Bristol pledges action as Green Capital

Release Date:  27-Feb-2007

Organisations across Bristol will pledge action as the city launches its bid to be recognised as the leading 'green' city in the country. The launch of the Pledge on Friday March 2 will be the first in a series of events.

Council Leader and Chair of the Bristol Partnership, Barbara Janke said: “Climate change is not just a global issue. Potential changes in sea levels and temperature make this a local concern too. Therefore, this event is more than just rhetoric. It is about facilitating and encouraging action. The Pledge will build upon Bristol's reputation as a city that is already making a significant contribution towards a more sustainable future for all.”

The event is organised by the Bristol Partnership and sponsored by the Environment Agency and Bristol City Council.

The keynote address will be made by Peter Madden, Chief Executive of Forum for the Future. Organisations attending from across the city will be inspired by speakers and case studies of local organisations already setting a green example. They will then be asked to sign a pledge to make Bristol a low-carbon city.

The Pledge will commit organisations to developing an action plan, report their progress publicly and work with others to make a real difference. This may be achieved by organisations through a variety of means including how they:

Do business
Travel around the city
Build and renovate homes and buildings
Source food

A number of initiatives being pursued by the city council and its partners are already delivering environmental benefits and underline the city's commitments to the environment. These include:

++proposals for wind turbines to power council buildings and facilities. Subject to public consultation, the council hopes to site two large free-standing turbines at Avonmouth to harness enough wind to generate 20-30% of the council’s electricity needs. Small roof mounted turbines are also planned for four council buildings.
++the installation of solar panels on council buildings, with the first now in place at the Easton Customer Service Point. Combined with other energy saving devices this first project will help save 44 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
++the council's exemplary communication strategy - the Display Campaign which encourages staff and the public to reduce their energy use. Latest calculations show that the energy usage in The Council House on College Green for 2005/06 has improved by one category, going up from 'D' to 'C'. This is equivalent to saving the annual consumption of nearly 35 family homes over one year.
++34,000 street lighting lanterns, powered by 100% renewable energy to achieve a 15% reduction in its CO2 emissions by Spring 2008 - three years earlier than originally targeted.
++the new waste collection services which now mean that the city regularly recycles up to 40% of its waste thanks to the collection of organic waste, putting it ahead of other major cities.
++ energy efficiency measures which are to be incorporated into new school buildings at Monks Park, Fairfield, Henbury and Bedminster Down.
++ one of the best track records in the UK - for encouraging the use of so-called 'brownfield' sites.

Cllr Janke concluded: “Central to the Pledge is the idea that by reducing carbon emissions we can reduce the load on the environment and this will impact upon many aspects of life. This is just the start of a long-term project that will unite organisations in Bristol to take action to protect our environment and improve the quality of life for people in Bristol now and in the future.”

A series of events are planned from Spring onwards and will be announced soon.

To find out more about Bristol - A Green Capital please log on at www.bristol.gov.uk/greencapital or telephone 0117 922 2169.

Additional information:

1.The Bristol Partnership is a strategic body that brings together key public agencies, businesses and the independent sector. For more information about the Bristol Partnership and its work to deliver the 20 year vision for Bristol visit www.bristolpartnership.org

2. The Community Strategy has set a target to cut CO2 emissions in Bristol by 60% by 2050.

3. The city council has set itself a target of reducing emissions by 10% between 2003/04 and 2010 under its Best Value Performance Plan.

4. Bristol is also becoming a capital for green business. The focus for the editorial of the 2007 edition of the Bristol Business Directory is environmental technologies. It includes case studies of local businesses working in this area, where significant growth is expected over the next few years. To find out more, or to request a copy of the Business Directory, contact Business Match on 0117 922 2924 or go to www.businessmatch.org.uk

For further information from Bristol City Council, please contact Corporate Communications tel. 0117 922 2650.

Author:  Louise Hudson - 0117 922 3463 

For all media enquiries relating to this press release, please contact Corporate Communications on 0117 922 2650.

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