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Setting the standard

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he Green Book is the world's only international work of reference on environmental best practice. It is published by The Green Organisation in tribute to the environmental endeavours and generosity of our Green World Ambassadors.

These are the companies, councils and communities who have won Green Apple Awards for their environmental efforts, and who have taken their commitment to the next level by helping others to help the environment.

They are assisting us in publishing their award-winning papers in The Green Book, and we distribute this valuable educational and informative guide free of charge to environment professionals all over the world.

By helping others to follow their

environmental lead and learn from their experiences and successes, they fully deserve the title of Green World Ambassadors.

Not only do they allow us to publish their case histories, but they welcome any followup inquiries. Each Green World Ambassador has a contact name and number shown in the Index, and any of them will do all they can to help others help the environment.

The Green Organisation The Mill House, Mill Lane, Earls Barton, Northamptonshire NN6 0NR Tel and fax: 01604 810507 www.thegreenorganisation.info

EDITOR'S NOTE: In the interests of accuracy, these Green Apple Award-winning papers are published here in their original form – basically as provided by the entrants.

As many of the papers are of a technical or specialist nature, it was decided that the experience and expert knowledge of the contenders should not be compromised by the grammatical priorities and consistency of style that usually dominate the editing process.

Our priority is to communicate the aims, methods and achievements of our winners as they wish them to be presented. To this end, the contents have been only lightly edited and we ask for your tolerance of any grammatical shortcomings that might result.

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ADAM DUDLEY ARCHITECTS THE PLEASANCE UPGRADE Page 36 Dispelling the myth that historical buildings are “hard to treat�, in terms of improving their thermal efficiency, was the main aim here. While residents were still occupying the five listed buildings, work was carried out to sustainably improve them all at a below perceived cost, with minimal disruption and almost zero waste to landfill.

NHUQ@adamdudleyarchitects.com 0131 557 4595

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ARDOCH MANAGEMENT COMPANY LTD ARDOCH Page 39 Ardoch provides a high quality venue for groups of all ages pursuing a wide range of activities. The property incorporates solar panels, a biomass boiler, grey water collection and the water supply is from their own borehole. More than 1,000 trees have been planted; the lochan has been stocked with brown trout; field quality and habitat have been improved; and traditional skills were used to repair dry stone walls. peter.armitage@ardoch-scotland.com 01389 710401

ASDA STORES LTD ASDA & FARESHARE: FIGHTING FOOD POVERTY WITH SURPLUS FOOD Page 42 The UK has 3.5 million adults and 500,000 children who cannot afford to eat properly. To help alleviate this problem, Asda has teamed up with Fareshare to distribute excess food stock to 90 charities across the UK. This stock is in date, perfectly edible and accounts for approximately 35,000 cases of food going to charity each week.

Richard.Mason0@asda.co.uk 07779 700932

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BALFOUR BEATTY LIVING PLACES CHECK (HABITAT & ECOLOGY COMPLIANCE APPLICATION) Page 45 cHECK stands for the Habitat and Ecological Compliance PC and tablet application, which allows a faster and simpler check for potential habitat and species disturbance concerns on construction sites.

Since there are now many legal implications for environmental protection, Balfour Beatty thought it sensible to design an app that uses GPS and map overlays to identify potential troublespots. jonathan.holman@bblivingplaces.com 07837 319015

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BDK ARCHITECTS THE CUBE Page 48 Adopting “minimal intervention", a modern, high tech glazed extension was designed for this project. Using a minimal steel structure, the extension is not just contrasting but also complementing this Regency home and with its glazed walls, the original structure and form are still both visible and appreciated. paul.harding@bdkarchitects.com 01534 768740

BIOLOGIC OPTIMISED SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS Page 51 The aim of the A1 ratings project was to convert pre2000 built homes with upgrades of solar-thermal PV and assure that energy performance was at a maximum while the costs were at a minimum. douglas@biologic.ie 00353 879678372

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BRISTOL WATER PLC TROUT & ABOUT Page 54 Trout and About is an innovative project which enables inner-city schoolchildren to connect with the wider environment by providing the schools with equipment to raise trout from eggs. This is followed by a release of the fish to Chew Valley Lake, one of the principal sources of drinking water for Bristol. The ÂŁ22,500 project involved five schools in 2013 and will extend to more over the coming years. sophie.edwards@bristolwater.co.uk 0117 9536441

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BURLAND TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS LTD BPS3 ENERGY SAVING DEVICE FOR TRADING FLOORS Page 57 Burland Technology has developed a safe and effective product to reduce energy consumption and heat generation by IT equipment on trading floors and multiple screen environments. Working largely on computer monitors, the device cuts power to the machines, during times of no-use and has saved Santander alone over ÂŁ1.5million in energy bills. rvass@burland.com 01473 858214

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BURNT TREE VEHICLE RENTAL REVIVE BODYSHOP PARTS & VOC REDUCTIONS Page 59 Burnt Tree's environmental energies have been spent in the body shop – reducing waste, including steel and plastic, and reducing the VOCs emitted to air. A policy of repairing instead of replacing body panels resulted in 95% being recycled. Total waste has been reduced by 32% and VOCs are down by more than 37%. deborah.greenall@burnt-tree.co.uk 0845 1367070

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CANTILLON LTD 29-37 DAVIES STREET Page 61 When Cantillon were given the task of demolishing some Mayfair properties in close proximity to other buildings, people and roads, the project presented several unique problems. The biggest concern was noise and its effects, so Cantillon embarked on extensive 3D noise modelling for the area and used acoustic sheeting to absorb the sounds. Other measures included using a bio-degradable bitumen remover based on oranges! john.rimmer@cantillon.co.uk 01923 2552556

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CARLSBERG UK ENGAGED WITH SOCIETY Page 64 Sustainable growth is the mantra at Carlsberg. But they don't want to grow alone and they have taken an innovative approach to engage with their communities by publishing a booklet entitled “Engaged with society’. This gives the reader an open and transparent insight into what Carlsberg are doing for the environment – and the rest of their CSR programme. It is also enabling many others to do their bit for the environment. matt.winterburn@carlsberg.co.uk 07881 840566

CLYDE SHOPPING CENTRE NEXT STEPS Page 67 Further environmental improvements to Clyde Shopping Centre were always on the cards and continuing their success of 2012, the centre management team are reviewing all operational aspects and working on ways of improvement, like the new waste management system of a compactor, two bailers and an onsite wood chipper. andrew.forrester@clydeshoppingcentre.co.uk 0141 9524594

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CWMBRAN SHOPPING CENTRE CWMBRAN SHOPPING ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES Page 70 In continuing efforts to reduce the environmental impact of the 52-acre site, the centre has appointed a member of staff devoted to environmental best practice. This position is a resource for the whole centre, catering not only for the requirements of the business, but also for incessantly reviewing procedures, usages and intended developments. A long list of schemes has resulted in cost savings of over ÂŁ30,000.

Martyn.Haftowski@cbre.com 01633 872121

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DAVE CLARKE & SON LTD OWN RENEWABLE WORKING SHOWROOM Page 73 Delivering simple plumbing examples all the way to complex heating systems, a renewable showroom was opened in 2012, with wood burners, air source heat pumps, ground source and solar appliances.

Using a 1928 built church, this was a challenge, due to the sympathetic nature of the building. annie_clarke@hotmail.co.uk 01455 618187

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DAWN MEATS SUSTAINABILITY & ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAMME Page 75 The project goal was to lower fossil fuel use by 80% in a major meat processing plant. The project involved using, for the first time, superconducting heat recovery technology to recover hot water and pipe it back to another facility where the water is needed. This ambitious plan has already started saving ÂŁ250,000 per year and has exceeded its 80% target. charlie.coakley@dawnmeats.com 00353 879484459

DUTCO BALFOUR BEATTY DBB PLANT & TRANSPORT WASH BAY Page 78 The company was using 2,500 gallons of water a day to clean contaminated plant and equipment. They now use only 14,000 gallons a month as the water is continuously recycled and reused. Water table contamination is eliminated; overall water costs have reduced by ÂŁ136,000 a year; and the technology is being shared by others. The much-used water is eventually put to other uses, such as watering the gardens and sports pitches, and adding to the environmental sustainability of the whole site. stevenvdvyver@dbb.ae 00971 48028170

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EAST BELFAST MISSION THE SKAINOS PROJECT Page 81 This is an urban regeneration development in inner East Belfast. Skainos provides shared space for community transformation and renewal and growing out of the work of the East Belfast Mission (EBM), it brings together a range of strategic partnerships which will contribute to the regeneration of one of the most economically and socially deprived communities in Northern Ireland.

Trevor.Dornan@ebm.org.uk 07917 829086

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EAST KILBRIDE SHOPPING CENTRE OPERATION ZERO Page 83 Operation Zero does what it says on the tin and applies to waste management, energy, transport, purchasing and use of resources. Waste management efficiency has improved to achieve 55% recycling – and 1,061 tonnes of waste is now recycled. Reductions in energy have been achieved with sensor-activated lights in offices and toilets, and cutbacks in overnight lighting. The installation of LED bulbs saved more than 25%. brian.welsh@shopek.co.uk 01355 243291

EASY INNOVATIONS LTD HEDGEHOG GUTTER BRUSH Page 86 This innovative design is to help keep both gutters and drains clear of products such as birds, leaves, twigs and sticks to name a few, whilst still allowing rainwater to flow freely. This winning product will last for years and will reduce gutter maintenance costs, by up to 90%. sales@easyinnovations.co.uk 01227 712833

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EKSPAN LTD HIGH HEAD PIPELINE REFURBISHMENT Page 88 The task was to refurbish 228 pipeline-bearing plinths in a national park while taking an innovative and sustainable approach. This was completed without environmental damage; leak repairs minimised ecological risk; no disturbance to the SSSI; no water supply interruption; and a bare minimum of waste materials. michael@ekspan.co.uk 01142 611126

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EMCOR FACILITIES SERVICES REDUCTION OF WASTE TO LANDFILL Page 92 Emcor's ambition was to reduce waste going to landfill by 60% across its entire shopping centre portfolio. Setting up a comprehensive reporting system and persuading staff and tenants to buy into the project enabled them to meet their target and recycle over 70% of waste – as well as saving £45,000 in costs. jim.creavin@emcoruk.com 07917 393963

EMPLOYER SERVICES LTD ADVOCATING GREEN AWARENESS INTERNALLY & EXTERNALLY TO OUR CLIENTS Page 94 By taking a pro-active and comprehensive look at their environmental impact, Employer Services have produced very impressive results. Through a mixture of initiatives, including car sharing schemes, electronic billing, route planning and working with suppliers, ESL have been able to reduce their landfill by 58%, reduce energy costs by 5% and stationery costs by 21%. kim.hutchings@employerservices.co.uk 01628 526304

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EMPTEEZY LTD A CUSTOMISED SOLUTION FOR EDINBURGH WAVERLEY Page 96 Empteezy make spill containment and pollution control products, and their expertise was called upon when a paint storage problem arose during the renewal of Edinburgh Waverley Station. Almost 72,000 litres of paint were needed, but there was only 2,000 litres of storage space. Empteezy created a unique solution that solved the problem, protected the environment from spills, and took original measures to prevent environmental damage.

AnnaMurray@empteezy.co.uk 0150 6430309

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ENVIRONMENT AGENCY KEEPING RIVERS COOL Page 98 Hot summers mean hot rivers – not ideal for native fish – so £1million is being spent in a joint project to protect their habitat for the next 60 to 70years. So far, 35,000 trees have been planted to provide shade; 15,000 metres of fencing for protection; and 33 hectares of improved riverside woodland habitat. daniel.fox@environment-agency.gov.uk 07717 355729

ENVIRONMENTAL CROP MANAGEMENT HELP THE HEDGEHOG Page 102 Hedgehog numbers have declined by over 25% in the past ten years and they could be extinct in the UK by 2050. The Help The Hedgehog project will promote hedgehog conservation by improving their habitat and releasing 200 hedgehogs each year onto safe farms that are participating in the scheme. peterclaire@dial.pipex.com 01565 777444

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ESP SOLUTIONS INTERNATIONAL LOW IMPACT PLASTICS Page 105 ESP Solutions has been at the cutting edge of developing Sustainable Plastics Packaging Materials.

They have a long and comprehensive knowledge in this market and their ESP303D technology successfully embraces Environment, Product and Production, and Economy values. With plastic bags now regarded by many as the environment's Public Enemy Number One, their research, development and investment leads the way in offering alternatives that greatly reduce or even eliminate negative environmental impact. gf@ecosustainableplastics.com 0046 733 950584

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EUROPA C/O L'OREAL UK LIMITED ENERGY SAVINGS Page 107 The target was to reduce their carbon footprint by 50% in three years, and a three-pronged attack was made on their lighting; improvements to the building management system; and more economic variation in staff operations. Success has been achieved on all fronts and particularly in the positive impact achieved by replacing the building's lighting control system. ahassan@uk.loreal.com 07545 777806

EXO PLASTICS LTD ONE STOP LOW CARBON BAG Page 109 This new carrier bag is made from a bio-renewable material which is able to replace many of the polymers used in the production of shopping bags, thus making it more environmentally friendly than oil based alternatives.

These bags are now being used in 600 Tesco One Stop shops across the UK. paulk@gtuk.co.uk 0845 0231001

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FCC CONSTRUCTION NI LTD NEW SOUTH WEST ACUTE HOSPITAL IN ENNISKILLEN, NORTHERN IRELAND Page 111 This is the first project to be built under a private/public partnership agreement (PFI) and this was the first hospital to be built in Northern Ireland in ten years. The hospital's design has been tested by "Atkins Intelligent Space Partnership" to ensure it provides an efficient and effective working environment. m@voxinthecity.com 0207 618 1000

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GREATER LONDON AUTHORITY RE:FIT Page 114 The UK government has recognised RE:FIT as the model for retrofitting buildings, not just in London but all the UK. Saving over 12,000 tonnes of C02 per year, to date, the project has already retrofitted 111 buildings in London, with energy savings of ÂŁ2.1 million.

Vicky.Kingston@london.gov.uk 0207 9834223

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HAMBLESIDE DANELAW LTD LOW CARBON STEPSAFE ROOFLIGHT Page 117 Ecodesign principles have been incorporated to produce a rooflight that uses 25% less glass, 60% less resin, and reduces its carbon footprint by 43%.

Other savings come from smaller quantities of raw materials being transported and processed, and lighter loads when the product is delivered to site. In situ, the thinner rooflight allows more natural light and the opportunity to reduce energy. ray.khan@hambleside-danelaw.co.uk 01667 462369

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JAMBATAN KEDUA SDN BHD CONSTRUCTION OF SECOND PENANG (MALAYSIA) BRIDGE Page 118 Penang has witnessed a huge increase in economic growth over the last 15 years and with the traffic flow of over 60,000 vehicles per day, a second Penang bridge (PB2X) was built. With the forcast increase of traffic flow over the next few years to approximately 80,000+ vehicles, this project expected to reduce flow by at least 20%, but keeping Penang a key logistic hub. norehan@jambatankedua.com.my 01697 40598

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KIER CONSTRUCTION MAJOR PROJECTS THE GREEN WALL PROJECT Page 122 The Green Wall Project was created from recycled and donated goods and with the help of Kier personnel, local business and organisation volunteers. Aesthetically pleasing to the eye, Kier are hoping that all Kier sites will have their own Green Wall in the near future. rachel.thompson@kier.co.uk 0207 2390290

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KIER CONSTRUCTION – NORTHERN RESUME OF PROJECTS Page 124 These include the repair and economical use of the water turbine in connection with the bus interchange project; the development of a user-friendly electronic waste transfer note; and using the Power Cube to save fuel, cost and emissions. bob.fairhurst@kier.co.uk 0788 4234374

KIER MINING CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT AT GREENBURN SURFACE MINE Page 127 The site has been worked since 2004, with an ongoing conservation management plan. This has included: tree planting to enhance new and old watercourses; barn owl boxes installed; successful relocation of bats and badgers; building artificial otter holts; restoring 90 hectares of mined land and improving its biodiversity; and the creation of a wetland feature attracting wading birds to the area.

Importance has also been attached to involving the local community and primary school.

Alanna.Malcolm@kier.co.uk 01290 810 129

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KOREA AIRPORTS COPORATION KAC-LED AIRFIELD LIGHTING SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT PROJECT Page 131 KAC's own Research & Development centre has developed 18 LED airfield lighting options for runways and taxiways. The aim is to reduce greenhouse gases, energy consumption and operating costs. Korea Airport has reduced emissions and energy consumption by 70% and now they are on a mission to spread the word to the other 7,300 airports in the world – using 12million airfield lights. Global savings can amount to 3,854,000 megawatt hours of energy, and 1,790,000 tonnes of CO2. merrysu@airport.co.kr 00822 26602988

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KSKA ASSOCIATES LTD ECO FRIENDLY DENTAL PRACTICE Page 134 Once reminiscent of Steptoe & Son’s stable block and cobbled yard, this eco friendly dental practice now stands. Using natural ventilation and lighting, along with underfloor heating and cooling this is an exemplar for renovated or new build small businesses across the globe. ros_elwes@btconnect.com 0208 7431983

KUMPULAN SENIREKA SDN BHD PLATINUM SENTRAL – THE DEVELOPMENT OF 5 BLOCKS CAMPUS STYLE OFFICE. Page 137 Upon an existing desolate concrete deck, over Kuala Lumpar's busiest railway interchange, a state-of-theart development has been built. It comprises five sustainable office blocks, retail shops, business centres, hospitality zones and a green oasis of pocket parks with water features. surf_the_riff@yahoo.com 006010 70041111

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LABUAN CORPORATION RESTORATION OF THE CHIMNEY Page 140 Maintaining the original structure, The Chimney, and enhancing and restoring the surrounding area were the aims here. Steeped in history, the Chimney stands 106 feet tall and is made from red brick and linked to the mining days of 1847 to 1911, very much used by the British for their commercial steamships. zunaidah.hamzah@pl.gov.my 0060 87408 699

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LAING O'ROURKE CONSTRUCTION NORTH LTD YSBYTY GLAN CLWYD REDEVELOPMENT – NORTH WALES Page 143 This project was split into two parts. First was a new build Mortuary, Pathology building and an Accident & Emergency building. Second was the refurbishment of the existing hospital, which was originally built in the 1970s and heavily insulated with asbestos. rewilliams@laingorourke.com 07828 824685

LARKFLEET GROUP STARTLINK TEST HOUSE Page 146 This is a project to demonstrate the viability of a new system of building that could revolutionise house construction. It is a lightweight, low carbon and quick-tobuild system that also mitigates against flood risk. It significantly reduces CO2 emissions in both the construction and use of the building. helen.jones@larkfleetgroup.co.uk 01778 391554

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LOTHIAN BUSES ENVIRONMENTAL FLEET IMPROVEMENTS Page 149 Fifteen diesel-electric hybrid double-deckers were introduced and they have reduced fuel consumption on their routes by 35%. That amounts to 600 tonnes of carbon saved, and another 30 single deck hybrids will increase that figure. Forty four vehicles were fitted with SCRT technology that has reduced nitrogen oxide emissions by 70%; particulate matter by 95%; and other pollutants – including hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide – by 99%.

Ninety five per cent of bus waste is recycled. sjohnson@lothian.buses.co.uk 0131 475 0141

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MANCHESTER ARNDALE SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT Page 152 Manchester Arndale is the UK's largest inner-city shopping centre and attracts over 41 million visitors each year. The Sustainability Project aimed to reduce CO2 emissions by encompassing many environmental initiatives, based on little or no budget. Together they yielded impressive results, including a 14% reduction in the v footprint.

David.Allinson@cbre.com 0161 833 9851

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MARMAX PRODUCTS LTD WELWYN ST. MARY'S PRIMARY SCHOOL NATURE RESERVE Page 154 All products in this project had to be durable, safe, practical and, above all, sustainable. Renovating an outdoor area of a school to provide an outdoor classroom and adjacent nature reserve were the aims here and its success has transformed the grounds, creating a stimulating outdoor learning space using 100% recycled products. jackier@marmaxproducts.co.uk 01207 283442

MARRIOTT HANBURY MANOR HOTEL BEST HOTEL & HOSPITALITY ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMME Page 157 Marriott's objective at Hanbury Manor is to research and implement ways for the site to maintain and improve its carbon footprint and demonstrate how sustainable hospitality management can be positive for the environment – and the bottom line. A 29% reduction in energy use, 21% less water and a 90% recycling rate are the results of the hard work done so far. jessica.carey@marriotthotels.com 01920 885011

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MELAKA HISTORIC CITY COUNCIL MELAKA RIVER REHABILITATION & BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT Page 160 Rehabilitating and revitalizing the water quality of the Melaka River and beautifying the area, has been a long and difficult project. Success has come with the river now being a clean and living river, with freshwater fish, giant water lizards and mudskippers flourishing, like 100 years ago. ongaylee@yahoo.com 00606 2859700

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NEWRY AND MOURNE DISTRICT COUNCIL SLIEVE GULLION FORREST ADVENTURE PARK Page 163 Designing a high quality sub-regional play area, to enhance and meet the needs of local community and visitors to the Newry & Mourne area and increasing the visitors by at least 2000 per year, were the aims of this project. With three months the aims had been exceeded with an average of 2,000 visitors per day. julie.casey@newryandmourne.gov.uk 02830 861949

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NMCNOMENCA Page 166 LEAMINGTON SPA PHASE 3 Leamington had a significant upgrade of its sewerage system after 74 properties were flooded.

NMCNOMENCA employed various methods to minimise the environmental impact, including soil modification that enabled them to vastly reduce landfill and lorry trips. They were able to reuse 75% of the material they dug out, mixing with cement and other materials to use as backfill. lorraine.gadsby@nmcnomenca.co.uk 07773 805107

NORTHUMBRIAN WATER LTD THE ABBERTON SCHEME Page 168 Forcasting a 6% rise in demand for clean, safe to drink water, in this arid Essex area, Northumbrian Water realised that this project would not only reduce the demand but would also enhance the reservoir from an ecological perspective through sensitive shoreline reprofiling and habitat creation. sarah.pinkerton@eswater.co.uk 01268 664010

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NORTHUMBRIAN WATER LTD HANNINGFIELD REED BED SYSTEM Page 171 Essex's largest water treatment works at Hanningfield produces up to 240 million litres of drinking water daily, supplying a large part of Essex and parts of East London. This ÂŁ3 million on-budget and on-time project has developed a reed bed system that allows Hanningfield to treat the three million litres of liquid sludge that is produced each day and would normally be pumped into storage lagoons. sarah.pinkerton@nwl.co.uk 01268 664010

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NWS SOLAR PV INSTALLATION WITH YORK CITY COUNCIL Page 174 Following the government’s reduction in feed-intariffs, the aim of this project was to provide free solar PV installations for housing authorities. The ability to provide green technologies into council homes sustainably and with minimal cost was achieved. hannah.shaw@nws.co.uk 01226 352758

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OLD SQUARE SHOPPING CENTRE WASTE DISPOSAL & RECYCLING SCHEME Page 177 The shopping centre has reduced the amount of waste going to landfill by 50% in a very successful scheme. The project involved using new technology and a re-education for tenants and staff in the way that waste is to be recycled. The end result has also reduced costs by over ÂŁ20,000. linda.brawn@cbrems.com 01922 625105

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PALLETSOCK LTD PALLETSOCK – ELIMINATION OF STRETCH WRAP Page 178 Even with today's level of environmental awareness, stretch-wrap used in pallet shipments accounts for 150,000 tons of plastic waste going to landfill each year. Palletsock has developed a re-usable and sustainable giant “sock” which can easily be used in place of the troublesome wrap, and could make a significant dent in the amount of waste going to landfill. sk@palletsock.com 0800 048 8707

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PETALING JAYA CITY COUNCIL (MBPJ) PROPERTY ASSESSMENT REBATE SCHEME (FOR ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLY HOUSE OWNERS ) Page 180 Petaling Jay City Council has a goal to reduce the city's carbon footprint by 40% by 2020. Through sustainable and collective efforts by the individual homeowners in the city, a change of behaviour is needed and the council are aiming to get each individual to adopt a greener lifestyle to ensure success by 2020. lee@mbpj.gov.my 00603 79563544

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QTS GROUP LTD THE QTS SUSTAINABLE ENERGY PROJECT Page 182 Reducing water usage, waste, carbon emissions and environmental pollution are commitments made by QTS. Using generation and energy saving measures, operator training, recycling schemes and the use of fuel efficient vehicles in the daily processes, QTS have exceeded their own targets and continue to grow these targets daily. greggmcewan@qtsgroup.com 01357 440222

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RAINWATER HARVESTING LTD THE RAIN DIRECTOR Page 186 With component parts designed for purpose, the Rainwater Director is a gravity fed rainwater management system, that is both energy efficient and economically can give you a 50% saving on water bills. The project was funded in-house by a dedicated team that has found a solution to a serious issue. jae@rainwaterharvesting.co.uk 01733 405111

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REGENT ARCADE SHOPPING CENTRE STRATEGY ON ENERGY & WASTE MANAGEMENT ISSUES Page 187 The Arcade is the premier shopping centre in Cheltenham and has just undergone a ÂŁ22 million refurbishment programme. Rainwater harvesting, solar panels, LED lighting and motion sensitive escalators have all been installed and have contributed towards a 34% reduction in water costs and a 34% drop in electricity. jf@regentarcade.co.uk 01242 521345

ROYAL BOON EDAM INTERNATIONAL BV IMPROVING THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF A REVOLVING DOOR Page 189 Using thermo-graphic imaging, smoke tests and ultrasonic tests, energy consumption and heat loss have been minimised in the use of revolving doors.

By fitting the Green Retrofit package, air permeability is also improved by 43%and 6500kWh of energy are saved annually. sbn@boonedam.com 0031 299 38 08 08

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ROYAL VICTORIA PLACE SHOPPING CENTRE READY STEADY GREEN Page 192 It was realised that the centre's 100 tenants were sending 600 tons of waste to landfill each year, with no segregation taking place. By setting a very ambitious zero waste target, and working with tenants, Ready Steady Green has seen the recycling rate rise to an average of 50%, and sometimes much higher, while at the same time reducing landfill costs by ÂŁ19,000. laurie.bartonwright@cbrems.com 01892 506620

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RUSSELL ROOF TILES RUSSELL ENVIROTILE Page 195 Along with excellent eco-credentials, the BREEAM compliant Russell Envirotile was developed over a four year period. With unrivalled technical performance, it offers an advanced alternative to traditional roofing materials. It is the first fully sustainable interlocking roof tile and is manufactured from recycled polypropylene (mainly from car components such as bumpers normally destined for landfill) and is also fully recyclable at the end of its life. kathryn@edenpr.co.uk 0115 9588850

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THE SANTON GROUP THE HIGHLAND CLUB Page 197 First built in 1729 by General Wade, on the southern banks of Loch Ness, this project was to revive the fortunes of this Gothic Grade A listed monastery. St Benedict's Abbey then became a school, then a Catholic boys’ boarding school and then in 1993, was closed and was left abandoned. The project was completed in March 2012. hkelsey@@thesantongroup.com 0203 4783900

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SCARLETT FIREPLACES SUSTAINABLE HEATING SYSTEMS Page 200 Scarlett's project was to set up a heating system to demonstrate the benefits and practicalities of using sustainable and environmentally friendly heating to lower carbon emissions and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Since starting the project, Scarlett have demonstrated the system to many businesses and are busy installing systems as we speak. nealwarren1@aol,com 01702 335054

SCOTASH LIMITED SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS FROM POWER STATION ASH Page 203 ScotAsh manufactures sustainable construction products from power station ash and was the first ash processor outside the USA to introduce electrostatic technology to separate carbon from the ash. Their process conserves tonnes of quarried aggregates by reusing power station ash waste that would otherwise go to landfill. chris.bennett@scottishpower.com 01259 730110

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SONGPA-GU OFFICE SONGPA WATER WAY PROJECT Page 207 Songpa was a dying city. Short term solutions to longterm flood problems had seen environmental pollution increase alarmingly. The four waterways dried up, and rubbish, smells and health risks were out of control. The Waterway Project has seen the old 'streams of garbage' reborn to such an extent that they are now home to fish that can only survive in the cleanest waters. Birds and fauna are flourishing and the residents benefit from new water parks, plazas, fountains and leisure facilities. kindlove2000@songpa.go.kr 00822 21472444

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SONGPA-GU OFFICE SONGPA-SHARING POWER PLANTS Page 209 The Songpa Solar Sharing Power Plant has turned a dream into reality. A 25-year deal with NGOs has produced four new power plants aimed at helping the environment and social welfare. Not only are greenhouse gases reduced, but 100% of the profit goes to deprived areas and emerging nations. Since 2009, this has averaged more than ÂŁ500 a week. The project has grabbed the imagination of businesses, government and environmental groups, all working together to solve problems in a sustainable way. kindlove2000@songpa.go.kr 00822 21472444

ST HELENS & KNOWSLEY HOSPITALS SUSTAINABILITY DAY Page 211 The overall aim was to take steps towards making a positive impact on the environment and to encourage others to do the same. 120 trees were planted during an open day at St Helens Hospital, with help from local schoolchildren who could learn about environmental issues affecting the planet. john.downs@sthk.nhs.uk 0151 4301859

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THAT LITTLE PLACE GREENING THE RESTAURANT Page 213 That Little Place's stated mission is to be the greenest restaurant in the county of Hertfordshire, if not the country. With 100% of food waste going to renewable energy production; no landfill tax to pay; an energy footprint reduced to zero; 100% renewable energy supplies and no Climate Change Levy, other businesses are starting to take notice. john@thatlittleplace.co.uk 01727 869230

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THE MALL, BLACKBURN TRIAL OF LED LIGHTING/RETROFIT Page 215 By identifying the carbon footprint and costs involved in replacing the entire Mall area with modern LED lighting, this trial project was conducted in a heavily used area of Stonybutts, with significant results and an annual saving over £100,000. david.williams@themall.co.uk 01254 544555

THE MALL, BRISTOL REDUCING OUR IMPACTS Page 218 Through a variety of schemes, the shopping centre has achieved substantial financial and carbon savings over the past few years – and they have managed to halve their electricity use. A “cycle to work” scheme was successfully introduced, as were discounted travel cards to encourage employees to use public transport. Over the past year alone, The Mall has reduced its landfill waste by 37% and increased their on-site waste recovery by 7%. nick.hughes@mallcribbs.com 0117 915 5555

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UNIVERSITY OF EAST LONDON UEL BEETLE BUMP Page 220 The 'Beetle Bump' is a man-made home in the Thames Gateway for the Brachinus Sclopeta beetle that was thought to be extinct in the UK until it was recently rediscovered on a couple of brownfield sites. A combined effort between the higher education sector and conservation charities has ensured a happy and prosperous future for this little bug. d.j.newport@uel.ac.uk 0208 2234057

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UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS END OF TERM WASTE REDUCTION Page 223 This waste reduction scheme not only gives students leaving the halls of residence a choice on how to minimise their waste but also helps the local charity with goods for recycling. Working with a local homeless services charity, some items given by students went straight to people in need and were warmly welcomed. sjm17@st-andrews.ac.uk 01334 467100

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WASHINGTON GALLERIES SHOPPING CENTRE ENERGY REDUCTION TARGETS Page 225 This two-part project's ambitions were to assess the potential financial and ecological savings that could be made; and to implement more sustainable forms of transport for employees of the centre. Part one identified many areas for improvement and ambitious targets have been set while part two has led to an action plan for employee transport, including electric vehicle recharging stations. nigel.lockett@cbre.com 0191 4167177

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WATSON BATTY ARCHITECTS LTD Page 228 ROYAL MAIL MEDWAY MAIL CENTRE, STROOD, KENT The aim was to construct a 15,540 sq ft building, on the grounds of an old industrial site, to employ 800-plus people and provide an automated mailing centre with improved efficiency in the Kent area and to be flexible, sustainable and provide a high quality working environment. paul.ryan@watsonbatty.com 01943 877776

WINTERDALE CHEESEMAKERS WINTERDALE CHEESE DAIRY Page 230 Construction of this cheese dairy has enabled it to produce, in excess of, 20 tons of traditional cheddar a year, within a carbon neutral environment. This was achieved by constructing a unique "cave-like cellar" where the cheese matures for a ten-month period, using NO energy at all. robin@winterdale.co.uk 01732 820021

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 ADAM DUDLEY ARCHITECTS THE PLEASANCE UPGRADE PROJECT AIM The primary aim was to dispel the popular myth that historic buildings are ‘hard to treat’ in terms of improving their thermal efficiency. The general consensus seems to be that that such buildings are problematic by nature of their construction – solid masonry walls, sash and case windows, their architectural details – shutters, cornices, wall panelling, their protected status as listed buildings, and the perceived costs in carrying out such improvements.

We set out to demonstrate that there were processes and treatments that could be adopted to significantly improve the thermal performance of these buildings. We aimed to show that these upgrading works were sensitive to the building heritage, would result in minimal loss of building fabric, and were designed with a ‘light touch approach’, so as to avoid costly repair and reinstatement works.

We wished to ensure that there was minimal waste in carrying out the upgrading works and that all architectural features would be retained, materially and functionally.

In order to achieve this, and meet all of the design criteria, the principal challenge was to restrict the improvements works to the internal fabric and to minimise the disturbance and collateral costs, so that the rooms would not have to be taken out of normal use for the duration of the works.

The other challenge was to develop a full range of treatments for different elements of the building fabric, so that these could be combined and integrated to provide complete thermal continuity, without leaving cold spots or cold bridges.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS With the use of up-to-date pre and post-treatment performance analysis of the existing fabric, and our understanding of the building and construction and dynamics, we developed a comprehensive methodology for assessing historic buildings in order to prescribe the

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Top draw: upgrade from Adam Dudley Architects most appropriate and cost effective treatments. With this knowledge, we treated various elements of five listed properties and in all instances, the occupants remained in residence throughout the works, obviating the need for temporary rehousing.

All joinery removals were set aside and replaced following the upgrading and insulation works, and there was very little by way of ‘waste’ taken off site to landfill.

Listed building consent was granted for all of the works, having demonstrated that the treatments would be barely discernable when complete. All architectural features, such as shutters and easy clean sashes, remained fully operational and there was no disturbance to cornices, fireplaces, or wall finishes, other than some minor redecoration works.

The works comprised bespoke secondary double-glazing to windows, insulation behind linings to window openings (including behind shutter pockets), insulation to walls (both behind existing linings and applications to solid walls plastered on the hard) and upgrading of external doors and fanlights. In all instances the complete external envelope (walls, windows, and doors) was upgraded, without loss of historic fabric. With the treatment complete, the properties are warmer and draught and condensation free. Testing and monitoring have shown

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treatments over a period of time, to ensure that there is no detrimental impact.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM?

In this respect, all treatments which we have installed to date either have BBA certification or have been tested and monitored by Historic Scotland over a number of years, without cause for concern.

The project was funded by Historic Scotland and Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association, with various suppliers and contractors providing labour, materials, and products at cost. A variety of works were carried out in each property, relating to specific construction details, so that these could be proved to be fit for purpose and replicated elsewhere.

The costs for the improvement works in each property ranged from £3,500 where two external walls were treated and secondary glazing fitted to two sash & case windows, to £16,000 where a whole tenement flat was upgraded, complete with secondary glazing to shuttered windows.

Treatments included the innovative use of blown polystyrene bead insulation behind lath and plaster wall linings, and a then millimetre insulation blanket applied to solid masonry walls.

We inspected and monitored the works throughout, with input from the Scottish Energy Centre, the Institute for Sustainable Construction at Edinburgh Napier University, and jointly produced data for Historic Scotland for the purpose of a refurbishment guide. (This was published as Historic Scotland Refurbishment Case Study 1. Five Tenement Flats, Edinburgh – Window & wall upgrades).

This project led to another study for thermal improvements to occupied roof spaces in historic properties, involving flat and coom ceilings, dormer windows, and roof lights. The results from this works have proven equally successful, and have led to another Historic Scotland refurbishment guide – Refurbishment Case Study 5. The Pleasance, Edinburgh – Insulation of coom ceiling, attic space & lightwell ).

WHO AND WHAT BENEFITED? We have learnt from the completed project that full analysis of the existing building is essential, involving both specialist building/architectural knowledge of the construction, and specialist fabric performance assessment. Given that all interventions will impact on the building dynamics, it is also necessary to monitor all

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In order to preserve the architectural integrity of the windows, particularly where they have decorative linings such as shutters and panelling, we have carried out extensive research and development to design secondary glazed units which are elegant, maintain glazing sight lines with the primary windows, and ensure that all architectural features remain fully operational, such as shutters and easy-clean sashes.

A patent application for our design is now in its third year of processing and in the interim, we have licensed a number of manufactures who are developing their won secondary glazing, incorporating our IP. These units are now being produced in timber, aluminium, and UPVC and each of these have been installed in listed buildings, with listed building consent granted on each occasion. There is also ongoing research and development to develop other cost effective ‘off-the shelf’ components for historic buildings to improve the thermal performance of specific building elements, with minimal disruption

WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? On the basis of this live research project, and other ongoing research and development, we are promoting a complete holistic approach for treating historic properties, under the banner of Thermal Shield.

We have produced a comprehensive manufactures and installers’ guide and we have licensed a number of selected companies to apply and improve on our processes and treatments.

A full technical library of standard details for improving the thermal and acoustic performance of all elements of the building fabric has been produced, and this is being regularly added to and refined. A Thermal Shield website has been set up to provide contact details and additional information to the public.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT? Having achieved the Carbon Trust Scotland Low Carbon Building of the Year award in 2012 (for refurbishment) and having been short listed for the Renewables Awards 2012, we have worked with other user groups on a variety of building types to help reduce their energy consumption and carbon emissions.

The take-up is ongoing, and in all instances, listed building consent has been granted for a full range of works to both A and B listed properties.

