Leading the way
City Council selected for 'green' audit
Carlisle City Council has taken up the opportunity to have a
'green audit' by leading energy saving experts after being selected
for one-to-one support to help reduce carbon emissions.
The City Council signed up to a review by the Energy Saving
Trust today (Friday, 12 October). The free expert advice and
support will include a comprehensive and tailored report that
assesses the areas where the City Council is performing well and
will also pinpoint areas where there are opportunities to do even
more. These recommendations will then be considered by the council
and implemented where practical and possible.
Maggie Mooney, Town Clerk and Chief Executive signed the accord
on behalf of the City Council. Lewis Morrison, Head of Community
Advice for the UK signed on behalf of the Energy Saving Trust.
The assessment is expected to take between seven and nine
months. It will focus around the council and its activities with
the wider community. The City Council is one of few local
authorities to be singled out for the expert advice after
'demonstrating a dedication to tackling sustainable energy issues'.
The programme is funded by Defra and has no cost to the City
Council. Cllr Ray Bloxham, Portfolio holder for Environment and
Infrastructure said:
We are committed to making Carlisle cleaner,
greener and safer. We want to take the lead and look forward to
working alongside the Energy Saving Trust. We already have put in
place a series of 'green' actions and hope to build on these for
the future.
A recent range of energy efficiency measures already introduced
by the City Council include:
- a review of their vehicle fleet with the Energy Saving Trust,
to receive advice about reducing mileage, fuel consumption and
carbon dioxide emissions;
- following green design schemes incorporating sustainable
materials, environmentally friendly practices and energy-saving
measures as part of its new build, refurbishment and maintenance of
Council amenities. This includes installing solar thermal water
heating systems (sun heats water for washing etc) in hostels and
other council maintained buildings;
- reducing carbon dioxide emissions from the Bousteads Grassing
depot buildings by 10% through better energy management
- fitting power saving devices to appliances and stand alone
printers and encouraging staff to switch equipment off when not in
use;
- introducing a target to reduce our paper consumption by
10%;
- replacing bottle water coolers with plumbed in water coolers on
four sites to reduce the environmental impact associated with
production and distribution of bottled water;
- improving office recycling facilities for staff and phasing out
the use of disposable plastic cups by office based staff.
Carlisle City Council signed up to the Nottingham Declaration
this year. The declaration is voluntary and is designed to show a
council's commitment to tackling the issue of climate change.
The City Council's commitment to the pledge followed on from the
launch of their Environmental Policy in 2006. As part of the
policy, the City Council pledged to: introduce actions to manage
and reduce the Council's greenhouse gas emissions, through energy
conservation, greater use of renewable energy and sustainable
transport; reduce consumption of resources whilst endeavouring to
re-use or recycle where practicable; and; conserve the natural
environment and enhance the bio-diversity of the Council's
assets.
The Council's efforts so far have resulted in them receiving a
Bronze Cumbria Business Environment Network Award (CBEN) for
environmental management. The Council is now working towards
achieving CBEN's Silver Award.