MOST SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANISATION – GOVERNMENT
TRAVELLING LESS Besides energy, we also have costs and emissions associated with business travel and set a target of reducing emissions by 3% per annum up until 2015. To reduce emissions and cut costs, we
re-tendered our hire car contract including more stringent sustainability criteria. The new hire car contract has resulted in a better service, delivered savings of 60% on the previous contract in the six months to June this year and no car in the fleet has an emission rating over 160gCO2
/km.
To discourage hire car use and reduce costs and emissions further, we also introduced a low emission pool car (98gCO2
/km) for staff use. We
demonstrated that the Pool car was cheaper than alternatives, had a lower environmental footprint and was more convenient for staff. We also operate a travelling exhibition (bus) that runs on 50% bio-diesel. A travel plan outlining our Sustainable
Travel Plan has been produced and in line with this, an improvement programme has been developed which involves offering a range of sustainable travel incentives for all employees. These include a cycle to work scheme, a car sharing program and secure bike sheds, showers and changing facilities for cyclists. Business mileage fell 272,639 over the year and costs fell by £150,000.
WORKING TOGETHER We have links with the Welsh Assembly Government with whom we exchange Environmental Auditors. We work closely with the Carbon Trust and ARUP to develop a range of practical options to achieve our targets – with each
option given “a cost per tonnes CO2 saved” value. We worked closely with Arena Network and Groundwork Wales to develop our Environmental Management System. We have arranged visits at Director level to exemplar organisations including the National Environmental Research
Council to examine best practice in other organisations.
After exploratory meetings we are in the process of establishing an Inter- Parliamentary Environmental Forum with EMS managers from the House of Commons and Lords, Scottish Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly to share best practice and experience.
INNOVATION Technical improvements have involved
installing PIR’s on every floor, converting all modular offices to open plan to improve air flow, reducing the lux levels of lights, installing a Smart Metering machine, increasing recycling facilities, switching to mixed recycling for greater convenience and to reduce waste, composting all onsite food waste, recycling printer ink toners and cooking oil, switching off radiators in stairwells and corridors, regulating heating systems by lowering the set point and installing variable speed drives on the boiler pumps to reduce operating power.
To help change behavior we have set
up “league tables” for the number of PC’s left on overnight.
SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT We undertake an annual Sustainable
Procurement Assessment using a model developed by Forum for the Future. All our contracts include sustainable considerations where practicable. We undertake sustainability assessments of key suppliers including undertaking supplier visits. We are planning a sustainable suppliers event to explain our environmental objectives and look for opportunities to work more closely with suppliers for mutual benefit.
SUSTAINABLE PROJECTS All our Projects are managed centrally and project managers have been provided with a checklist to ensure that sustainability issues have been addressed at an early stage. Projects are benefits
driven and we are currently working to incorporate a standard Sustainability Benefit into the assessment of all candidate projects. SUMMARY
Our philosophy is to involve everyone in our decisions, keep it fun, maintain momentum and focus on the positives whilst making everyone in the organisation aware of how important they are to our environmental goals and achievements.
REFERENCES
National Assembly for Wales Website
www.assemblywales.org/sen-home/ sen-environmental-features/sen- environmental-features-sustainability- link-2
Annual Report 2009/10
www.assemblywales.org/ assembly_annual_report_2009- 10__low_res__2_.pdf
Our Commitment to Sustainability – Carbon Management Plan
www.assemblywales.org/ abthome/abt-nafw/abt- commission/abt-commission-
agendas.htm?act=dis&id=155358&ds= 11/2009
Green Dragon Environmental Management System
www.groundworkinwales.org.uk/ greendragon/
index.html
SUSTAINABLE FM AWARDS 2010
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