Imaginative ways are now being used to disseminate this information to the wider public. A case in point is the Scottish Borders Council who have commissioned us to run a number of road shows about improving the thermal performance of village and church halls, with the aim of encouraging those attending to apply the treatment to their own homes, and to spread the message further afield.

There are six million pre-1919 buildings in the UK, of which 4.7 million are residential: the remaining comprise municipal buildings, hospitals, schools/universities and commercial buildings, and include some 500,000 listed buildings.

These building are generally the least energy efficient, but we have proven that there is no reason why these cannot be upgraded, sensitively and cost effectively, so that energy use can be dramatically reduced.â—†

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 ARDOCH MANAGEMENT SERVICES ARDOCH PROJECT AIM ●

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To provide a high quality venue for groups pursuing a wide array of activities ranging from residential seminars, away days, training sessions, board meetings and activity holidays to programmes delivered by charities working with young people at Ardoch To operate with a profit motive but deploy financial surpluses as subsidies to charities rather than accumulate them or distribute dividends To find harmonious and environmentally friendly solutions to the challenges posed by extending and improving a property in such a sensitive and iconic location – Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park To improve the land management of the estate To establish a set of compelling corporate social responsibility credentials that will appeal to public and private sector customers seeking more than just good value for money To provide Columba 1400, the highly acclaimed Scottish charity, with a home at Loch Lomond and to build on the special relationship between the two organisations with the aim of growing the number of young people attending their programmes at Ardoch To be financially sustainable and generate a real sense of purpose for everyone involved To make Ardoch accessible to as many people as possible in the hope that it inspires and enriches their thinking.

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Ardoch opened in 2010 and since then it has built an impressive, international and loyal customer list of leading corporations, educational establishments, foundations and charities There was a 25% year-on-year increase in revenues in 2012 with further room for significant growth as occupancy levels rise.

Columba 1400 is by far the most regular of the 11 charities that have used Ardoch to hold events or deliver programmes there In 2012 the total value of grants from The Ardoch Foundation and discounts awarded to charities was

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Group appeal: intense activity in the Higlands

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approximately £52,700, up from £23,600 in 2011. There were 471 children nights during the year Ardoch made a big effort to raise its profile in 2012 and this is now resulting in a lengthening list of customers and more enquiries. Future plans include yoga groups, golfing parties and activity holidays, such as creative writing and photography The property incorporates solar panels, a biomass boiler, grey water collection and all water needs are now supplied from a borehole that was successfully completed in 2012 More than 1,000 trees have been planted, field quality has been improved and many dry stonewalls on the estate have been repaired. The loch has been stocked with brown trout and wildlife is abundant.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? The founder provided approximately £7.5 million of his own funds to finance the acquisition,refurbishment, extension and working capital of the Ardoch estate. His idea is to allow as many people as possible, especially disadvantaged young people, to use the property in the hope that they will be inspired by this very special place.

The steading was refurbished and extended during the period 2007 to 2010. This included demolishing a corrugated metal barn and erecting a new building to

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 serve as an accommodation and dining facility with meeting rooms. Some materials were recycled and others were chosen to replicate those from the defunct barn. Top quality insulation, solar panels and a biomass boiler were features of the development. The new building was designed to look like an agricultural one when seen from the local village but it is unashamedly contemporary.

The landscaping was kept to a minimum in order to preserve the natural contours of the ground and to allow the building to sit in its prime position overlooking the loch.

The older buildings were completely refurbished, the access road was upgraded, many drystone walls were repaired, the lochan was improved and stocked with brown trout and more than trees were planted during that initial period. The borehole and soil improvement came later in 2011/12.

Ardoch opened for business as a residential centre in mid2010, which proved to be a very different and much more difficult economic environment from the one prevailing when the project was first thatched in 2006.

Ardoch has no debt service costs and it can afford to take the long view, which made the slow start to business more of a frustration than a worry.

The initial hope was that word of mouth would bring new customers through the door but this proved optimistic because private and public bodies were engaged in savage cost cutting programmes. It was decided to engage professional help to raise the profile of this innovative business and there are encouraging signs that this is working.

WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? Revenues have grown from approximately £136,000 in 2011 to £170,000 in 2012. The customer list has steadily lengthened, the number of enquiries is rising and repeat business is growing.

All customers pay to use the residential, meeting and dining facilities, but some pay less than others. Registered charities qualify for a 15% discount from list price whereas Columba 1400 benefits from a 25% discount in recognition of the special relationship dating back to the project’s inception.The intention is that the discount rate for

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Columba 1400 should rise as the commercial success grows.

The pricing formula is transparent. Customers pay for the parts of the building they use and for catering services Each zone of the building is charged at a fixed cost which results in the per capita day rate declining rapidly as more people occupy the space.

WHO AND WHAT HAVE BENEFITED? Ardoch doesn’t design programmes or employ teaching staff. This is the domain of the specialists such as Columba 1400, who have highly trained adults accompanying the young visitors. Ardoch’s role is to encourage and inspire by providing an exceptional venue at an affordable price. Ardoch has six employees and has no plans to engage more. Two members of staff and two directors attended a very successful Columba 1400 residential programme, partly at Ardoch and partly on the Isle of Skye, to better understand the work of our most important customer.

The legal structure of the project is somewhat complex.

The estate itself has been donated by the founder to The Ardoch Foundation with the intention that it should remain a single entity rather than be broken up when inheritance issues arise.

There is a separate operating company with its own board of directors, Ardoch Management Company Ltd, which runs the day-to-day business. A second foundation, whose purpose is to guarantee that operations can continue even through severe economic downturns, owns all the share capital of the operating company.

The Ardoch Foundation provides grants to qualifying charities. Awards totalling more than £25,000 were made in 2012 to organisations working with young people.

One example of this was a co-funding arrangement that allowed the Jonas Singers to experience Ardoch. This group of young musicians and choristers from two deprived London boroughs spent a week at Ardoch with their teachers, joyfully making music.

It was a very heartening experience for all concerned and their stay culminated in a concert for local residents that raised funds for the village hall.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 In 2012, grants from the foundation plus the discounts given to registered charities by Ardoch Management Company Ltd, totalled ÂŁ52,700. The goal is to raise this figure in 2013 and also to increase the number of children nights from 471 in 2012 to 600 in 2013.

The project must generate positive cash flow in order to survive over the long term. It must not only fund operating expenses but also set aside adequate resources for a regular investment programme to maintain the high quality of the estate.

The founder has never sought any form of financial return from Ardoch and there is no requirement to pay dividends which means that surpluses, after making provision for estate maintenance, can be kept at a minimal level by increasing the discounts for charities.

WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? Commercial customers are overwhelmingly in favour of the strong corporate social responsibility credentials inherent in the business model and they understand that as well as getting good value for money they are helping charities.

The business has not broken even yet and consequently it is premature to raise the aforementioned discount rates.

The aim has always been to make Ardoch environmentally friendly, financially sustainable over the long term and a special experience for those who discover it. As the commercial occupancy rate rises, there will be more opportunities to provide financial assistance to charities working with young people in this exceptional setting.

The location is undoubtedly unique but the business model could be applied elsewhere. â—†

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 ASDA STORES/FARESHARE FIGHTING FOOD POVERTY WITH SURPLUS FOOD PROJECT AIM In the UK: ● 3.5 million adults (8%) and 500,000 children (4%) live in families who cannot afford to eat properly ● 33% of the population suffer from multiple deprivation (compared to 14% in 1983).

Food poverty is an increasing problem in the UK and jars with the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) statistics that show the food industry wastes around three million tonnes of food every year. ASDA is committed to reducing this waste and supporting local communities. In May 2013 we entered into a groundbreaking partnership with our suppliers and FareShare, a national charity that redistributes surplus food to hundreds of local charities and community projects across the UK. Despite precise forecasting being carried out for each store, surplus stock still arrives at our distribution centres.

This is due to suppliers sending ‘overs’ rather than breaking down pre-packaged pallets, or sending stock we haven’t ordered.

Even a couple of extra cases of food here and there can quickly add up to thousands of surplus cases each week.

This food is fit for human consumption but risks being disposed of as waste. Returning this to the supplier takes time, incurs costs and road miles, and in many cases the food is out of date by the time it reaches the supplier.

Surplus food sent to ASDA is now being redistributed to FareShare, which in turn supplies food to more than 900 charities across the country, helping to feed 43,700 vulnerable people every day. With around nine million cases being handled in our supply chain every week, this would amount to approximately 35,000 cases of food being distributed to charities every week.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The scheme offers an array of benefits on a social, economic and environmental scale. These include:

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Social This new partnership will increase the quantity of chilled food sent to FareShare by 1,500 tonnes this year, a 41% increase in the total amount of food currently redistributed by the charity. This will increase to 6,000 tonnes per annum by 2015. At a time of such need, this will enable FareShare to provide more food to more charities, helping to feed more people than ever before.

The majority of the charities FareShare supports prepare and serve this food on site. This food plays a critical role in enabling charities to engage with their clients. Once through the door these charities can offer support to help clients tackle wider issues including homelessness, drug addiction and domestic violence.

Economic Last year FareShare redistributed 4,200 tonnes of food, enough for more than ten million meals. This new partnership will enable FareShare to redistribute an additional 3.6 million meals. It will also save the 900 charities FareShare supports more than £4.5 million, enabling them to invest much needed money into providing additional support services for their clients, such as counselling.

Environmental This partnership will increase the quantity of chilled food sent to FareShare by 1,500 tonnes this year, helping to save 750 tonnes of C02 emissions. When this increases to 6,000 tonnes, 3,000 tonnes of C02 emissions will be saved.

A £100,000 ASDA Foundation investment will also be used over two years to create a financially resilient network of local FareShare depots, enabling FareShare to source and efficiently redistribute more food than before.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? ASDA is donating the cost of transportation to make sure surplus stock from distribution centres is sent to FareShare’s 17 depots across the country. This is in addition to the ASDA Foundation’s £100,000 investment to create a financially resilient network of local FareShare depots.

IS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? This is the largest scheme of its kind in the UK grocery sector to date, offering a simple and practical solution to the problems of both food poverty and waste. While other grocery retailers are on board, the scale of their offering is much smaller than our own.

Never before has a retailer or manufacturer committed to delivering to each of FareShare’s 17 depots across the country. ASDA’s commitment to provide FareShare with a consistent source of food across their network will give FareShare the confidence to recruit more charities as members and feed more people than ever before.

food waste in the UK. (The scheme is not a requirement and suppliers can opt out and choose to have products returned to them).

With 59% of the charities FareShare supports seeing more people turning to them for food, this partnership comes at a crucial time.

We are also actively encouraging all participating suppliers to speak to FareShare independently about diverting their surpluses.

Not only does this partnership enable FareShare to redistribute more food to more charities, it will also save these charities millions of pounds a year on their food bill.

This will allow these charities to invest in providing additional support services for their clients, such as counselling and housing advice, helping to get people back on their feet. This partnership helps turn an environmental problem into a solution, fighting hunger and its underlying causes.

ASDA are participating in the Industry working group chaired by WRAP to identify the barriers and solutions to increasing food re-distribution and have already shared some of the key learning from this project with peers and competitors.

CAN OTHERS BENEFIT FROM IMPLEMENTING YOUR METHODS? This scheme relies on ASDA and our suppliers being connected, with all our primary fresh suppliers asked to take part in this groundbreaking partnership.

For them, it removes the problem of having to dispose of returned stock, but it also means they are involved in actively helping to tackle the issues of food poverty and

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Meal deal: surplus food is distributed to charities

ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENT? We are now working on a longer term plan to explore a wide array of new opportunities to increase the diversion of surplus food bound for waste. We are also exploring other areas that will impact local communities and help FareShare grow their network, including a focus on volunteering and employability and developing new models of distribution for the charity. Some specific developments include: Surplus food at Asda stores ASDA are connecting with suppliers in order to tackle the issue of fit for consumption food waste in the supply chain.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 Asda recognises that there is a smaller amount of food surplus at store level and is currently taking part in an industry-wide trial in Bristol co-ordinated by FareShare on behalf of WRAP and DEFRA. This trial is exploring opportunities to divert back of store waste through a network of collaborating charities and retailers.

Products Products from our chilled distribution centres that would be out of date when returned back to supplier will also soon be donated as part of this model. This could range from dairy to meat, produce and fruit. These are all extremely valuable to FareShare and the charities they serve.

Merchandising We are currently selling a re-usable jute bag in-store where we are donating the profits to FareShare and also to food bank charity. the Trussell Trust.

Most importantly, we are focused here at ASDA on ensuring we don’t produce food waste in the first place.

We were signatories of Courtauld 1 and 2 and have also signed up to Courtauld 3, all of which contain targets to reduce food waste arising in the first place, both from our operations and from our customers.

FareShare operate to the same food safety legal compliances as any other food business. FareShare’s operational processes, policies and procedures are in place to ensure the safety of the products they redistribute and maintain the integrity of their suppliers.

All of the charities and community projects FareShare supply to undergo a strict application process and their premises are audited by staff every six months to FareShare quality standards.

All staff and volunteers are trained in food safety to a high standard and their depots are audited by NSF-CMi, the UK market leader in the provision of safety audit services to retail and hospitality clients as well as other sectors.

FareShare’s online systems provide traceability for all products from receipt of food to delivery to the member charities. ◆

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 BALFOUR BEATTY LIVING PLACES CHECK

(HABITAT AND ECOLOGICAL COMPLIANCE APPLICATION)

PROJECT AIM Many habitats and species are legally protected from intentional or accidental disturbance. Current UK legislation requires adequate steps be taken to protect these habitats and the risks caused by works identified.

Until now, there has been no simple way of achieving these aims without allocating substantial resources to ensure compliance and habitat protection. Previously, extensive ecological surveys of all areas to be worked had to be undertaken to ensure compliance. This is not a cost effective solution for highways operations, which have several thousand kilometres of road network traversing numerous protected environmental sites.

The cHECk (Habitat & Ecological Compliance) application enables a quick site assessment, analysing planned activities and ecological sensitivity through a simple set of questions to produce a site risk assessment and bespoke mitigation advice.

In the field, the app uses GPS to plot the site location onto a pre-loaded OS map, with layered GIS maps which identify any protected sites in the area. This tool then identifies high risk sites where additional specialist ecological surveys are required. The objective are: ● Unique selling point ● Simplify compliance with complex legislation ● Identify high risk sites where specialist advice is required ● Produce a bespoke risk management protocol ● Provide a comprehensive audit trail (via cHECk web) ● Robust, expandable design ● Cost effective approach to ecological protection ● Easy to use (simple form input) ● Enhance awareness and knowledge of staff involved in all parts of the project who will be briefed on the required mitigation measures on site.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Sustainable development The cHECk app is entirely paperless, with tablet and

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Live aid: habitat compliance app from Balfour Beatty

desktop functionality. The efficiency of the app allows it to be used repeatedly prior to and during the project to ensure that any changes to the specification or ecological variances do not adversely affect project programme, the environment, or legislative compliance.

Economy ● Reduces the potential of legal non compliance and associated penalty costs and fines ● Allows a right first time design and solution, saving community funds and allowing more competitive bids ● Costs saved through the use of the app and funds from the sale of the tool to external parties could then be invested in future development of the cHECk app and other sustainable technologies ● Allows targeting of ecological surveys to high risk sites ensuring better value for money and greater efficiency.

Environment Reduces the likelihood of disturbance to protected habitats and species ● Combines the GPS tracking and GIS maps with databases of protected sites, including Special Sites of Scientific Interest (SSSI), Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPA) to form an accurate picture of the assessed location in a very short timeframe ● Allows alternative solutions and decisions to be tested ●

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 during early planning stages, enabling mitigation measures to be implemented with minimal environmental impact.

WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? cHECk has been developed by the BBLP IT team working with Sustainability and Environmental Leads, allowing it to be tailored to new geographies, eco-systems and adapted to suit legislative changes long into the future.

WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? Since its inception, the cost for the initial development of this project has been absorbed into BBLP overheads, with funding approved by the BBLP board as a risk and cost management innovation.

Additional funding will be needed for this project throughout its life cycle for support, development and technical input from our IT & Environmental teams. BBLP will source this funding through savings and sales revenue.

It is anticipated that all invested funds will be recouped through the savings provided by the use of paperless technology, time savings and cost savings to operations teams on new networks and projects, through minimising the requirement of ecological surveys to high risk sites.

CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT? The unique and practical application of this tool has created a huge interest from other parties both within Balfour Beatty and externally. Sales of the app and support function could provide a valuable income stream.

WHAT WAS INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? The cHECk app offers a new approach to initial environmental surveys, creating an intermediary checking stage which identifies where full ecological surveys are required and where they are not. This innovative methodology will provide benefits to the majority of our projects from inception to completion. cHECk uses an innovative approach to ecological assessments, using the latest IT technology to create an effective, efficient system which requires no specialist knowledge and is very simple to use.

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WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? The cHECk tool has been designed to be a single point system which actively pulls in information from numerous national standard data sets to create an up-to-date database of the most exhaustive information available.

The active collation of these data sets allows best practice procedures to be created and followed.

Unlike many other tools which are developed and released which require payment or significant downloads for updates, the cHECk app is automatically linked to the main network, allowing all tablets to be updated to the most recent version from a central point simultaneously.

Benefits to others The cHECk app is currently being rolled out to all of our contracts within BBLP and has attracted the interest of several other Balfour Beatty operating companies and their customers who need a quick and simple method of assessing the ecological risks of their sites.

Within BBLP, our primary clients are local authorities. We are very aware of the legislative and economic constraints imposed on local authorities and as such, we work hard to improve our systems to increase efficiency and pass on benefits to our clients. cHECk is a key example of this as we can increase the speed of service on areas deemed to not require ecological surveys.

Key project findings ● The cHECk application allows us to quickly and easily identify risks to focus effort appropriately ● The cHECk web audit trail has proved extremely useful, providing us with comprehensive history for quality and regulatory audits of processes and procedures ● The cHECk app has already been identified as best practice by KPMG – “The cHECk site ecological risk assessment tool is a fantastic innovation that would benefit many in the group” ● DNV identified the development of the cHECk tool as a noteworthy project during a group-wide audit.

The level of interest generated by the tool Group-wide has been extremely high, with all parties agreeing that the tool will be of great value and will yield large savings in time and cost.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS? A key feature of this application is the ability to adapt and improve it according to future requirements. Future legislation, requirements, business needs and environmental changes can be managed through relatively simple alterations to routines, GIS Mapping data and database links.

The ultimate capacity for adaptation of this tool enables it to be continually developed and utilised for the foreseeable future, providing time and cost savings over a substantial period of time.

The cHECk app will be continually developed and refined, with improvements and additional features already being considered for V.2 and V.3 of the cHECk app.

Moving forwards with the project, BBLP have been approached by numerous other parties, with both internal and external companies overtly interested in purchasing the tool and working with us to develop it further.

Providing nationwide GIS data is available and the relevant ecological databases can be accessed, the cHECk app can easily be developed and rolled out globally, increasing its scope exponentially. Significant interest has already been put forward for use of the tool within the Balfour Beatty Companies’ Awards/Accreditations At this present time, the cHECk app itself is yet to receive any awards or accreditations, but we hope to receive acknowledgement for this project to give it further publicity and continue to spread its functionality throughout the UK and worldwide.

The cHECk app, along with all of our other sustainable activities, ensures that BBLP remains as a fully ISO14001 accredited company. â—†

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 BDK ARCHITECTS THE CUBE PROJECT AIM The design concept adopted one of “minimal intervention” by adding a modern high-tech glazed extension having a very light feel and minimal steel structure, complementing and contrasting with a traditional Regency house.

The light and fully glazed walls allow the original house structure and form to remain visible and appreciated. The extension was made accessible from within the existing house kitchen by carefully removing one of three existing sash windows – extending the existing panelling of the window reveals down to floor level, to form an opening on the east elevation (rear façade) into the sun room.

The roof comprises a standing seam curved zinc canopy perimeter (reflecting style of the existing front verandah on other side of house), with eaves bracketing detail, within which is inset a glazed flat roof.

Full height ‘frameless’ glazing units forms all three sides of the extension. On the north side there is an exit from the sun room with a staircase leading down to the carport, adjacent to the existing swimming pool/patio area.

This stair allows for potential installation of a chairlift, should our client require this in the future. A glazed link connects the sun room to the existing back door lobby, through a new opening, to access the existing steps down to the lower patio area.

The ultimate objective was to create a light, attractive, addition enhancing the quality of the original Regency house while not competing with the original architecture.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS From the start our intention was for The Cube to embody, despite having fully glazed walling, a sustainable ethos.

The principal materials selected, comprising the triple Low E argon filled glazed walls, steel frame and a highly insulated zinc roof are all sustainable materials. The real magic came from how we connected these parts together to create a watertight and energy efficient floating Cube.

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Light fantastic: the extended Regency house The choice of fuel type was influenced by a supply of low carbon electricity in Jersey, from the European Grid sourced principally from tidal, hydro and nuclear sources.

This has placed Jersey ‘ahead of the world’ for providing cheap, nearly CO2 free energy. Additionally, electric heating is 100% efficient without any conversion loss from boilers, unlike other fuel sources.

These factors influenced the decision to utilise an underfloor electrical heating matt instead of extending the existing, carbon intensive, oil fired central heating system serving the house.

The underfloor electrical heating system chosen was a thermostatically controlled eMat Pro 200 covering an area of one x seven metres. The intelligent thermostatic control system also operates the natural ventilation supplied through insulated vents set into the raised floor controlled by electric motorised dampers.

An energy efficient LED lighting system was also installed further reducing energy consumption, heat output and running cost.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 These strategic decisions achieved an extremely energy efficient SAP rating of A (95) for Energy Cost and B (87) for energy performance. This is deemed to comprise a very environmentally friendly solution with a very low environmental impact.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Planning required that the extension was “slick and contemporary” with proposed materials being critical. We responded with a restrained palette of zinc cladding, steel and glass. Our objective to create a light, attractive, addition enhancing the original Regency house while not competing with the original architecture has been completely achieved with style & panache.

Client’s brief To design and realise an exciting, light glazed modern sun room extension off the existing kitchen, which would complement the stature of the original Grade 1 listed 1835 Regency House to provide a day room facility, with external stair accessing the garden and carport.

This house is the last surviving, complete and original Regency House in a gently curved terrace of eight linked houses, the remainder of which have been converted into smaller dwelling units. The buildings were described in Old Jersey Houses Volume II by Joan Stevens as: “The builders must have taken a Regency design and given it their own interior woodwork. The appearance of such a design at this late date gives a neat example of the provincial time-lag”.

Design statement The design concept adopted one of “minimal intervention” by adding a modern, high-tech glazed extension having a very light feel and minimal steel structure, complementing and contrasting with the traditional Regency house.

The light and fully glazed walls allow the original house structure and form to remain visible and appreciated. The extension was made accessible from within the existing house kitchen by carefully removing one of three existing sash windows (extending the existing panelling of the window reveals down to floor level), to form an opening on the east elevation (rear façade) into the sun room.

The roof comprises a standing seam curved zinc canopy

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perimeter reflecting style of the existing front verandah on other side of house, with eaves bracketing detail, within which is inset a glazed flat roof.

Full height, ‘frameless’ glazing units form all three sides of the extension. On the north side there is an exit from the sun room with staircase leading down to the carport, adjacent to the existing swimming pool/patio area.

This stair allows for potential installation of a chairlift, should our client require this in the future. A glazed link connects the sun room to the existing back door lobby, through a new opening, to access the existing steps down to the lower patio area.

The ultimate objective was to create a light, attractive, addition enhancing the quality of the original Regency house while not competing with the original architecture.

Planning constraints This property is a Listed Building so while the principle of adding a modern sun room and glazed link was acceptable, the planning department’s Historic Environment Officer required the new works to be “slick and contemporary” with the materials to be used being critical.

Materials and construction method Three principal materials – structural steel, glass and zinc, have been used to dramatic effect. A “skeleton” for the extension conceived by the architect for the engineer comprises a structural steel frame braced off the existing house walls at floor and roof levels, supported on set-back CHS columns with the floor and roof cantilevered out beyond using steel channels to produce a lightweight ‘floating effect’.

The glass walls comprising triple glazed argon filled units – to satisfy building regulations requirements for thermal efficiency – are supported on shuffle glazing channels at floor and eaves levels. The perimeter of the roof is formed in timber framing and plywood to provide a base for the standing seam curved zinc canopy.

Budget constraints By the very nature of this special project, the works were going to fall outside normal cost parameters and quality was the keyword. Our client afforded us the luxury of a flexible budget while achieving reasonable value for money.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 The Contract Sum (lowest tender) was £124,699.11 (including £48,000 for the specialist glazing works), and the project has been completed for a total of £131,243.26 including additional works requested by the client.

Conservation statement The only alteration to fabric of the existing building comprised removing the middle sash window to the existing kitchen. During the scheme design, stage we took a detailed measured survey of the window, opening and the reveal panel linings to record the historic interest and prepare details, showing how the existing panelling would be retained and extended down to floor level when the opening was formed.

We conceived the ‘skeleton’ of the extension on a sketch given to the structural engineer to comprise a diagonally braced structural steel frame supported by pockets in the existing house walls in only three places at floor level and two places at roof level.

The planning department’s planning’s Historic Environment Officer required the new works to be “slick and contemporary” with the proposed materials being critical.

We responded to these objectives with a simple, restrained, palette of zinc cladding, steel and glass being the only materials used for the walls, floor and roof.

We believe our original objective of creating a light, attractive, addition enhancing the quality of the original Regency house while not competing with the original architecture has been completely achieved with style and panache. ◆

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 BIOLOGIC OPTIMISED, SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS PROJECT AIM The A1 Ratings project aim was to perform an engineering assessment of a real retrofit of a 1960s designed bungalow and based on vigorous testing of its energy performance, to develop generic design software to ensure that other retrofits of solar-thermal/PV upgrades meet their energy targets.

The software is based on the EU’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) solar radiation modelling data and a full system design has been produced by the project team in collaboration with the local third-level institute.

A commercial co-operative of associates has been formed to produce low cost reports giving accurate projections for home upgrades, so flat developments are progressive and rational, in contrast to ad hoc refurbishment work currently being carried out.

The retrofit has fully delivered and subsequent testing proves the engineering design target has essentially been met. All companies have obtained new commissions but the overall objective is to offer a lull service and expand this work throughout the British Isles.

Project results will be published in peer reviewed civil engineering journals. The project web page will provide real time readings of the original retrofit so potential clients can verify the data for themselves.

Well engineered: solutions from BioLogic ●

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The project is of general value as the design software draws on the JRC solar data for the specific geographic location of any location. The practical experience of undertaking the project is invaluable: it has revealed that predictions from the JRC data are conservative so upgrades should deliver beyond these theoretical predictions.

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PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS ●

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Energy neutral retrofit in region of Europe where solar flux is almost at a minimum.

New design buffer-solar-heat pump system.

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New loft aperture system for proper thermal and air tightness seal Design software for full engineering of house that enables a staged and rational development with staged cost considerations and real savings addressed for the developer/owner Testing of system to demonstrate JRC projections deliver in practice with full energy analysis of building and evaluation of the component parts of this built environment project Impact on the business of companies in the consortium by new orders A1 Ratings primed to enable full exploitation of builtenvironment engineering advances that can expand to bring in other companies, so as to properly address the massive task of upgrading the stock of houses in UK and Ireland Initial publicity of the project that will be significantly expanded once the peer reviewed study is published Plans to use the knowledge of RES in solar or environmental systems engineering to develop this approach to other technologies Water harvesting systems have been improved by attention to pump efficiencies to offer a bespoke energy efficient system.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? The official ISPRA JRC European data shows that the UK and Ireland have one of the lowest annual solar irradiances in Europe at a mere 600 kWh/kWp. Consequently, this presented significant engineering challenge to deliver energy neutral solar retrofits of homes constructed pre2000, when building regulations still had very low energyefficiency standards.

will help to upgrade the huge stock of badly insulated and designed housing in Ireland and the UK.

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? Although testing is now only at the half-way stage for the complete system, it already clearly demonstrates that the project is an engineering success delivering on all the projections for the optical/solar and civil engineering objectives.

The project constitutes a unique “real construction” experiment that has delivered an energy neutral retrofit achieved by noteworthy innovations in buffer tank-solar thermal-PV engineering, effective loft sealing and the use of a new systematic “wholehouse” engineering approach.

From 2014, A1 ratings will be able to definitely show that a system engineered to predestined standards can be delivered in practice. The increasingly favourable economics of solar technology means that future retrofits should be cheaper.

This approach is based on the scientific evaluation of all relevant energy and environmental factors to achieve effective building upgrades to meet modern requirements of energy efficiency and comfort.

Most importantly of all, the software provides a rationally planned approach to ensure that customer-required specifications of energy efficiency and comfort can actually be met first time out.

The resulting body of knowledge and design software permits successful solar-based upgrades of old housing stock and provides the basis for establishing a cooperative of business associates able to deliver properly designed and deliverable upgrade plans.

WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT?

The testing of the upgrade has been undertaken after staged developments of the PV system to achieve an energy neutral dwelling.

As described above the software produces detailed calculations of actual gains for solar-thermal and PV systems for the specific orientation, geographic location and design of dwelling. It also generates automated reports for any potential upgrade in a very short time with a combination of simple standard inputs from the house owner and others taken from the official JRC EU data for that geographic location.

Project results from over a full year of operation with the final system will be highlighted via refereed publications in both the UK and Ireland, coupled with articles in trade magazines and probably features on the Eco Eye RTE programme.

This will bring this new, readily accessible knowledge of how to properly undertake retrofits to the relevant professions and general public.

The falling cost of the environmental technology should mean that the business co-operative of A1 Ratings associates of RES/EcoFit for solar technologies, BioLogic for analytical and educational dimensions of the project, Doyson for civil engineering, Watershop for water harvesting, and Digital Shopping Malls for web aspects can ensure a commercial launch of the new approach that

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The project has led to two innovations in a new buffer-solar system design for an air-to-water heat pump and an improved loft aperture design.

A1 Ratings aims to offer this service generally to architects and builders at low cost to publicise and disseminate the significant engineering advances in building upgrades that the service offers.

The individual members of the engineering consortium now have an established formal platform for the commercial success of A1 Ratings.

WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM AIMS? The plan will be to expand the number of companies who would like to use the upgrade software. The initial A1 co-

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 operative offers a lull set of technical capability with RES offering high-performance solar technologies, Doyson offering building surveys, design and construction expertise, Watershop offering water treatment systems for harvested rainwater, BioLogic offering energy surveys, report production and upgrade options, and DSM offering web marketing and promotion.

Even prior to any proper peer reviewed publicity of this development, companies in this consortium have already obtained work by publicity from a Construct Ireland article and word of mouth.

RES are experts in the design and installation of solar technologies including solar heating and photovoltaic systems.

Doyson Construction have two decades experience in house builds and are specialists in energy-efficient refurbishment and renewable energy upgrades including heat pumps and solar technologies.

Watershop supply and install water treatment systems from sink filters to whole-house water treatment and rainwater harvesting systems and are accredited by NAB to ISO 17025.

BioLogic have expertise in BER surveys, energy audits, energy management systems, passive house design, training and energy efficiency for domestic and commercial buildings and industry.

DSM offer web development, web marketing services and promotion opportunities to companies through their affiliate system and arrangements and through their network of sub-sites. They promote both companies and products on their sites throughout the UK in formal affiliate deals with over 700 retailers, suppliers and manufacturers. â—†

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 BRISTOL WATER TROUT AND ABOUT PROJECT AIM Trout and About is an innovative project which enables inner-city school children to connect with the wider environment. The project provides the schools with equipment to raise trout from eggs followed by a release event of the fish to Chew Valley Lake, one of the principal sources of drinking water for Bristol.

Managed as a partnership between Bristol Water and Avon Wildlife Trust, the project provides education about the local water environment and about the importance of water efficiency in protecting this environment.

In 2013, five schools have worked with Bristol Water and Avon Wildlife Trust on this project, with a popular blog and good press coverage for the schools. The project will continue for two more years and extend to other schools in Bristol, focusing on socially challenged areas of the city.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS We wanted to reach out to a sector of society traditionally less likely to engage with the natural environment, by providing an innovative and fun education and engagement programme.

Young people from socially challenged areas are less likely than their counterparts from better-off areas to take part in activities such as countryside walks, angling and birdwatching. We believe that by enabling children from these schools to learn more about the importance of the natural world and the place we all have in it, we can help them to feel that the natural world belongs to them too.

Schools targeted for the programme are from more socially challenged areas and the project has included transport to and from sites to ensure no-one is excluded.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Schools are provided with a specialised trout rearing system including water tank, pumps and cooling system for the water. Once set up, fertilised trout eggs are

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Handy work: help for youngsters from Bristol Water provided by Bristol Water so that pupils in Key Stage 2 can take care of them, including feeding of the newlyhatched fish.

Using the life cycle of the fish as a learning tool, school children are then taken by representatives from Avon Wildlife Trust to their local watercourse for pond-dipping and invertebrate awareness, followed by education about water efficiency and the protection of watercourses.

When the fish are ready for release to the environment, the pupils take them to Chew Valley Lake to release into one of the tributaries of the lake. The pupils are given further

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 visits with Bristol Water staff and Avon Wildlife Trust to Blagdon Lake Visitor Centre and the newly-installed eel pass system at Blagdon, which will work to help protect this endangered species.

The children are taken to the site’s historic visitor centre to learn about water supply and are able to see large trout bred at Bristol Water’s fisheries department prior to the return of these trout to the lakes. Finally, the pupils go to the new public access bird hide at Chew to learn a little about the bird wildlife at the site, before returning home.

The project overall takes four weeks for each school

WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? The total project cost is £22,500, which is fully funded by Bristol Water plc as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility programme.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT ACHIEVE IN TERMS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS? This is an education and engagement programme and we feel that environmental education and awareness underpins every part of sustainable development and environmental protection.

Education has included awareness and understanding of protected species (eels), resource efficiency (water and energy), environmental protection (catchment protection of watercourses) and an understanding of the richness of the water environment, its biodiversity and the biodiversity of the water environment within a city.

The education programme has been delivered by specialists from Avon Wildlife Trust and staff from Bristol Water, working alongside the schools’ teachers to ensure that the project links with the national curriculum and learning aims and outcomes.

A popular blog and website has been produced for the project, with pupils reporting on successes and failures and the new things they have learned. Here are two typical responses from teachers: “It really brought our in-class learning to life. It has been a real highlight to our year. It would really benefit our school to have the project run again next year. It particularly

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benefited our inner city children as many have never been to the countryside or seen living fish’ Sarah Bagnell, Year 4 teacher, St Barnabus Primary School

“It has been well organised, fits well with the curriculum and is exciting and engaging for the children. Many parents have also commented about how much the children have enjoyed the project.”

Simon Partridge, Year 5 teacher, Ashton Gate Primary School

Bristol Water operates a commercial fishery and is always looking for new customers. Engaging with school pupils about commercial angling as well as natural fish populations will help to support this business into the future.

Education on protection of drinking water sources and water efficiency also helps to reduce the company’s longterm costs on water treatment and future investment required to meet an increasing demand for water.

WHO BENEFITED? Pupils from inner Bristol schools and pupils from the Chew Valley area who acted as ‘hosts’ for their new friends from Bristol.

ARE THERE ANY LONGER TERM BENEFITS? Education is always about long-term benefits. The specific benefits in this case are: ● An understanding of water efficiency and greater connection with the natural environment ● Protection of the natural environment by understanding the links between pollution prevention and water supply ● An understanding of protection of endangered species such as eels.

WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? Although a programme on fish and education called Salmon in the Classroom has operated in Scotland, this is the first time in the UK that the approach of linking schools, a water company and wildlife trust has been used for education in the broad issues of environmental protection and water efficiency awareness.

CAN OTHERS BENEFIT FROM IMPLEMENTING YOUR METHODS? Yes. This is a directly transferable project to any

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 organisation working with fish and natural waters.

Management of the technical issues on EA licencing and maintenance of the fish-keeping equipment have been resolved by the team, who would be able to provide guidance to any other organisations seeking to reproduce the project.

Demand from schools has been far greater than the number of participants possible, indicating that this is something which could be reproduced successfully elsewhere. We already have contacts from other wildlife trusts asking for information on how they can reproduce the project.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THE PROJECT? Learning more about partnerships and developing new relationships between schools, a water company and wildlife trust has been an excellent outcome of the project, and technical issues on managing the new equipment required, as well as the legislative requirements of fish transfer, have all been resolved during this project.

ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENT? The first year’s project has worked using rainbow trout and subsequent projects will work with brown trout, which will give further opportunities for learning.

Also, the links between water efficiency and protecting the natural environment will be developed further – wet weather in 2012 made developing this theme less natural to pursue.

As the project proceeds we anticipate developing closer links with the Environment Agency and its eel protection programme. ◆

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 BURLAND TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS BPS3 ENERGY SAVING DEVICE FOR TRADING FLOORS PROJECT AIM To develop safe and effective product to reduce energy consumption and heat generation by IT equipment in trading floors and multiple screen environments.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS After overcoming several unforeseen hurdles on the way, we have a commercialised product used in the UK and overseas. Bank Santander is one of the largest users to date. Nomura calculated that by only considering out of hours savings, they would have capex recouped within 12 months and save £1.5 million in five years.

An offshoot of providing a solution to nuisance tripping of multiple switch mode power supplies has resulted in a separate patented product used throughout electrical retail stores to save energy overnight.

WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? The BPS3 system has cost around £140,000 to bring to market including UL certification and patent costs. This development was paid for from working capital in the business.

Smart move: the BPS3 cuts energy consumption simultaneously, the magnitude and duration of the current pulse is sufficient to trip circuit-breakers or weld the contacts of switching components, which is undesirable.

Use of the BPS3 will eliminate this issue. The simple presence detector, little larger than a ten pence piece, is designed to be mounted under a desk in the knee hole space and sense if a person is present.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT?

After a preset time of absence (adjustable from one to 30 minutes), power to all non essential equipment is cut, leaving power to PCs etc remaining constant. Immediately upon return all power is restored.

