Catherine
Burbage - 2-Jun-2008 - The management team
of the Anglian Region of the Environment
Agency will be getting on their electric
bikes on Wednesday in their bid to become
zero carbon heroes. Quite a challenge in
a region which stretches from the Humber
Estuary to the Thames Estuary!
Harvey Bradshaw, Anglian
Regional Director said, ‘World Environment
Day gives us a great opportunity to challenge
ourselves to change our routine to help
limit our contribution to climate change.
Reducing our business mileage to zero, even
for a week, is going to be a really tough
challenge, but it will make us look at different
ways to manage our region without travelling
so much.’
The managers will be
trying to use video and telephone conferencing
even more than they do already and if they
must travel around, use trains, buses, bicycles
and walk! On Wednesday, they’ll be trying
out electric bikes to see if they are a
good alternative to driving short distances.
The challenge is just
one of a number of activities Environment
Agency staff will be taking part in this
week, leading up to World Environment Day
on Thursday 5 June. People in the Peterborough
office will be working out their personal
and their team’s carbon footprint, trying
to change the way they travel to work, including
car-sharing, and looking at changes we can
all make to stand-up to climate change.
The Spartabikes, which
can travel 30 miles between charges, are
being supplied by Suffolk based Light Electric
Vehicles Limited (LEV), a company that provides
eco-transport solutions for public and private
organizations. LEV’s clients include British
Telecom Plc, Scottish and Southern Energy
Plc, Adnams Plc, Yo!Company, Suffolk County
Council and Sheffield City Council. LEV
also provides training and on-site servicing.
+ More
Environment Agency lifts
enforcement notice on Crown Pet Foods
Paul Gainey - 4-Jun-2008
- The Environment Agency has been working
for several months with Crown Pet Foods
factory in Castle Cary, in Somerset, to
try and alleviate the odour problem from
its production activities.
In February, the Agency
issued an enforcement notice on the pet
food company to ensure urgent action was
taken as there was evidence that it odour
control equipment was not working properly
.
Today, the Environment
Agency decided to withdraw the enforcement
notice because the company had taken steps
to train staff in using the odour abatement
equipment and it is now operating in accordance
with the manufacturer’s specification.
However, it will continue
to work closely with the company to ensure
a resolution is found to the ongoing odour
problem.
The Environment Agency
also requested Crown Pet Foods to take urgent,
short term measures to minimise the odours
while plans were drawn up to install a new
odour abatement system at the plant.
‘We have decided Crown
Pet Foods is compliant with the condition
of its permit specifically relating to operation
and maintenance of the odour control equipment
and therefore have withdrawn the notice,’
said Brian Payne for the Environment Agency.
‘Although the notice
did not resolve the main odour problem it
did mean we had new information to show
us that better odour control equipment was
needed and we will now work closely with
the company to ensure it is installed.’
Brian Payne said if
at any time in the future a second enforcement
notice is needed, it would be served on
the company but hoped that the new odour
control equipment will mean that this is
not required.
‘The Environment Agency
is treating the installation of the new
equipment on time as a priority and will
continue to monitor the situation in Castle
Cary, Ansford and surrounding areas,’ added
Brian Payne.
