Monitor and measure our environmental performance and activities, particularly in the areas of energy, resource consumption and waste.

Transcription

1 Friends House Our Values on the Environment The Religious Society of Friends in Britain has made a strong corporate commitment to become a lowcarbon sustainable community. At Friends House we seek to reflect this commitment by taking action to reduce our carbon emissions, cut our waste, and procure goods and services in an ethically and environmentally responsible way. The total absolute carbon footprint for Friends House was 12% lower in 2013 compared with 2009 (but with a correction for the difference in weather and water heating change from gas to electricity there was a 19% decrease from 2009 to 2013) Our Commitments: We will: Use water and energy efficiently and where possible, reduce use. Set targets for continual environmental improvement and prevention of pollution. Monitor and measure our environmental performance and activities, particularly in the areas of energy, resource consumption and waste. Report on our progress and regularly review the effectiveness of our policies and initiatives. Take into account the lifetime costs of materials when repairing, altering and rebuilding works are undertaken and ensure that major works are based on principles of sustainability Help educate our staff and share our experiences with other Meeting Houses to help them with their own green initiatives. Work only with suppliers who demonstrate that they share our values. Work with these suppliers and contractors to improve their environmental performance. Only off-set our carbon emissions where we have done our best to reduce them first. Commit to a zero waste to landfill policy Promote use of public transport, walking and cycling 1

2 Our Approach: We have adopted a hierarchical approach to increasing the energy efficiency of the building: Initially by improving the efficiency of the building fabric, then the building services, before introducing renewable energy systems. We have also taken action to encourage staff and visitors to the building to change their behaviour in order to create a greener working/ meeting environment. We have been working with Carbon Smart to capture our carbon footprint. In the autumn of 2013 Carbon Smart calculated and compared the building carbon footprints from 2009 and 2012, to assess what difference the efficiency improvements had made. Following on from this calculation, Carbon Smart were asked to produce a 2013 carbon footprint with an extended reporting remit and an environmental assessment strategy for the years Originally revolving entirely around energy and water data, Carbon Smart extended the 2013 Friends House reporting to include the carbon emissions from waste, paper and business travel. We are actively taking on board the environmental management strategy created by Carbon Smart and will be using this to improve our environmental performance further in the next three years. 2

3 Achievements over the past three years: We are proud of the significant progress that has been made over the past three years. Energy Consumption Insulation: Lighting: Ventilation: Hot water Use of electrical equipment Heating Improve the thermal performance of the building fabric - insulate the entire building as part of an on-going programme of improvement Replace all T8 bulbs with T5 bulbs Turn off lights when not needed Ventilate the building through natural methods as far as possible Heat water by renewable energy use Switch off when not in use Introduce radiator controls in corridors, offices and meeting rooms Wall and ceiling insulation as well as full secondary glazing were added to the newly refurbished offices and meeting rooms on the second and third floor of Friends House. The Friends House restaurant has also been fully insulated. Insulation added to Large Meeting House A more energy efficient lighting system has been installed on the Second and Third Floors of the building and in the Quaker Centre and ground floor restaurant. Light sensors have been installed in the toilets on the ground, second and third floors. Staff encouraged to turn off lights when not needed More efficient lighting installed in corridors around Large Meeting House and in LMH itself A natural ventilation system has been installed in the offices, improving the working environments on the second and third floors and consuming less energy. An energy efficient system has been installed in the meeting rooms. The hot water for the third and second floor toilets, shower, sinks on the east side of the building is provided via solar thermal means. An immersion heater provides top-up and back-up. Staff encouraged to switch off lights and computers Radiator controls in offices 3

4 Recycling/ waste reduction and use of sustainable materials/ suppliers Fixtures and fittings Use recycled or sustainably sourced materials where possible. (FSC) approved Fixtures and fittings throughout the new offices and lettings rooms have been carefully chosen for their green credentials. Most of the fabrics used (to re-cover chairs, desk dividers etc.) are made from recycled plastic waste. New desks, storage units and under desk pedestals have been sourced as best quality second hand; our previous furniture was exchanged as part payment. Other pieces of furniture not suitable for resale were given to organisations we work with. EcoSure paint was used; doorframes were made out of yellow poplar (a light, strong and renewable hardwood), and other fixed furniture built out of eco-ply. Reusing wooden panelling, flooring etc in Large Meeting House refurbishment Food waste Send for composting all food waste All restaurant and Quaker Centre café food waste is sent for composting. There are composting bins in the staff room and in kitchen areas by offices Batteries All batteries recycled There is a battery recycling bin at reception for use by staff and visitors Toners Recycle toner cartridges All our toner cartridges are recycled Stationery Encourage the re-use of stationery where practicable rather than disposing of it or always using new Use stationery made from recycled material where possible We have held staff stationery amnesties We have central control over the ordering of all new stationery in order to reduce waste We have replaced our stationery supplies with recycled versions including nonbleached 100% recycled paper, pads, and recycled pens. Bins Food suppliers Individual desk bins replaced with central recycling stations. Use locally made goods and locally sourced At Friends House we have adopted a zero landfill policy. In 2011, Friends House recycled 50940kg, saving the equivalent of 169 trees and 50,550kg of CO2. We monitor and review paper use annually and use recycled paper wherever we can The café and restaurant use local suppliers whenever possible. (See Our Values on 4