This new product from Burland Technology Solutions provides a simple and cost effective way of saving electricity by cutting power to ancillary equipment such as PC monitors, desk lamps and other accessories.

The device has been designed to manage various applications, including multiple monitor workstations, multilaptop trolleys, school laboratories and trading floors.

The BPS3 now incorporates patented electronics to eliminate nuisance circuit breaker tripping when multiple pieces of electronic equipment are energised.

Modern computer monitors use switch mode power supplies to derive their power from a mains power supply.

When such a monitor is switched on, a capacitor on the input of the power supply has to be charged which results in a short, high current pulse that lasts for the order of milli seconds. When multiple monitors are switched on

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The BPS3 module is available in many configurations or as “lump in line” to retro-fit to existing installations. The module is simple to install and will be operational within minutes.

WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? The reason for its success is that it requires no user intervention and does not ‘shut down’ IT equipment as do some other systems. This causes people to disable the

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 systems as they are inconvenient and waste time rebooting. Our system only switches off unnecessary equipment like monitors and local lighting – trading desk monitors cannot have screen savers or power save modes.

Our system is of commercial quality and can handle 12 monitors at a time. This robustness has allowed it to be considered in these trading floor environments as well as electrical retail stores – Best Buy, PC World and Currys, where energy consumption is significant but failure or downtime is not an option. ◆

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 BURNT TREE VEHICLE RENTAL REVIVE – BODYSHOP PARTS AND VOC REDUCTIONS PROJECT AIM ●

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To reduce the waste produced in the bodyshop operation including steel and plastic To reduce the VOCs emitted to air in the bodyshop operations

One of the main objectives was concentrated on repairing body panels no matter how badly damaged. This is easier said than done and involves a great deal of skill (and will).

If we could repair the panel there are major benefits to both environment, business partners and ultimately the business: ● There is no panel to dispose of we would be reusing the original ● We don’t have to buy a panel which are typically very expensive ● No lead times waiting for panel to arrive ● Original panel joins and seams (which are notoriously difficult to replicate) stay intact and untouched. ● Our only cost in labour.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS ● ● ● ●

A minimum of 95% of all panels are being recycled Reduction of waste produced by 32% in this area Vehicle parts recycle rate increased to 97% VOC reduction of 37.4 % to below permit requirements.

The true benefit was to the environment, The staff benefited from heading/leading new initiatives which increased their job satisfaction. Business partners benefited because we were able to provide cost savings and the company was able to offer USPs and provide evidence of good environmental management practices .

As a business these initiatives have allowed us to revisit the waste produced and disposal costs. The staff are fully engaged in the environmental improvement process, we have permanently reduced waste streams and its impact on the environment. We will be able to build on the existing processes and continue to reduce emissions.

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Hearts of oak: bodyshop waste has been reduced

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Reviewing the vehicle components and parts that are replaced during vehicle repair and body shop operations.

Following the review each component/part was analysed to establish cost of disposal, impact on the environment of disposal and whether existing processes would allow for reuse.

We looked at whether alternative disposal or recycle methods existed, and predominately whether we could discuss with partners whether any new initiatives could be trialled to allow for recycling.

By working with – and pushing – suppliers to come up with more informed solutions to paint and solvent usage.

Originally you could only purchase ready for use paint in quarter and half-litre quantities. When used on smart repairs it would mean large quantities were being wasted and disposed of. By changing to a water-based primer, we were able to eliminate the disposal, ensuring that the primer is reusable on other vehicles. One member of the team investigated recycling thinners to reduce VOC usage.

An objective was to increase the recycling rate of damaged vehicle panels, rather than disposing of them.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 We investigated different options/solutions; the initial outcome was to invest in a miracle pull system.

This system is designed to spot weld lugs onto the damaged panel and by taking the time to train the entire body shop’s employees above normal operating competencies, they are able to gently ease the panel back into shape.

A typical repair would be a side panel on a four-metre Mercedes Sprinter van. This has resulted in a minimum of 95% of all panels are now being recycled.

Bumper repairs have historically been an issue and disposal even more of an issue. We investigated alternatives to disposal and came up with a system to allow us to repair bumpers with a bonding kit, which now allows them to be reused rather than disposed of, and the finished product is like a new bumper.

A full 100% of bumpers are now recycled/repaired alongside other plastic items such as mirror heads, corner bumpers, rear light surround, headlight surround and lower step panels.

A bigger challenge was repairing steel and aluminium 500litre fuel tanks, which are large volume and have replacement costs of £1,200.

Using the latest technology materials and basic repair techniques, we were able to repair the tanks and also make a mould to replicate the customers trade name embossed into the tank.

The result is that through this new process, all fuel tanks are now repaired rather than disposed of and replaced One issue we had was the disposal of headlamps because of glass scratching following accidents, but working with the suppliers, we were able to come up with a repair kit that allows us to resurface and repair the headlamp and apply UV protective coating, so allowing full re-use of the lamps.

on the passenger side rear door. This, we believe, is the result of a design fault which allows the drivers rear door to hit the passenger rear door if not closed in the correct sequence.

The repair method was to tap out the dent, apply filler sand, apply primer and then apply the colour which in most cases is white or more commonly silver – which is probably the most difficult colour to match.

Often we would have the rear passenger door a different shade to the driver’s rear doors after we had painted it.

We decided to paint both doors as standard, which effectively meant we would paint both rear doors on nearly every van returned to us.

This involved sanding discs, filler, primer, base coat, lacquer. Rather than repair the dent, the solution was to fit a stainless steel protector not only on the damaged vehicles, but also on all new vehicles delivered in 2013.

We currently operate 2674 of these vehicles. We sourced a local engineering company to make stainless plates at a cost of £4.50 each and it takes one minute to fit with double-side tape.

WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? The innovative aspect was the new technology which previously had not been used in the bodyshop environment.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THE PROJECT? One of the most positive effects of the whole project was involving the staff at each process, thereby making the end result much greater.

The staff were able to converse at all levels both with directors and suppliers because they knew what they were trying to achieve but needed external help to achieve it. ◆

This was the easiest and most cost effective method and gave us a very environmentally effective practice.

Another problem arose with Vauxhall vans. We were constantly have them returned with a golf ball sized dent

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 CANTILLON LTD 29-37 DAVIES STREET, LONDON PROJECT AIM In January 2012 the company was appointed by Grosvenor Estates to demolish 29-37 Davies Street in Mayfair, London. The main issues were the materials involved, the asbestos materials inside the building, and the likely wider environmental concerns over noise.

The aim was to deconstruct the building which had been built around about 100 years ago, keeping noise to a minimum and recycling more than 95% of all materials resulting from the deconstruction.

The client had asked that we kept Davies Street clear, especially in June and July, because it was part of the Olympic Road Route and Claridge's Hotel was to be used as a main residency for Olympic officials.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The project managed its aim of recycling more than 95% of materials by out-loading and recycling 99.94%, some 8,787.41 tonnes. The removal of asbestos was achieved using an environmentally friendly substance derived from citrus fruit, thereby reducing any hazardous substance that employees would have to come in to contact with, and ensuring that asbestos wold not get into the environment.

Vehicle congestion was kept to a minimum by using equipment that would not cause major traffic problems, and employing it on site only when needed. This kept traffic moving, thereby making sure that exhaust emissions were not increased by slowing traffic or diverting it.

There were 40 solar panels on the roof of the building, all of which were recycled by Kingspan. A biomass heater was also taken back by Kingspan.

The Kingspan TEKTM panels were made of a sandwich of an outer covering of sterling board type material around a polyurethane centre.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING? In January 2012 Cantillon Ltd was appointed by Sir Robert McAlpine to deconstruct 29-37 Davies Street in Mayfair,

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London pride: safety first in the heart of the capital London, a seven-storey building including the basement.

The word deconstruct is used very purposely because when using the word demolish, it conjures up a haphazard method of taking down a building.

The building had to be deconstructed because of several environmental issues that needed to be considered: ● Out-loading material arisings from the deconstruction ● Noise from the work and the inevitable dust that would be created from a building some 100 years old ● Asbestos containing materials (ACM) ● Being able to manage a project of this size in one of the most congested areas in West London, and without causing a nuisance that would increase what is already a very real traffic problem.

The location required careful thought about how outloading materials would be carried out. Directly behind the building are the Italian and Canadian embassies and the

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 Argentine Consulate, while Grosvenor Square Garden is to the west, New Bond Street and Hanover Square are just to the east and Grosvenor Street is to the south. To the north end of Davies Street was a Crossrail Project site and this had to be brought into the project thinking.

We had to assess how out-loading and vehicle movements were going to be managed and not cause more problems with lorry movements.

It was crucial that disruption to residents and local businesses was absolutely minimised from start to finish.

The materials from which the structure was built were nothing out of the ordinary – brick, steel, concrete, glass, wood and other metals.

What made this building a little more thought provoking was that several floors had much of their walls and ceilings painted in a bitumen paint that contained asbestos, acting as a fire retardant product.

The problem lay in removing the ACM (which was deemed as non-licensable work) without allowing it to become friable and therefore detrimental to the passing public and the wider environment. There was also the risk of other arisings from the deconstruction that might be used on other construction sites after processing, and not least of all the threat to operatives working on the project.

Cantillon utilises a range of innovative measures to significantly improve the control it has over noise production during work.With noise likely to be the main complaint area, we had to ensure that it was reduced as much as possible.

To establish the likely problem areas we compiled a several 3D noise models predicting noise levels from the ground to fifth floor, showing at each height what the predicted levels were likely to be for the surrounding buildings.

This was completed before commencing work, and buildings particularly susceptible to noise were identified and thus we were able to reduce the noise emanating from the site.

Reducing noise by engineering methods always comes

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second to eliminating noise through methodology; however in this instance we were unable to eliminate it all together.

Knowing the buildings where noise was likely to be a problem, 29-37 Davies St was encapsulated and instead of using only using fire retardant sheeting, Powerclad Acoustic sheeting (also fire retardant) was used and in places we added acoustic blankets to further enhance attenuation.

Removing the ACM was now the next issue to overcome, and this had to done with the least amount of problems both to the public and wider environment. This was achieved by treating it as though it was Licensable Asbestos and enclosing all the areas where it had to be removed.

Next, we wanted to remove the ACM using something that was as environmentally friendly as possible and our research came across a substance that was derived from citrus fruit, thereby replacing substances such as chlorinated and kerosene based solvents.

The substance softened the bitumen, allowing it to be scraped off the surfaces but also keeping any asbestos fibres within the confines of the bitumen. This allowed the arisings to be easily packaged and sent away for disposal, eliminating environmental and indeed personal contamination.

Although it was not possible in this case because of the asbestos contamination, the bitumen remover is also recoverable and up to 90% is re-usable by volume.

Materials resulting from the deconstruction weighed 8,792.51 tonnes of which the project was able to recycle 8,787.41 tonnes (99.94%). The remaining 0.6% was the asbestos contaminated bitumen fire retardant, which is currently not recyclable.

Those C&D materials sent for recycling are turned into RDF pellets. Unfortunately due to the constricted nature of the site, the client was unable to reuse any of the material arisings form the site and all of it had to be shipped off site for processing.

Dust was controlled by wetting down, but using water preciously and only the minimum required and when it was needed. Encapsulation of the building in the scaffolding

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 sheeting and Powerclad Acoustic sheeting also helped to almost eliminate any expulsion of dust to the outside.

The project required the use of a crane and instead of employing a large normal mobile crane that would mean the road would be closed, we used a mobile Tower Crane.

This allowed traffic to continue to use Davies Street and helped to keep exhaust emissions to their normal levels and not increase them by stopping or slowing down traffic movements around the area. â—†

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 CARLSBERG UK CARLSBERG UK – ENGAGED WITH SOCIETY PROJECT AIM Carlsberg UK is committed to growing sustainably and our Engaged with Society framework underpins our ambitions to strive to be more responsible and go the extra mile to do the right thing.

Our Vision 2020 sets our sustainability targets – a 40% reduction in carbon emissions from 2010 levels, and zero accidents. Vital to our success in engaging society is telling and involving people in what we stand for, where we want to go and what we achieve along the way.

For 2012 we took a different approach to corporate social responsibility reporting, opting for an engaging and interactive means of communication designed to make sustainability relevant and stimulating to the reader. A short, easy to absorb, colourful printed booklet presents our headline CSR achievements from right across our UK operations. It is supported by video content, further information and the opportunity to get involved at www.engagedwithsociety.co.uk.

Engaged with Society is about involving and collaborating with our key stakeholders. The report celebrates the achievements of our workforce and provides an open door for everyone to be involved in and recognised for their great work. It also recognises Carlsberg’s position in the value chain and how we are collaborating with suppliers and customers to improve our products as well as our operations.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Through our innovation in sustainability communications Carlsberg UK have succeeded in making the strategic corporate social responsibility approach at senior management level, relevant and engaging to those who can implement change and make a difference.

By giving a voice to our people within Carlsberg UK and establishing collaborative partnerships with our suppliers and customers, we have real progress and change to share and celebrate alongside an ever-clearer shared

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Cheers: sustainable approach by Carlsberg UK vision of where we want to be, how we’re going to get there, and who we are taking with us on that journey.

Involving the whole Carlsberg UK workforce by recognising their CSR achievements and rewarding them by including their stories in the booklet and website has developed a wider sense of ownership of the Engaged with Society ethos across the company, with the CSR message reaching a much wider audience than previously.

The report and website act as an agent for change by letting people see what their company, supplier or customer stands for and is doing, and empowers them to recognise the possibility of change they could initiate or be involved in.

At a wider scale, our approach to communicating our CSR principles, ambitions, targets and achievements is developing the recognition of Carlsberg UK as a responsible brewer on a national scale, and Carlsberg Group internationally.

By ensuring the information we share is appropriate to our impacts, easy to access and understand, and relevant and up-to-date, we are working to involve and engage increasing numbers of our workforce, suppliers, customers and consumers in making positive changes.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? The booklet brings together the stories that demonstrate CSR achievements across the aspects most important to Carlsberg UK being engaged with society – environment, people, charity, community and the market place.

The website brings these to life with videos that illustrate the stories in action and the people who made them happen. The dedicated Engaged with Society website ensures the stories are easily accessible and not lost amongst other content on the Carlsberg UK website, intranet and press releases.

By demonstrating the scope of what being engaged with society means to Carlsberg UK across all aspects of our business, we were able to involve a wide range of people who perhaps did not realise the action they had taken constituted a CSR achievement that needed to be recognised and applauded. Initially, collection of the stories from a diverse range of departments across a large company posed quite a challenge.

However as more people were involved in the process and others got to hear about it, participation snowballed into the large collection of stories presented in the printed booklet and online.

WHO AND WHAT BENEFITED? Publishing the web-based video content alongside textbased stories offers a fresh approach to reporting, helping to bring stories to life by demonstrating the achievement in action and putting faces to the names of the people that made the improvements happen.

Seeing their peers on screen drives greater involvement and innovation in our employees’ engagement with society, driving an appetite for change and improvement bottom-up from within the company.

Seeing sustainability improvements in action reassures customers, suppliers and consumers that there is substance behind our words, building recognition of Carlsberg as a responsible brewer.

Carlsberg UK is taking the lead within Carlsberg Group to publicly commit to growing sustainably, and regularly and transparently reporting progress at a national level.

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We are the first regional company to develop our Vision 2020 and to plot the route map that is going to get us there. As a result we are emerging as a more responsible business with an understanding of our impact on society.

The FSR communications package has been specifically developed to be instantly recognisable as Carlsberg UK’s own branch of CSR, tailored to the sustainability expectations for a business operating in the UK.

WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? Involvement of internal and external stakeholders in Engaged with Society will be maintained and built upon through live reporting of the new CSR stories throughout the year on www.engagedwithsociety.co.uk and through a range of digital and social media, to capture employees, customers, suppliers and consumers year-round.

Each year we will involve more people through asking for and listening to their ideas, working more and more collaboratively with suppliers and customers, recognising achievement and sharing this across our company and up and down our supply chain to drive further partnership working and progress.

The CSR stories reported throughout the year will populate a digital CSR resource bank that we will reflect on annually and collate into a summary report. As with the report for 2012, we will celebrate the achievements of that year but also provide a progress update as we move towards our 2020 vision, take stock of the direction and pace of change, and set out our plans for the coming year(s).

This will ensure that we stay on track to meet our commitments and demonstrate our worth as a responsible brewer.

Our sustainability communications for 2012 demonstrate careful consideration of the stakeholders we wanted to involve in our Engaged with Society work and ambitions.

To maximise engagement our messages are focused and simple, giving people the chance to grasp the scope of Engaged with Society, while also identifying the area that appeals to them most where they may wish to contribute further.

We aimed to create a more organic interest in CSR by

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 giving people the opportunity to make a change and then be recognised for it, which is realised through the CSR story model. Carlsberg UK also wishes to position itself and be recognised as a responsible and sustainable brewer by our customers, suppliers and consumers.

CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT? With its development in the UK, the initiative has the potential to be replicated at the Carlsberg Group level, using the best practise for CSR activities and reporting that the UK is internationally recognised for.

Whether internally or for the wider business community, we have set an example of presenting sustainability communications in a more engaging way than is traditional.

This could be of benefit to a wide range of companies taking steps to embed sustainability understanding and thinking deeper in their company. â—†

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 CLYDE SHOPPING CENTRE NEXT STEP PROJECT AIM The Scottish town of Clyde is without a high street so Clyde Shopping Centre is effectively the town centre and, as such, it is keen to pursue and maintain a forwardlooking environmental policy.

The main objective is to minimise the environmental impact of the centre and while these practices are important to the customers. it also provided savings on the overuse of electricity and the provision of income in rebates for recycling, which make good business sense.

The centre management team at Clyde Shopping Centre continually review all operational aspects of the centre, in particular the high usage of electricity and waste to landfill processes in place.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The owners of the centre saw the task of reducing the environmental impact of the shopping centre that covers over 700,000 sq ft as an opportunity rather than a challenge. Key initiatives were put into place to ensure an Immediate impact. These included: Waste management In previous years there were two compactors on site with general waste in one and loose cardboard in the other.

Tenants had no direction for any further waste separation.

A waste management system was introduced with a compactor, two bailers and a mobile woodchipper on site.

It was communicated to all 122 tenants that the new waste system was being put into place and that several waste streams would be introduced.

This system has since been expanded, particularly in regard to food waste, whereby we separate at source food and other organic matter and also separate bone waste from the on-site butcher’s.

This further separation has had a positive impact and has further reduced our use of landfill. The following waste and/or recycling streams are in place at the centre –

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cardboard, polythene, wood, metal, glass, food, bone waste, dry mixed recyclables, coat hangers, magazines and brochures.

In addition, recycling bins were introduced within the malls for customers and they complemented the two recycling points for the council and local charities in our car parks. A compound has also been completed primarily for the storage of recycling materials in order to decrease the number of collections from site.

Energy reduction The energy bills in the centre were high in usage and costs. After an initial audit it was found that the centre malls were operating almost 24 hours with fully-lit malls to enable the cleaning and maintenance companies to carry out works.

The cleaning rota was reviewed and a procedure put in place to ensure all mall cleaning was completed prior to 8pm in the evening. Timers were fitted to the mall lighting to switch off once this was completed. These times were also set on the curtain heaters over the entrances and on the escalators within the malls.

These principles were also installed throughout the external lighting system and as refurbishments are moving forward, energy saving is included in the specification.

A volunteer environmental monitor from security also checks lighting levels and updates centre management on lighting levels throughout the centre during his shift pattern.

Water management It is planned that the water management system will be upgraded as part of a significant refurbishment of the customer washroom facilities later this year. In addition, we have ordered a rainwater harvesting system, which will be

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 installed shortly, in our recycling facility and this recovered rainwater will be primarily used for our external cleaning equipment.

Biodiversity As part of a multi-soft services FM contract, landscaping is provided to ensure the extensive landscaped areas are maintained. The property is surrounded by various wooded areas, shrubs and landscaped features, including the Forth and Clyde Canal which runs through. These all provide habitats for local biodiversity.

We also have a mobile wood chipper on site which utilises all of the appropriate wood waste collected and the wood chippings are being utilised for these landscaped areas and local partners and organisations, including a school.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING? ●

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Measure the carbon footprint of the centre and reduce by 15% from 2009- 2011 Separate tenants’ waste onsite and reduce waste to landfill Reduce electricity usage by 25% from 2009-2011

WHO AND WHAT BENEFITED? Results during 2009-2010 and 2012-2013 were as follows: ● A 28.55% reduction in carbon footprint (as calculated through the Carbon Trust) ● An additional 6.75% recycled in 2012-2013 budget year with landfill diversion now in excess of 95% ● A 32.35% reduction in electricity consumption ● A 35% reduction in waste costs.

WHAT DID IT COST? Spending involved with the centre was as follows: Service charge costs, all savings and rebates from

recycling materials are returned to the service charge and the monies also assist in reducing the annual budget.

WHAT WAS INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE SCHEME? A number of initiatives were introduced to drive the project

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forward. These included: A volunteer from the centre security staff became our environmental monitor over the year ● Ensure regular communication with the tenant to educate the tenant and their staff on the reasons, methods and value of recycling at the centre and how it affected their business ● Promote recycling and energy savings in the malls by advertising messages on our letting boards for empty units. We have conducted regular tenant visits by our cleaning and waste management team to ensure a full understanding of the waste streams and suggest any other improvements. ● Encourage eco friendly groups to use the centre free of charge to promote the message ● A plastic bag amnesty was held in partnership with another shopping centre. This was very successful and resulted in the centre winning a British Council of Shopping Centres Purple Apple Marketing award ● Regular monitoring of data through the provision of monthly reports ● Challenge contractors to evidence C02 reduction in their methods of work ● Regularly reviewing working practices in order to make improvements. ●

WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? A tenants’ food recycling scheme was introduced and we were one of the first retail centres in Scotland to offer our tenants a full organic recycling service where materials such as leftover food and unsold sandwiches were collected and converted into electricity using a natural process called anaerobic digestion. This was done in

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 partnership with our current waste provider and has been extended following the provision of further specific food recycling and bone waste containers with relevant tenants.

In addition to all of the previous work undertaken and the improvements in results achieved, we also now self deliver our gritting services for the whole site, utilising attachments to vehicles currently used on site for waste collection and external cleaning. We are also very focused on minimising vehicle movements and the waste compound previously mentioned is one example of this.

The owners and management of Clyde Shopping Centre have committed to focusing on installing the ownership of these initiatives to the tenants and staff at the centre and have achieved excellent results.

The next stage for the centre is to sustain and build for ISO 14001 accreditation. â—†

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 CWMBRAN SHOPPING CENTRE CWMBRAN SHOPPING ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES PROJECT AIM Cwmbran’s passion to reduce their carbon footprint remains the key driver in achieving not only best practice, but also in reducing the impact on the environment.

Our aims over previous years have been focused on achieving that best practice. In the last year, new initiatives further demonstrate the commitment and efforts devoted to sustainable best practice through innovative solutions.

The 52-acre shopping site demands an approach at site level that ensures every conceivable avenue is meticulously explored. This practice is the driving factor that ensures sustainable options are considered at every opportunity.

We don’t limit our efforts to utilities management, we are actively engaging with each stakeholder to establish individual requirements and added sustainable opportunities. Our key principles are as follows: ● To further reduce energy consumption and carbon outputs through an in-depth analytical approach ● Sustainable procurement of materials and services benefiting the centre and the wider community ● To put reviewed waste management plans into practise and divert all feasible waste from landfill ● To explore new opportunities and build initiatives through ingenuity within each sector – travel, tourism, construction and waste management etc. ● To engage with the community through events, better understand our ecological surroundings and commit to supporting local conservation efforts.

Green credentials: Cwmbran Shopping Centre

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The centre has recently appointed a member of staff devoted to environmental best practice. This position is a resource for the centre catering not only for the requirements of the business, but for incessantly reviewing procedures, usages, intended developments, thereby ensuring that all measures taken are sustainable Cwmbran is proud that the amount of waste segregated and recycled on site has increased year on year. A 34%

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increase over six years has doubled the figure since 2008. Evaluations suggest that an additional five waste streams are a feasible option for on-site segregation We have developed and implemented our Green Travel Plan through measuring impacts on the environment resulting from travelling to and from the centre and finding alternate solutions for commuters and visitors Cwmbran Shopping Centre has organised and hosted sustainability awareness days for visitors and tenants Implementing our Green Procurement Plan has provided the centre with the opportunity to form a partnership with local organisations that rely on donations from our on-site reuse scheme. This scheme ensures any reusable safe products are stored for the collection of vetted organisations through the local council. This scheme not only benefits the community, but ensures every feasible waste product is diverted from landfill 2012-2013 has seen an impressive uplift in energy management initiatives throughout the centre. Identified improvements have been thoroughly investigated, resulting in proposals for future projects being included in the newly formatted energy management plan.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVED DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Waste management Key areas were highlighted subjective to an on-site review

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 of the waste operation at the beginning of 2013. Due to the nature of the site, some elements of the centre provided issues more challenging than that of other shopping centres.

Logistically, the centre requires a roadworthy site vehicle for the collection of waste from the external service areas that run around the circumference of the site. Unlike other centres that rely solely on fork lift trucks, only five bins are collected at once, bought back to the compactor and emptied. Due to cost implications, the vehicle is the most efficient method of transporting waste around the centre.

The waste is then collected and bought back to one central location for compacting, baling or storage. Until now, the centre has only provided the bins/facilities for general waste, cardboard and food waste with the exception of glass recycling facilities in public locations.

The remainder of the recycling figure has been that of the on-site recovery through operatives segregating the waste.

Through reviewing this system, the following changes were proposed: ● The construction of a recycling centre ● The implementation of an additional bin for mixed dry recycling ● The collection of additional waste streams that would ensure compliance with the forthcoming changes to waste legislation in 2015 ● The collection and disposal of hazardous waste and WEEE ● New clear signage and tenant awareness campaign ● The recycling centre – a central area for the storage of recyclable materials was created. This eliminated the need to rely on external sources for the baling of recyclables and maximised the amount of recyclable materials segregated and captured on site. As a result, five different types of bale are now produced on site including paper, cans, bottles, poly and coat hangers.

Brochures are palletised and glass is collected separately.

The yellow bin Prior to improvements, the waste bins were categorised by colour – red for general waste and green for cardboard.

The introduction of a yellow bin would provide the facility for capturing a range of recyclables that were previously

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only collected from a select few units, and taken to an external recycling facility through the local authority.

Signage and awareness “Cwmbran Shopping is committed to achieving 0% to landfill”. A new design for signage has been drafted to accompany the tenant awareness campaign. Tenant cooperation has proven to be one of the more difficult tasks overall. The new steps taken have involved rebranding the centres image in regards to waste which will accompany the new bins.

A ‘back door leaflet’ has been produced that clearly explains the proper use of each of the sites colour coded bins: this helps to achieve segregation at source. All signage displays the Cwmbran Shopping Centre mission statement as shown above.

Sustainable initiatives Procurement of materials discarded by others has benefited the centre greatly. A reuse scheme sees any unwanted office furniture, shop units or other safe reusable waste be offered to charitable organisations that may benefit from the reuse of such items.

Other resourceful initiatives have seen the waste products of developments across the site being used to back fill other areas under construction and the on-going composting of all green waste by the landscaping team that provides all of the composted soil necessary to sustain the centre’s flowerbeds.

0% to landfill We are proud to declare that 100% of the waste produced at the centre is now diverted from landfill. All residual waste is now transported to a mechanical biological treatment site for processing into a renewable resource and the remainder rendered stable for disposal.

Energy management Further reductions in energy consumptions throughout 2012-2013 have ensured Cwmbran has retained our enviable previous successes. With an 11% saving in electricity, 6% in gas and 5% in water, Cwmbran’s commitment to continual improvement is apparent.

Previously, reductions in consumption were easier to achieve through controlling existing timers. Larger scale projects are now required for achieving further gains and

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 this has been accomplished through an in-depth review of all feasible improvements to energy reduction.

The following projects are under way: ● Pendragon House Heater Renewal – Replacement of existing heaters for 550w energy saving units will achieve 27.5% saving on electricity ● Update of BMS – In-depth control of energy management on site ● Glyndwr House Department of Work and Pensions energy saving project (heating) Utilising existing HVAC system allows us to lower service charges for tenants and save energy ● Gwent House – Independent controls for heating individual floors would reduce consumption in unoccupied offices over vacant period. Based on average occupancy levels for 2010-2013, a 30% saving will be achieved on project completion ● General Rees car park – LED lighting conversion of 591 fittings would contribute to a 9-11% overall reduction across the centre. The current savings of CO2 per year stand at an impressive 70.4 tonnes and a further 125.2 tonnes will be saved per year on project completion. A saving of £9,538.80 per annum has been achieved with a further saving of £12,128.40 being achieved on completion. The cost of the project is £24,456.72. ● Llewellyn car park – LED lighting conversion of the 723 fitting in the car park provides a saving of 126.9 tonnes.

The current cost per annum of the 978 x T8 lamps is £41,277.60 per annum. With the conversion to T8 24w LED bulbs, a saving of £17,052 is achieved to bring the annual running cost down to £24,242.4. The investment for the project is £44,049.12 with a payback period of 1.81 years ● Tenant awareness has been a vital part of the overall energy reduction scheme on the centre. Through oneto-one communication, sustainability events and the reassurance of the centres commitments, support and encouragement provides the necessary motivation to relay the message to the occupants of the 170-plus units across the centre. This collaboration ensures the centre’s environmental values are driven forward. ◆

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 DAVE CLARKE AND SON OWN RENEWABLE WORKING SHOWROOM PROJECT AIM When the recession hit in 1982 I started our business working from a tiny back bedroom of a terrace house. As a husband, wife and son team, we have now been in business for more than 30 years.

Our project entry is our business premises which was a former church which was converted into a Co-operative store in 1928. We purchased the building in 1997.

Our building has great character and a year ago we decided to open a renewable energy showroom, aiming to bring renewable energy to the forefront of our Industry by using thermal integration. We aimed to deliver examples of simple plumbing right up to complex heating systems and by incorporating multiple renewable appliances.

The project involved some serious thought as to preserving the sympathetic nature of the building which is fronted by a spacious reception area decorated with Italian tile work. Once through the door it is instantly made to feel like someone’s home.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Our project was mainly to preserve the future of our own company and this was achieved by inviting our client base of 30 years along with prospective new clients to show just what a small company can achieve.

Rather than put one of our projects of design and installation forward, our expertise and passion are shown within our showroom.

Family affair: showroom joy for the Clarkes present but also for generations to come. This has been 30 years of serious hard work and passion by a small family company.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? Our project cost in the region of 87,000 and all funded by ourselves. This was particularly difficult as we had to keep the project afloat while also keeping the company going and making sure our customers were happy.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING? We particularly decided to look at the fact that where architects and consultants would have to employ three or four companies, we do everything from one phone number, under one roof. To support this objective we formed two additional companies – Greenheat Geothermal Ltd and Dave Clarke & Son Electrical Contractors Ltd.

We have visitors and clients coming to see us from all over the UK and we are able to offer them advice about renewable energy and also provide a ‘one stop shop’ for full mechanical and heating services. We have every certificate in the book along with lots of accreditation.

We have learned not to always take manufacturers’ recommendations for granted which means we can look into the design of appliances and see how they might be made more adaptable and, as a result, more effective.

Our main resource of sustainable development aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment. This will mean that these needs can be met not only in the

One of the most difficult elements is trying to overcome the mindset of customers as too many of them fail to grasp the renewables message.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 So what do we offer? Our spacious reception area is warmed by an Italian pellet boiler, an MCZ unit. This is connected to a underfloor heating system. To show the quality of this underfloor works, part of it can be seen through an area exposed by specialised glass. Bespoke tiling carried out in-house adorns the hand crafted reception desks before we actually move into the back showroom.

We have just won a Renewables Industry award for a rainwater harvesting installation, a project that we worked on locally. We have also been shortlisted for the Heating & Ventilation awards in London. ◆

To the rear of the building and in our main show area we have an impressive array of 12 appliances, which are interlinked with a large impressive 475 Litre Xcel unit and a massive 900 Litre Feuron tank. We are particularly impressed with Thermal Integrations’ Xcel Heat Bank which is distributed by Specflue. We find the Heat Bank is perfect for bespoke hot water systems that have a lot of different renewables linked together. You can plug just about any combination of renewables into it – biomass boilers, wood burners, heat pumps and solar systems all work fantastically from this one unit.

Our showroom range consists of wood burning fires, air source heat pumps, ground source and solar. The fires contain a selection of Broseley models and Dunsley heat.

Our history with Broseley is highly significant. We were installing Broseley fires 30 years ago from our back bedroom when our son Dale was born.The company’s director used to deliver the fires to us with his own son John. Now John is the director and he visits us in our showroom.We have all come a long way from that time – and are still committed to Broseley fires.

WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? We feel that as a company we are taking major strides in the integration of renewable heating options and know that our reputation continues to grow.

We have a business of which we are proud and can distinguish that it is about using quality products with quality designs which requires thought. You just cannot install and hope.Its about recognising each product and how they can complement each other to produce the most energy efficient heating system that you can buy.

Ultimately, our total service objective is to provide a quality service by a quality company. We have 25 employees including our son Dale and currently have four apprentices, one of who is a female.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 DAWN MEATS SUSTAINABILITY AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAMME PROJECT AIM The global aims and objectives are based around sustainability and the replicability of the innovative, pioneering technology applied with a view to rolling out proven engineered solutions to similar sites.

There were two key drivers for carrying out this project.

The main driver was the objective of Dawn Meats management to become a greener and more sustainable company by eliminating waste wherever possible. The second driver was to counteract the dramatic rise in energy costs (particularly oil) experienced over the last number of years to maintain competitiveness internationally.

The goal was to lower fossil fuel use by 80% in a major meat processing plant. The project involved using for the first time super-conducting heat recovery technology to recover hot water.

A collaborative approach was taken by two sister sites one kilometre apart. The project comprises piping heat recovered water over 2km through super insulated heating piping.

The water is heated from ambient temperature to around 25 degrees centigrade, via refrigeration heat recovery, on site one, and then piped over 1km to a sister site where it is heated to over 75 degrees via super-conducting heat exchangers, recovering heat from contaminated steam.

The 75 degree water is then piped back to site one, where there is a requirement for the hot water

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Prior to the project, the average annual fossil fuel usage associated with hot water production at site one was 6,000,000 kWh, costing around 300,000. Euros The annual kWh savings associated with this innovative project is 4,900,000 kWh, an increased efficiency of over 80% and a saving of 250,000 Euros per annum.

The environmental benefit of this project is an annual reduction of more than 1,300 tonnes in CO2 emissions.

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Food for thought: pioneering firm Dawn Meats The capital cost of the project was 550,000 Euros with a ROI of 1.54 years and 30% funding from the Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland (SEAI).

In addition, the site will benefit from the stability of substantial energy savings allowing a competitive, sustainable and secure energy strategy. The technology installed will improve the plant life cycle, reduce maintenance requirement and overhead costs.

Energy efficiency is one of the key issues to be dealt with in order to achieve the goal of sustainable development.

The project identified is aimed at greatly improving the thermal energy efficiency of Dawn Meats. The project: ● Improves the overall environmental efficiency of the processing operations ● Allows for substantial savings that can be reinvested in the overall expansion of the business and allowing further local employment ● Safeguards future and existing employment levels ● Safeguards the continuation of meat processing at the sites, providing a significant financial benefit to the agriculture sector suppliers and local economy.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Dawn Meats was established in 1980 and is one of Europe’s leading food processing companies. As a family

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 business that remains true to its farming heritage, with a continuous focus on quality and customer service, it has become the supplier of choice for customers of Irish and British meat.

Over the last 31 years, Dawn Meats has evolved to become a highly integrated production, sales, marketing, and distribution operation with a clear focus on quality meat products for some of the most discerning customers worldwide.

Dawn Meats are to the forefront in providing leadership on initiatives which seek to support the commercial and environmental sustainability of agriculture and food processing, from farm to fork.

The Dawn Meats Sustainability & Energy Efficiency Programme constituted a five-step process as follows: ● A sustainability plan for the group that all stakeholders would buy into. The sustainability plan included energy reduction initiatives, plans on packaging, levels of recycling, animal welfare and water reduction ● A group wide assessment of energy use and waste ● Assign energy champion teams for each major site and target them with energy reduction KPIs. ● An energy awareness program for all staff highlighting the common waste areas, and what they could do about them ● Implement well understood technology solutions to deliver savings with a particular focus on thermal energy reduction.

WHO AND WHAT BENEFITED? Dawn Meats sustainability plan – Sustainability today for all our tomorrows – includes annual programmes of works and investment in sustainable practices and innovative technology. The annual programmes of works are incorporated into the respective sites environmental management system.

The sites’ environmental management system is based on ISO 14001. Dawn Meats have six sites accredited to the standard and are working towards accreditation on the remaining. Dawn Meats have been recognised for a number of energy efficiency projects through various awards.

A technical assessment of energy efficiency opportunities

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across the Dawn Meats sites was carried out and it identified an opportunity around the availability of waste heat. Each plant spent 300,000 Euros annually in creating around 20 MW of hot water per day across all of the sites, while venting around 40 MW of low grade waste heat from the refrigeration system and cooking processes.

A phased technical plan was put in place on the Ballyhaunis sites (two sister operations). This comprised: Phase 1 Recover low grade heat from the refrigeration system, heating water from ambient to circa 25 degrees at site one.

Phase 2 Pipe the 25 degree heat recovered water 1km to site two.

At site two recover heat through super-conducting heat exchangers and generate water at over 75 degrees. Pipe the 75 degree water one kilometre back to site one.

To deliver Phase 2 several trials were conducted. The trials included the use of super-conducting heat recovery technology. The trials performed better than expected and these technologies were deployed into live production.

Phase 3 Balance the heat requirements at site 1 with production at site two.

