Environmental Management

Scottish Government awarded Carbon Trust Triple Standard

July 7, 2015 by Sarah Buchanan No Comments | Category Carbon Trust Standard

The Environmental Management Team are pleased to announce that the Scottish Government has been awarded the Carbon Trust’s Triple Standard. We are the first government in the UK to achieve this independent certification, which is a recognition of all our hard work in terms of reducing carbon, water and waste.

We join other organisations including M&S, Nationwide and Whitbread as Triple Standard Bearers, which is a fantastic achievement. The Carbon Trust Standard is a way for organisations to measure, manage and reduce their environmental impact. The certification process also helps improve resource management by identifying inefficiencies in resource use and advising organisations on how to reduce waste and costs alongside improving management processes.

Achieving the Carbon Trust Triple Standard is the result of years of hard work. Over the past four years, more than £3 million has been invested in energy efficiency projects. These include LED lighting upgrades, improvements to building management systems and voltage optimisation at all main sites, along with specific projects such as boiler replacements at Saughton House and St Andrew’s House. We’ve worked with our suppliers Mitie and Sodexo to make these projects happen.

Our work has been praised by Aileen McLeod, Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform who said: “It is great to see the progress we have made recognised through this award which is a credit to colleagues at every level of government who can be proud that we are now the first government in the UK to receive this prestigious triple standard.”

Chief Executive of the Carbon Trust Tom Delay was also pleased with our efforts, particularly in light of Scotland’s ambitious environmental sustainability targets. He said: “We are delighted to award triple certification to the Carbon Trust Standard to the Scottish Government, recognising the real and ongoing reductions that are being made in carbon emissions, water use, and waste across its own estate. This achievement is contributing towards meeting Scotland’s sustainability ambitions and setting an example to other organisations towards the country.”

Solar panels at Saughton House

However, we still have work to do across our whole estate in order to meet our Carbon Management Plan target of a 30% reduction on our 2009/10 CO2 levels by 2020. On the agenda for this year are further LED lighting upgrades at Atlantic Quay, solar panels at Longman House in Inverness and a biomass boiler at Thainstone Court in Inverurie.

We can all make small changes to contribute towards ongoing reduction. Simple things such as switching off unused lights and electrical items and remembering to put your waste in the correct recycling bin can make a big difference. In the office, why not try using videoconferencing instead of travelling to meetings and make sure you report any leaks or dripping taps.

Tags: #award, #carbontrust, #environment, #scottishgovernment, #triplestandard

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