EMAS

Crawley Borough Council is committed to environmental improvements and has put in place an environmental management system, covering all directorates, to identify our environmental impacts and set targets for improvement.

Our achievements have recently been awarded the international standard ISO 14001 and also the European award EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme). These are significant achievements, indeed only 15 UK councils have received EMAS.

There are many benefits to having EMAS:

• Our many impacts on the environment are identified and reduced.
• Laws and regulations are identified and complied with.
• Substantial financial savings, through materials, waste, energy and water reductions. Avoiding the costs of fines, clean-ups or time wasted is also extremely beneficial.
• It is a powerful marketing tool. People often ask what is the council doing to protect the environment? EMAS is proof of our commitment.

The activities that we have concentrated on recently include:

• Energy and water consumption
• Waste management and minimisation
• Transport and car mileage
• Pollution prevention by correct materials handling and storage
• Procurement of goods and services

Environmental Policy

Our Environmental Policy shows the main issues that we cover. Look in Related Documents.

How have we done?

The EMAS Statement has recently been published, showing activities and achievements for the year 2010-11, such as:

• Achieving our 10:10 target with a 10.9 per cent reduction in our direct carbon footprint, or an estimated £50,000 saving in the council’s total energy bill. Crawley’s carbon footprint is now 15 per cent lower than it was in 2005.
• Reducing water use at the Town Hall by 31.9 per cent thanks to a newly installed and much more efficient heating and cooling system.
• Giving four council houses a Retro Fit for the Future makeover, reducing their carbon emissions by up to 80 per cent.
• Opening a new BREEAM excellent eco-standard community centre in Bewbush.
• Reducing the amount of household waste sent to landfill every year for the last seven years. There are now 104 tonnes less of household waste sent to landfill than in 2004.

Take Action

We can all do our bit for the environment, whether you’re at home or at work, the council can help you.

Green Business Programme

Businesses can receive a free audit and advice through the Green Business Programme . While everyone can benefit from the top tips in the Green Guide to Crawley .