Production at site one begins approximately 17 hours ahead of site two – site one production starts at 7am on a Monday while production at site two begins at midnight on a Monday.

The sites differ in cessation of production and operating hours. Site one production finishes at approximately 4pm daily with no weekend production. Site two production is 24 hour and finishes at midnight on a Saturday.

The balancing was achieved through installing large heavily insulated hot water storage tanks on both sites. This balancing allowed Dawn Meats to make full use of the recovered heat potential from site two and match the requirements for hot water at site one.

Phase 3 was completed in March 2013.

For each phase of the project, monitoring criteria were

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 agreed prior to commencement. For Phase 1 a SCADA system was used to monitor the flow rate and temperature of recovered heat and also fuel meters were used to ensure that actual savings were being achieved.

industry first, by proving that this pioneering, innovative technology and approach is effective and safe within our industry and other similar industries. ◆

In Phase 2 Tridium, a Honeywell metering and control system, was installed. This was linked to the meters and the real time data from this was fed back for central monitoring in Dawn Meat’s headquarters in Grannagh.

The system includes a state of the art plate heat exchanger, using heat pipe technology. The principles of the heat exchanger were developed by NASA to cool nuclear power pack in space.

The single independent pipes in the heat exchanger operate independently thereby making the unit not vulnerable to single pipe failure and eliminates cross contamination. The use of smooth pipes allows the exchangers to be used in high particulate applications.

They have greatly increased efficiency over conventional units, with greater watts/kg recovery.

WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? This exciting new technology can be applied to any industry that uses thermal energy allowing a huge sustainability step change, through increased efficiency, reduced costs and lower carbon foot print.

Innovations include: ● First industrial district heating system deployed in Ireland, with 16,000 litres per hour of over 75 degree water piped 2km between two plants ● First implementation in Ireland and UK and possibly further afield of super-conducting heat exchangers to recover heat from heavily contaminated steam.

Due to the huge success of the Phase 2 implementation, Dawn Meats has rolled out these technologies to all factories in Ireland and UK. This initiative will result in a further 1.5 million Euro reduction in fuel costs across Dawn Meats.

The project has the unique combination of cutting edge technology combined with real world delivery and can be replicated providing inspiration to other facilities worldwide.

We believe Dawn Meats has set a new benchmark and

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 DUTCO BALFOUR BEATTY DBB PLANT AND TRANSPORT WASH DAY PROJECT AIM Local and international environmental regulations stipulate that any environmentally hazardous material , be it solid, liquid or gas, needs to be discharged in a responsible manner which does not harm or pollute the external environment.

The average daily water consumption used in washing our plant and equipment is around 2,500 gallons. Realising that the waste water generated contains a deadly combination of both acids and alkalis which can result in severe contamination of the water table, the senior management team of Dutco Balfour Beatty LLC (DBB) decided to set up a sophisticated plant wash bay in our plant and transport yard.

The wash bay ensures that all waste water generated is properly treated so that its ph value is rendered neutral prior to discharge and any kind of environmental impacts are avoided. Regular checks on the discharged water are carried out by third parties to ensure ph values are within prescribed limits and compliance reports.

Wash and go: new bay reduces consumption ●

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An additional feature is that the water discharged is being continuously recycled, leading to savings of £135,000 in our overall annual water consumption levels.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The setting up of the plant wash bay has provided DBB with numerous direct and indirect benefits which could be summarised as follows: ● Significant reductions in water consumption levels to the tune of 14,000 gallons every month as the water used for cleaning plant and equipment is being continuously recycled and reused ● Contamination of the ground water table is completely avoided ● Water collected in the recycled water tank is emptied and cleaned once a week and the recycled water is used for watering our gardens, trees and football pitches. This initiative has increased the greenery around our estates and also helped to reduce our overall water

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consumption by £135,000 annually Lessons learnt from this initiative has been shared by us with our other companies and encouraged them to set up similar units on their premises which has enabled them to reduce their overall water consumption and helped to prevent contamination of the water table Implementation of this initiative has helped the organisation gain ten points for Water Efficiency in the LEED for Existing Building category, which our organisation is currently actively pursuing.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVED DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Dutco Balfour Beatty LLC (DBB) is a leading player in the Dubai construction market and roads, civil, marine, infrastructure and building divisions and it is supported by a common “shared” services function – financial accounting, administration, personnel, IT, purchasing, HSE & quality and human resources.

DBB was established in 1977 when the Dubai Transport Company (Dutco), an established local contractor, and UK based Balfour Beatty plc joined forces to construct the internally renowned Port of Jebel Ali. Major projects completed successfully by DBB include the Royal Airwing facilities at Dubai International Airport, Interchange 5.5,

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 Ras Al Khor Crossing and The Dubai Mall, which is currently the world’s largest shopping mall.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM?

DBB’s Management system is currently certified to ISO 9001:2008 (Quality), ISO 14001:2004 (Environment) and OHSAS 18001:2007 (Health & Safety) standards, making it one of the few organisations in the region operating to an Integrated management system.

The overall cost of the project carried out in-house by our Building Division with technical input provided by our engineering office came to AED 1.5 million (£ 266,260).

This included the overall cost of construction of silt and aeration tanks, filters, pumps, associated piping and accessories.

DBB is committed to establishing a sustainable environment which involves profitable markets, healthy communities and environmental limits across all its existing and future projects.

A road map has been drawn up which commits Balfour Beatty worldwide to have sustainability in all aspects of their business by the year 2020.

DBB strongly believes that profitable markets, healthy communities and environmental limits are shared outcomes that are closely aligned with each other and a “collective approach” needs to be adopted in order to successfully achieve these goals.

Ensuring optimum deployment of sustainable practices in our day-to-day activities will help preserve our environment and create a sustainable future for all our stakeholders.

Realising the importance of discharging any kind of environmentally hazardous material in a responsible manner that complies with local and environmental regulations, the DBB senior management team (SMT) headed by the general manager set up a cross functional team (CFT) comprising the HSE & Quality Manager and divisional heads to look into the issue of the waste water generated by our wash bay.

This water generated after the washing of our plant and equipment contains a mixture of both acidic and alkaline chemicals which, if allowed to permeate into the ground, can result in contamination of the ground water table.

The team explored various alternatives and came up with the idea of setting up a water treatment plant which would not only render the waste water neutral but also enable the treated water to be used for alternative purposes such as watering of plants and gardening, thereby reducing our overall water consumption.

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WHO AND WHAT BENEFITED? The water used in the wash bay flows into the silt tank through the grating and a silt trap to keep large waste particles out of the system, because objects such as plastic covers and stones can clog the system if they are sucked into it.

The silt tank is basically a sedimentation tank with an inlet and outlet to collect and stagnate the water and enable suspended particles to settle to the bottom of the tank.

The water free from sediments will then flow into the aeration tank through an outlet at the top of the tank. This tank uses gravity to separate the unwanted sediments from water.

Aeration is a pre-treatment process for the removal of irons and hydrogen sulphide from water. Air, which is a powerful oxidiser of both iron and hydrogen sulphide, converts unfilterable ferrous iron to filterable ferric iron and reduces hydrogen sulphide to elemental sulphur.

The supply of air is provided by a blower which is placed in the equipment room. Aerated water from the aeration tank is fed into a “hydro cyclone” that uses the principle of centrifugation to promote accelerated settling of particles in a solid-liquid mixture.

A hydro cyclone is a simple device that uses centrifugal force to achieve separation. The water from the aeration tank is pumped into the hydro cyclone by means of a submersible pump and the motor of the hydro cyclone revolves the water at high velocity, causing the heaver particles to move outward and towards the bottom.

The heavier particle is separated from the water in this manner. In the schematic diagram a 5% return line is also shown – this is more commonly referred to as the overflow line. At times the water supplied to the hydro cyclone will exceed its capacity. This excess quantity is returned back

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 to the silt tank via the 5% return line. The water from the hydro cyclone is fed into a bio-reactor in which the water is chemically treated to break down the bacteria oil content and other slates.

There are two chemicals which are used in the reactor, waste water reactor chemical used to kill harmful bacteria and other micro organisms to make the water safe and the nutrient, which is essentially a neutraliser that balances the water and maintains its ph level.

The treated water is stored in the recycle water tank and when required, the water from the tank is pumped into a 500 gallon glass fibre tank on the surface.

This water is then delivered to the high pressure sprayer through a multi-stage pump and after use returns to the silt tank and the process continues.

The system is cleaned once a week, usually every Friday morning, and the waste material from the silt tank is removed through a manhole and disposed of at the Dubai municipality waste disposal yard. Prior to disposal, the sand has to be tested to ensure that there are no hazardous components in it and the water in these tanks is disposed of in a similar manner.

WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? The impact An average annual saving of £135,000 is obtained by implementation of this initiative as water supplied by the local municipality is no longer being used by DBB for gardening and watering of trees, thereby reducing our overall monthly consumption.

ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS? Encouraged by the direct and indirect benefits provided by this initiative, DBB is now exploring ways of setting up this initiative across our other OpCos in the Middle East and abroad to prevent contamination of the water table and reduce dependence on municipality supplied water for gardening and watering of trees and shrubs.

Currently two of our sister concerns – Dutco Construction Company and BK Gulf LLC – are finalising with our building division the rates for construction of a control room and collection tanks. ◆

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 EAST BELFAST MISSION THE SKAINOS PROJECT PROJECT AIM The Skainos Project is an urban regeneration development in inner East Belfast that provides shared space for community transformation and renewal.

Growing out of the work of the East Belfast Mission (EBM), the Skainos Project brings together a range of strategic partnerships which will contribute to the holistic regeneration of one of the most economically and socially deprived communities in Northern Ireland.

Skainos gathers under one roof all aspects of the work undertaken by EBM, including homelessness services, employability, social economy projects, youth work, family work, community development and peace building, as well as a vibrant worshipping community.

A range of partners will also share the space, including Oaklee Housing Association, Belfast Metropolitan College and Age NI.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The Skainos Project is being designed and built with a host of environmentally sensitive innovations and is aiming to achieve an excellent BREEAM rating.

The building utilises a natural ventilation strategy. This method of bringing fresh air into the occupied spaces has its roots in the architectural concept. By taking advantage of the inherent thermal mass and physical height of the building, the need to mechanically ventilate or air condition spaces will be significantly reduced.

Mission statement:: community living in Belfast load diversity across the development to increase efficiency. Solar thermal panels mounted on the roof will generate hot water for the buildings.

Intelligent lighting controls matched to low energy lighting will significantly reduce the electrical energy consumption of the building, further reducing C02 emissions.

Demolition rubble from the East Belfast Mission site was crushed and reused on site. A displacement piling system was used to minimise waste removed off-site. The gross floor area of the site is 10,675 square metres and the total area is 0.73 hectares

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? The vision for Skainos involves the creation of a mixed tenure community living on the site. We estimate that up to 120 people could have Skainos as their home address.

The building services will use the minimum of resources to the maximum effect and the building has been explored to this end. Heating and water services to all areas of the Skainos building will be supplied from a contained central plant room.

The new Hosford House accommodation for people who experience homelessness will provide shelter for 26 people but as well as that, there is a range of integrated private affordable and social housing on the site.

A biomass boiler plant will be installed with the aim of reducing C02 emissions and providing associated heating and hot water production, while also taking advantage of

Key statistics Hosford House – 969 square metre incorporating 12 No bedsits & 10 No 1 person/lbedroom apartments

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 Baskin Street –626 square metres comprising five No 3/2 apartments and four No 1/1 apartments.

Oaklee Housing Association general needs – 7 No 3/2 general needs (61m square metres) and 6 No 3/2 duplex apartments (average 63 square metres) Skainos Apartments – 9 No 3/2 duplex apartments (average 63 square metres), 1 No 2/1 duplex apartment (56 square metres) and 1 No 6 bed apartment (165 square metres) Private Apartments – 6 No 3/2 apartments (61 square metres) and 2 No 2/1 apartments (54 square metres). ◆

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 EAST KILBRIDE SHOPPING CENTRE OPERATION ZERO PROJECT AIM East Kilbride Shopping Centre is proactive in its approach to the management of environmental issues. Whenever reasonably practicable we have introduced initiatives, technology, and policies to demonstrate our commitment to promoting environmental benefits.

We are dedicated to managing the centre’s operations to reduce energy, water and waste. To this end we regularly review our environmental management. Our aim is to make certain that regulatory requirements are consistently met, increase operational efficiency, minimise wastage, and develop relationship-building with our tenants, employees and customers in order to work in partnership towards environmental improvement.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? When our centre director, Ian McLelland, took up his position in March 2011, he reviewed all operational aspects with particular regard to environmental practices.

He decided it was time for much needed change and introduced a project called Operation Zero, looking at reducing the environmental impact of Scotland’s largest shopping centre. It covers 1,141,297 sq ft, has more than 200 retail outlets and has parking for more than over 3,000 cars.

East Kilbride Shopping Centre is now committed to a continuous improvement strategy of best practice based upon the principles of environmental sustainability and social/economic responsibility. Operation Zero provided both cost savings and environmental benefits.

Ian McLelland set the following objectives for the whole management team and held weekly progress meetings relating to Operation Zero. He was very proactive in working with external organisations, seeking assistance and advice in reducing our carbon footprint. The key proposals were: Waste management ● Select companies who operate facilities and processes so as to minimise any adverse effects on the

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environment or the health and wellbeing of the community ● Comply with all statutory requirements, planning and licence conditions and recognised codes of practice, defining our own standards where no others are applicable Develop and maintain our facilities to high environmental standards, incorporating appropriate techniques and utilising the results of recent research Investigate, and where possible implement, schemes for the recycling of materials and recovery of energy from waste or its products Retain, generate and maintain natural habitats at operational and restored facilities Help restore land to a high quality compatible with its after use and ensure an appropriate aftercare regime.

Transport and mobile plant Minimise the use of vehicles and the effects of vehicle use, transport services and mobile plant on the environment.

Purchasing and use of resources Ensure that waste management and transport contractors have relevant environmental consents Give favourable consideration to tenders for the supply of goods and services which demonstrate an environmental commitment.

Minimise the use of water, fuel, power and materials at all its premises.

Raising awareness Ensure that the workforce is informed and trained to understand, implement and participate in the review of its environmental policy.

Explain the environmental implications of our activities through neighbourhood liaison.

Implementation Strive to emulate best industry practice and exceed statutory environmental requirements in all our activities,

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 thereby seeking a continuing improvement of standards.

Establish an environmental management system to define, implement, report and review procedures and responsibilities for complying with its environmental policy.

Site management targets Providing healthy environment – we choose suppliers and services that support sustainability. From our washroom products to our cleaning supplies, preference is given to green products. Landscaping practices in corporate drought tolerant plants Powerful thinking – we measure and benchmark our energy water and gas consumption regularly, enabling us to make operations improvements to deliver better utility efficiency. To minimise energy usage, low wattage lighting and led are utilised where possible. Lighting controls also allow selective lighting of the centre When a product reaches the end of its life cycle – our centre has a material/waste recycling recovery programme that includes paper cardboard, glass, foodstuff, cans, plastic, wood, cooking oil, polythene, and even landscape trimmings.

Helping customers and staff get here green – we offer onsite public transport including a bus station,numerous bike racks and will be shortly implementing a travel scheme with FirstBus. Working together makes a difference – we encourage our staff, tenants and shoppers to do their part for the environment with our designated environmental auditor.

Waste management The previous system utilised five waste compactors on site, as well as a cardboard bailer. Staff collected cardboard loose from cages from areas around our service yard in a transit van, but tenants had no direction or guidance on recycling or waste disposal and no food was being collected for anaerobic digestion A revised waste management system was introduced with our newly appointed waste management company. The system is simple: recycle more and reduce waste by doing this! We reduced the waste compactors to three and brought in another two bailers for cardboard and polythene, plus an additional compactor for food waste.

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Seeing the light: the centre is cutting waste This took away the need for a van to transport cardboard.

The appointed environment auditor taught tenants how the system worked. A three-stream waste separation system was put in place in every unit along with food caddies in all food outlets. New mall recycling bins and recycling zones are being introduced at every entry to the centre.

The following recycling streams were introduced: Cardboard, polythene, wood, metal, food, paper, glass coat hangers and DMR. Energy reduction The energy consumption levels were extremely high. After the audit was completed it was found that our malls and car park lighting system was operating 24 hours a day, with malls being fully lit while the nightshift cleaning operation was ongoing. The cleaning rota was reviewed and new procedures were put in place. Malls are now cleaned from 6am and going on to a back shift finishing at 10pm. There has been no job losses.

The BMS system was put on a timer to coincide with mall cleaning and car park closing times. All offices and toilets had sensor activated lighting fitted and LED lights. New emergency lighting was installed with LED bulbs saving 25.6% in costs.

As a result of the revised waste system, 1,061 tonnes of waste are now 100% recycled. This is equivalent to 18,022 trees, 7422615 gallons of water, 2269 cubic yards of landfill and 3786714kw hours of electricity.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? ●

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Segregation on site is achieving 55% recycling. The remaining waste is then sorted at Environmental Waste Controls’ own Materials Recycling Facility (MRF), where they remove an additional 15 to 20% The remaining 25 30% is sent for Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) where a product is made for burning coal fired boilers Anaerobic digestion introduced Encouraged food outlets to hand out doggy bags to reduce the food waste possibly going to landfill Introduced three-stream recycling bins in every unit and in every office Introduced three-stream recycling bins on malls and all door entry areas Six full recycling stations introduced in malls Toilet lighting sensor operated and LED lighting introduced Water tap sensors introduced in toilets, Dyson Blade hand dryers introduced and paper towels removed Urinals changed over to waterless Chemical free cleaning: ECO scrubber dryers purchased (no chemical usage, water only) Pulse mopping system introduced: chemical free cleaning with micro fibre and minimum water usage Micro-fibre flat mops introduced which can be laundered up to 800 times and washed at 30 degrees centigrade Only detergent and micro-fibre technology is used for general cleaning, reducing monthly chemical order for chemicals to £60 rather than £300 Staff no longer work night shifts, resulting in savings of 25.6% on electricity consumption levels LED emergency lighting installation and senor operated throughout landlords’ demised areas New car parking system installed with environmentally friendly token system (no more paper waste, no more tickets) Consumable delivery changed to once a month cutting transport costs and reducing carbon footprint.

seen as the world’s most recognised occupational health and safety management systems standard.

We are 75% through the completion of ISO 14001, which sets out the criteria for an environmental management system. It does not state requirements for environmental performance, but maps out a framework that a company or organisation can follow to set up an effective environmental management system.

It can be used by any organisation that wants to improve resource efficiency, reduce waste and drive down costs.

Using ISO 14001 can provide assurance to company management and employees as well as external stakeholders that environmental impact is being measured and improved.

We are currently looking at the harvesting of roof water which can be used for our public lavatories within our shopping centre, firstly for wash hand basins and then again for flushing WCs. We are also considering grey water which can also be used to top up water tanks for external usage. Solar panels are another area we are looking at to provide the hot water usage in all landlords’ demised areas. ◆

ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS? We are 95% through the completion of ISO 18001, which is a British Standard for occupational health and safety management systems. It exists to help all kinds of organisations put in place demonstrably sound occupational health and safety performance. It is widely

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 EASY INNOVATIONS LTD HEDGEHOG GUTTER BRUSH PROJECT AIM The Hedgehog Gutter Brush is designed to keep gutters and drains clear of leaves, twigs, sticks, birds etc. It is simple to fit and lasts for years.

Once placed into gutters and drains, the problems with blocked rain systems are solved immediately. The gutter brush: ● Reduces gutter maintenance costs by up to 90% ● Eliminates annual maintenance costs ● Ends blocked or overflowing gutters ● Eliminate costly scaffolding charges.

The Hedgehog Gutter Brush comes in sizes up to 200mm to suit commercial and domestic applications. It is made in the UK and more than 50 million metres of brush have been installed worldwide.

Brush up: cut the cost of gutter maintenance

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The Hedgehog Gutter Brush is virtually indestructible and has a manufacturer’s ten-year guarantee. The product keeps drains and gutters free of debris and leaves, thereby eliminating the requirement to clean the gutters every year.

This is turn reduces the carbon footprint as there is no need for tradesmen to visit properties and clean gutters.

The product has been installed in thousands of homes and commercial and public buildings across the UK & Europe, and they have all benefited from the reduced maintenance costs.

The manufacture of the Hedgehog Gutter Brush is funded by the company and is sold via national UK and European stockists.

The product has won the following awards: ● The Silver Product of the Year by DIY Week ● First prize as the most innovative product at Brico & Habitat in Paris ● Silver award as best new DIY product at Totally DIY. ◆

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STOPS GUTTER CLUTTER!

The innovative & sustainable solution to preventing blocked gutters & drainage systems The amazing, award winning Hedgehog Gutter Brush is a fantastic product designed to keep gutters and drains clear of leaves, twigs, sticks, birds etc. It is simple to fit and lasts for years!

Just pop it into gutters and drains and problems with blocked rain systems are solved immediately.

The Hedgehog Gutter Brush will keep gutters & drains clear, year after year.

THE HEDGEHOG’S FEATURES & BENEFITS • The Hedgehog brushes are available in a variety of diameters from 50mm to 200mm which are suitable for domestic, commercial & industrial application.

• The product is manufactured using a stainless steel core and UV resistant polypropylene bristles to create a long lasting brush.

• No more leaves or twigs etc.

• Is easy to fit – does not require special installation expertise.

• No more overflowing gutters.

• Adapts automatically to the shape of any gutter.

• Can also be used in pathway drains.

• Maintenance free.

• 10 year manufacturer’s guarantee.

HEALTHY COMMUNITIES • Prevents the requirement for annual maintenance.

• No more need to climb dangerous ladders to unblock gutters.

• Prevents blocked drainage systems.

• Saves money.

• Helps deter birds & rodents from the gutters and loft space.

ENVIRONMENTAL LIMITS • Reduce carbon footprint.

• Made in the UK – reduces transportation emissions.

• Eliminate the requirement for maintenance contractors to clear gutters and unblock drainage systems.

• Fully recyclable.

• Virtually indestructible - long life of the product reduces manufacturing of replacement brushes.

PROFITABLE MARGINS • Reduce gutter maintenance costs.

• Eliminate costly scaffolding and other access charges.

Telephone: 0044 (0) 1227 712833 Fax: 0044 (0) 1227 710452 Email: sales@easyinnovations.co.uk Web site: www.easyinnovations.co.uk

Marketed & distributed by Easy Innovations Ltd Unit 6D Thomas Way, Lakesview International Business Park, Hersden, Canterbury, Kent CT3 4JZ. United Kingdom

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 EKSPAN HIGH HEAD PIPELINE REFURBISHMENT PROJECT AIM The contract was for the refurbishment of 228 pipeline bearing plinths. The pipeline – 1.8 metres in diameter – runs for five kilometres and delivers water from a reservoir to the hydro-electric power plant at Dolgarrog in North Wales.

The client, a major electricity generator, required an innovative and environmentally friendly scheme for the refurbishment of pipe bearing supports and the replacement of support bearings. The aims were: ● Refurbishment of existing bearing plinths whilst avoiding environmental damage ● Causing minimal disruption/outages to client generating capability ● Avoiding disturbance or damage to a SSSI within a national park and area of outstanding natural beauty ● Minimal generation of noise, dust and other pollutants ● Reduction in future maintenance needs.

Valley high: pipeline progress from Ekspan

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The particular difficulties to be faced were: ● Access to a remote site on a mountainside, over steep, rough and uneven terrain ● Access across peat bogs some of which were 1.5 metres deep ● Extreme weather conditions, including heavy rainfall, that often changed within minutes.

These obstacles could effectively be overcome by: ● Development of innovative methods of access to the worksite ● Development of innovative demolition and construction methods to avoid nuisance, environmental damage, pollution and waste.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS At tender stage the management team at Ekspan identified the requirement for an innovative and sustainable approach to this project. In terms of achievements the project team, both managements and the site team achieved: ● On time and on-cost delivery of the project ● Refurbishment of 228 existing bearing plinths while

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avoiding environmental damage Reduced pipeline leaks to minimise ecological damage Avoidance of disturbance/damage to a SSSI within a National Park and area of outstanding natural beauty Zero loss of production/outages to client generating capability The production of minimal waste.

The employment of environmentally friendly, sustainable and innovative techniques on this project resulted in: ● Net savings in construction costs ● A reduction in consumption of primary materials such as aggregates ● Reduced energy usage ● The reduction of waste and pollution from site and reduced carbon emissions from fossil fuel power generation, due to the continued availability of hydroelectric generation capacity.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? The contract was for refurbishment of 228 pipeline bearing plinths and it originally ran from 2006 to 2012. A further phase of works is being planned.

The site, based within the Snowdonia National Park, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The hydro-

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 electric power station is located near the river Conwy in Wales. The high head pipeline, originally constructed in the 1930s, delivers water from Coedty reservoir to power turbines. It is a 1.8m diameter riveted steel pipeline with support plinths located between eight and ten metre centres, spanning a length of five kilometres.

The plinths vary in height between 0.5 and two metres.

Years of wear and tear and extreme environment and climate have resulted in the need to repair/replace the bearing pipe supports.

Ekspan offered a unique bearing design, which after seven years has proved to be a lasting solution, in contrast to the original bearings, utilising a steel-on-steel contact which resulted in a number failing after several attempts to replace them in preceding years.

Following the tender process, Ekspan was selected above five other major contractors for the project. Following lengthy and detailed consultation with the client, work started in 2006.

The works could only be undertaken between March to September each year due to the harsh environment and severe climatic conditions.

Development/design work by Ekspan resulted in the evolution of a composite/stainless steel bearing offering increased serviceability and durability to provide prolonged product life with minimal inspection or maintenance requirements.

In order to access the site, vehicles were required to traverse steep and uneven terrain. Consideration was given to how to transport men and materials across this terrain without damage to the landscape and ecology.

damage and during extremes of weather, these vehicles would not be able to access the site.

The solution was to use Haglund all-terrain tracked vehicles. The vehicles, used by scientific groups, armed forces and contractors working in the most hostile of climates and terrain conditions, were purchased and adapted to meet the needs of the project.

The Haglunds’ contact pressure is extremely light and causes minimal ground disturbance and operates in the most severe of climatic conditions. The vehicles offer refuge for operatives in rapidly changing conditions.

Materials transported to the work area were placed in a secondary tracked/towed unit adapted for the purpose with a Hiab lifting attachment installed.

Water and weather-tight demountable pods were fitted to the vehicle in which materials were stored from the elements: these offered the added benefit of containment in the event of spillage. Waste materials were also transported to the site compound.

On site construction activities involved hydro-demolition of concrete, an activity which had to be contained due to noise, dust and waste water run-off and involved construction of enclosed working areas.

Key to the project from Ekspan’s point of view was minimisation of fuel usage. This was effected by the employment of local operatives and local suppliers.

A primary objective was to meet the client requirements and offer further innovation and benefits where possible.

We realised that many clients are looking to partner with contractors who offer innovative and sustainable engineering and construction methods. We are also looking to work with progressive organisations to foster future sustainable development.

The construction of a temporary track would have resulted in ecological damage, the use of considerable volumes of material and the need to restore ecology following completion. The use of a skeletal trackway would have involved considerable cost and damage to terrain as this system could not cope with significant gradients and was ruled out at an early stage.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT ACHIEVE IN TERMS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMY, ENVIRONMENT AND/OR EQUITY?

Four-wheel and off-road vehicles were considered unsuitable as this would also result in significant ecological

The project achieved over a six year period. Significant savings on cost, materials and waste included: â—? Eliminating construction of access roadways requiring

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 up to eight tons of aggregate per linear metre, and avoidance of significant volume of spoil removal ● AVoidance of the removal of the temporary roadway and reinstatement of the ecology.

The client continued to operate the hydro-electric plant, providing an estimated 450,000 Mwh of green electricity.

The elimination of the need to generate such an amount of electricity using traditional fossil fuels avoided avoided the production of an estimated 258,000 tons of CO2. During the project there were: ● Zero pollution incidents ● Minimal ecological disturbance and/or damage.

environmental technologies and sustainable methods in their projects.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN AND ARE YOU PLANNING FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS? Valuable lessons are being learnt about how to evaluate and utilise sustainable technologies, materials, products in the market and engineering techniques.

Further working with clients, selling them the benefits, experience and knowledge gained in environmental improvement /sustainable development will be utilised. ◆

WHO AND WHAT BENEFITED? The environment benefited by employing sustainable techniques which resulted in less materials being used and less CO2 produced during refurbishment.

Ekspan benefited from savings in material, fuel and energy and the client benefited from continued availability of generating capacity and reduced project costs.

The environment benefited through energy wastage gains and a lower carbon footprint project. There was less reliance fossil fuels to generate electricity and a reduction in CO2 generation.

WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? In the longer term the client will benefit from improved returns, less productivity loss, reduced risk of or actual damage to the ecology and improved green credentials.

For Ekspan, benefits include experience developing environmentally beneficial technologies and managing projects in a sustainable manner means we can offer the benefits of our experience to clients.

WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? Innovation was key with environmental improvements and sustainable developments made by managers thinking outside the box. Innovative bearing design offers less maintenance and reduced pipeline leaks.

CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT FROM IMPLEMENTING YOUR METHODS? Clients and other companies may benefit from studying our project and find ways of incorporating similar

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 EMCOR FACILITIES SERVICES REDUCTION OF WASTE TO LANDFILL PROJECT AIM As the facilities management services provider to PRUPIM, EMCOR recognises the key role it has to play in reducing the environmental impact of the properties that it manages.

As part of its sustainability objectives, EMCOR’s waste strategy is focused on minimising waste production, increasing recycling and reducing waste to landfill.

In 2012, in partnership with their waste management service providers, EMCOR set the ambitious target of reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill from PRUPIM’s 25 ISO 140001 properties by 60%.

EMCOR devised a centralised management regime with their Waste Management service providers to help achieve this target. In addition, a key objective was to clarify and promote the waste policy and make information management improvements to ensure targets could accurately be reported against for each property.

EMCOR’s facilities managers met with occupiers to: Generate a change in culture regarding managing waste ● Improve communication and information provision ● Inform and encourage participation ● Increase awareness of the recycling facilities at each property ● Minimise dilution of the strategym e.g. reducing contamination of waste streams, which is a key reason for waste having to go to landfill. ●

Between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013, 70.17 % of all waste at PRUPIM’s office properties was diverted from landfill. Altogether, 1082.52 tonnes were diverted and more than £45,000 in landfill tax was avoided through recycling and incineration.

EMCOR’s facilities managers worked with EMCOR’s waste management service providers to recommend bespoke solutions for each property, including options for occupier waste where suitable.

The success of the project can be further measured by using EMCOR’s waste management service providers’ improved vehicle collection data systems. We now have the opportunity to extend this across PRUPIM’s entire property portfolio.

Occupier engagement plans were also put in place to generate further recycling opportunities.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT?

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS EMCOR brought a more consistent management approach and implemented recycling initiatives across a number of properties.

EMCOR’s waste management service providers evaluated the waste generated at each property, providing better separation facilities, investing in new equipment to assist in collection e.g. bins and collection vehicles, as well as clearer labelling and signage. Where appropriate, local waste recycling points were used to reduce embodied carbon, by cutting trip distances to waste facilities.

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EMCOR recognises the key role it can play in reducing the environmental impacts of the properties that it manages. Our strategy focuses on increasing the efficiency of PRUPIM’s largest properties to reduce CO2 emissions, cut energy and water consumption and minimise waste production.

Previously, targets had not been set for the management of waste at office properties managed by EMCOR on behalf of PRUPIM, although PRUPIM had set ambitious targets to recycle at least 40% of all waste across its entire shopping centre portfolio in 2009. EMCOR therefore undertook a waste management programme in

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 2011 with its waste management service providers, to understand the waste streams and discover opportunities to increase recycling and reduce waste to landfill going forward.

This review resulted in the setting of targets in 2012/13 to reduce waste to landfill by 60% against baseline figures for 2011/12. To ensure a consistent approach was achieved, EMCOR engaged with a single waste management contractor across the entire office portfolio and implemented recycling initiatives across a number of regional waste centres.

A centralised management regime was devised with EMCOR’s waste management service provider, who offered EMCOR a bespoke waste management solution for each of the ISO 14001 registered sites.

Importantly, this was delivered in conjunction with a thorough assessment of each office’s waste management requirements, so that the best practice approach could be adapted, taking into account the needs and limitations of each location.

Wherever possible, the opportunity to engage with occupiers was taken so that optimum results could be achieved from the initiative.

The buy-in from cleaning personnel was key to the success of the programme so EMCOR provided them with recycling and waste management training. This demonstrated to them the importance of recycling and the benefits of segregation at source, as well as ensuring that people knew about the recycling facilities on site and the impacts of non segregation.

EMCOR’s facilities managers and the waste management service provider’s account manager evaluated the waste management arrangements, equipment and needs at each of the 22 offices.

distances to waste facilities. Alongside the introduction of recycling facilities and waste policies, staff and occupier engagement also proved key in reducing waste to landfill.

Meetings were held by EMCOR’s facilities managers to educate staff and occupiers about waste and other sustainability issues. Throughout the review period, data was collected to monitor the achievement. Reports on waste generated and disposal arrangements were provided on a monthly basis and reviewed by EMCOR and the waste management service provider’s senior management team.

The reviews identified where barriers or difficulties were, or where activities could be improved by applying best practice, such as ensuring the right waste receptacles were available and used or approving the use on subcontracted regional waste transfer stations.

WHO AND WHAT BENEFITED? The support of senior management was key to ensure the project objective was at the forefront of everyone’s mind.

EMCOR was able to bring about a more consistent management approach with recycling initiatives implemented across a number of properties. The waste service can now be extended if the occupiers wish to include management of their waste.

The success of the project can be measured and reported using the waste management service provider’s improved vehicle collection data and reporting systems.

Between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013, 70.17% of all waste at PRUPIM’s office properties was diverted from landfill. Altogether, 1,082.52 tonnes were diverted from landfill and more than £45,000 in landfill tax was avoided through recycling and incineration. ◆

This review led to the refurbishment of existing recycling points, as well as investment in new recycling equipment, such as larger waste receptacles, trailers and bins. This has resulted in fewer lorry trips for collection, and lowered the embodied carbon of the recyclable materials.

Where appropriate, local waste transfer stations are used to further reduce embodied carbon, by cutting trip

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 EMPLOYER SERVICES LTD ADVOCATING GREEN AWARENESS TO OUR CLIENTS PROJECT AIM Employer Services Ltd (ESL) recognises that its operations have an effect on the local, regional and global environment. As a consequence, the management of ESL are committed to continual improvement in environmental performance and the prevention of pollution.

ESL will strive to meet, or exceed all environmental regulations, laws and codes of practice. The former will be regarded as the minimum standard of environmental performance for the company.

As part of our continuing drive to improve quality and environmental performance, we have developed a comprehensive environmental policy. It provides a framework for the setting of targets against which our efforts can be monitored. To support these aims, we have established an EMS that is effective and robust that covers all ESL activities.

ESL has undertaken to help every employee to understand and implement this policy in their day-to-day work. All employees are informed of our policy during induction training, and updated via our newsletter and team meetings.

Green appeal: ESL is promoting awareness

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Employees are actively encouraged to suggest any actions we can take in order to extend our contribution to the protection of the environment. Recently we promoted Greener Office Week, which inspires our employees to create new ‘green ideas’.

ESL is committed to minimising the impact of its operations on the environment by a programme of continual improvement In particular, where practicable, ESL aims to use environmentally safe and sustainable energy sources to meet our needs. We will invest in improving the energy efficiency of the products by implementing these measures: ● Dispose of any waste through safe and responsible methods ● Promote the use of recycling and recycled materials,

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while reducing our consumption of materials, wherever possible Actively encourage electronic trading with both suppliers and clients, to help manage paper consumption, and therefore reduce waste Conserve resources through efficient use and careful planning Work with our suppliers to ensure they recognise and reduce the environmental impact of their products and transportation Realise the dual benefits of reduced fuel consumption and lower exhaust emissions through co-ordination of route planning, delivery schedules and car sharing.

In addition ESL actively assists our clients to achieve improvements in their on environmental policies by encouraging the use of our paperless solutions

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Our environmental management system representative is responsible for monitoring the impact of our environmental policy and measures the benefits of new activities introduced in both environmental and economic terms.

From the introduction of our recycling scheme we have reduced the land fill waste we produce by 58%. The introduction of recycling policies has seen a reduction in

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 our stationery cost by 21%, while the energy efficient schemes has reduced our energy usage by 5%

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Our car sharing scheme have reduced the average daily mileage by each employee significantly and the introduction of conference calls has reduced inter-office trips by 25%.

Our EMS representative issues regular updates and newsletters to our employees to ensure that everyone is aware of our progress and successes.

Our employees are very much involved in our Green initiatives and regularly provide new ideas to improve our ‘Green Office’.

We also vet all our suppliers and request details of their own environmental policies and work together to provide greener services to our clients through the introduction of new technology that reduces the use of paper.

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED?

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20% saving in employees time in labour intensive and boring tasks 3% reduction in energy usage 45% saving in time spent on processing payroll 15% improvement in their carbon footprint.

WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? The costs to improve our internal environmental impact were mainly time spent on re-educating all our employees and also through our interaction with our clients to reduce the wastage of paper.

In addition we spent money on the latest recycling systems and also set up a wormery. The other costs involved marketing our Saas solutions to e-payslips and e-reporting to not only our UK clients, but also to those client that have an international presense.

There has also been costs for training our EMS representative in creating environmental planning and strategies. ◆

We have introduced e-payslips to more than 54% of our current client base. As an example, one client who operates a monthly payroll for 500 employees will realise saving of £2,460 per year.

In addition they have reduced payslip documentation by 3,000 items a year, creating environmental benefits through a reduction in paper usage, printing and energy costs.

All new clients are automatically placed on e-payslips and e-reporting systems so they can enjoy the substantial benefits these systems provide.

