20/05/2005 - Making pledges
for World Environment Day has helped staff
at the Environment Agency achieve carbon neutral
status for their building once again this
year.
Officers based at Tyneside House, the Environment
Agency’s area head office on the banks of
the River Tyne in Newcastle, have been working
with the CarbonNeutral Newcastle project since
it launched in 2003.
Many of the pledges people have made for
World Environment Day have helped reduce the
overall carbon impact of the building, which
takes into account emissions from car journeys,
heating and powering the building and waste
and water minimisation.
The Environment Agency buys energy from renewable
sources and, through the CarbonNeutral Newcastle
scheme, invests money in local renewable energy
projects and tree planting, which neutralises
the remaining carbon impact.
The building’s impact was measured by taking
into account consumption of gas, coal, electricity,
oil and other factors such as whether it had
double glazing, uses energy-efficient lightbulbs
and what level of insulation it has.
Car sharing is a World Environment Day pledge
and many people now share on the journey to
and from work. Special car-sharing spaces
close to the building’s entrance have been
reserved to encourage people to make and stick
to the pledge and the site also has video
conferencing facilities so that people don’t
always have to travel to meetings.
Energy is also saved by staff turning off
equipment over-night and by having special
smart lighting, which only comes on in toilets
and corridors when people move around.
Julie Teall, manager at the Environment Agency
who leads on the CarbonNeutral Newcastle and
World Environment Day projects said: "We’ve
been supportive of the CarbonNeutral Newcaslte
project since it started and are delighted
that some of its aims and mirrored in the
World Environment Day pledges.
"It’s been relatively easy to make the
pledges and get carbon neutral status again
this year, in time for World Environment Day.
Small, simple steps when added together really
can make a difference."
Charles Henderson, campaign manager for CarbonNeutral
Newcastle, said: "Its encouraging to
see how easy it is to help the planet and
save money by making a pledge, and very satisfying
to see how many people can be influenced by
passing on the pledge message.
"We are delighted that the Environment
Agency is also showing leadership by reducing
its own climate change impact as much as possible
by going CarbonNeutral for the again."
World Environment Day is a United Nations
day, promoted in England and Wales by the
Environment Agency. People and businesses
are urged to make one or more pledges that
will decrease their impact on the environment.
So far, people in Newcastle have saved 45,670
litres of water and 1,767 kilograms of carbon
dioxide. The city currently lies 13th in the
country for pledging, the best record of any
city in the North East.
To pledge or get more information on the
campaign go to www.environment-agency.gov.uk/wed
The Environment Agency is the leading organisation
for protecting and improving the environment
in England and Wales. It is responsible for
making sure that air, land and water are looked
after by today’s society, so that tomorrow’s
generations inherit a cleaner, healthier world.
