MOST SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANISATION – LOCAL AUTHORITY
Mole Valley District Council RUNNER UP
reduce this by 35% by 2015. Achieving our target would save 2,800 tonnes of CO2
M
ole Valley District Council’s carbon footprint in 2008/09 was 4,308 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide (CO2
). We intend to
per year which is equivalent to insulating 1,256 homes every year! Our intention is to be a leader within Surrey when it comes to reducing our carbon footprint and to lead Mole Valley residents and businesses by example. We’re already off to a flying start with a 6.3% reduction in the first year of our Carbon Management Programme.
COMMUNICATING OUR LOW CARBON VISION
Since the Council launched its Carbon Management Programme in April 2009, we’ve put an emphasis on communicating our commitments and achievements to staff and the public. The Council have made high profile commitments to tackling its environmental impacts: we’ve signed the Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change; committed ourselves to the national 10:10 campaign; and published our Environmental Policy. Residents are kept informed about the
Council’s commitments to carbon reduction through articles in the Council’s magazine (MV News) and via the Council’s micro-site for environmental issues: Sustainability Zone
www.molevalley.gov.uk/greener Leaflets are also available in the Council’s reception areas and good news stories have been submitted to and printed by local newspapers. Merlin, the Council’s environmental mascot, always features highly in our environmental publications! Visitors to our reception area are greeted with a monitor that displays our real-time gas and electricity use converted into pounds and CO2
emissions. This is
intended to demonstrate to the public that we are monitoring and reducing our energy use and thus lessening our environmental impact and energy bills. This information is also displayed prominently on our staff intranet to remind employees of their environmental responsibility on a daily basis. Nurturing a change of attitude and behaviour among employees is a major milestone in our journey towards a low carbon organisation and one that we are conscientious to sustain in the long term through fresh and innovative campaigns. Our Youth Council was involved in a fun communication project to design awareness-raising posters for use in Council offices. The colourful, eye- catching designs were the work of Mole Valley children and were intended to remind staff that we have a responsibility to reduce our impact on the planet for the benefit of future generations. Copies were sent to all primary schools in Mole Valley and are available to download from Sustainability Zone. There are a number of active local environmental groups, Transition Dorking and Green Mole Forum, who are interested in the Council’s low carbon ambition; we communicate our vision and successes with their members through regular meetings and presentations.
Our staff intranet (Molly) carries related news stories and reminders to staff. There is a dedicated Getting Greener section which provides advice to staff on
18| SUSTAINABLE FM AWARDS 2010
how to save energy in the workplace. The section also introduces the Council’s Environmental Champions who represent departments across the Council and are our driving force for changing behaviour. Their contribution helps to raise the salience and awareness of environmental issues amongst their colleagues. They have successfully run a number of awareness raising initiatives including: Energy Saving Week pledges; reward campaigns for good energy-saving behaviour; and poster campaigns involving designs by local children. In October last year, over 100 of our office- based staff signed pledges to adopt more environmentally-friendly behaviour, this engaged all of our Senior Management Team, including the Chief Executive!
MAKING OUR VISION COST EFFECTIVE FOR OUR RESIDENTS Value for money stands at the heart of what the Council does and is a key consideration in our Carbon Management Programme. All our carbon reduction projects are assessed for their potential to save the Council money and to return a quick payback, and are prioritised accordingly. We also advise our Councillors if their decisions are likely to affect our carbon footprint by including a section on environmental implications on all reports that go to Committee. Our preference for invest-to-save projects is reflected in our low carbon approach, which guides our selection and prioritisation of carbon reduction projects. Our top priority projects for 2010/11 have included swimming pool covers and voltage optimisation units which are expected to provide paybacks within 1½ and 3 years respectively. We’re also
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