Payroll and HR departments are the biggest producers of printed matter in many companies and the introduction of SaaS and e-payslips will significantly reduce their carbon footprint, costs and create environmental benefits.

We have also introduced online time sheets for a number of clients including recruitment agencies, reducing their paper usage by over 50%.

We estimate the introduction of PaySuite and e-payslips and e-reporting has had the following impact on our clients in their payroll activities: ● 75% reduction in paper usage and 70% reduction in printing usage

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 EMPTEEZY LTD CUSTOMISED SOLUTION FOR EDINBURGH WAVERLEY STATION PROJECT AIM To design and produce mixing and storage units for paints and solvents for use during the £130 million redevelopment of Edinburgh Waverley train station.

Infrastructure group Balfour Beatty were contracted by Network Rail to manage the overall renewal of Edinburgh Waverley station. Balfour Beatty subcontracted Thyssen Krupp to work on the station’s 34,000 square metre Victorian roof.

Leigh Paints – now trading as Sherwin-Williams Protective and Marine Coating – were chosen to supply the 71,895 litres of paint supplied to date, managed by bulk purchase orders and called off orders that were stored in the storage unit, holding a maximum storage capacity of 2,000 litres at any one time.

Broad brush: Empteezy was on the right track ●

The project presented many logistical challenges as only a small stock of paint could be stored on site. There was limited space and access, but due to the painting programme set out, paint needed to be within easy reach, but out of public areas.

The site was first blasted and then primed, before finishing with the various top coats and decorative finish coats specified. Due to the public nature of the project, any paint waste had to be managed very closely and the storage unit made this process easier.

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Zone 1 explosion-proof sockets which were added to allow mixing equipment to be plugged in Workspace mixing benches were fitted to the structure Extra-large vents were added to allow air to circulate freely Intumescent seals, which activate at high temperatures to form a flame-tight barrier, were added to the vents.

Additional storage space was incorporated in line with the end-to-end service we offer our customers. We also provided guidance on product set-up and on-going support.

The project was of significant historical interest due to the age and importance of the station as an iconic public building. Due to the specific requirements of the project, Sherwin Williams were seeking a safe way to mix and store such large volumes of paint and Sherwin Williams asked Empteezy Ltd to come up with a solution.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS

We were tasked with designing and producing a secure store suitable for 2,000 litres of paint in five, ten and 25litre containers. The unit was given a fully seam-welded sump to capture and retain any spills, as well as several unique features to make it fit for purpose. These included:

Environmental benefits Given the large volume of flammable paints involved and the potential for environmental damage, such as the contamination of surface water drains which could carry pollutants into the water system, the unit was fitted with a

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We were able to deliver units that met the needs of the specific working environment in a manner that reduced the potential for environmental damage, militated against personal injury and reduced liability risks.

WHO AND WHAT BENEFITED?

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 fully seam welded sump and a mesh decking to capture any liquids resulting from a spill.

The mixing store was manufactured from 3mm mild sheetsteel and flame arrestor mesh was employed to provide protection in the case of fire.

WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM?

Health and safety benefits Many workers perform paint mixing and clean-up in small, enclosed rooms with little or no ventilation, thereby increasing worker exposure to hazardous vapours from paint solvents. The structure’s extra-large vents helped to prevent a build-up of vapours.

Given the special design considerations, the unit was customised to include Zone 1 explosion-proof sockets for mixing equipment, mixing benches, extra-large vents, intumescent seals and additional storage.

At least 23 million people pass through Waverley Station each year. Correct storage facilities were very important as paint was kept under one of the walkways.

Financial benefits Failure to store paint correctly or the use of badly designed mixing facilities can lead to large fines and other penalties. The precautions we took when completing this project helped to protect the businesses involved.

WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS Projects such as this allow us to demonstrate our competitive advantage and manufacturing expertise.

Sherwin-Williams, Thyssen Krupp, Balfour Beatty and Empteezy all work extensively with steel, oil, gas and marine sectors to deliver innovative solutions, and we all have a responsibility to protect the environment. As such the project highlighted the opportunities for future collaboration.

The £15,763 costs were met by Leigh Paints.

WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT?

CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS OR COMMUNITIES BENEFIT FROM IMPLEMENTING YOUR METHODS? Certainly, customising products for specific environments brings a range of benefits beyond the fulfilment of a single order, including the chance to differentiate your service and build relationships with other companies.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN AND ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENT? To further improve our products and services, it is vital that we work closely with others in the industry.

Going forward, we’re looking for ways to offer our clients additional ways they can help to protect the environment.

We are delighted to be able to offer oil selective, maintenance and chemical absorbents with a 40-50% lower carbon cost as verified by Carbon Footprint Ltd. ◆

As a well-established manufacturer of spill containment and pollution control products, we were ideally-placed to deliver a solution for Leigh Paints.

We are the only company in our sector to hold three ISO accreditations – ISO9001, ISO14001 and ISO18001 – covering quality management, health and safety, and environmental management. These give us an excellent understanding of the need to protect the environment and those that may come into contact with potentially hazardous substances.

Furthermore, as a Scottish-owned and run business, we were proud that our products made a small contribution to the redevelopment!

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 ENVIRONMENT AGENCY KEEPING RIVERS COOL PROJECT AIM Keeping Rivers Cool is an ambitious four year (2012 to 2016), million pound climate change adaptation programme, which is part-funded by the Environment Agency. It integrates scientific evidence and practical landscape planning to increase the adaptive capacity of our freshwater eco-systems.

Based on innovative analysis of remote sensing data, the aim of this programme is to take action now by planting trees, erecting fences and promoting natural regeneration to create shade and reduce the chance of rivers becoming too warm for some freshwater wildlife over the next 60 to 70 years.

Some rivers have already reached temperatures above the lethal limits for salmonid fish in recent hot, dry summers.

Furthermore, climate experts are providing increased certainty that the UK will become warmer with potentially profound impacts on freshwater eco-systems.

An expanding body of literature suggests that changing riparian land use can reduce water temperatures. For example, a lowland river study in England found that woodland shade reduced water temperatures by up to 5.5 degrees centigrade on hot summer days compared to open grassland sections.

Aligned with the Bruntland Report (1987) sustainability criteria of ‘technology-centric’, ‘ecology-centric’ and socio/economic centric’, our objectives are to: ● Use technological innovation to promote riparian shade as a strategic climate ready measure ● Improve ecology by creating cool refuges and reducing temperatures in salmon/trout headwaters ● Deliver socio/economic gains by inspiring and enabling others in the UK and beyond to create riparian shading by providing scientific evidence, a guidance manual and national demonstration pilots.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS We have achieved our ‘Technological Objective’ through

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innovative re-use of LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data, normally used for flood modelling, to generate a legacy of ‘Shade Maps’ for use by other organisations.

This shows relative shade (produced by vegetation and/or landmass) over rivers, highlighting areas most exposed to warming.

Achievements in our ‘Ecological Objective’ are evidenced by the benefits from our first demonstration pilot in partnership with the Ribble Rivers Trust (2012/13): ● 34,797 trees planted ● 15,057 metres of fencing erected ● 14,253 metres of river where livestock has been excluded ● 33.51 hectares of improved riparian woodland habitat.

We overcame appalling weather and ash die-back, which delayed much of our planting until the busy lambing season. Heart-felt thanks goes to our enthusiastic volunteers, including staff from Greggs bakerywhat, who enabled us to meet these ambitious targets.

Benefits from our second pilot on the Hampshire Avon catchment (2013) included: ● 200 trees planted ● 80 metres of fencing erected.

While the metrics are much smaller, we have learnt valuable lessons on stakeholder engagement in this sensitive catchment.

Despite a focus on fish, we expect to deliver multiple environmental benefits: ● Enhanced freshwater habitats ● Increased woody debris ● Reduced bank erosion/diffuse pollution ● Carbon sequestration.

Our ‘Socio/economic Objective’ has delivered benefits to other people through our Guidance Manual (2012), which has sparked interest beyond the UK. It describes for the first time how others can target fencing/planting, select

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 trees, access funding, and what engagement/consents and other environmental aspects they need to consider.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT Climate experts predict that average summer air temperatures will warm by two to four degrees centigrade by the 2050s ,compared to the 1961 to 1990 average.

This will increase river temperatures and there will be a tendency for lethal temperature thresholds for salmonids (trout and salmon) to be exceeded more frequently.

Some salmon and trout populations in England and Wales are already under stress from climate change. Salmonids are particularly vulnerable, requiring temperatures between five to 15 degrees centigrade for normal growth, while a rise above 22 degrees for more than seven consecutive days can be lethal. An increasing body of evidence shows that riparian shade can help reduce stream temperatures.

WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? Funded by the Environment Agency, the Keeping Rivers Cool programme budget is currently £1 million, of which we have efficiently invested nearly a half to date.

Moreover, our partnership approach to our pilots has delivered additional financial benefits in the form of cash, matched funding and use of volunteers. Funding has been secured for 2012 to 2014 and we are already having some success in encouraging our delivery partners to seek external funding from bodies such as the Heritage Lottery Fund for delivery from 2014 to 2016.

WHO AND WHAT BENEFITED`?

To identify the correct areas in need of shade, the truly innovative and technology-led aspect of this programme has been the analysis of LiDAR data (normally for flood mapping) to create catchment ‘Shade Maps’. These maps take account of valley depth, aspect to the sun and existing shading to show relative shade along a river to indicate where new shade could be beneficial.

Shade Maps have been ground-truthed and used by our pilot partners to strategically target tree planting. In terms of being able to replicate our work, the Shade Maps (for 40 catchments to date) have been licensed as open data

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and distributed to several organisations interested in using them to keep rivers cool. These include Countryside Council for Wales (now part of Natural Resources Wales), Rivers Trusts, Wildlife Trusts and the Woodland Trust.

Through the implementation of our first two Keeping Rivers Cool pilots, we have delivered ecological benefits and learned valuable practical lessons.These lessons include: managing state aid, mitigation of ash die-back, establishing efficient screening/consenting processes and constructive stakeholder engagement.

In addition to sharing these lessons with others, we are already using them to good effect by further building on our successful partnership pilots in the Ribble and Hampshire Avon catchments. Furthermore, we are already busy planning to deliver further environmental benefits in two new pilots in the Wye and Tyne catchments.

Keeping Rivers Cool is working at the Water Framework Directive catchment management scale to integrate this measure into future river basin plans. As we believe that many others can benefit from our simple approach, we have promoted it widely.

Since we published a first draft of our Keeping Rivers Cool Guidance Manual in summer 2012, it has been requested by practitioners in Norway, Romania and Spain.

We have now been invited to present at two internationally peer reviewed conferences later this year – the RESTORE Conference (European Commission LIFE+) and the International Association for Landscape Ecology – European Congress on Changing European Landscapes.

The Keeping Rivers Cool Guidance Manual describes for the first time how to target fencing or planting, select tree species, access funding, and what local consents, engagement and other environmental aspects to consider.

We plan to republish our Guidance Manual in winter 2013.

This improved edition will feature inspirational case studies based on our demonstration pilots, focusing on how to overcome practical delivery issues such as managing state aid and liaising with multiple stakeholders.

We conclude with some really encouraging independent feedback from our key stakeholders on the socioeconomic benefits of our partnership work to date. Here is

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 a sample quote byemail to Ribble Rivers Trust from a local angler: ”Your team [Ribble Rivers Trust] has persevered with the farmers…I would like to commend you on a super looking habitat scheme. The fencing takes interesting lines, the streams look a great restoration feature. And if the willows take root, we should have a much better spawning stream. The whole scheme is a credit to the trust’s ingenuity and I thank you on behalf of the anglers.

A great job”.

WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? In order to ensure that we continue to improve our stakeholder engagement and deliver long-term sustainable benefits, we are currently developing a monitoring plan under the guidance of a technical steering group.

Furthermore, we are using PRINCE2 Project Management to develop a ‘Whole-Life-Cost-Benefit-Appraisal’ to ensure continued wise investment of any public money.

Finally, Keeping Rivers Cool demonstrates how the use of technology can achieve both short and long-term ecological benefits from a project by engaging with partners, landowners and volunteers, with a bonus of delivering rapid socio-economic benefits.

We’ve had our challenges with ash-die back amongst others. Also, tree planting isn’t the best thing for the environment in all places, so we’ve taken advice from specialist colleagues in fisheries and biodiversity to ensure appropriate delivery.

To date, it’s been a fantastic programme which is ‘selflearning’ and improving via our demonstrations pilots. For our entire delivery team, it’s been motivating to see how quickly the programme has gone from conception to delivery in its first year. ◆

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Keeping Rivers Cool Getting ready for climate change by creating riparian shade Keeping Rivers Cool is an ambitious ÂŁ1m, four year partnership programme, 2012 to 2016, partfunded by the Environment Agency.

It applies technological innovation and practical landscape planning to the simple idea that riparian shade will keep rivers, and the salmon and trout within them, cool.

The climate is changing. Rivers could become too warm for some freshwater wildlife over the next 60 or 70 years. In fact, in recent hot, dry summers some rivers have reached lethal temperatures for salmon and trout. This is particularly critical in headwaters where they spawn. Shade on river banks, which is also known as riparian shade, can help to reduce water temperatures.

We can create shade by planting trees, erecting fencing and encouraging natural vegetation to grow by keeping livestock away. This can also improve habitat on the bank, as well as in the water, which delivers socio-economic gains.

Despite a focus on fish we expect to deliver a range of benefits such as reduced diffuse pollution and carbon sequestration.

Riparian Shade Maps The Environment Agency has used LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data to develop mapping tools which show the extent of shading along rivers. Bank side shade maps for all catchments in England are now available on request to anyone interested in identifying the best places to create riverside shade. We hope to soon make the maps available on the Rivers Trust Portal.

www.environment-agency.gov.uk

Keeping Rivers Cool Demonstration Pilots We are piloting the approach in three diverse catchments to add to the growing evidence base for the benefits of riparian shade for salmon and trout. Throughout 2012 to 2013 we delivered a combination of tree planting and fencing (for natural regeneration) resulting in 34 hectares of improved riparian habitat and 35,000 trees.

Guidance Manual The Keeping Rivers Cool approach can be applied across Europe. We published our first Guidance Manual in summer 2012 and it has since made its way to Norway, Spain and Romania. It describes for the first time how to target fencing or planting, select tree species, access funding, and what local consents, engagement and other environmental aspects to consider. The manual is available electronically on request.

We would be delighted to hear from any potential international partners. Please contact: keepingriverscool@environment-agency.gov.uk

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 ENVIRONMENTAL CROP MANAGEMENT HELP THE HEDGEHOG PROJECT AIM Hedgehog numbers have declined by more than 25% in the past ten years and if this trend continues, the mammal may be extinct by 2050. Road kill, loss of hedgerows and rough grassland and badger predation are the main causes of this decline.

Hedgehogs live on a diet of worms, slugs spiders and grubs most commonly found in rough grassland.

Environmental Crop Management (ECM) has helped improve these important habitats over 20 years and has detailed knowledge of their location on our clients’ farms in the north west of England.

The aim is to promote hedgehog conservation by improving their habitat and releasing more than 200 hedgehogs each year. Our farms will provide a safe habitat for hedgehogs to thrive, away from the busy roads which present such a threat to these endangered mammals.

Many of these areas are where our successful barn owl and little owl conservation has taken place and provide ideal release sites as the existing rough grassland provides the bugs essential for the hedgehogs to feed on.

ECM manages miles of field margins left untreated by pesticides that form corridors between excellent woodland areas that are highly suitable for the hedgehog. The farmers are given a hedgehog house and instructions on where to site it and food for the first few days of release, until the hedgehog settles into its new environment.

The project provides the best chance of survival for the many hedgehogs that the wildlife hospital needs to release each year. ECM staff direct farmers to take injured wildlife to the hospital and this scheme completes the circle by releasing the by now healthy hedgehogs back to where they belong.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The main benefit of the scheme is to release 200 hedgehogs back into the wild in areas where they stand

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Prickly problem: ECM is helping the hedgehog the best chance of survival.These mammals are at serious risk of extinction and the rural habitat is where they are most likely to breed and prosper.

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? A major benefit of the scheme (as with our barn owl and little owl schemes) is that our farmers become more aware of providing good habitat and making changes that benefits all the wildlife on their farm, as they make changes to accomodate the hedgehog.

The family, farm workers and their children become determined to make these schemes succeed and this has a long term effect of altering and greening the attitudes of all those involved. This is a benefit that is impossible to achieve without a simple practical scheme such as ours.

The benefit to the wildlife hospital is that they now have a safe and successful release scheme after all their hard work and care in looking after ill and injured hedgehogs.

The benefit to the environment is increased care and management to create good habitat for the hedgehog which benefits all the wildlife on the farm and local environment.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? The cost of the scheme is paid by ECM and is part of our normal conservation budget to help farmers take care of wildlife on their farms, in support of our profitable crops safely approach to crop care on our clients farms.

ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS ECM is now looking at other species we could release from the wildlife hospital, which is yet another benefit of this scheme.

ECM will inform all our 1,200 farmer clients of our scheme and select those with suitable habitat as potential release sites.

The farming press and local press will also be used extensively to promote this project.This often leads to spinoff projects and new support for our conservation work on farms.

As a member of CREST marketing group, a national agronomy company, ECM will provide the 90 CREST agronomists with the expertise to make this a UK-wide initiative.

WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE SCHEME? The great innovation of this scheme is our agronomists are best suited to know where in the countryside, namely on the farms where we manage crops for the farmer, that the hedgehog can be released most successfully We have learnt that after 20 years of running these projects, there is still plenty of work to do helping farmers produce safe food in an environmentally friendly way. â—†

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 ESP SOLUTIONS INTERNATIONAL AB LOW IMPACT PLASTICS PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS ESP Solutions International AB is a Swedish company operating in the sustainable plastics packaging market.

The company has a long and comprehensive knowledge in various technologies that help to make plastics more sustainable.

In 2009 ESP discovered and explored a technique to refine a bio-marine waste material and has then further developed the technology concept around the technique in order to make it adaptable and viable to the plastics packaging industry.

ESP is now bringing this technology concept ESP303D into the European market and to the plastics packaging industry to offer a sustainable improved technology, providing a lower impact on carbon footprint and on economy.

TM

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Today the market persistently faces the question of how to combine increasing environmental demands on plastics packaging, and how to become more environmental sustainable with the aspect of continuously higher costs on raw materials inputs.

remnants behind), biodegradation (for bio-recycling) and incineration (for energy-recycling) are also options.

There are technologies on the market today trying to fulfill the above requirements. Some major parts of the requirements might be fulfilled if these were to be combined, but so far this has not been possible.

Existing technologies are either far too expensive, incompatible with the general disposal waste stream for recovery of plastics or do not functionally perform from an environmental perspective.

Solution By refining a non food bio-marine waste material ESP is bringing the ESP303DTM technology concept to the plastics packaging industry as a bio-renewable substitute to reduce fossil fuel based resins, providing improved sustainability performance to plastics packaging in three dimensions as to: ● Environment – lower carbon footprint due to less use of fossil fuel materials ● Cost stability – stable price due to less dependence on fossil fuel materials and a stable bio-renewable source ● Production compatibility – improved performance and productivity in basically all processes as to lower energy usage and shorter cooling time.

Challenge The challenge is to provide plastics packaging that bring pertinent aspects such as low impact on carbon footprint and to fulfill the demand requirements within a plastics packaging lifecycle at also the lowest possible impact on the economy for the end-user.

Part of a product’s sustainable life cycle is the important recycling option for the recovery of valuable material. The ability to reuse a package is also of high priority, along with the ability to reduce the fossil fuel based resins used in a package.

Sometime when a final disposal of the product is on the agenda to be finally removed (leaving no eco-toxic

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 Data – retail carrier bag

Applications ESP303DTM is compatible with many existing resins used in the market for plastics packaging, with potential use in other non-single use plastics products.

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? The retail carrier bag – one of the major applications in the plastics film market – isr mainly made of polyethylene (PE).

The retailers and brand owners are looking at increasing the added value of their products by lowering the carbon footprint impact, using less petroleum based raw materials and keeping control of their costs.

Before Resin, LDPE 100% ESP303DTM 0% Thickness 50 micron Carbon footprint 0 % improvement

After Resin, LDPE 60% ESP303DTM 40 % Thickness 50 micron Carbon Footprint 30 % improvement. ◆

In Australia a retail carrier bag producer, Sprint Packaging, has adopted the ESP303DTM technology and features in their carrier bag, successfully substituting 40% of the existing resin (LOPE) with ESP303DTM .

This material was successfully adapted using their existing production process, thereby creating an optimal marriage into the final product, the carrier bag, with the ability to provide the lowest environmental impact, reducing the climate change impact by more than 30% at a basically neutral cost.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 EUROPA FACILITIES SERVICES/L’OREAL ENERGY SAVINGS PROJECT AIM The combined goal of Europa and L’Oréal was to aim for a significant reduction in our carbon footprint by 50% over the next three years. We have carried out a number of energy saving surveys initially to determine the status of the buildings’ consumption and to bench mark our consumption with other businesses.

This approach has enabled us to identify a number of energy saving opportunities which we planned to implement over a number of years.

The next step was to start capitalising these projects and set a timescale for each project to be completed before summer of 2013. L’Oréal’s head office in Hammersmith, London, underwent a number of projects in order to reduce energy consumption and achieve our goal of energy savings, while still ensuring the quality of the indoor office environment and the reliability of facilities operation.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS We focused on three specific areas of improvements for the L’Oréal offices – lighting, improvements to the building management system, and variation in staff operation in order to reduced lighting consumption.

We replaced the lighting control system in the entire building, which in turn increased energy savings due to the PIR sensors that were installed on each floor.

We looked at all eight lift lobbies that had 17 Capsule Halogen light fittings, all 50 watt which produced 6,800 watts. We removed 12 light fittings on each floor, leaving five lights which we changed to fluorescent fittings of 48 watt each. We are now producing 1,920 watts and have made a great saving of 4,880 watts by simply by changing the type of light fitting and reducing the number of lights.

There were a number of upgrades that were carried out to the BMS system in order to reduce energy consumption.

We also amended the staff operation of the night cleaners

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Seeing the light: energy savings at L’Oréal HQ and the security officer patrols so that they would not set off the PIR sensors causing the lighting to come on. We did this by changing the shifts so that the cleaners would finish at 10pm instead of midnight from Monday to Friday.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? In April 2012, Europa were awarded the total facilities management contract for L’Oréal’s head office in Hammersmith, London. There were a number of environmental issues that Europa tackled, but one issue in particular that stood out was how to generate significant energy savings throughout the building.

We had found out that during the dark winter months, L’Oréal staff had nicked named the office building The Christmas Tree thanks to the number of office lights that remained on during out of hours.

The nickname of the building was the catalyst for investigating not only the lighting issues, but also other systems to reduce energy. Taking into account the findings of the audits and reports that we had carried out, we took immediate action to tackle these issues head on.

L’Oréal’s partner Europa, which provides support in a

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 wide range of facilities services, took the initiative to look at reducing energy consumption and costs. It must be highlighted that there was a great team effort with Europa and L’Oréal working closely during the planning stages to tackle all issues.

There were three projects that were aimed at reducing the electrical consumption and carbon emissions that the L’Oréal Hammersmith office produces. The three specific areas of improvements were identified as follows: Lighting On all eight floors of the Hammersmith site we replaced the lighting control system with the latest model of Philips Lighting Control System which included the installation of: ● Front end BMS PC with installed Philips software ● 18 x LCM’s controllers on every floor,108 in total ● 1 x Floor Area Controller on each floor, seven in total ● 320 motion and lux detectors across seven floors.

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by floor which reduced the requirement for chillers and boilers switching Set up two hours countdown timers control in all meeting rooms in the building to switch off FCUs when the rooms are vacant.

Staff operation By installing the motion sensor on each floor, any movement caused by a member of staff would trigger the lighting. Therefore it was decided to restructure the night cleaning team so that they would only work up until 10pm instead of midnight on week days. ◆

We looked at all eight lift lobbies that had 17 Capsule Halogen light fittings, all 50 watt which produced 6,800 watts. We removed 12 light fittings on each floor, leaving five lights which we changed to fluorescent fittings of 48 watt each. We are now producing 1,920 watts and have made a great saving of 4,880 watts by simply by changing the type of light fitting and reducing the number of lights.

Building management system The operating system at L’Oréal Hammersmith is TAC vista with Echelon software server. Saving opportunities have also been identified within this system as a result a survey has been carried out to obtain a case study to establish savings and ROI. The following upgrades have been carried out to the BMS system: ● Upgraded TAC Software to the latest version which allowed upgrading the control strategies within the system ● Readdressed field controllers to the software which eliminated anomalies within the system thus improved efficiency ● Modified control strategies to improve system optimisation ● Set up outside temperature hold-off set point which allowed the control of the boiler operation according to weather conditions ● Set up heating and cooling demand set point controls

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 EXOPLASTICS/ONE STOP ONE STOP LOW CARBON BAG PROJECT AIM One Stop is a high street convenience store chain owned

by Tesco, with more than 600 outlets across the UK. It gives away 60 million plastic carrier bags each year.

One Stop knew of the challenges facing the retail and packaging industry over sustainable packaging, thereby reducing plastic, waste and carbon.

Exoplastics worked with One Stop to be the first to market with a new carrier bag that would be the most environmental in the UK market. The money for the project was from research and development fund and these costs were shared with One Stop and Exoplastics.

For One Stop the new carrier bag had to meet certain criteria. They wanted a bag that was biodegradable, did not use any product that was oxo-degradable and could not be from a food source.

The retailer wanted a CO2 reduction in the raw materials, ensuring that the bag was fully recyclable, and a amount of reduction in the amount of plastic that was used.

A final challenge was that the whole project must be costneutral. The project involved working with One Stop’s commercial and technical teams, researching what they were using previously to this new bag, how the new bag would impact in the market with customers, supply chain and their stakeholders. The project took a year to complete and the product was launched in all One Stop stores in May 2013

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Once One Stop started using this new bag, there were immediate cost savings. The old bag that One Stop was using before was not fully recyclable in normal plastic reprocesses.

Using the new bag meant that itcould be disposed of with normal household plastic waste, meaning that 60 million

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In the bag: One Stop has gone fully recyclable bags were being diverted from landfill to recycling. The bag is biodegradable so that in anaerobic and aerobic conditions, the bag would biodegrade to ISO standards.

The bag was improved in strength and performance. By using Exoplastics material, 20% of the plastic in One Stop bags was replaced with a sustainable renewable material.

This reduced the amount of plastic being used by 150 tonnes annually. As Exo is a low carbon material, there was a carbon footprint saving annually of 208 tonnes of CO2.

The long term benefits is a new bag that is biodegradable, fully recyclable and made of renewable material. It is low carbon, strong and can be re-used over and over again.

From the project we learnt technically how to manufacture the product meeting performance. Understanding the market, competition and creating a product that would be a ’first to market’ was very important.

The next development stages are to increase the amount of Exoplastic in the One Stop bags. Adding in further Exo will maybe greater savings in CO2 and using less plastic.

Other stages of development are using Exo in other packaging applications.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 WHAT ID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? The money to develop Exo and develop the One Stop bag came from private investment. No capital was obtained from banks or R&D funds and the project was entirely selffunded.

For One Stop, it was important to be first to market with a new product. One Stop took a risk in doing this but weighted up the advantages of what a new carrier bag using Exo would achieve.

Exo is a resin that is made from a renewable waste source. It is non-food, non GM/PLA and food safe. The cost of developing Exo was through private investment in developing a resin that would replace part of a plastic product.

In the case of the One Stop bag, previously they were using an oxo-degradable carrier bag made of 100% plastics. The new bag is made using 80% plastics, replacing 20% with Exo.

product in manufacture works very well and which is why the product is fully recyclable in plastic waste streams.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT? From the project we have understood chemically taking a non-food waste source and developing this into a resin that can replace part of plastic in packaging could be done.

Our objective is to increase the amount of Exo in One Stop bags but without compromising the quality. By adding more Exo will mean that the bags will be using even less plastic and the CO2 saving will be increased.

We are also working with One Stop to use Exo in their refuse sacks. Further developments for Exo will be adding the resin to products such as trays that are thermo-formed or injection moulded.

We anticipate that as these products are heavier and thicker we can achieve around 45% of Exo in these products. â—†

The objective will be over time to increase the amount of Exo in the bag. Exo has a very low carbon foot print, meaning that when it is used in packaging and in this case bags, there is a CO2 saving.

We calculated that the annual CO2 saving for One Stop would be 208 tonnes. This figure is based on the raw material of using Exo at 20%.

As we have changed the blend and weights are different of plastic and Exo, it also meant that although they would still use the same amount of bags (60 million), we were able to reduce the actual amount of plastic that was used in their bags. The reduction of plastic was 150 tonnes annually.

The previous One Stop bag was made with an Oxo degradable additive, meaning that the bags were not fully recyclable and likely to be thrown into a bin and sent to landfill or incineration. The new bag is fully recyclable in normal plastic waste sources.

Although Exo resin is made from a non-food waste source, the chemical elements are carbon-hydrogen, that follows a longer chain than normal plastic. So blending Exo as a

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 FCC CONSTRUCTION NEW SOUTH WEST ACUTE HOSPITAL IN ENNISKILLEN PROJECT AIM In July 2007 the Western Health and Social Care Trust signed the concession agreement for the design, construction, financing and operation of a new hospital in Enniskillen with the Northern Ireland Health Group, a consortium in which FCC Construction holds a 39% interest and is the majority partner. Construction started on May 19, 2009 and was delivered on time and within budget on May 19, 2012.

The ÂŁ276 million hospital is the first to be built in Northern Ireland in more than a decade. The aim was to build the first public hospital in the UK with 100% single rooms, (totalling 305), thereby ensuring that there are no wards and that patients can enjoy privacy. The rooms would also allow for increased infection control.

Another aim was to boost local employment, with the target of creating at least 180 new jobs (including targeted and under-represented groups). FCC surpassed this by creating 1,076 new jobs and sustaining 1,528 jobs that would otherwise have been lost.

Despite the main local partners P Elliot, which had a participation of 50% in the construction joint venture, going into receivership, FCC construction was able to deliver the project within the framework agreed.

One of the most important objectives of this project was to take the environmental impact of the building into account.

A design was produced that capitalises on the natural beauty of the surrounding environs of Wolf Lough and 52 acres of green space, making it possible to be in contact with the environment from almost all areas of the hospital.

Health check: the first new hospital in a decade centre, making it one of the most advanced hospitals in Europe in terms of energy efficiency.

A collaborative design approach was used to develop the building. From the early design stages, frequent meetings were held between the future users and the design team to accommodate all the needs that the users requested.

Responsible sourcing in the form of local stone has been complemented with the use of Thermowood timber cladding (sourced from sustainable forests) and glass and brickwork to give a natural palette of materials. Extensive green roofs have been provided to approximately 15% of the building, which helps to ground the building visually into its green Fermanagh surroundings. It is envisaged that, in due course, these will also provide an opportunity for ecological enhancement to the area.

The hospital, which was designed by architects Stantec Anshen and Allen, was created with patient and staff wellbeing in mind. The design maximises natural light and views of landscape, nature and Wolf Lough.

Northern Ireland Health Group maximised all opportunities for local economic benefit for the community and the business sector. This was achieved by holding open day events in 2009, which were attended by around 250 local companies. These events resulted in the appointment of 363 subcontractors, with approximately. 24% from the catchment area of the South West Acute Hospital and 55% from Northern Ireland.

The hospital also boasts an energy demand management

Long term linkages between the community and the

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 hospital was paramount, which led to the development of a community engagement action plan, an arts and community engagement programme within 12 months of the actual completion date.

WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? The South West Acute Hospital has a total budget of £276m, which was not exceeded.

Northern Ireland Health Group consortium has four stakeholders – FCC Construction SA, Allied Irish Bank Plc., Interserve Investments & P Elliott & Co. The European Investment Bank provided 50% of the funding with the NordLB, Bank of Ireland and Barclays combining to provide the remaining 50%.

of wellbeing by bringing views of the landscape deep into the heart of the building.

Natural materials, external views, natural colour and material palettes and integral furniture combine to soften the integration of important medical technologies to create an environment which feels familiar and comfortable.

Artwork is integrated into the design. Corridors are lit and animated with colourful light boxes. Artworks have been incorporated into the wall finishes as an integral part of the interior design.

The project construction director was Margarita Jimenez, who oversaw the more than 1.200 workers at peak of labour force.

As well as being the first hospital to be built in Northern Ireland in ten years, the New South West Acute Hospital is also the first project in the country to be built under a public-private partnership (PPI) agreement .

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED?

was there anything innovative about the project?

Infection control is addressed both through the sizing and detailed layouts of departments and the segregation of flows for different types of patients and supplies. Even the lifts are separately designated for public, clinical and service uses.

Bedrooms are divided into three zones – clinical, patient and visitor – for efficiency and safety. They are wellappointed, with an en-suite, timber panelling around the bed space, built-in storage and a large full height window.

The design has been tested by Atkins Intelligent Space Partnership, using space syntax analysis to ensure that it provides an efficient and effective working environment.

The hospital also boasts a vacuum transfer system to allow drugs, lab reports and products to be transferred around hospital.

Bringing human scale to a 69,000 square metre building was an enormous challenge. The scale was reduced by the use of modest linear building blocks arranged in an arc that sits comfortably in the landscape. The design breaks the building mass up into a connected group of smaller blocks, which reduce the scale and humanise the hospital experience for patients.

A series of linear gardens forms a circulation spine along the length of the building, dividing ward accommodation from clinical spaces. This spine serves the dual purpose of introducing natural daylight and also increasing the feeling

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The South West Acute Hospital is the first hospital with 100% single patient bedrooms to be completed in the UK, providing a benchmark for future hospitals.

As well as being intended to help limit the spread of infection, the single rooms give patients a high level of privacy. This adds the additional benefit of allowing certain minor or emergency medical procedures to take place in the rooms without having to move patients off the wards A flexible design allows for internal adaption and external expansion, enabling the facility to expand to the north and the south adding up to 15% in floor area. The co-location and standardisation of the wards on the upper floors will enable flexing between groups of beds so that ward sizes and designations can be changed in the future. The provision of all single facilitates flexible gender allocation.

The concrete frame has been designed to a regular structural bedrooms grid, enabling the building to be taken back to its main supports if desired, making it completely adaptable.

All floors have been designed with a standard ‘heavy’ loading capacity to allow equipment intensive functions to

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 be relocated anywhere within the building without major structural implications. The zoning of the building reflects both departmental locations and environmental needs.

The bedrooms have three metre tall windows which give high levels of natural lighting coupled with solar shading to prevent heat gain. The bedrooms are mechanically ventilated, though this can be enhanced by user controlled natural ventilation as necessary. Public areas are all naturally ventilated.

The project was measured using the NHS NEAT assessment method, which is a precursor to the BREEAM healthcare sustainability rating system currently used in the UK. It has achieved a NEAT excellent rating.

The new South West Acute Hospital in Enniskillen presents a significant opportunity for fresh thinking in respect of service provision on a cross-border basis. It has already received several awards including the Prestige Access Award by the William Keown Foundation. This was given in recognition of the considerations made in design and construction to make it fully user friendly building for people with disabilities During construction FCC achieved 500.000 working hours without accidents and zero major accidents reported during the project. This is a remarkable achievement considering that more than 6,000 workers were inducted at the construction site during the project’s 36-month project duration, and more than 1.200 workers were recorded during the peak of labour force.

The South West Acute Hospital was FCC Construction’s first UK project and the success of the PFI project has enhanced our UK reputation.

This has led us to bid for an £126 million tender to build the Desertcreat Joint Public Services College in Cookstown, Northern Ireland. FCC Construction is also in the final bidding round for the £450 million Royal Liverpool Hospital PFI project. ◆

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 GREATER LONDON AUTHORITY RE:FIT PROJECT AIM The Mayor of London is committed to London becoming a world leading, low carbon capital city with an ambitious target of cutting carbon emissions by 60% by 2025.

Public buildings are a major contributor to London’s carbon emissions, contributing up to 10% to its footprint.

The wider economic and austerity environment means there is a growing need to make existing buildings work more efficiently, rather than replacing them.

Recognising the potential to improve the energy performance of a typical public sector building and therefore reduce its running costs, the Greater London Authority (GLA) established RE:FIT, a building retrofitting scheme to support public sector organisations to reduce their carbon footprint and subsequent energy bills.

The target is for 40% of public sector buildings in London to be retrofitted by 2025. This would retrofit 11 million square metres, realising a reduction in carbon emissions of over 2.5 million tonnes per annum.

“RE:FIT is another example of how London is leading the way to tackle climate change,” says Charles Stafford, Transport for London Director of Group Property and Facilities

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The RE:FIT scheme has been recognised as the model for retrofitting buildings by the UK government, which has committed to roll out the scheme nationally.

This is not surprising: RE:FIT is already saving over 12,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, the equivalent of 1,400 flights from London to Paris. Retrofitting work has been carried out to 111 of London’s buildings to an equivalent area of 55 football pitches. Capital investment of over £13 million has already resulted in energy savings of around £2.1 million per annum.

RE:FIT is a live programme and the current pipeline

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Carbon abating: energy audit for GLA buildings includes work with a further 51 London organisations to retrofit over 550 additional public sector buildings, including schools, colleges and universities, hospitals and health centres, justice institutions, civic centres and libraries.

This comprises a total works value exceeding £60 million, to realise an estimated CO2 reduction of 51,000 tonnes per annum. International studies show that this level of investment can create over 1,000 jobs alone.

Eric Munro, Director of Capital, Estates and Facilities, West London Mental Health NHS Trust, states: “Without the RE:FIT programme. I would have really struggled to get buy-in from my senior colleagues within the trust that this was a worthwhile area in which to make investment when we are under pressure across all fronts on patientfacing services. Without RE:FIT it would have taken a lot longer to deliver the project both from an investment and a time and resource perspective,”

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? RE:FIT is the Mayor of London’s innovative procurement initiative that provides a framework for the public sector to retrofit existing buildings with energy saving measures.

