Environmental performance (EMAS)

Introduction

We are committed to improving the local environment and helping to protect it for the future. We recognise that our wide range of activities and services have positive and negative impacts upon the environment, and that we have a leading role to play in creating a sustainable city.

To achieve this goal an Environmental Policy is in place. We have also implemented EMAS (Eco Management and Audit Scheme), an independently verified environmental management system across nearly all services to ensure that we identify all our environmental impacts, comply with environmental legislation and continually improve our environmental performance.

By implementing EMAS we aim to:

• Reduce our energy use
• Reduce our water use
• Reduce our transport impacts
• Reduce the impact of waste from households and our activities
• Enhance and protect wildlife
• Prevent pollution from hazardous materials
• Minimise the impacts of the goods and services we buy
• Deliver our environmental duties
• Communicate with staff, the public and others

We report our environmental performance annually to the public. The Environmental Statement for 2007/8 is now available online.

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