’s first 100 per cent carbon neutral club.

"Having our members and staff all involved has been one of the key factors in our success.

We couldn't have done it without their commitment."

The club has cut its water usage by 45 per cent, reduced the amount of waste going to landfill by more than half and is working on reducing its energy use.

"We used to have VB in bottles and on tap. That meant waste from the bottles, as well as the

cardboard boxes they came in. Considering a keg is a more sustainable way of serving beer, we cut the bottle option out altogether," he said.

"Our sustainability initiatives haven't just been good for the environment, they've contributed to significant financial savings, a more efficient club, and a more engaged workforce,"

“We’d been doing little things for a while - pledging to halve water use, putting in a synthetic green - but it got to the point where we said ‘what’s left to do?’, so we decided to try to go carbon neutral”, said Jisella Corradini-Bird, who also works at the club.

“It was gruelling, it took six months. We had to figure out things like ‘How far do we drive to work? Where do we get our schnitzels from?’ but it really worked out in the end.