These measures improve the energy performance of their

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leverage its cost 25 times in investment in RE:FIT projects over the three year period of appointment.

Available to all public sector organisations in the UK, the RE:FIT framework streamlines the procurement process for energy services by providing pre-negotiated, EUregulation compliant contracts that can be used with a group of pre-qualified Energy Service Companies (ESCos).

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED?

The ESCos design and implement energy conservation measures, which enable organisations to cut running costs, energy consumption and carbon emissions.

The ESCos guarantee the level of energy savings, thus offering a secure financial saving over the period of the agreement. This innovative model transfers the risk of performance to the ESCos. Typical energy conservation measures include insulation and building fabric improvements, replacement or upgrading of mechanical and electrical services and equipment, as well as the installation of bespoke energy efficiency measures such as Combined Heat and Power (CHP) or District Heating.

Helping RE:FIT to succeed in London is the Programme Delivery Unit (PDU). The PDU is the public face of the RE:FIT programme, proactively recruiting organisations and supporting them throughout the process through benchmarking, recommending optimum financial and CO2 savings, and helping organisations through the procurement, implementation and verification phases.

This type of performance contracting approach is new to many public organisations and the support of the PDU gives them confidence in the model and the process.

WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? The GLA was successful in securing £2,671,000 of funding for the PDU, of which 90% is provided under the ELENA (European Local Energy Assistance) programme from the European Commission and 10% by the GLA. This means that the PDU’s professional support is fully funded and so the service is provided to London’s public sector organisations at no cost. The PDU is targeted to

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In summary, the benefits of RE:FIT include: ● Opportunity to make substantial energy and carbon savings, which can be up to 28% per annum ● A guaranteed return on investment – the savings are contractually guaranteed by the Energy Service Company ● Low payback periods, typically five to seven years or even lower ● An easy to use framework, enabling simple but highly competitive tendering in line with public sector procurement requirements ● A tried and tested approach. The RE:FIT programme was established in 2008 and has already enabled energy savings of over £2.1 million per annum ● Support throughout the project from the Programme Delivery Unit, which is provided at no cost to public sector organisations in London.

WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? Importantly, RE:FIT is a public sector initiative for the public sector. Unlike other schemes, there are no royalty or other costs associated with accessing the RE:FIT framework and no sharing of the energy saving benefits realised.

Recognising the achievements of the RE:FIT initiative to date, and the opportunity to further streamline procurement for smaller organisations through a sector specific approach, the GLA is soon to launch the RE:FIT Schools Energy Efficiency Programme.

This London-wide energy reduction initiative has been developed and supported by the Mayor of London, the Department for Education (DfE) and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). It will be the first major programme targeted to address energy efficiency in schools.

RE:FIT Schools is also supported by Salix Finance, a notfor-profit company grant funded by the DECC, through which interest free loans are available to participating schools for up to 100% of the project value.

The London RE:FIT Schools Energy Efficiency Programme builds on a pilot schools project that saw ten

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 primary and two secondary schools in East London use the RE:FIT energy performance contracting approach to implement a range of energy conservation measures.

This pilot achieved an average energy cost reduction of 35% and a project payback time of four years, with savings guaranteed by the energy service company.

of a leading London council. Jo Mortensen, Sustainability Programme Manager, Ealing Council, says: “Without the structure and support of RE:FIT, it would have been much more challenging for Ealing to gain the necessary support and approvals to move our programme forward. Also the guaranteed energy savings allowed us to quickly secure confidence with internal stakeholders.” ◆

The RE:FIT Schools Energy Efficiency Programme is targeting 200 schools over the first three years, thereby enabling significant financial investment in school buildings to improve their energy efficiency while also improving their environment for pupils and staff.

It is estimated that this could save the schools £32million in energy costs and reduce carbon emissions by more than 125,000 tonnes over the next ten years.

WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? RE:FIT’s proven and innovative approach has been recognised by others. The GLA won the award for Best European Energy Service Promoter for the RE:FIT programme at the seventh European Energy Service Awards (EESA) in Brussels and the Manage Energy Local Energy Action Award 2011.

The RE:FIT programme was judged as Highly Commended in the Sustainability Initiative of the Year Award category at the National GO (Government Opportunities) Awards 2010/11 and was Commended in the Sustainability category at the Government Business Awards 2011, which recognise effective business practices in the public sector.

Individual RE:FIT projects have also been recognised.

Newham University Hospital Trust and EON Sustainable Energy (one of the framework ESCos) received two prestigious industry awards, recognising joint achievements in delivering a major energy saving initiative at Newham University Hospital.

These awards are Best Use of Innovative Funding at the Building Better Healthcare (BBH) Awards, which celebrates the best examples of healthcare building design, and the International Green Apple Award for Environmental Best Practice gong.

And finally, a ringing endorsement from one of the leaders

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 HAMBLESIDE DANELAW LTD LOW CARBON STEPSAFE ROOFLIGHT PROJECT AIM The main aim of the project was to develop a low carbon rooflight manufactured form fibreglass. The project looked at the reinforcement (fibreglass) and re-engineered it to enable the composite material to have increased strength and lower carbon footprint.

The first stage was to complete a life cycle analysis of the typical 30 year non-fragile industrial rooflight. The glass fibre reinforcement was then redesigned to enable the rooflight to maintain strength and non-fragility and, at the same time, reduce the polyester resin content to enable a lower carbon product to be manufactured.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The project achieved a rooflight that has a more than 43% lower carbon footprint, uses 25% less glass reinforcement and uses 60% less resin.

Light work: lower carbon footprint from rooflight recommends natural light for wellbeing and to improve the working environment.

This project also has the potential to reduce energy demand for lighting. â—†

This project has gone from 0.3% of product manufactured to 22% of product manufactured. At the same time it has reduced the quantities of raw material that have to be processed and transported to our production site. It has also reduced the transport emissions for transporting the rooflights to site, as they weigh considerably less than the industry standard.

WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? The project cost ÂŁ120,000 and was funded by the company.

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? Traditional construction mentality is to make things thicker to make them stronger, but this project has proven that, by using the eco-design principles and completing cradle to grave life cycle analysis, it is possible to manufacture products that are more sustainable while maintaining their strength.

One further benefit is that because the product is thinner, it allows more natural light into the building. The HSE

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 JAMBATAN KEDUA SDN BHD CONSTRUCTION OF SECOND PENANG (MALAYSIA) BRIDGE

PROJECT AIM Being a major transportation hub, the state of Penang has witnessed a fast economic growth over the past 15 years.

The traffic flow to the island has reached 65,000 vehicles per day, with the number expected to rise to 80,000 vehicles a day in two years time.

It has become apparent that the widened Penang Bridge will not be able to cope with this marked increase in traffic volume, so the construction of the Second Penang Bridge (PB2X) is aimed to alleviate the overloaded traffic at the existing bridge, as well as being the key catalyst for the socio-economic development in the region.

The Second Penang Bridge was designed to resemble the existing cable-stayed Penang Bridge, and it spans the straits of Penang at Batu Kawan on the mainland to Batu Maung on the island. This project is expected to reduce traffic on the First Penang Bridge by 20% and will transform Penang into a key logistic and transportation hub

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for the northern region of Malaysia, under the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) programme.

Lifecycle management of the PB2X is undertaken where sustainable development and green technology is key to building the future. In supporting innovation and green technology, the PB2X project considered: ● IBS (Industrialised Building System) ● Use of steel fender instead of man-made island ● Use of PERI formwork system for construction of pylons and piers up to eight metres in height ● Use of traveller form for deck work construction ● Installed High Damping Rubber Bearing (HDRB) to provide an effective seismic isolation system and a green approach to the toll plaza building, which may reduce the adverse impact to the environment.

When completed, the iconic bridge will be the longest in south-east Asia with the total length of 16.9 kilometres

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 over water. The total cost of the construction is estimated at RM 4.5 billion.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS As of February 2013, this project was 91.39% completed and ahead of schedule. It will provide an alternative connection between the mainland and the island of Penang. It also will spur development and provide impetus to Penang, which is regarded as the logistics and transportation hub for the northern region.

The Pot Bearing system of the bridge was replaced with High Damping Rubber Bearing (HDRB) to provide an effective seismic isolation system. HDRB provide a simple and economical isolation system. HDRB are natural rubber and have high damping properties and lower embodied energy, which are capable of safely withstanding large horizontal displacement during an earthquake.

In terms of appreciating the environmental concern in this bridge construction, 4 Rs – Respect, Reduce, Reuse and Re-Environment – were implemented as follows: Respect ● The project is critically monitored on the environmental and marine ecosystem aspect due to the sensitive marine environment in Penang Straits ● The structure is designed for high durability in marine environment with concrete cover conforming to the latest Eurocode practice ● Green high strength concrete with silica fume and PFA cement is used to give the required durability. The Rapid Chloride Permeability Test (RCPT) values less than 800 coloumbs at 56 days ● The Highway embankment is designed with 100% primary consolidation settlement criteria to ensure that the rate of settlement is not more than 50mm in 20 years, to minimise the operation and maintenance costs.

Reduce ● The design construction of precast SBG has been highly optimised and constructed efficiently to reduce raw material, energy and costs ● The first Penang Bridge used a protection island against any ship collision. The use of steel fender at the Second Penang Bridge has reduced the impact to the marine eco-system ● The steel fender also act as a formwork for the pilecap which helps to reduce pollution to the marine area.

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A green building approach for the toll plaza is taken up to save water, energy and material resources in the construction and maintenance of the buildings. The Green Building Index (GBI) is used as the rating tool to promote integrated and whole building designs that would provide a better built environment.

The green building concept adopted for the Toll Plaza are as follows; ● Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ – air quality, thermal comfort and lighting visual and acoustic comfort ● Sustainable site planning and Management (SM) – site planning, construction management and transportation ● Material and Resources (MR) – sustainable resources, waste management and green products ● Water efficiency (WE) – water harvesting and recycling ● Innovations – wind turbines at prayer room (musolla) ● Energy Efficiency (EE) – thermal resistance, window system and photovoltaic use.

Reuse (IBS System) ● Production of 8,176 tonnes of precast SBG ● Production of 3,336 tonnes of Precast Shell ● Use of Climbing Form and Travelling Formwork for Main Navigation piers and pylon ● Production of 63,580 lin.m of precast Parapet ● Production of 31,790 lin.m of precast NJB. Re-Environment During the construction process, algae and small fish were found around the driven piles and these provided a food source for larger fish such as the Longfin Bannerfish (Heniochus acumiratus), Rock Grouper (Epinephelus fasciatomaculosus), White Cheeked Monocle Bream (Scolopsis vosmeri) and the local Udang Lipan (Stomatopod Crustacean). Research by Lund University in Sweden have discovered that the Oresund Bridge connecting Denmark and Sweden have improved the marine environment in the ten years since it was built.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? A feasibility study on the project started under the Eighth Malaysia Plan in 2000 and was completed in 2002.

Being a fast-tracked construction of 24 kilometres of expressway, its implementation was faced with various challenges. Prior to the commencement of the project, a preliminary environmental impact assessment study was

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 undertaken for the project and approved by the Department of Environment (Malaysia) in 2007.

In August 2006 the Government unveiled a plan to build the Second Penang Bridge under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

Initial works including soil investigation, topographic survey, dredging works and test piles had begun in 2007.

The Second Penang Bridge project is divided into the following three main packages: ● Package 1 – Main navigation span and substructure and foundation works of approach spans ● Package 2 – Superstructure works on approach spans ● Package 3 – Land expressway.

Due to the time constraints of having to complete and operate the bridge by the end of 2013, the design and build concept for the project delivery system was adopted for Packages 1 and 2. This fast-track strategy was chosen to reduce the delivery schedule by overlapping the design and construction phases. Among the benefits of a design and build contract for this project were the singular responsibility, quality performance, time saving and improved risk management.

As contractors hold the most responsibility for the design and construction of the project, they are more motivated to deliver a successful project in all aspects, as well as complying with the Need Statement provided by the client.

This Need Statement serves as a guideline for the contractors in fulfilling the client’s expectation, on top of a quality performance. In addition, the design and build concept allows the contractors to plan and manage time better as they are able to begin construction even before construction documents are fully documented. The risk management is also improved as the method of construction is developed to suit their work programmes and resources, and change of orders are virtually eliminated.

Environmental concerns in bridge construction take into account the health and marine eco-system, as well as to reduce demands and complaints from fishermen and fish farmers who ostensibly incurred losses as a result of the bridge construction.

Fanli Marine & Consultancy Ptd. Ltd. (Fanli) were appointed as independent consultants to conduct a

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monitoring study. Their scope of work covered the assessment on the impact of construction activities on fishing, cockle farming and the communities.

To ensure the environmental compliance was achieved, independent auditors were appointed. The appointment of ERE Consulting Group Ptd. Ltd. (ERE) was to monitor and audit the Environmental Impact Aspect (EIA) works as well as to assess the impact of construction activities and to propose any mitigation measures on the environment and marine eco-system.

As the method of construction involves piling using barges, production of concrete by floating concrete batching plant and launching and delivery of SBGs via barges, dredging works are required. The bridge line runs through two major shallow areas where the water depth is not enough to meet the draught requirement of the barges, so dredging work of a 270m width and 3.0 to 3.5m depth has to be carried out.

The estimated amount of spoil to be dredged is 11,000,000 cubic metres. The major sources of impacts would come from the dredging activities and the disposal of dredged materials as well as underwater noise created from the piling works.

The following mitigation measures were taken to minimise the environmental impact during dredging:● Monitoring and controlling the dredging operations by installing a digital GPS receiver control system to determine the correct dredging width and depth during dredging operation. Draft sensors are installed to enable the effective monitoring system for dredging activities, transportation and disposal of spoils/sludges during construction to prevent pollution in surrounding areas ● Disposal of dredged material in accordance to guidelines recommended by the Department of Environment and the Marine Department at the approved designated site located 35km south west of the Second Penang Bridge. ● Choices of machineries such as the Clamshell Dredger and upgraded grab bucket to minimise unwanted sediments resulting from dredging operations, as well as to minimise the leakage of dredged material ● Silt curtains enclosure are installed to trap suspended solids during dredging and to prevent further spreading.

During the design stage, a sustainable design considering

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 minimal impact to the environment as well as to reduce minimal maintenance was adopted, incorporating lowimpact materials, quality and durability and design for reuse and recycling.

WHO AND WHAT BENEFITED? The structures were designed for high durability in a marine environment with concrete cover conforming to the Eurocode. The design of Segmental Box Girder (SBG) was optimised by adopting higher reinforcement ratios and less concrete. High performance concrete with silica fume and pfa cement was used to give the durability required (Rapid Chloride Permeability Test (RCPT) values of less than 800 coulombs at 56 days.

The Employer’s Requirement (ER) requires no damage criteria for a 500 years return period. In addition to this, a requirement of ‘no collapse’ criteria for the most credible earthquake (2,500 years return period). Based on the above situation, this project was consulted by the specialist in Malaysian rubber industry – Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB), for advice on the appropriate selection of bearing for seismic protection.

HDRB was found to be the best option of a seismic isolator to replace the original pot bearing. MRB in conjunction with the Tun Abdul Razak Research Center (TARRC), has developed the HDRB design for the Second Penang Bridge to meet two sets of action: ● SLS non seismic action conforming to BS 5400 and SLS non seismic action simultaneous with a 2,500 year return period earthquake conforming to EN 15129 and also subjected to geometrical constraint.

(EQ), Sustainable Site Planning and Management (SM), Materials & Resources (MR), Water Efficiency (WE) and Innovations (IN).

This second Penang bridge project was recognised and accredited by Lloyds Register Quality Assurance (LRQA) in the standards of Quality Management System (QMS).

The project has received ISO 9001:2008 Environmental Management System (EMS) and ISO 14001:2004 and Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSAS) accreditations, which recognise the best management practices in controlling the quality, environment and occupational health and safety matters in the project.

WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? When completed, the Second Penang Bridge project is set to be the longest in south-east Asia and will provide Malaysia with a world class highway.

The project promotes especially its sustainable development and environmental conservation programme.

The execution of the design and build concept for the major portion of the project is anticipated to produce impressive results and lead to many innovations, as well as promoting a cost-effective bridge engineering and maintenance practice in Malaysia. ◆

The adoption of HDRB does not only solve the seismic design issue but also conserves the environment as compared to pot bearing as they are made of natural material and requires minimal maintenance throughout its lifetime.

The green building approach is taken up to save water, energy and material resources in the construction and maintenance of the buildings. The Green Building Index (GBI) is used as the rating tool to promote integrated and whole building designs that provides a better built environment. To achieve 80% of GBI scoring, the overall design implementation shall be based on the following criteria: Energy Efficiency (EE), Indoor Environment Quality

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 KIER CONSTRUCTION MAJOR PROJECTS GREEN WALL AT KING’S CROSS PROJECT AIM The idea was to give something back to the environment during the construction phase of our project. We decided to convert the concrete batter at our site entrance into an eye-catching and beautiful green wall.

Kier’s involvement with programmes such as the Considerate Constructors’ Scheme has encouraged green thinking and improved the quality of working conditions for everybody at site level.

The green wall is one of the latest innovative ideas that Kier have adopted over the years and, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the community and site volunteers, the DIY green wall has proved to be an easy and effective way of improving both community relationships and the way the site looks. It is our intention that other Kier sites take up our idea and construct similar green walls.

The wall was created from recycled or donated materials and constructed in their free time by volunteers from local companies and organisations and Kier personnel.

The green wall at our site office entrance has a 4.9 x 1.7 x 0.6m planter at the base on which we can grow our own herbs, vegetables and fruit.

Our aim was simple: to improve the image of construction sites, which can be quite daunting or gloomy. We believed that seeing a beautiful array of plants would brighten up a person’s day and present a welcoming environment not only for site visitors or operatives, but also for the local community.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS We showed what the industry could do to improve the local environment while undertaking a major development in the King’s Cross area of London. The initiative would show that the industry cared both about its local neighbours and its wildlife.

When we raised the idea of the green wall with our sub-

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contractors and the local community, they were all keen to take part and donated their time, materials, knowledge and expertise, turning a simple idea into reality; to show that a temporary green wall is possible even in central London.

We used mainly recycled materials, all of which were either donated or salvaged from site, including recycled timber, trellis fencing, recycled polystyrene sheets and soil from the site excavations, which was used to back fill the planter at the base of the wall.

By using waste and discarded materials, we have helped reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. All of the timber products used was FSC certified.

On 5 December 2012, 15 volunteers from the Wild Life trust in Camley Street Gardens came on to the B3 site, bringing with them two tonnes of topsoil and a selection of plants. Not only did they help load the soil into the green wall planter, but they also shared their expertise and knowledge by grouping the plants in a way that worked well and made the wall the pleasant sight it is today.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? We are currently promoting the green wall idea throughout the company, showing other sites just how easy it is to do.

The green wall is much nicer to look at than an unattractive dull grey concrete batter.

To promote this idea across Kier, we have posted information about the green wall on the company’s intranet site – Kier Doc – and we have already been in communication with our neighbouring site at UCL to see if they can incorporate a similar feature on their site.

The driving force behind the scheme was Freddie FarrenOwens, a Kier apprentice working on the B3 project and currently doing an NVQ and Diploma in Leadership and

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 Management. The wall was created purely from recycled or donated materials and constructed in their free time by volunteers from local companies and organisations and Kier personnel. The total project ‘cost’ was £428.10 and involved 189 volunteered man hours.

Since we transformed the unattractive concrete batter into a stunning green wall creation, it has been visited by a variety of insects and birds, and even a squirrel, all attracted by the array of plants.

It is our intention to ensure that that the green wall will continue to flourish and attract the attention of all the residents, both human and animal, in the King’s Cross area.

Green glow: brightening up King’s Cross

Since this conversion of the concrete batter into the green wall, several visitors have been intrigued and impressed by the structure and plants, even though these have not yet blossomed. Now that we have done our bit for the environment, we strongly believe it has made an impression on other construction companies within the King’s Cross environment and on other local projects, and we hope that they will follow in our path.

Kier Major Projects and our partners who were involved in the scheme gave up their time and contributed materials to work together to produce something that would benefit both the environment and the local community.

The green wall is a simple, innovative idea that shows schemes to improve the environment do not have to be grand or costly and everyone can play their part, however small that is. ◆

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 KEIR CONSTRUCTION – NORTHERN ROUND-UP OF PROJECTS PROJECT AIM We undertook a number of projects over the past 12 months. This is a resumé of the key ones.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Water turbine to feed sites temporary electrics and power the finished product Bus and tram interchange The project is next to the River Roch and during the initial survey of the site, it was noticed that there was a hydropower generator on a section of the River Roch next to the proposed new project.

We approached the river authority and local council and asked if we could use it to power our site’s temporary electronics. After some persistence, we finally received a reply and discovered that the authorities were having problems with the water turbine power output.

After some internal discussion, we asked if we could take a look at it and try to put it in working order to be used for powering the project’s temporary site electronics. Again, after some time our persistence and reassurances paid off and the authorities agreed.

We then brought in Down Electrical to investigate. There were a number of issues but we put a proposal to the river authority and local council for getting the turbine up and

running, which they both accepted. As well as getting the turbine running, we cleaned up the general area, the housing stonework and replaced items such as handrails. The generator is now powering the site’s temporary electrics.

The electrical system for the New Rochdale Interchange has been designed to allow the generator to feed into the power grid. It now produces 86,000 kw per year, which is one third of the power requirements for the interchange.

This project represents a European first – a reduced public transport hub running with hydro-power.

Our corporate policy states that all projects we undertake must leave something permanent that is over and above the original aims of the project. We feel that we have certainly accomplished it in this instance.

Development of Electronic Waste Transfer Note We won a Green Apple award for Taking the Rubbish out of Waste. We have moved forward on this now to produce an electronic Waste Transfer Note (WTN) that is simple, user friendly, inexpensive and practicable based on the paper WTN we produced in the above project.

The biggest threat to construction is the control of waste via WTN. Under the law they must be filled in correctly and completely and be able to produce an auditable trail.

We therefore decided to change the paper based method into an electronic app which will allow the documents to be reviewed, signed and stored in the cloud. By having the system working this way it will eliminate documents going missing, deliveries going to wrong sites and allow a full audit trail to be completed.

Power play: utilising the turbine at exchange

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The other advantage will be uploading directly into Smart Waste, or any other Site Waste Management Plan System, without the need for admin staff to decipher handwriting and manually input to Smart waste.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 Kier has also identified along with Premier Waste that there is a gap in the market for this type of application and other companies may benefit from its use.

complete the forms can be automatically uploaded to Smart Waste/Edoc using various APIs. It can also be sent to the disposal point for signing an returning to you.

The key benefits ● Paperless system ● All the information required can be setup on the WTN prior to each individual project starting. ● Unlimited projects ● Works for one man bands up to major construction works. ● Audit trails ● Cloud based storage for notes ● Inbuilt error checking ● Alert queue for mistakes or problems ● Electronic version of WTN and consignment note

The Environment Agency is looking into making an electronic system for the Waste Transfer Notes. But it will not be user friendly because there is a need to input information for each individual.

Ours has the capability for us to integrate our own system into theirs using APIs. We have also looked into the POD Father system which currently allows for large muck shift but not skips and drums and the cost was significantly more than our proposal.

Power Cube Saving the Environment at Abbotts Lea and Palmerston Schools The Power Cube is a stand alone unit that works in conjunction with a generator power supply for site accommodation set up/temporary power to sites. At the Abbotts Lea and Palmerston SEN School projects, the Kier site manager trialled a Power Cube alongside the 7OKVA generator.

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

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Automatic upload to Smartwaste through CSV or API Automatic upload to Edoc using API Central storage for attachments Can be stored on any computer if required Cost is less than £500 per site Requires no typing just point and tap icons.

Can input via keyboard if required Works on all pads, tablets, smartphones etc to keep cost down Drop down list and automatic fill.

Why Use It During the first week of the project running a four-cabin accommodation block from a generator, the site realised a lot of fuel was being consumed during the evening and night to keep the drying room operational – a necessity as the contract started in the depths of winter.

After consulting A-Plant the site manager tested the use of a Power Cube on the site. This meant the drying room, fridges etc could remain in use but the generator would not be operational and therefore not consume any diesel.

You end up with a recognisable WTN all done electronically. This will change the existing paper-based forms (Waste Transfer Note and Consignment Note) into an electronic app to apply error checking, electronic signatures and audit trails.

How It Works The electricians wire up the generator to the site set up and also hard wire the Power Cube to the generator. Then whatever needs powering overnight plugs into the Power Cube and the rest plugs into the generator. The generator is then timed to go on and off when required.

This electronic form has specific permits, exemptions and licenses attached from a central repository which relate to that note and well as companies involved. Once this is

When it is off the Power Cube then powers the site with the energy it has stored up during the period when the generator was running. The next day when the generator

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 starts up again, it will recharge the Power Cube and this cycle continues.

Savings During its use on site, the Power Cube relays live data back to the supplier to inform them in real time what the Power Cube is saving the site in fuel consumption and C02. This data can then be used to ensure the site is getting maximum benefit from the unit.

During the first two week trial, the supplier informed the site manager that based on consumption and the capacity of the cube, the data was stating that the Power Cube could run the site set up over the weekend meaning no fuel would be used during this period.

In the first week a generator running for 120 hours (five days) would use approximately 1,800 litres of diesel based on the site set-up at Abbotts Lea and Palmerston.

However due to the Power Cube, the generator’s run time was actually only 43 hours, which equates to a fuel consumption of 645 litres. This provided a saving in a fiveday period of 1,155 litres of fuel.

Power pack: how to generate savings

Based on 2.65Kg of C02 per litre of diesel, this then equates to a saving of 3,061Kg of C02 or, to put it another way, more than three tonnes of emissions.

Other benefits As well as being environmentally friendly the Power Cube offers other benefits. The Abbotts Lea and Palmerston Projects are situated in a residential area and the generator is particularly close to one dwelling. Without the Power Cube the generator would be operating all night, making noise constantly. Although you can source quieter generators, none is completely silent like the Power Cube.

The reduction in the generator night time running has also reduced the amount of services and maintenance call outs, which in turn saves money and the fuel used by the fitter visiting the site to carry out services or maintenance.

Using a Power Cube reduces the size of the generator needed, thereby providing further cost savings. â—†

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 KIER MINING CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT AT GREENBURN SURFACE MINE PROJECT AIM Conservation management has been undertaken to protect wildlife and enhance restoration works at the Greenburn Surface Mine in East Ayrshire, Scotland.

The surface mine has been operational since 2004 and has been subject to progressive restoration since works began. As part of ongoing operational works and restoration, the following conservation management programme has been implemented: ● Tree planting to enhance riparian corridors on existing and restored watercourses ● Construction of barn owl boxes placed around the site ● Relocation of bats and placement of bat boxes in woodland close to the site ● Construction of artificial otter holts in section of diverted river channel ● Restoration of 90 hectares of previously mined land, the majority back to agriculture with enhanced biodiversity; ● Creation of a wetland feature increasing the number wading birds to the area ● Involvement of local community in the restoration design with visits from the local primary school. ● Tree planting along a newly diverted section of the River Nith ● Creation of artificial otter holt along river diversion channel ● Badger foraging near area of woodland ● Relocation of bats from farmhouse

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Badger relocation An area of established woodland with a badger sett was left in situ as part of environmental mitigation measures at the mine. The wooded area was fenced off to prevent badgers potentially becoming harmed by nearby mining.

The aim was to relocate the badgers to an outlier sett 700 metres away. Subsequent surveys showed all activity moved to the outlier sett, positive signs that the badgers had relocated and made it their main sett. Following restoration and completion of mining around the wooded

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Boxing clever: new home for a barn owl area, the fencing was removed with the hope that the badgers would be encouraged back to the area. A motion sensor camera, set in woodland, has provided results showing badgers foraging in the woodland.

Barn owl and bat relocation As part of mitigation measures for demolished farm buildings, barn owl boxes were constructed by Kier staff.

These were placed at strategic locations around the site and surveys have shown that barn owls are successfully using some of the boxes. Bat boxes were also placed within woodland around the site to provide alternative roost locations for bats.

Creation of otter holts Diversionary works were undertaken on the River Nith and as part of conservation management works, it was agreed to locate two artificial otter holts in the river banks, using sandstone available at the site.

These will be surveyed as part of ongoing site works and it is hoped once the channel is made live the otters will use them.

Habitat creation Riparian woodland Kier has undertaken tree planting along existing, diverted and restored watercourses, most recently with the help of

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 New Cumnock Primary School.

Wetland A large flooded area has formed in the north-western part of the restored site, creating a wetland with a shallow water body fringed by rush and foxtail. This wetland feature has increased the biodiversity of the area and has encouraged a variety of wildlife with confirmed or probable breeders, including the willow warbler, skylark, meadow pipit, ringed plover, goldfinch and the Eurasian curlew.

Agricultural The majority of restoration has been returned to grassland for agricultural use, mainly silage production and grazing.

The benefit of returning the land to agriculture is local farmers can put the land back into production and over the long term, can be managed when mining has left the area.

Community involvement An area of enhanced restoration has been set aside to be completed in the summer of 2013. This has been designed in collaboration with New Cumnock Primary School. Following a site visit the children were asked to design the restoration taking on board the ecological aims.

Features such as an artificial badger sett, amphibian refugia, artificial otter holt, areas of woodland, riparian corridors, a pond and areas of wetland will be included in the final design. This will be implemented over the coming months with the children being able to monitor the progress of the restoration through future site visits.

The schoolchildren along with local councillors and members of the Community Council were also involved in tree planting along the River Nith.

WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? The project is funded as part of the operational running costs, through the reinvestment of profits at the successful Greenburn Surface Mine and the wider Kier Group.

WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? Involving the local primary school in tree planting and to help design the restoration aims to give children a sense of involvement and long term pride in the restoration, thereby benefiting future generations.

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Field studies: learning curve for schoolchildren Rather than buy barn owl boxes, Kier staff constructed the boxes which have proved to be a great success. Site staff have played an active role in placing the barn owl and bat boxes around the site, which have already shown signs of activity.

Another evolution was the transformation of the area from a working mine to agricultural restoration and then on to the wetland feature seen today.

CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT FROM IMPLEMENTING YOUR METHODS? Conservation management does not have to be expensive.

Most of the methods employed at the site have involved using the expertise and knowledge of site staff and reusing site materials.

WHAT DID WE LEARN FROM THE PROJECT? Habitats and wildlife can be resilient and adapt quickly to their surroundings as the relocation of the barn owls and badgers have shown from the follow-up surveys.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 The wetland area located in the northwest of the site was originally restored to agricultural land but naturally adapted to become a wetland. The area was surveyed in 2011 as part of the Restored Areas Bird and Habitat Survey Report and was compared to the baseline survey undertaken at the site in 1998.

Both surveys recorded seven separate species using the area and two breeding skylark territories with an increase to two breeding meadow pipit territories from the one recorded in 1998. A probable breeding curlew in the area is a notable addition.

The habitat survey has shown that the restored area, which now includes the unplanned wetland feature, has encouraged wildlife back into the area, creating a new habitat which has enhanced the biodiversity of the area.

ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER WORKS? Conservation management and restoration is ongoing at the site and continues to play a major part in the daily operations of the site. The enhanced restoration designed by the schoolchildren will be completed this summer with further restoration planned for the coming years. â—†

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KIER MINING Kier Mining was named overall Green Champion in the Building and Construction category at the 2013 Green Apple Awards for Environmental Best Practice.

We are proud to have been recognised both for our sustainable Bridge over the River Nith initiative, and for the extensive conservation and restoration work we have undertaken, including involving the local school and community at Greenburn Surface Mine.

For more information, please contact: Alanna Dale Project Planning and Environmental Manager T: 01290 810 129

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 KOREA AIRPORTS CORPORATION LED AIRFIELD LIGHTING SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT PROJECT PROJECT AIM The LED Airfield Lighting Development Project initiated by Korea Airports Corporation (KAC) was designed to reduce greenhouse gas emission and global energy consumption by replacing the existing halogen lamps with LED lamps at airports.

The former use of halogen lamps in the taxiways and runways of airports was very inefficient as it consumed a significant amount of power and had be changed frequently.

Compared to these halogen lamps, the LED lamps that run by lower carbon power supply proved to last up to 50 times longer. With the implementation of this project, we expected to ultimately save more than 70% of greenhouse gas emissions.

As a corporation that is dedicated to take a part in global movement of reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission, we considered the LED project vital to lowering the globe’s environmental contamination.

There are 7,300 airports in the world emitting greenhouse gas and consuming significant amount of energy, and we hope to take this green environmental move globally by exporting our technology and be a leader in promoting the green change in the aviation industry.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The successful development and installation of KAC’s LED Airfield Lighting System saved 70% of greenhouse gas emission originally emitted by halogen lamps. Also, as the high performance LED lamps delivered a lifetime of up to 50,000 hours, they saved more than 70% of originally consumed energy.

With the need to be replaced far less frequently, LED lights reduced significant amount of waste and maintenance cost, which drastically contributed to lowering the environmental contamination. We have

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Cash flow: LED lights save costs and power developed 18 LED airfield lightings, including runway lights and taxiway lights.

They have been successfully installed at five airports in Korea, Bojnord Airport in Iran, and Oslo Airport in Norway.

We plan to export the technology so that more airports worldwide can benefit of KAC’s LED Airfield Lighting System. It will bring greater reduction of global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission as a whole.

There are potentially 12 million airfield lights in 7,300 airports in the world, and when applied with the technology, we can ultimately save up to 3,854,400 MWh energy and reduce a maximum of 1,790,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. This achievement has opened a gateway for the aviation industry to contribute in reducing the global greenhouse gas emission and energy consumption altogether.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Established in 1980, Korea Airports Corporation is the nation’s leading public corporation and operates and manages 14 domestic and international airports in the Republic of Korea. Under the corporation’s differentiated management policy of making environmentally green

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 radiator. Also, we have doubled the waterproof function by inserting O-rings to each part of the module, as the water permeation is critical to LED lamps.

airports and specialising in airport equipment building, KAC has built a Research and Development Centre and Green Airport Team. In fact, KAC is a unique airport operator with its own R&D centre that can independently develop airport equipment upon necessity.

CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT?

To make the most of this efficient organisational system and our strong initiative to make green airports, we decided to specifically research the general LED technology and develop our own lighting system that is applicable to airports.

As KAC is the leading airport in Asia to develop and apply an independent LED lighting technology, we plan to benefit other fellow airports in future. We will export this technology to other airports in the world and help with the installment to contribute to the global reduction of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

With regard to reducing current carbon emission in the aviation industry and minimising the maintenance costs, we implemented the project of developing an LED Airfield Lighting System mainly in the taxiways and runways of airports.

The LED Airfield Lighting System was developed at KAC’s own Research & Development Centre, where we have developed 18 LED airfield lightings for taxiways and runways so far.

The total amount of investment spent in this project was 2.5 million US dollars. After the pilot testing and numerous field testings, we have successfully installed… ● An LED taxiway guidance sign ● Elevated and inset taxiway edge lights, taxiway centre line lights and intermediate holding position lights ● Stop bar lights and runway guard lights ● Insulated transformer and runway distance marker sign ● Runway centre line lights and touchdown zone lights, elevated and inset runway end lights, runway edge lights and runway threshold lights ● Runway threshold lights wing bar, stopway lights, aircraft stand identification sign, lights approaching sign, and constant current regulator.

WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? The LED airfield lighting system project at KAC is very innovative in that it was specifically designed to improve the efficiency of airfield lighting by minimising the internal radiant heat and enhancing the waterproof function.

At our R&D Centre, we applied heat-radiating technology which releases LED’s internally-generated heat by transmitting it through the head of the lamps using the

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There are potentially 12 million airfield lights in 7,300 airports in the world, and when implementing this technology, we learned that we can ultimately save up to 3,854,400 MWh of energy and reduce a maximum of 1,790,000 tonnes of CO2 of greenhouse gas emissions annually.

While exporting the technology to other foreign airports, we are planning to strengthen the quality and efficiency of our LED airfield lighting system. As the general technology for LED lamps is getting upgraded at a rapid speed, we plan to keep up with the new technology by developing our own LED airfield lighting system in accordance with the updates.

By upgrading the interior components of LED airfield lighting system accordingly, we will be able to minimise the size and weight of the products with higher efficiency.

Also, in addition to our LED Airfield Lighting System, we have developed a power supply device. We are planning further development of AC-GPS (Air Craft Ground Power Supply), a device which can replace existing aircraft power generator. It is designed as an eco-friendly device that reduces carbon emission and saves fuel energy by more than 80%.

AC-GPS precisely converts voltages and frequency in order to supply power for an aircraft that is parked at the airport.Currently, it is in pilot testing and will be put into effect upon its completion. We plan to implement an unique marketing strategy by providing services supporting training and maintenance.

For all the 18 LED airfield lightings, we have obtained government certificates and have registered five patents.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 Globally, we have received recognition by obtaining ISO9001 and accreditation for the elevated Taxiway Edge Lights from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the USA in 2010.

In upcoming years, we are planning to obtain more certifications from FAA for the inset taxiway edge Lights and the inset and elevated runway edge lights, respectively.

Also, in recognition of KAC’s achievement in having developed low carbon and eco-friendly green airport lightings, KAC was awarded the Silver Prize by the Airport Council International (ACI) at the Asia-Pacific Regional Assembly in May, 2012.

The ACI Asia-Pacific Regional Assembly welcomed KAC’s attempts to cope with global warming issues by finding and sharing excellent environmental management cases in the aviation industry. ◆

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 KSK ASSOCIATES ECO-FRIENDLY DENTAL PRACTICE PROJECT AIM During a routine check-up Quintus, my dentist, briefed me on his vision for a state of the art, eco-friendly dental practice.

The existing building had a tumble down, two-storey stable block to the rear. It was reminiscent of Steptoe & Sons ramshackle premises, with cobbled yard and cartway to one side.

