Council Signs Up To Reducing ‘Carbon Footprint’

OXFORDSHIRE County Council has signed up to an agreement to reduce its ?carbon footprint? in order, it says, to set a green example to other organisations across the county.

The council will be working in partnership with the Carbon Trust to work on the authority’s Carbon Management programme to reduce the amount of environmentally damaging carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions – the main gas responsible for climate change.

The council?s carbon footprint will be measured over the coming year, calculating CO2 emissions from council buildings, including schools, staff travel and council activities.

The council says that it has already taken steps to reduce its carbon footprint, for example through introducing gully cleaning vehicles that run on bio fuel and by working with pupils to address their school?s energy use.

The Council?s Cabinet recently agreed what it called its Future First Action Plan, which set targets to reduce CO2 emissions by:

? Reducing energy use from council buildings by 10% from 2004/5 levels by 2009/10
? Producing 3% of the energy needs of the council on-site with renewable energy (solar, wind power etc) by 2010
? Making sure renewable energy makes up 95% of the council?s consumption by 2010
? Developing a long-term strategy for reducing CO2 emissions from council buildings, staff travel and council activities by the end of 2006/7.

The Council?s Environment Manager, Nita Robertson, said: ?The Council is fundamentally committed to being an environmental example. We cannot preach to people with fine words unless we are working hard ourselves to reduce our environmental impact.
?We are already doing many things. However we need to do much, much more. We have set ourselves tough targets and will work hard to reach them. Working in an environmentally sound way is not a choice it is a necessity. We will embrace this work with enthusiasm.?