IOW Council puts best foot forward in Carbon Footprint

Jun 29th, 2006 | By Amanda Johnson | Isle of Wight News From The Island Pulse

The Isle of Wight Council has joined the national Local Authority Carbon Management Programme with a view to saving money for council tax payers, while helping to save the environment. Joining the scheme will require the council to carry out an audit of how it produces carbon, and looking at ways of reducing the councilâ€™s carbon footprint.

The survey will look at all forms of carbon emissions which the council is responsible for, such as fuel in its vehicle fleet and how it uses gas and electricity. The scheme will give the council access to experts who will look at the data from the survey and advise on how to reduce the amount of energy consumed and the carbon emissions. Reducing the use of energy will not only help protect the environment â€“ it will also save money.

It is hoped that once the programme is established within the council, the authority will become a lead in helping other Island organisations to become more carbon-efficient.

Councillor Jilly Wood, the Cabinet Lead for Resources, Auditing and Council Efficiency said:

â€œI believe that there is a great deal that the council could do to reduce the amount of energy we consume and the consequent carbon that puts into the environment. As the price of energy and fuel increases, we have a responsibility to address this, not only for the environment, but to meet our objective of being a cost-effective council.

Some things are very simple: for example swapping the motors on swimming pool pumps at council leisure facilities for energy-efficient variable control pumps will pay for itself within a few months and thereafter save fuel and money. If the council can show that reducing the carbon footprint makes sense not only for the environment, but also good business sense, we can become an example to other Island organisations.â€

Raising Standards, Creating Opportunities

The 35 local authorities across the UK taking part in phase four of the Carbon Trustâ€™s innovative Local Authority Carbon Management programme. are set to save over Â£8 million per year on their collective energy bill.

The Carbon Trustâ€™s Local Authority Carbon Management programme is designed specifically for local government, providing councils with support and guidance to cut their carbon emissions and reduce energy costs.

IOW Council