The aim was to make the best use of the site by ideally extending to the rear of the main building to connect to the stable block. Our client, Quintus, wanted us to create a dental practice with ground floor treatment rooms which were relaxing, user friendly, and accessible to all. This included catering for clients with disabilities and wheelchair users.

Quintus wanted to increase the number of treatment rooms, the size of the reception area and have more room for staffs and back of house prep areas. In addition he wanted to convert the first floor accommodation above the former shop into a flat for himself.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The dental practice is located in and serves a leafy, residential conservation area, so the planning context was challenging. Hence, close attention was paid to preserving and enhancing the historic character of the existing building facing the street. We recycled the existing building envelope but brought it up to modern thermal standards throughout.

To the rear we had more freedom to create a more contemporary building but Quintus was keen that we echo the character of the original stable block.

To optimise the use of the site, we filled the space between the stable block and the shop to spread the dental practice over the ground floor, with a spacious, calm reception area gently flowing to four new treatment

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All white: the new eco-friendly treatment room rooms, two on each side of a skylight lit central corridor, with views to the windcatchers and the cedar clad upper storey.

The back of the house and staff facilities are arranged over a rebuilt and enlarged cedar shingle clad two-storey building to the rear. Existing bricks were recycled where possible.

The new deep plan building envelope is super insulated and fills the available site between the neighbouring boundaries. Surface area is minimised but there was little possibility for forming windows in external walls. At the centre of each treatment room is a large square, north

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 facing skylight arranged to minimise solar gain. The sky component daylight is perfect for detailed working, while distracting patients with the enjoyment of a constantly animated British sky. There is nothing more calming than watching clouds float gently by while listening to Classic FM.

WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? The overall Net construction cost of the project was approximately £200,000, which was funded by the sale of the dentist’s flat and a business loan.

WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? As well as transforming the existing building and its facilities, the project was ambitious – to be as innovative as possible. Quintus was keen to distinguish his practice as a responsible 21st century business with the best possible sustainability credentials.

transformation from the previous accommodation with benefits to both patients and those working in the practice.

Where artificial light is needed, low energy fluorescents are employed.

Future plans to enhance the sustainability of the practice include installing sedum on the flat roof, which will double its life and add to the insulation of the roof. Where there are down lights, such as in the reception area, these were specified as GU10 fitting so they can be easily upgraded with LED fittings.

Since the latest generation of dimmable LED lamps are now truly achieving parity of colour balance and light output with 50W halogens, this is to be implemented in the near future.

The mission of this project was to set a sustainability exemplar for similar small businesses, which we are of course keen to apply to similar projects. ◆

We chose Jupiter underfloor heating as the perfect solution for heating the treatment rooms, where sterility is an important issue. Although the principal energy demand for a dental practice is cooling rather than heating, we were keen to avoid air conditioning. Even though we were effectively working with a land-locked site with virtually no windows in the external walls, we were determined that the building should be naturally ventilated.

The solution was to naturally ventilate each treatment room using Monodraught Solarboost windcatchers. Solar powered fans deal with those few hot still days to maintain comfort conditions. However, we also wanted to introduce a source of top up cooling system, so we explored the possibility of doing this via the combination of heat pump technology feeding water borne underfloor cooling, utilising the same loops used for the underfloor heating.

We were lucky enough to present the project just at a time when Mitsubishi & Jupiter underfloor heating were looking for a small commercial premises to Beta test underfloor cooling in this way. It was the perfect Beta testing vehicle for Mitsubishi’s small package Ecodan Air source heat pump boiler, in conjunction with Jupiter’s underfloor heating and Gledhill’s energy storage tank solutions.

The quality of natural light achieved is a radical

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Celebrating Architectural Projects Selected for London Open House

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 KUMPULAN SENIREKA SDN BHD PLATINUM SENTRAL DEVELOPMENT OF OFFICES AND SHOPS PROJECT AIM Platinum Sentral – a project conceived and developed by MRCB Sentral Properties Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd (MRCB) – is a stateof-the-art development comprising five sustainably built campus-style office blocks, retail shops, business centres, hospitality zones and green spaces.

The development on a desolate concrete deck over Kuala Lumpur’s busiest railway interchange has created a green oasis of pocket parks, green walls and water features, in an otherwise extremely dense urban precinct dominated by traffic.

Block booking: green shoots in the centre of Kuala Lumpur

Despite being constrained by the existing structure, the aim was to weave a landscape of parks activated by food and beverage outlets around a central internal retail atrium, while providing a campus of office buildings above. The internal public atrium is entirely naturally ventilated, a first for Malaysia, bringing office workers and public together with a sense of containment and discovery.

The client’s brief was the desire to create a green heart for this portion of the Kuala Lumpur Sentral development, as well as that of a national benchmark in terms of environmentally sustainable design. The design response to these objectives was to create a series of open pocket parks that engage a circuitous linear internal street activated by retail and food and beverage outlets, to enable movement through the site as well as to make connections to key linkages to surrounding developments.

Built above a railway network on a deck designed for an unrealised auditorium building, the design has to respond to structural challenges to meet the requirements of 40,000 square metres of commercial office space and a business centre and 8,000 square metres of retail space.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Featuring extensive daylight, natural ventilation, solar

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heating and renewable energy, the development has been awarded a Platinum rating, the highest green building rating from Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority.

The green features within the development also include many water features designed to maintain a cooler environment and to provide alternative workspaces for informal meetings and leisure activities.

Platinum Sentral has created a new benchmark with its office greenscapes and work-and-play environment that include roof and terrace gardens and water features with manicured landscapes. It is Malaysia’s first Connected Real Estate by Cisco for an integrated smart office system.

Embarking on a green building initiative was the natural next step forward for the developer MRCB, following its success in developing Grade A office towers in the central business district of Kuala Lumpur Sentral. These are Plaza Sentral, 1 Sentral, Menara SSM and Menara MIDA. The site’s height limitation has given the project team an opportunity to innovatively break down a high-rise office tower into multiple low-rise office components. This gave birth to a low-rise building within a park setting, which the

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 team subsequently interpreted this concept into a campusstyle development that is environmentally friendly and smart.

This spearheaded the company’s green building agenda as the site is considered unique and forms a part of Kuala Lumpur Sentral CBD’s overall development nucleus that will be surrounded by future developments.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? MRCB Sentral Properties Sdn Bhd is a leading urban property and infrastructure developer in the country. The group specialises in civil, environmental and energy infrastructure development including beach rehabilitation projects, road works, road concessions, educational colleges, hospitals, power plants, and it is the nation’s biggest developer of high-voltage transmission networks.

The project team members comprised: ● Lead Architect/Architectural-of-Record - Kumpulan Senireka Sdn Bhd ● Concept & Design Architect – Cox Architect in Collaboration with Perunding Alam Bina ● M & E Consultant – Li-Zainal Sdn Bhd ● Civil & Structural Consultant – ARH Jurukur Bahan Sdn. Bhd. ● Landscape Architect – Pentago Landscape Sdn. Bhd. ● Energy & Green Mark Consultant – G- Energy Global Pte Ltd ● CFD Consultant – ZEB- Technology Pte Ltd Main Contractor – MTCB Engineering Sdn Bhd. Platinum Sentral has a built up area of over 94,000 square metres, and a gross development value of RM350 million.

It was completed in March 2012.

The development is configured as a land form where the public spaces and parkland are carved out of a stratified, terraced rock base. Above this floats the commercial blocks, their forms weaving dynamically through site to create movement and eddy spaces.

The public space occupies the interstitial space between these two primary forms. The extent of the public space and Retail and F&B amenity was configured to ensure that Platinum Sentral could act as a central meeting space for the surrounding commercial and residential developments.

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The configuration of the commercial office space is set out to ensure optimal daylight penetration to reduce artificial lighting requirements and maximise operational and leasing flexibility.

The commercial tenancies are set out as five discrete blocks that at one point intersect. Generally these blocks are approximately 22 metres wide with a central core and vary in height from between two and five storeys above the retail and public areas. Each of these blocks has a view aspect either to the surrounding streets, the internal atrium or the verdant landscaped pocket parks.

The configuration of the commercial spaces and their juxtaposition with regard to amenity, services and public transport facilities, as well as their environmental credentials, create the ideal workplace.

This linear street atrium is the primary public space in Platinum Sentral and is most noteworthy as it is the only entirely naturally ventilated public atrium in Malaysia. This was achieved by the understanding of the method of modifying acceptable levels of human comfort in a tropical climate by providing air movement of a specific velocity.

In addition, extensive CFD modelling was done to ensure that prevailing winds would provide sufficient impetus to create the desired level of air movement to ensure sufficient cooling. This CFD modelling informed the configuration of the atrium as well as to indicate where openings had to be placed to best ensure the proper functioning of the system.

As a measure to ensure comfort on completely becalmed days, large volume fans were placed at regular intervals along the atrium, to be sensor activated when the conditions require. Also notable is that the atrium has a glass roof allowing the space to be bathed in natural light.

While direct sunlight penetration is normally considered too intense in the tropics, the white frit pattern applied to the glass provides sufficient shading to allow the space to feel noticeably cooler than the outside. The atrium at Platinum Sentral is now considered a benchmark for naturally ventilated public space in the region as previously such a space would have been entirely air-conditioned.

Whilst the atrium is the most visible of the ESD initiatives,

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 other key features include: ● Energy savings through use of efficient and sensor controlled lighting in addition to electricity generation via photovoltaic cells on the roof ● Energy savings through heat recovery for the airconditioning system in addition to energy regenerative lifts and sensor activated escalators. ● Energy savings via a well-configured building envelope with appropriate solar shading and high performance double glazed units ● Water efficiency through use of high rated water savings fittings in addition to roof water harvesting for irrigation. ● Green walls and extensive open space with shade trees, grass and water features to provide good aspect as well as some microclimate cooling ● A pneumatic waste collection system.

The success of the project is evidenced by the 100% tenancy take-up for the office space as well as the higher than current office rental rate that MRCB can command.

WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? The development of Platinum Sentral is in line with MRCB’s commitment towards sustainable development by constructing Energy Efficient Building 7 Design, in an effort to support the city’s and country’s goal in addressing quality of life and climate change issues.

In recognition of these features, Platinum Sentral under the Green Mark Platinum rating requires a 30 per cent reduction in energy consumption that has been achieved by the building design, materials used and equipment efficiency.

Moreover, Platinum Sentral is also the first commercial building to utilise CISCO’s Smart+ Connected Real Estate (S+CRE) solution in Malaysia, making it a truly unique, state-of-the-art, distinctive and green office campus, offering seamless connectivity, a creative working environment and contemporary business lifestyle.

The S+CRE solution would eliminate isolated, disconnected system within communities, allowing more efficient integration, sharing and utilisation of resources and information, as well as serving the community better by using the network as a fourth utility. ◆

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 LABUAN CORPORATION RESTORATION OF THE CHIMNEY PROJECT AIM The aim of this project is to maintain the original structure of the Labuan Chimney, which once benefited the economy of Labuan Island, in Malaysia, as a source of fuel for British commercial steamships.

The project was undertaken by the Department of Museums and involved the restoration or replacement of damaged bricks in rebuilding damaged chimney.

The recovery ratio is 60% by using the cleaned or repaired original bricks that can be used again and 40% use of new bricks from the same materials (red bricks), which was bought from Sabah.

This project also involves the upgrading of landscape in the surrounding area and the development of the Labuan Chimney information centre.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT ACHIEVE IN TERMS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS? In terms of sustainable development, the Labuan Chimney was restored and repaired according to its original structure. The authorities of this project maintain its appearance by cleaning or polishing dirty bricks and restored those bricks, which still can be used and replaced the damaged bricks with the same materials.

At the same time, the landscapes at the surrounding area were beautified and upgraded with benches, walkways, information plaque and clean surrounding for visitors to take pictures.

WHO HAS BENEFITED? In terms of a boost to the local economy, the Chimney has contributed to tourism in terms of its historical value and it become one of the island’s tourism icons.

As for the environment, this project has not disrupted any

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Standing tall: the Chimney is a tourism attraction eco-system or habitat of flora and fauna at the surrounding area. The restoration only involved rebuilding of the Chimney and small area for the information centre and car parks.

Both locals and visitors have benefited from this project, especially from the historical lessons. Locals benefit in terms of job opportunities and the arrival of visitors or

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 tourists visiting Labuan. Visitors may consider their visit to the Chimney as the meaningful one because of it title, Mystery Chimney, which can only be untied in Labuan.

WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? The cost of the repairs was about RM1.5 millions, which was allocated to the Department of Museums Malaysia for the purpose of conservation, archaeology and restoration of the Labuan Chimney and its surrounding area. These costs included the purchase of new bricks, which were brought Sabah.

WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? The restoration project used a new technique called Conservation Techniques.

CAN OTHERS ATTRACTIONS BENEFIT FROM IMPLEMENTING YOUR METHODS? The value of history and heritage can be preserved for future generations. In addition, the restoration of the Labuan Chimney benefits the country's heritage and promotes historical tourism in Labuan.

ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENT? Through this project, we were also able to incorporate a number of components such as the tunnel and mining well, the World War Two Memorial, Surrender Point and Botanical Garden through history trails.

The history trails were then packaged as the Historical and Heritage Packages, which combined the network formed from Borneo's history trail that include Kalimantan (Indonesia), Sabah and Labuan (North Borneo) and Sarawak.

ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS? For future planning, we as the local authority intends to apply the provisions of repairing the tunnel and mining well, which were abandoned due to the absence of the Department of Heritage in Labuan, which should have been responsible for developing and protecting the natural heritage sites. â—†

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 LAING O’ROURKE CONSTRUCTION NORTH YSBYTY GLAN CLWYD REDEVELOPMENT, NORTH WALES PROJECT AIM The project at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd involves a full redevelopment of an existing hospital estate in North Wales, in order to provide a state of the art healthcare facility fit for current times that strives to provide the finest healthcare for the local population.

The original hospital was constructed in the 1970s and heavily utilised asbestos insulation within the construction of the main areas. In the subsequent decades the asbestos Group appeal: intense activity in the Highlands has become a major health and believes they should leave a legacy where developments safety issue for our client, Betsi Cadwaladr University are carried out. As part of the site team’s commitment, we Health Board. have strived to create a lasting legacy and ensure any construction works are carried out with the least possible As part of our works we are removing the Asbestos to negative impact on the community and environment. reduce the impact to all parties. The scheme is split into two distinct parts: The following elements have been carried out on site to ● New build elements which are providing a new mortuary reduce impact of our construction activities: building, which has won an award from Denbighshire ● Car sharing policy for staff and operatives County Council ● Electric car charging point installed within site parking ● A new pathology building and a new build accident and zone emergency extension, which are both progressing well. ● Rainwater recycling butts installed ● Recycled local welsh slate utilised for all paths, In addition, a full internal refurbishment of all existing groundworks and external works hospital areas is being undertaken providing new clinical ● Environmental day at the hospital chapel of rest to facilities for patients and staff. improve the external areas ● Solar battery charging point for site tools The project is technically challenging due to the nature of ● Beetle and water vole bunds installed working within a live hospital area and experiencing ● Charity collections and challenges to raise money for unavoidable interaction with staff and public. Laing charity O’Rourke take pride in ensuring that our works are carried ● On-site can crushing points to reduce aerosol gases out in the most discreet and caring manor to ensure no discharged to the environment detrimental impact arises from our works. ● Vegetable patch introduced alongside rest zone for operatives to relax in.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS As part of our company ethos and adhesion to the The following elements have been carried out as part of Considerate Constructors’ Scheme, Laing O’Rourke

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 the scheme in terms of sustainable development and overall environmental benefits: ● All new build schemes to achieve minimum BREEAM very good rating ● PV panels utilised upon new mortuary building ● CHP system being installed to new pathology building ● Daylight/PIR sensors on all new lighting equipment installed ● Modular building development for new mortuary ● Utilisation of pre-assembled concrete frame and components for new pathology and accident & emergency buildings.

purchase of this system was to first and foremost reduce the impact of our works by reducing the amount of hazardous waste leaving site. Secondary to this, we have also utilised it as a training system for the operatives so they are aware of the impact of aerosol gases and the damage created by release of the gases.

In order to reduce our impact on the wider environment, we have introduced a car sharing scheme which locates staff and operatives driving into site and allows people to ‘buddy up’ in order to reduce vehicle usage to site.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT?

Currently 11 staff members have signed up to the scheme, reducing from 11 to four the number of vehicles travelling travelling daily to the site.

The project team at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd have produced and participated in numerous environmental, sustainable, charitable and community works throughout the current life of the project. In this submission we have concentrated on the more key items which have produced benefits to the locality of the project and the wider environment

We are also adhering to just in time deliveries for all elements of building materials in order to reduce congestion on the roads in the vicinity of the site. All deliveries are scheduled out and main peak hours are avoided wherever possible.

As part of our environmental objectives, the site team decided to install an electric car charging point within our site parking zone.

This was introduced at a cost of £1,000 which Laing O’Rourke funded, in order to introduce the idea of electric cars to the staff and operatives who are in direct contact with the site.

The immediate benefit of this charging point was that Glan Clwyd Estates department changed the company car policy to allow the incorporation of electric cars. This resulted in one consultant purchasing an electric car and utilising the charging point out of work hours. This charging point will be left in its current location following the completion of our works for use by hospital staff and public alike.

As part of our environmental objectives, the site team decided to purchase and install an aerosol can de-gassing system, which safely and with no impact to the environment de-gases aerosols utilised on site and ensures hazardous waste is kept at a minimum.

The system was introduced at a cost of £1,500 which Laing O’Rourke funded. The principle behind the

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Within the mortuary development, photovoltaic panels have been utilised in order to reduce the overall impact of energy usage within the mortuary development. A total of 12 panels were installed upon the flat roof area and have been linked into the main power supply upon a single phase basis.

There is full tracking of power generated from these panels giving historical & live information through the panel which over an annual basis can form information for the Energy Performance Certificate of the building.

Energy saving LED lighting has been installed to all lighting points within the mortuary development – standard compact florescent bulbs would be 2 x 28w lamp (56w per lamp). LED allows the use of only 1x9w per lamp giving same lux levels whilst utilising less energy.

All lights within the mortuary development have an absence/presence detection system built into the unit, These units are set to ten minutes and automatically turns of the light ten minutes after the last movement was monitored. This ensures that no lights can be left on unnecessarily.

Within the all areas daylight dimmable lighting has been

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 utilised. Sensors take readings of the luminance levels throughout areas and control lighting requirements, if the system calculates that sufficient lighting levels are being achieved by natural lighting, then the lighting unit will power down until natural levels drop.

creating better quality control than can be achieved by carrying out concrete works on site, less waste of wet and cured concrete and less vehicles visiting site with deliveries or operatives. â—†

Within working hours the ventilation system is set to run for the post mortem room to allow the correct air changes per hour to be achieved under guidance. However, occupancy sensors control the Air Handling Unit and close off ventilation in order to reduce energy usage once the room is not in use during these hours.

Within wet areas (toilets/changing rooms) occupancy sensors control and close solenoid valves on the cold water feed in case any taps have been left running and to ensure no flushing of urinals will be carried out unless the room is in use.

All areas are directly linked back to the main hospital control room under a building management system for control within the main estates department. The purpose behind this link is to provide information to the control centre of any leaks or loss of fluids from equipment to ensure heavy water usage is controlled.

In order to create less impact to the local environment through our works, the award winning mortuary development was designed and constructed from a modular building system. This incorporated all steel framing, composite flooring, partition walls and roofing and cladding system being constructed within a factory unit.

The units were then transported to site over a weekend in order to reduce impact during working hours and erected on site prior to Monday morning with all transport leaving site Sunday evening. This system of working provides greater control over waste generated during the build, produces fewer vehicles visiting site with deliveries or operatives, and also provides greater quality control over installed items to ensure minimal defects or alterations.

In order to create less impact to the local environment through our works, the pathology and A&E development have both been designed and constructed utilising preassembled concrete frame & components.

This system allows all slabs, walls, columns, stairs and connections to be cast within factory conditions thereby

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 LARKFLEET GROUP STARTLINK TEST HOUSE PROJECT AIM The Larkfleet Group is a privately owned house building and development organisation with a strong record in creating sustainable homes and communities. Larkfleet is committed to investing in new technologies that will shape the construction industry in the future.

As part of a consortium of companies, Larkfleet was involved in the development of Startlink Lightweight Building Systems (SLBS).

The consortium’s aim was to produce an energy-efficient, low cost housing method that is quick to build by developing lightweight, energy-saving materials which can be used instead of timber or bricks for domestic construction and innovative, labour-saving assembly techniques (SLBS). In addition, SLBS housing is designed to mitigate flood risk and may even make it possible to develop housing where it is not viable because of potential flooding.

This SLBS research project involved Larkfleet constructing a Startlink ‘test house’ using these materials and methods alongside its headquarters in Bourne, Lincolnshire.

The objective of the construction of the test house was to prove the technical feasibility of SLBS products and processes and provide experience which can be applied to further development of the concept. The Startlink test house is the world’s first full-scale practical demonstration of SLBS. In addition to Larkfleet Group, the members of the consortium are Exel Composites UK, Odour Control Systems Ltd, Warwick University, The Costain Group and J A Hutchinson BSc (Hons) Dip Arch RIBA MCIArb, Conservation Architect.

This research project cost around £1.25 million and was co-funded by the consortium and the Technology Strategy Board’s Low Impact Building Innovation programme.

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Sustainable housing: the innovative Larkfleet Group

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS This project demonstrates the technical viability of energyefficient, low cost housing that is quick to build and could change the way houses are constructed in the future. In the long term, SLBS housing is designed to mitigate flood risk and may even make it possible to develop housing where it is not currently viable because of potential flooding.

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? Building Research Establishment (BRE) data show that 46% of carbon emissions in the UK arise from buildings in use. An additional six to seven per cent emanates from building construction.

Using SLBS would significantly reduce carbon emissions from housing in both the construction and use phases.

If built and furnished with suitable flooring material and decorative finishes on the ground floor, Startlink homes are highly ‘flood resistant’.

Economic benefits The SLBS processes and products provide the

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 opportunity for housing to be constructed much more quickly and energy-efficiently in the future which in turn means reduced construction costs.

Sustainable development benefits SLBS has the potential to provide future generations with energy efficient housing which will reduce carbon emissions and fuel poverty.

It can reduce housing costs both because it is quick and easy to build, and because it may make it possible to develop on low-value land that is not currently available for housing due to flood risks.

SLBS has demonstrated the potential to benefit the construction industry, homebuyers and the environment, now and in the future.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? The Startlink test house is the world’s first full-scale practical demonstration of SLBS. SLBS processes have never before been developed to this stage and been put into use in a real-life scenario, demonstrating the innovative and sustainable focus of Larkfleet as a company.

ventilation heat recovery (MVHR) system, which is the main space heating system supplemented by electricity produced by solar PV (photovoltaic) panels. The domestic hot water is provided by solar thermal panels.

Using natural fibre insulation, the Startlink house has lower embodied energy than a traditional building. SLBS materials are lighter and less dense than either mild steel or reinforced concrete – the two conventional structural materials, so they have the effect of greatly reducing the embodied energy in any structure made from them.

Lightweight buildings such as Larkfleet’s Startlink house are much easier and need less energy to heat in winter.

The low maintenance system offers the possibility of extremely energy-efficient housing.

Previous lightweight houses have lacked sufficient thermal mass to even out temperatures – a good thermal mass is required to absorb heat on summer days (for example) and then release it during the night, maintaining a comfortable internal temperature within the house.

The Startlink House has a ‘green’ roof which not only gives thermal mass but also retains water and therefore provides evaporative cooling during summer.

The test house was constructed as a modular building in which all the parts are pre-designed and fabricated to fit neatly together without cutting, resulting in no site waste.

Larkfleet’s Startlink House weighs just 18 tonnes compared to a conventional house that weighs 40 tonnes.

The basis for the design is ‘factory build’ with modular components that can readily be installed on site using minimal labour and reduced timescales. Due to the lightweight modular design and build of the Startlink house, minimal deliveries to site were made, reducing carbon emissions.

Concrete foundations were not required in the Startlink house, reducing the CO2 emissions produced from cement production. The quantities of raw materials and energy required to construct the foundations of the Startlink house are a fraction of those required in a conventional building.

The major components used to construct the demonstration Startlink house are pultruded glassreinforced composite modules which can be rapidly assembled into a wide variety of low-rise buildings without metal fastenings. Pultruded profiles require less energy than brick or block production and at the end of their service life can be ground and reused.

The absence of extensive foundations and the nature of the pultruded materials of construction means that SLBS properties are unaffected by flood water. If a house is flooded, it can swiftly and (compared with traditionally built homes) inexpensively be brought back into use. This may make it possible to construct such homes in areas where flood risks mean that the construction of conventional buildings is not viable.

Organic fibre insulation has been used to control internal temperature and humidity. The house has a mechanical

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Looking to the future, the light weight of the homes offers

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 the potential for them to be built on foundations which would rise in response to flooding, keeping the house itself entirely clear of the water. This is one of the areas which will be explored in the next phase of Startlink research.

SLBS has the potential to provide future generations with energy-efficient housing which will reduce carbon emissions and fuel poverty.

It can reduce housing costs both because it is quick and easy to build and because it may make it possible to develop on low-value land that is not currently available for housing due to flood risks.

Now the Startlink test house is complete, it will be used as an educational resource for house builders, local authorities, architects and even members of the public to learn more about how SLBS will revolutionise the construction industry and, importantly, how it is an economically and environmentally viable building method that many will benefit from in the future.

Larkfleet now has a solid grounding of practical experience of the use of SLBS, which it hopes to apply to large scale delivery of such housing in future. Larkfleet’s experience and the skills that have been developed will allow it to build this type of housing to a very high standard and its expertise can be rolled out to the rest of the workforce to be utilised in future projects.

Larkfleet Group has an excellent record in being recognised by its peers in national and regional award schemes. The Startlink house has been shortlisted for a national Sustain Magazine Award and Larkfleet hopes to see further award recognition of the innovative nature of the Startlink test house. â—†

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 LOTHIAN BUSES ENVIRONMENTAL FLEET IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT AIM Lothian Buses’ environmental policy focuses on three main areas: Saving fuel Fuel savings benefit the company financially, reduce dependence on natural resources and cut carbon footprints. In recent years our aim has been to reduce fuel consumption and corresponding pollution by investing in more efficient buses and new hybrid technologies.

Reducing emissions The City of Edinburgh has five Air Quality Management Areas. Our vehicles pass through these areas and contribute to the air pollution within. We aim to reduce air pollution through our Auld but not Reekie project. This has involved trialling new technology in older buses, which filters the exhaust and reduces tailpipe emissions. This also removes the need to replace buses before their end of life.

Improving the environment Lothian Buses has implemented an Environmental Management System to monitor and improve our environmental impacts. Further improvements have focused on recycling waste from buses and offices, campaigns to encourage car commuters to use the bus, and work with cycling groups to provide a safer, more enjoyable environment for both pedestrians and cyclists.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Saving fuel In September 2011 we introduced 15 double-deck, diesel/electric hybrid buses to our fleet. The fuel consumption of the vehicles has been monitored weekly and shows a 35% reduction in fuel consumption compared to previous vehicles on the same route. This translates to 600 tonnes of carbon savings annually. Ten single deck hybrids were launched in April 2013 and a further 20 are expected in spring 2014.

Reducing emissions Lothian Buses’ Auld but not Reekie project has resulted in

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Just the ticket: Lothian Buses is reducing pollution 44 of the company’s vehicles being fitted with SCRT technology to reduce tailpipe emissions. These vehicles cover 1.25 million miles each year, generating a 70% reduction in nitrogen oxides (NOx); a 95% reduction in particulate matter (PM10); and a 99% reduction in other air pollutants, including hydro-carbons and carbon monoxide.

Improving the environment Lothian Buses has achieved a 95% recycling rate of waste from buses and offices. The introduction of the first hybrid buses to the Service 10 and the associated marketing campaign resulted in a 7% increase in passengers on that service. Lothian Buses receives regular positive feedback from cycling groups for its drivers’ sensitivity to cyclists on the roads.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Fuel savings Diesel is one of the most expensive resources we use and emissions from our buses constitute the single largest environmental impact of our operations. A major commercial and environmental campaign is focused on reducing fuel consumption and emissions by: ● Using more efficient vehicles

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Trialling new technologies Investing in low-carbon buses.

This has led to the procurement and launch of our current fleet of 25 diesel-electric hybrid buses. This is expected to increase to 45 by spring 2014.

Our investment in hybrid buses followed the trial of a number of environmentally friendly vehicles and financial support from the Scottish Green Bus Fund.

Lothian Buses has been the single biggest recipient of support from the Scottish Green Bus Fund in all three rounds since 2010. This is because we have ambitious, focused and measurable strategies aimed at converting entire routes to hybrid vehicles; and because we supplement external funding by contributing a significant proportion of the additional cost of the vehicles. We have spent over £6m on our hybrid fleet to date.

Hybrid vehicles use a combination of battery power and a smaller diesel engine to power the bus, running more efficiently, more smoothly and more quietly. Our first 15 vehicles were put on Service 10, which runs between the city centre and outlying areas which have high volumes of car commuters. The route also runs through two of the city’s Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs).

Fuel consumption on the vehicles has been reduced by 35% compared to vehicles previously on the same route.

This translates to a carbon saving of approximately 600 tonnes a year.

The hybrid buses were given an executive appearance and additional features such as free onboard Wi-Fi intended to attract car commuters. We employed a local cycle powered social enterprise to leaflet 20,000 homes at either end of the route, and held a high profile launch event on Princes Street to showcase the new vehicles.

press releases, with the aim of encouraging further passenger modal shift and providing leadership to other companies with environmental aspirations.

In April 2013 we introduced ten single-deck hybrid buses to the Service 1 with similar executive features and promotion. This service runs through the recently expanded AQMA in the city centre. A further 20 vehicles will be launched in spring 2014. All of these fleets have been purchased with support from the Scottish Green Bus Fund, alongside significant financial contribution from Lothian Buses.

Reducing emissions The City of Edinburgh has five AQMAs within which air quality is below European Standards. Tailpipe emissions from all vehicles include Nitrous Oxide (NOx), Particulate Matter (PM10) and other harmful chemicals. These are damaging to the environment and have direct harmful impacts on human health.

As the main bus service provider in Edinburgh, many of our services run through the city’s AQMAs. A report produced by an environmental placement student in 2010 concluded that Lothian Buses vehicles contribute up to 30% of the pollution in two of the city’s main AQMAs. In order to address this, we began to trial the fitting of Selective Catalytic Reduction Traps (SCRTs) to singledeck buses which had poor emissions standards but were not near the end of their lives. The technology improves the emissions standard of the vehicles while preventing the negative environmental impacts of disposing of vehicles before necessary.

The trial was a success and subsequently 44 vehicles have been fitted with SCRT technology with financial support from the Scottish government.

As a result of these activities, passenger numbers increased by 7% on the route. In a survey carried out on the hybrid vehicles, 95% of passengers questioned were “satisfied or very satisfied” with the vehicles and 91% thought the introduction of the vehicles was a good thing.

The resulting emissions improvements have shown: ● 70% reduction in nitrogen oxides (NOx), the air pollutants of most concern in Edinburgh ● 95% reduction in particulate matter (PM10) ● 99% reduction in other air pollutants, including hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide.

The environmental success of our Service 10 has been publicised through bus stop posters, our website and

The project was named Auld but not Reekie. The first buses were branded with green livery and run on the

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 Service 36 past the Scottish government and Scottish Parliament buildings, to publicise the environmental nature of the project and to highlight the importance of government support in improving environmental performance. SCRT buses now run on many single-deck routes.

Improving the environment Management commitment to improving the environmental impacts of the company resulted in the employment of an Environmental Manager in 2010. Additional achievements since then have included: ● Improvements to cycling facilities in all depots which resulted in an increased percentage of staff cycling to work from 4% to 7% ● An analysis of on-bus waste which led to a new recycling system with a 95% recycling rate for on-bus and office waste, which is crushed on site and transported to the nearest sorting facility to reduce transport emissions ● Achievement of a gold award from the Green Business Tourism Scheme for Edinburgh Bus Tours ● Implementation of a non-accredited ISO14001 standard environmental management system used to monitor and improve on environmental performance ● Work with cycling groups and drivers to enhance the safety of cyclists. This has included specialist driver training, producing a YouTube video and giving out highvis jackets to cyclists in winter. We regularly receive positive feedback from cycling groups and cyclists ● Secondment of a Lothian Buses staff member to The Bike Station as part of the Climate Challenge funded ‘Better Way to Work’ scheme, which focuses on promoting sustainable travel to businesses and their staff across the city ● Development of an independent travel programme aimed at young people on the autistic spectrum. This greatly improves the social, education and work opportunities of young people involved, and reduces their reliance on less sustainable forms of transport such as taxis. ◆

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 MANCHESTER ARNDALE SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT PROJECT AIM Manchester Arndale is the UK’s largest inner-city shopping centre and attracts more than 41 million visitors a year. The shopping centre comprises ‘two halves’ – the south side, which was constructed in the 1970s, and the northern modern extension rebuilt in 2006. An ageing building presents unique environmental challenges from an energy and cost saving perspective.

Manchester Arndale’s aims to incorporate sustainability into everything it does. Stretching targets were set with the overall Sustainability Project aim to reduce CO2 emissions.

The project encompassed many environmental initiatives, based on little or zero budget, but when aggregated together, they yielded impressive results. However, the management and measurement of these smaller initiatives is a difficult task, so the appointment of a dedicated environmental co-ordinator in early 2012 meant there was a central project co-ordinator to focus sustainability performance.

Counter point:: sustainability in the Arndale

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The Sustainability Project’s key principles were: ● Develop a leadership structure and buy-in from the senior management team to the environmental aims ● Establish a sustainability steering group ● Encourage behavioural change to embrace the project aims ● Focus and agree on key project actions to deliver ● Work in conjunction with Cooler Projects to develop a unique carbon literacy project for all staff ● Develop a sustainable community engagement plan.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The Sustainability Project yielded the following results: ● A 14% CO2 reduction was achieved against the 2010 baseline. This was a result of an 18.5% gas reduction and an 11.45% reduction in electricity and saved 1,053 tonnes of CO2 Some of the successful initiatives included: ● Reducing the out-of-hours lighting levels without

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compromising operational safety. This saved more than 130,000KWh of electricity over the 12 months Turning off unnecessary feature and decorative lighting saved more than 24,000KWh per annum.

Changing existing external lighting time clocks. Some lights were changed from on for 24 hours to being on from 7pm to 10pm and 6am to 8am.

Delivering Environmental Awareness training to all operational staff Supporting the Manchester Carbon Literacy (MCL) project by developing a training package for site staff, hosting the ‘public launch’ and hosting Carbon Active during Climate Week.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? One of the main components of the Sustainability Project was the centre’s Energy Management Plan (EMP). The 2012 EMP aimed to reduce CO2 emissions by 10% against 2010 baseline year through five key areas: ● Baseline Data Verification – an extensive review was conducted on a meter-by-meter basis for all utilities for the whole centre; this was an essential part of the target setting and progress ● Sustainability Targets Tracker – a fortnightly Sustainability Working Group (SWG) was created. This was chaired by the centre director ● Efficiency Measures planned to implement as many

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energy reduction techniques and ‘quick wins’ as possible Budgeted Projects were reviewed and evaluated against their payback period. These projects were tracked and monitored by the SWG Non-Budgeted Projects – new initiatives were explored and business cases submitted. These included payback periods and indicative savings.

Rationale ● To reduce the occupancy cost to the tenants as reduced energy bills would result in lower service charges ● Environmental Impact – to reduce the energy consumption in all landlord controlled areas and minimise the carbon footprint ● Holistic approach to sustainability – to incorporate a plethora of initiatives during a 12-month period to work in synergy to maximise savings and benefits.

WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? ●

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A legacy of sustainability initiatives culminating in the successes of the achievements made in 2012 and 2013 The success of the EMP in 2012/2013 will allow further investment in energy saving initiatives for 2013/ 2014 and a large five-year metering and monitoring project is due to commence in late summer 2013 A consistent set of data for the baseline year on a meterby-meter basis to measure against. This is made from billing data for agreed meters and cross checked by site reads. ◆

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? The project has benefited numerous parties, including tenants, staff and the local community. The direct benefits were: ● Tenants’ energy bills were reduced ● Operational staff benefited from increasing their environmental awareness knowledge through training ● The project empowered the site operatives to take ownership of the environment they work in to reduce the site energy consumption ● Improved reputation as a key environmental stakeholder within the city ● Staff becoming more engaged and knowledgeable about sustainability issues and challenges. ● Manchester Carbon Literacy public launch ● Little Coat Big Coat Appeal to help local Wood Street Mission children’s charity. ● Carbon Active climate awareness event. ● The development of a new user-friendly Green Travel Plan was also produced to inform staff and the public of all sustainable options and included links to transport providers and live travel information on the website ● A unique initiative, The Reuse Resource, was set up to implement the waste hierarchy when disposing of all site waste.

The total value of money raised for charity was £25,500.

The total value of the space ‘given in kind’ was £12,500.

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MARMAX PRODUCTS WELWYN ST MARY’S PRIMARY SCHOOL NATURE RESERVE PROJECT AIM Welwyn St Mary’s Primary School wanted to renovate an outdoor area to create a new nature reserve, to provide an enriching, exciting environment where children could learn about nature and sustainability.

It wanted an outdoor classroom located adjacent to the nature reserve, which would blend into the surroundings and reflect the principles of sustainability, as well as other fixtures to accommodate outdoor activities. All products had to be durable, safe and practical.

The school’s aims were in line with recommendations by the government’s Sustainable Schools strategy and by Eco-Schools England, which encouraged schools: ● “Through their grounds … to bring pupils closer to the natural world, capture their imaginations in outdoor play, and help them learn about sustainable living’ ● To become ‘models of waste minimisation and sustainable procurement’ ● To “design their buildings in ways that visibly demonstrate sustainable development” ● To “create a richer teaching environment and enable pupils to identify links between topics” ● To “encourage pupils to value the school grounds as a place to play, explore and make a connection with the natural world”.