5 services wherever we can, and buy products manufactured in a sustainable way Food) Water dispensers Remove all plastic cups Currently using recyclable plastic cups at water dispensers aim to replace these with reusable cups Water bottles for lettings customers Paper towels Cleaning Products Fair trade products Replace bottled filtered water Replace our paper towels in the bathrooms Change to environmentally friendly and recycled products where possible. Use/ sell fair trade products where possible We have stopped purchasing bottled water. We now bottle and filter our own water and use re-usable bottles (recycled glass). We have water dispensers and glasses available in the restaurant Replaced with new eco-friendly drying units Ecover and Be-Kind hand soap used Use of microfiber clothes increased The café and restaurant both stock a wide range of fairtrade goods. (see Our Values on Food) Water: Reduce water consumption Reduce consumption by 5% Collect brown water for use in gardens Introduced automatic tap sensors in the new toilets on the second and third floors Automatic sensor flushing in urinals Water consumption has dropped by 18% per m2 and 11% overall far exceeding our target. Communication and staff engagement Staff green group Cycling to work All departments represented and working together to meet environmental targets Encourage more staff to cycle We have established a staff sustainability group that organises green activities such as Switch-it-off campaigns, as well as providing recommendations to Management Meeting about how we can change our behaviour (for example through travel and procurement policies). Cycling to work is encouraged through provision of the Cycle2work salary sacrifice scheme, secure bike parking and shower 5

6 facilities for staff Intranet Engage all staff We use the intranet to engage all staff/ update them on green campaigns Conferencing/ video Encourage all staff to use Skype facilities available for use by all staff conferencing video conferencing/ skype when possible Communication with other Meeting Houses Sustainability toolkit A toolkit has been developed for use by all other meeting houses Communication with Host sustainability events An event on designing green conferences other conference venues Travel Reduce travel to meetings etc Future Targets/Actions: 2014/15 was held in 2011 We have reduced their carbon emissions of staff travel by 34% since 2009 and 14% since But delegates are travelling 9% more Under the Climate Change Act 2008, the UK is committed to a legally binding target of reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80% from 1990 levels by 2050; this translates into a 34% reduction by 2020 or a 3.3% reduction per year. Here at Friends House we will set our targets at a similar level of ambition to make a meaningful contribution. We will seek to reduce carbon emissions from energy use by 4% year on year from ; this to be calculated on an absolute and per delegate basis. Priority of each environmental impact for operational areas: We will: Constantly strive to improve the building's environmental management. Create better monitoring structures and share results with staff, Friends and visitors (include in Annual Report). We will seek to improve data collection by adopting a centralised tool for capturing all of this information on a regular basis. 6

7 Ensure that actual meter readings are done every month for electricity, gas and water. Capture travel data including modes of transport, and departure and arrival cities or distance travelled in each individual trip. Reduce the impact of transport to and from Friends House, both staff and visitors, though travel planning tools and engagement Continue to build on the targets set out in the tables above: Reduce water consumption by a further 5% from 2013 levels of 6,416m 3 Improve the rate of waste going to recycling bins from 71% to 80% and the proportion of this waste that is recyclable from 49% to 65% 4. Reduction of plate waste to 10 % from current 44 % Improve our education and communication: Engaging staff and customers in the effort to reduce our environmental impact and communicate our values; highlighting good practice and guiding Quakers to help them achieve better environmental management practices Review relevant BREEAM Bespoke requirements for Very Good and Excellent ratings, and use these as a guide for material selection and planning when undertaking building refurbishment. (we will not perform a formal BREEAM assessment) Improve the sustainability of our catering and dining provision to reflect Sustainable Restaurant Association, Soil Association and WRAP best practice. Continue to circulate Ethical Procurement Guidelines Work alongside/ in collaboration with Camden Climate Change Alliance. Help conferencing customers to be greener provide a conference toolkit 7