Marmax Products Ltd worked with the school to design and manufacture an outdoor classroom, pond-dipping platform and open-air stage, all made from 100% recycled plastic.

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The nature reserve and classroom have transformed the school grounds, creating a stimulating outdoor learning space, and valuable additional facilities which can be used by the whole community The use of recycled plastic in the classroom, ponddipping platform and outdoor stage has saved over 100,000 one-litre milk containers from going to landfill It has allowed the school to demonstrate the principles of sustainability to children and parents and show that waste can be a valuable resource. Recycled plastic is

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Top marks: primary school goes back to nature

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also a cost-effective and practical alternative to wood as it is maintenance free The outdoor classroom is believed to be the first in the UK to be made out of recycled plastic and has led to requests from other schools. Nineteen have been sold so far and the Welwyn Outdoor Classroom, as it is now known, has become one of Marmax’s standard products Its success has encouraged Marmax to start work on the design of other outdoor shelter products, including theme park kiosks, bandstands and bird hides.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Marmax Products is the UK’s leading manufacturer of 100% recycled plastic, low maintenance outdoor furniture, planters, fencing and boardwalks. All our products are made from 100% recycled plastic (HDPE) and manufactured to the ISO 14001 standard at our facility in Stanley, County Durham.

Schools, local authorities and community groups are key customers and Marmax works closely with them to design and manufacture products suited to their needs.

Marmax worked with Welwyn St Mary’s Primary School to create a nature reserve and outdoor learning space.

Marmax’s role included the design and manufacture of an

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 outdoor classroom, pond-dipping platform and open-air stage, all made from 100% recycled plastic.

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The hexagonal classroom, with its large picture windows, was designed to provide views of the surroundings and inspire interest in the outdoor world. It is made from 100% HDPE recycled plastics, with a galvanised steel frame to ensure maximum strength and support.

The pond-dipping platform and stage were also bespoke products, created by Marmax designers and made from 100% recycled HDPE.

WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? The products cost £9,320 which came from school’s funds and the Parent/Teacher Association.

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? The nature reserve has transformed the school grounds to create an educational, attractive and fun area, one which stimulates pupils to learn and play. The classroom, together with the pond-dipping area and the outdoor stage, provides additional facilities to accommodate a wide range of activities.

Recycled plastic not only provides a cost-effective, environmentally friendly alternative to wood but also visibly demonstrates how recycling can reduce waste and minimise our impact on the natural world.

Particular benefits include: ● The Welwyn Outdoor Classroom has saved 61,490 one-litre milk containers from going to landfill. Together with the pond-dipping platform and stage, the total number of containers reused would be over 100,000 ● The classroom makes an ideal location for nature studies while the stage is used for outdoor plays, assemblies and recitals ● The classroom and other fixtures provide an example of recycling in practice and demonstrates that waste can be a valuable resource.

It is also a practical and cost-effective option: ● The material does not rot, corrode or splinter, and is maintenance free. It is less flammable than wood and falls under rating class 3 in accordance with BS 576 ● As plastic retains heat, it is warmer to the touch

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The material is resistant to weather damage and vandalism and graffiti can be wiped off with white spirit It has a lifespan five times that of timber.

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The nature reserve is now one of the largest of its kind in Hertfordshire and includes statues, a ‘bug hotel’, compost area, newt sanctuary and pond. It is a valuable community resource and is used by pupils from other schools The school has demonstrated its principles and provided a lesson in sustainability to children and parents alike. The project was a finalist in the community category of the 2013 Sustain magazine awards.

The benefits for the children at St Mary’s Primary School are best summed up as follows: Sarah Ellingworth, Treasurer PTA: “Our classroom fits beautifully into our outdoor space next to the trees and nature reserve. It is a multi-purpose room as it is used for role playing as well as a classroom. The addition of this classroom has transformed our use of the outdoor space and given us the capability to have outdoor lessons more easily. The classroom is a magnificent addition to the school.’

Headteacher Mary Westley: ‘We wanted an outdoor room with shade and space to seat the whole class. The classroom is ideal for nature studies as it adjacent to the Nature Reserve, but we use it for everything including storytelling. The children are also able to use it at playtimes and it provides a shady spot in summer. It is very popular. The stage is also for outdoor lessons and playtimes. The children love it.’

Children’s comments on the classroom (supplied by the head teacher): ‘When we did our henna designs we did it in the outdoor classroom and it was really fun.’

‘We were able to be in the sun as well as the outdoor classroom.’

‘We have fun on the stage at play time and people go up and sing songs.’

‘People act plays out at play time like in the Victorian day.

They seem to have lots of fun.” ◆

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Building and Construction Review UK is proud to present the highly impressive and industry acclaimed Commitment to Excellence profile to Marmax Products Ltd.

Marmax Products Ltd is the UK’s leading manufacturer of recycled plastic, low maintenance outdoor furniture, planters, fencing and boardwalks.We are committed to supplying environmentally friendly products, which do not corrode or splinter and are maintenance free.

Schools, Parks, Recreational Facilities and Commercial Developments form a large portion of the North East based company’s customer base due to the extensive range of outdoor furniture and play equipment, which is not only highly durable but constructed from recycled materials, appealing to organisations with sustainability high on the agenda.

Marmax recently gained major industry recognition, winning The

Green Apple Environment Award for the creation of the Outdoor Classroom.

The Outdoor Classroom is perfectly suited to environmental studies and offers a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution to comparable wooden alternatives.

The Green Award is one of the major environmental reward schemes and recognises best environmental practices within commerce and industry, rewarding companies demonstrating strong sustainability policies within their day-to-day business practices.

In further recognition of their innovative recycling activity, Marmax was recently awarded the prestigious title of Green World Ambassador for 2014. Green World Ambassador status

is reserved for Green Apple Environment Award winners who also help others to help the environment.

Marmax are able to offer bespoke solutions to meet the varying requirements of clients across the country, manufacturing all their products on site with UK sourced plastic materials. All Marmax products are made from 100% recycled plastic (HDPE) and manufactured to the environmental standard ISO 14001, at the Company’s facility in County Durham.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL/HANBURY MANOR BEST HOTEL OR HOSPITALITY ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMME PROJECT AIM Hanbury Manor, a Marriott Hotel & Country Club, works as part of Marriott International to be the global hospitality leader for environment.

Based in Ware in Hertfordshire, Hanbury Manor aims to utilise Marriott International’s environmental idea of being able to demonstrate how responsible hospitality management can be a positive force for the environment and create economic opportunities around the world, as well as the local area, to inspire personal action in the communities where we live and work.

Hanbury has worked towards and sustained a robust environmental programme that has gained certified recognition in 2010 and are due another certification in the autumn 2012. The commitment from Hanbury Manor’s associates through a dedicated environmental team that host monthly meetings to emphasise the importance on the environment to all associates has encouraged these results.

Hanbury Manor’s main objective to encourage the best hospitality programme is to research and implement ways to lower and maintain its carbon footprint. These include: ● Utilise home-grown produce and offer unique Hanbury Manor items such as apple juice and honey from its own gardens ● Encourage nature preservations and assist bees with pollination ● Working with the local community to offer support and assistance with gardening, litter picking and charity work ● Offering Hanbury grown plants to help Cancer Research UK. Hanbury Manor’s environmental focus has achieved a high level of energy and water consumption savings, along with a robust recycling scheme to encourage the hotel to lower its carbon footprint by a substantial amount.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The use of Hanbury s own product from the herb garden,

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Community spirit: checking out Hanbury Manor and pickings from the apple and peach trees show our commitment to our customers in offering organic products.

These include Hanbury Manor Beer and Hanbury Manor Honey.

Our nature preservation has encouraged a number of bee hives around the estate to continue with the protection of bees, flora and fauna.

The community work has allowed us to teach children how to plant there own fruit and vegetables, so they get into the habit of growing, gardening and choosing organic food.

The cuttings from yew bushes have assisted Cancer Research UK in research programmes into chemotherapy drugs such as Docetaxel (Taxotere).

Hanbury Manor’s ongoing quest to monitor and manage its environmental initiative has so far achieved a 29.6% reduction in kwh consumption. Since 2004 we have saved 14,426,698 kwh.

Water consumption has also been reduced by 21% since 2002, with consumption going down from 28,851 cubic metres in 2002 to 22,798 cubic metres in 2011.

A robust recycling system was put in place and, as a

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From flowers to food, Hanbury Manor is also going to be implementing measures to protect and maintain viable populations of bees that will also allow the hotel to produce its own special Hanbury Manor Honey.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT?

Our chefs have made great efforts in creating and sourcing organic produce for their menus with use of fish from sustainable stocks, apples, peaches and herbs from our own gardens and free range eggs and coffee supplied by the Rainforest Alliance.

The Green Team have looked into implementing new and innovative ways to reduce consumption. Initiatives include introducing plunger type taps in kitchens, hippos in toilet cisterns, compression showers to poolside, water restrictors on public showers and taps in bedrooms.

Florescent lighting has been changed to T5 lighting, encouraging a 50% reduction, and LED lights are used for all 24-hour lighting in one bedroom block and for the pool lights. All pipe work, including heat plate exchangers, has been lagged and sensors have been fitted in store rooms and refrigerators.

In the last year we have invested £13,500 in more efficient boilers and hot water storage systems, together with better control systems. Hanbury Manor has joined Green Hotels Global, which is a reporting tool accessible to specific corporate companies who can analyse the amount of energy they will produce during their meetings.

Hanbury are proud to have obtained Audubon certification for the 18-hole championship golf course and surrounding habitats. Hanbury Manor was one of the first hotels in UK to receive this award and has been a inspiration to other Marriott golf courses in the UK to get involved.

This initiative was achieved with wildlife corridors, bird boxes, bat boxes, log piles, tree planting, the use of logs for fires in the winter, and monitoring fertiliser use.

A key project that Hanbury Manor have been working is assisting bees in pollination. A great deal of money has been invested in the gardens to create a corridor of wild flowers and the hotel has joined a national campaign called Operation Pollinator.

Hanbury Manor is currently working on making homemade chutneys and compotes from the apples and peaches.

They are undertaking research into the different types of apple trees they have in the gardens and are looking to produce apple juice later this year. Moving into 2013 the hotel is looking to launch a Hanbury Manor beer.

WHO OR WHAT HAS BENEFITED? The associates at Hanbury Manor have been keen to get Green with an assortment of activities in the local community, with support from charities including Marie Curie and Cancer Research UK. Particular work includes litter picks in the local area, assistance with gardening at local residential homes and planting trees with children. Another of our key community projects includes paying to have our yew bushes cut so that the needles can be sent to Cancer Research UK.

CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT? The projects that we have worked on can definitely be utilised by other organisations. These include our recycling scheme in the hotel, where we set up different coloured bins in our staff dining area so that associates can recognise which items are recyclable. All our empty toner cartridges would be stored and picked up via an outside company to collect and dispose of.

If you are a hotel with gardens, you can definitely introduce a herb garden and contact the local schools to get involved in learning how to plant food. Wild flowers can be grown and trees planted. ◆

This is a scheme to assist greenkeepers in creating habitat conditions in areas of the golf course such as the deep rough, tee surrounds, immediate carry-off tees and water features. These are all ideal areas to grow wild flowers.

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HANBURY MANOR, A MARRIOTT HOTEL & COUNTRY CLUB Set in 200 acres of tranquil Hertfordshire countryside, Hanbury Manor is the perfect retreat for busy minds and active bodies.

Rest assured, our hotel will provide you with a unique place to work free from the distractions of the office. Just 25 miles from London and accommodating up to 120 delegates, our impressive conference facilities offer a choice of 14 rooms totaling 1,300 square meters of flexible space. In addition, we offer award-winning dining options, a championship golf course and a fully equipped Spa and Health Club.

So whatever the event, Hanbury Manor provides the perfect balance of business and pleasure.

For further details, please contact the hotel on: 01920 487 722 (Golf and Leisure Memberships are currently available. Please contact the Membership Manager on 01920 885 015 for further details.)

Hanbury Manor, A Marriott Hotel & Country Club, Ware, Hertfordshire, SG12 0SD Telephone: 01920 487 722; Website: MarriottHanburyManor.co.uk

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 MELAKA HISTORIC CITY COUNCIL MELAKA RIVER REHABILITATION AND BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT PROJECT AIM

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS

To rehabilitate and revitalise the water quality of the Melaka River, in Malaysia, while promoting and integrating significant urban design elements to further enhance its character as an important historical icon of the city.

In the course of implementation, the project has achieved many benefits. These include: ● Melaka River has once again become a clean and living river with the introduction of sewer interceptors reticulation system. All raw sewage and water discharges no longer end up in the river. Marine life such as freshwater fish, tiny mudskippers and giant water lizards flourish as they did years ago ● Many of the laterite stone blocks that were relics of the Dutch and Portuguese forts, which had fallen into the river, were salvaged and reused as part of the river embankment wall. Chunks of history are now being reused and become part of the city again ● 18 units of old shops along Jalan Laksamana with haphazard back facades facing the river had been rehabilitated as close as possible to the original architectural style. Other property owners have started to rehabilitate the back portion of their buildings and this has further enhanced the whole facades facing the river ● Mudskippers that were almost extinct are now flourishing again when the broadwalk on the opposite side of Kampung Morten was built of concrete piers to allow the riverine nipah and berembang tree species to flourish. These tree species and the environmental character of the muddy banks is the habitat for the mudskippers. ● Icons and features associated with the history of the city were incorporated into the project, such as planting of the ‘Melaka’ trees, brass caricature of the famous warrior Hang Tuah and the medieval map of Melaka.

The creation of a spice garden reminds us of the trade products that made Melaka famous.

The city council aims to achieve the following objectives: ● To ensure that the riverfront with its individual character retains strong links with the city trades and historical heritage, as well as creating opportunities to make it a successful tourist destination ● To regain the vitality of the working riverfront of the past by reinventing the character of the riverfront city ● To develop a world-class riverside development that is socially and economically viable, while highlighting the historical and geographical cultures. ● To introduce a barrage system up river to control water levels during changing tides, so as to allow maximum usage of the river ● To create a pleasant and clean environment for people living along the river and to enable their businesses to flourish. ● To introduce pockets of open spaces with proper and wider paved walkways, together with beautiful landscapes for the city folks to recreate. ● To construct new bridges and to improve existing bridges to enhance connectivity between both sides of the river.

The project involves: ● Drastic riverbank treatment, improvement and enhancement ● Constructing timber boardwalks on concrete piers and constructing new pedestrian walkways ● Constructing new sewage and drainage system for all building along the river and the construction of a new central sewerage treatment plant. ● Create a linear park along the river with proper jogging track, benches and pavilions for recreational activities.

Suitable lightings are fitted along the tracks to ensure the safety of the users.

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This project has succeed in rehabilitating, revitalising and beautifying the river and the buildings on both side of the bank and subsequently revitalising the city through which the river flows through.

The main and direct beneficiaries of this project are all the building owners along the river as overnight the value of

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 the properties starts to boom. This part of the city has become a prestigious address, whereas before it was almost a slum.

The successful implementation of this project has resulted in the core conservation area becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2008. As a consequence, business in this area has flourished and tourists now flock to the area.

The citizens of Melaka City Council can enjoy a clean and beautiful river with well-designed landscapes, a proper jogging track, benches and pavilions for resting and recreation. Lightings enhances the ambience at night and also ensure safety of the users.

The river quality has improved from grade four to grade two and the state government hopes it will be further improve to grade one, which would be the biggest impact of the project.

This river is now the main venue for state functions and social activities like fishing competitions and the launch of awareness and cleanliness programmes.

The Melaka River Project has also created interest among other city council in and around the country. We have hosted visits by Indonesian, Thai and Finnish delegations and within the country, tens of city councils have made study visits to see the project.

The benefits of this project is immeasurable and it will be continuous because the catalystic and generating effect will keep on going.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Melaka River runs through the heart of this historical city and has been the spine of its economy, from the days of the Portuguese galleons and Chinese junks to the barges that unloaded a variety of cargo at the steps of the old port 80 years ago.

However, in the early 1930s the reclamation of the original coastline had altered the course of history and the Melaka River slowly degenerated, becoming an abandoned waterway of pollutants, refuse and sewage. Although its historical significance should have been a source of tourist

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revenue, the river had a negative effect on the city because of the unsightly conditions and the smell that it emitted.

In addition, because of lack of enforcement throughout the last century, the riverbank have been encroached upon by buildings and haphazard structures. The river was not only encroached upon from both sides of the banks but the residents discharged raw domestic and commercial waste and sewage direct into the river, slowly turning the river into backyards of polluted and dirty water. Large monsoon drains also discharged direct into the river.

Not only was the river losing its lustre, the local economy was also going down with it. Rich residents moved out and the old buildings were being leased out to the poorer segment of the population. If left, this vicious cycle would have seen a gradual degradation of the area.

In 2000 the Melaka state government and the Melaka Historic City Council undertook the major task of coming up with a comprehensive master plan to beautify and rehabilitate the Melaka River, and applied for financial aid from the federal government.

WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? For the first 4.5 kilometre stretch of the river, the federal government approved RM 183,398,000.00. The project was broken up into four phases and work began in 2002 and was completed in 2010.

The successful implementation of the first stretch prompted the state government to apply federal funds for the next stretch of 6.5 kilometres.. Work for the second stretch began in 2012 and is expected to complete in 2014. A total of RM234,696,396.50 was approved for it.

The total cost of the project was RM 418,094,396.50, all funded by the federal government.

WHAT WAS INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? â—?

â—?

The construction of a sewer interceptor reticulation system whereby all the raw sewage that ended up in the river is now transferred to a central sewerage system The house owners were given interest-free grants to upgrade their toilet facilities and piping system. This winwin situation benefited both the city council and the house owners or tenants.

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Construction of the tidal barrage to control water levels during changing tides so as to allow boat cruises and other activities to be carried out in the river Using the laterite stone blocks from the collapsed Dutch and Portuguese forts as part of the river embankment wall helped retains the authenticity of the conservation area Using sheet piles when constructing the embankment has ensured that the delicate structure of the existing building along the river had minimal impact Public participation and consensus from residents on both sides of the river ensured that the construction process was carried out smoothly. Commitment and participation of the local leaders was a major factor contributing to its successful implementation.

ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS? When the second parcel completes in 2014, the city council will be looking at improving the upstream of the Melaka River because it has tremendous potential to bring more benefits to the people of Melaka. ◆

CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT? If the physical, social and economic situation is similar, these implementing method can definitely benefit other authorities when carrying out their project. But in general, with a little verification to suit the local condition, these methods can be useful.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT FROM THE PROJECT? From planning until implementing, the whole team has learned the following: ● Participation of the local leaders and commitment of the leaders are very vital to solve problems that may seem minute but can create big impact to the overall project, especially when dealing with the public ● The planning stage is vital and must be very comprehensive, otherwise it will affect and delay the project. Important stages such as those relating to land matters must be handled with care and in detail for smooth implementation at a later date ● The public and interest group must be given a very clear picture on the objectives and aims of the project and how it will affect or benefit them from the very beginning.

Their cooperation can be obtained for a smooth implementation. ● The methods and material used for each section of the work to be done must be dealt with care especially when the project is in the conservation area. ● Co-operation among all the agencies involve in the project is important so that problems can be tackled with speed and concision. ● The contractors doing the job must be competent and responsible.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 NEWRY AND MOURNE DISTRICT COUNCIL SLIEVE GUILLION FOREST ADVENTURE PARK PROJECT AIM The project aimed to develop a high quality tourism infrastructure project for the sub-region, which meets the needs of the local community and tourist visitors and contributes to the development of tourism in Newry and Mourne area.

The objectives were: ● To construct a high quality sub-regional play area at Slieve Gullion as an enhancement of the tourism product base ● To increase tourism visitors by at least 2,000 within a two-year period.

The Forest Park is managed by the Forestry Service as a recreational facility for mountain walks and activities, unique geology and dramatic scenery. Newry and Mourne District Council went into partnership with other agencies with the objective of adding play value to this facility.

The project was to develop a range of integrated play facilities including a toddler area, junior area, senior area and adult area. The focus of the area was to provide an inclusive multi-age approach facilitating the enjoyment and involvement of individuals and family members of all ages.

The play equipment covered a range of play options to cover a spectrum of play – normal/formal, interactive, adventurous and adult fitness equipment for over 16s.

The play equipment was designed so that it lent itself to the natural environment in which it was based. All the equipment was of a wooden structure and where paint was used, it was natural colour. The seating provided was made from wood and some was sourced from site. The equipment was all located within the natural environment, placed around the trees and shrubs.

Child’s play: the new park is proving very popular 2,000 in the first two years, the park’s success was unprecedented. The park has many environmental benefits as far greater numbers of people have a renewed interest in the area. They are participating in other activities such as the trail to the summit of Slieve Gullion, visiting the walled gardens, trips along the scenic drive and red squirrel mapping.

The council does not charge an entrance fee but other businesses have benefited from the increase in visitor numbers. For example, the coffee shop in the forest park has reopened after being closed for many years and it is thriving. It has also opened a restaurant and bar area.

The council has also rented a unit within the courtyard to set up a tourist Information point to deal with the number of tourists expected this summer (2013). This also will have an impact on the whole of the South Armagh area as we hope to signpost them to other areas of interest.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS

The Clanyre Group, a training organisation for people with learning disabilities and who are based at the forest park, have opened a retail unit selling items such as flower baskets and picnic benches which have been produced by the young people locally.

The Slieve Gullion Forest Adventure Park opened in June 2012 and in the first three months, it welcomed 2,000 visitors a day. Given that our objective was an additional

The Slieve Gullion Forest Adventure Park has made the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty at Slieve Gullion a lot

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enhance the visitor experience. The same groups had a key role in the official opening of the park.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM?

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED?

The total cost of the project was £500,000. The park was part-funded by two rural programmers – CASA (Castleblaney/South Armagh) and the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013, which in turn is part-funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The investment was implemented locally by SOAR (Southern Organisation for Action in Rural areas) under Axis 3 of the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 (NIRDP), and through the European Regional Development Fund, the INTEREG IVA programme, through the CASA project and Newry and Mourne District Council.

WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? In partnership with Sticky Fingers, a leading arts organisation, Newry and Mourne District Council devised a consultation programme to ensure that children of the Slieve Gullion community could participate in each stage of the new play park development, ensuring community ownership of the project.

The site chosen to locate the play area was situated within a forest in a woodland area and so was already a stimulating natural playground. The park was designed to fit into the landscape of the mountain and the equipment was fitted into the surroundings rather than the other way around. Some pieces of equipment had to be reengineered to allow us to do this.

Slieve Gullion features regularly throughout 2,000 years of legend and history. Cuchulainn, the Red Branch Knights and Fionn McCumhail are heroes said to have once visited its slopes.

There is a rich cultural tradition in the area, which will be visually reflected in both the process and product of this project. The community was involved in a number of art features throughout the park. The art features reflected the myths and legends associated with the mountain.

Information panels telling the myths were also installed to

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The main benefactors are the local rural families who use the park on a regular basis. As the facilities are free, they are accessible to all. Children’s natural ability to play is enhanced by the elements – touch, sounds, smell etc – and the play environment encourage this level of interaction. The forest and woodland provides the correct environment for natural play and the equipment complements and enhances the natural features of the woodland.

The whole South Armagh area has benefited as people are travelling from all over Ireland to visit the park and the perception of South Armagh is changing. Where once it would have been seen as a no go area for many people, it has opened itself up as a tourist destination.

The Ring of Gullion is a unique geological landform, unparalleled elsewhere in the British Isles. The ring of low, rugged hills forms a rampart around the heather-clad Slieve Gullion Mountain, with semi-wild habitats of heath, bog and woodland contrasting with the neatly patterned fields and ladder farms.

The other users of the courtyard have benefited as it has increased numbers of people visiting the café and craft shops. Other local restaurants, B&Bs and facilities within the area have benefited as the park is bringing extra people to the area.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THE PROJECT? Our main learning outcomes from the project are that people will travel to visit high quality play provisions.

Although the council has not directly benefited financially from the project, the surrounding areas definitely have.

The consultation process allowed us to deliver a high quality product, which met the needs of a wide ranger of user groups. It also has created a feeling of community ownership and as a result, there have been no instances of vandalism to date.

Public play provision provides spaces and settings in which children enjoy the benefits that a park such as

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 Slieve Gullion development would provide. There is often an emphasis on the learning aspects of these settings.

Play should not be seen as simply a way of learning – it is also central to the development of good physical and mental health.

The physical activity involved in the park provides exercise, promotes physical co-ordination and develops the skills needed by a growing child through the adventurous elements within the park and supports natural risk taking.

This encourages robust play and stimulates the interest of the older age group.

ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS?

Park drive: the beginning of a new adventure

The longer term benefits are looking positive as a focus group of interested statutory/voluntary groups have come together and are developing a strategy looking at the longterm recreational/ leisure needs of the area.

This will involve partnerships being set up to develop new projects that will ensure the long-term viability of the area.

Any project brought forward will have to be in keeping with the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The council has also began consulting with interested groups about the possibility of locating a camping, glamping or caravan park within the area. This is in its initial stages but if a need is identified, it will be fed into the long-term strategy for the area.

The council has also formed a partnership with a voluntary arts group and has submitted an application for £400,000 for a phase two of the parks development, where it is hoped that we will create interactive art features along one of the many walks through the forest. This we hope will generate an interest within young people for exploring the natural environment.

The Slieve Gullion Forest Adventure Park has been nominated for two NITB awards – one as best visitor experience and the other for tourism partnership. ◆

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 NMCNOMENCA LEAMINGTON SPA PHASE 3 PROJECT AIM The town of Royal Leamington Spa is predominantly residential, with a population of nearly 40,000 covering the catchment which sits both to the north and south of the River Leam.

Flooding from the existing public sewerage system had resulted in the flooding of 74 properties internally to the north of the River Leam. Leamington Spa Sewer Strategy Scheme Phase 3 is an upgrade of the existing sewerage and storm system in and around Leamington Spa, connecting pipework to existing phases.

The works involved construction of a new Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) chamber in Bath Place car park and removing an old CSO chamber in the High Street adjacent to the Cast Iron Rail Bridge.

Works also involved tunnelling using a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) under a section of rail track and adjacent canal and hand-tunnelling from Bath Place car park into Spencer Street because there was not the opportunity to construct a reception pit to receive the TBM. Pipe sizes varied from 225mm diameter through to 2,100mm diameter using all diameters. Some 150 manholes will have been constructed during the construction phase.

Bore hole information revealed that 75% of the material to be dug could be used for backfill and modified first. The remainder of material was either rock or poor grade river bed terrace deposits, which required going to land fill.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The soil modification used as dug material was all types of clay but omitting a rock, concrete and flexible surfacing. It was mixed using lime, cement and PFA or any combination of each, depending on site analysis and tests.

Tests were carried out with Celtic following CLR11 model procedures for the management of land contamination and the results confirmed that the stabilised

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Name game: local children named the TBM soils were chemically suitable for their proposed use.

As a result, 8,500 cubic metres of material was mixed and modified on hard standing land three miles from the site, thereby saving two miles on what would have been a tipping journey.

In addition, 1,062 lorry movements have been saved by not having to import quarried MOT type 1 some 40 miles each way from quarries in Leicestershire.

The environmental impact was greatly reduced taking in all consideration of CO2 emissions, Example calculations were worked out by subtracting the use of fossil fuels when mixing and the lead in period from stock piling to modifying revealed a saving on CO2 emissions of 84 tons.

Another ether example of reduced environmental impact was to stem the amount of waste going to landfill.

Warwickshire County Council, the district council and the highways department were supportive of the idea as urbanisation projects were running simultaneously and this kept heavy goods vehicles out of the town and reduced pollution.

WHAT DID IT COST AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? To fund the soil modification, the money came from not paying for waste disposal at landfill. Each load costs ÂŁ60

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 so the 1,062 saved loads equated to £63,720. There was no financial gain for the company as the only reason this exercise was carried out was to demonstrate to the rest of the business and the group of companies that make up the Severn Trent Frame work, other methods exist to help the environment.

name was needed for the mole and it was decided to ask pupils at a school close to the tunnel operations to help out. The company approached teachers at Clapham Terrace Primary and Infants School and asked if they would organise a competition for pupils to come up with suggestions for a suitable name and design for the mole.

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED?

Over 20 pupils took up the challenge, coming up with a variety of ideas for the mole’s name. After looking through all the options, the team decided that third year pupil Georgia submitted the best entry with the name DinoSAW and representatives of the team presented prizes to the winner and runners-up at the school assembly.

The innovation was open to other sites that were carrying out excavation works not just our own company but frame work if we could modify as dug material on their behalf.

Unfortunately when working out the distances, CO2 emissions were negative. If the framework could programme works in the future for schemes such as these and similar to be within positive striking distance of each other, this soil modification could work on a grander scale, giving all round benefits.

On one section of the project, there was the site of an old hospital that had been demolished in the 1970s to make way for a housing development.

During excavations for the new pipe line, we unearthed what must have been a tipping ground for the excess materials. The masonry material could not have modified for reuse so we imported treated soil modified material from the mix area.

In addition to this, the top soil in the same location across an open area of land was extremely poor yet again with masonry rubble, glass, and wood. Rather than import around 100 cubic metres of top soil, we had another excavation running simultaneously across open park land which had very good top soil and did not require all of this material. The pipe line took up the space and used the excess material to replace the poor ground on the old hospital site.

CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT? Others companies can benefit from these innovative ideas providing educational programme can be rolled out.

Sometimes it not the case that no one wants it done but rather that people need to recognise what needs doing and how to go about doing it.

As a reward for their efforts, all the pupils who entered the competition were invited to come to the site so that they could see the mole in all its glory.

The pupils were given a brief explanation of what the tunnelling work entailed before witnessing the unveiling of the machine. They were invited to sign their names on the inside of the mole before it was lifted and transferred to the bottom of the launch pit in preparation for the drive.

After the launch all the pupils agreed that it had been an interesting morning, and gave a big “thank you” to the team for organising the site visit.

Clapham Terrace’s head teacher, Jason Henderson, said: “We’ve enjoyed having Severn Trent Water and the NMC team visit the school. The competition has inspired creative thinking, helping the children to be inventive by coming up with names and designs for the front of the mole.

Public exhibition A Public exhibition was organised to provide an opportunity for the public to meet members of the project team to discuss the proposals of the works at Leamington Spa. The exhibition displayed the forthcoming sewer improvements, showing the exact location of the works.

The displays included the proposed working areas, the traffic management arrangements for each section, including details of any road closures and the associated diversion routes. ◆

TBM launch Prior to the launch of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), a

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 NORTHUMBRIAN WATER THE ABBERTON SCHEME PROJECT AIM Demand for water in the arid Essex area is expected to rise by six per cent over the next 25 years. After extensive work to reduce demand, including an award winning water efficiency programme and the lowest levels of leakage in the country, Northumbrian Water Ltd (NWL) identified that the most sustainable solution was the enhancement of its existing reservoir at Abberton in Essex.

In 2010, after 18 years in the planning, consultation and application process, construction began with the objectives to: ● Improve the security of water supply to the Essex area ● Enhance the reservoir from an ecological perspective through sensitive shoreline reprofiling and habitat creation.

Bright future: water security at Amberton reservoir ●

The primary element of the Abberton Scheme involves increasing the storage capacity of the reservoir to hold an additional 15 billion litres by raising the top water level in the main eastern part of the reservoir by 3.2 metres.

As well as raising the main dam, the project involved: ● Building a number of smaller col (earth) dams around the edge of the reservoir ● Construction and modification of raw water pumping stations ● Relocating the Essex Wildlife Trust Visitor Centre to a larger site ● Diverting a 1.8km section of the B1026 and modifying the B1026 causeway ● Enhancement of public access routes and improved parking provision along the B1026 ● Improving biodiversity and recreational facilities.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Sustainable development benefits were: ● Sustainably secured water supplies for over 1.5million people in Essex for at least the next 25 years ● Sustainable and strategic use of crushed concrete and material within the site kept vehicles off the public highway, reducing the potentially significant impact upon

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local communities at this extremely rural location NWL undertook an extensive programme of community liaison meetings mindful that those affected by the construction would not be the ones to benefit from the additional water supply The Abberton Reservoir enhancement is cited as an example of best practice with respect to early and meaningful engagement in the 2012 Government review of the Habitats Directive (1).

Because of the years of investigation and intensive stakeholder engagement, permissions for this project were obtained at first application at a local level.

The project provided significant opportunities to enhance the reservoir from an ecological and community access perspective: ● The reservoir is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Special Protection Area (SPA) and RAMSAR site for its use by wildfowl. Wetland scrapes, perched lagoons, removal of much of the concrete apron surrounding the reservoir along with reprofiling to create 200ha shallow water habitat now greatly enhance the site. Coot and great crested grebe are nesting at the site for the first time, and breeding lapwing are returning after a seven-year absence ● The creation of a network of footpaths, cycle ways and

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WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? The £150million Abberton scheme was funded from long term loans, including the European Investment Bank, through NWL’s Capital Investment programme. On schedule and under budget, the main construction works are due for completion in the summer of 2013.

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? With sustainability and innovation at the heart of the project, the team has aimed to: ● Reduce materials required and waste produced ● Enhance the reservoir and its surroundings for the local community and wildlife ● Minimise disturbance throughout construction.

Waste and recycling The 12km concrete perimeter road was excavated and crushed on site generating 35,000 cubic metres (70,000 tons) of material that was reused to create the new 19km perimeter track.

Bird happy: species are flocking to the reservoir and the local community. Public drop-in sessions were attended by over 700 local residents, who provided overwhelmingly positive feedback. A typical remark was: “I think that the scheme has been done in a very sensitive manner both for the wildlife and the local residents. The inclusion of local people in the planning and discussions has been appreciated”.

Throughout construction a community liaison officer has been the first point of contact, proactively ensuring relevant information is easily available.

Approximately 144,000m3 (288,000 tons) of sand/gravel and 677,000 cubic metres (1,286,000 tons) of clay was excavated from borrow pits inside the construction site and this was used to construct the new and enlarged dams.

Community and stakeholder engagement will continue after construction – the Abberton Liaison Group stakeholder forum created in 2004 will continue to meet until 2020.

Minimising off-site waste and material imported to site meant: ● 35,800 fewer vehicle movements on the public highway less inconvenience to local residents ● 849 tons of C02 emissions were eradicated .

Local parishes benefit from an additional 12km of new permissive rights of way in the vicinity of the reservoir. The Essex Wildlife Trust Visitor Centre, run in partnership with NWL, relocated to a significantly larger and improved site situated in a new nature reserve.

Community Positive engagement with the community and key stakeholders over nearly 20 years, through public meetings, site tours, public drop-in sessions, website updates and newsletters from an early stage in the project planning, was key to its success.

Ecology Large areas of shallow water habitat for waterfowl were created to mitigate construction impact on wildfowl including 6ha of wetlands and 200ha shallow habitat for citation species such as gadwall and teal.

The community engagement plan ensured local interests were understood before construction started and enabled local level approvals to be obtained. More than 100 meetings were held involving nearly 100 interest groups

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An important waxcap community was carefully removed and relocated back to the dam once it reached its new height.

A structure created to mitigate the impact on bats was

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 occupied within its first year of construction. Reedbeds, being established along with other marginal habitats, will provide a great expanse of breeding and feeding areas for waterfowl.

Careful planning and phasing of the construction has kept disturbance to the SPA features at an absolute minimum.

Detailed spatial distribution data was used to programme aspects like the concrete edge removal and shoreline reprofiling.

This approach, and the early creation of shallow water habitat in an area free from construction, enabled Natural England to make the critical finding that the project “would not have a negative impact on the integrity of the European designated site”. The approach, acknowledged by IEEM as best practice, is detailed in the Study to Inform the Appropriate Assessment.

wildlife habitat and enhanced it, as well as opening it up to the public. The fact that a civil engineering project of this size can deliver such a boost to the natural environment proves that economic growth and environmental conservation can go hand in hand.”

The scheme has been much visited e.g. by other water companies interested in water resource development and the Country Landowners Association interested in the land purchase aspects.

Owen Paterson, Secretary of State for Environment, visited in December 2012 to mark completion of the dam raising. He said: “This is an excellent project and I am delighted that Essex & Suffolk Water has been able to make it a reality through their hard work.” ◆

Continual detailed monitoring of site ecology throughout construction will continue until 2020, providing a wealth of knowledge on the impact of turning a SPA into a construction site. The ecological clerk of works is also undertaking a PhD looking into the disturbance effects of the construction works.

WHAT LESSONS HAVE YOU LEARNT? This is the first major water resource development in the country in over 30 years and the first time a SPA has been changed in such way. It demonstrates that stringent application of European habitat protection provisions is compatible with sustainable development.

The conclusion, that this major development transforming an SPA will not adversely affect its integrity, should inspire others.

Careful consideration at the outset of how to enhance the site with minimise disturbance and developing good working relationships with the regulators were key to this success.

In March 2012 the Board of Natural England visited the site to see how this has been achieved. Rob Cooke, Director of Land Use, commented, that the scheme is “a magnificent example of what can be achieved when developers and advisers work together from the very outset. I’m delighted that this project has both protected

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 NORTHUMBRIAN WATER HANNINGFIELD REED BED SYSTEM PROJECT AIM Hanningfield is the largest largest water treatment works in Essex and it produces up to 240million litres of drinking water daily, supplying a large part of Essex and parts of East London.

An early stage of water treatment involves separating out the silts and algae. Every day this creates around three million litres of a by-product known as liquid sludge, mainly water, which once treated can be recycled.

Since operations began in the 1950s, sludge had been pumped to two open settlement lagoons which were nearly full, meaning an alternative solution was required for water production to continue on site.

Tried and tested, energy intensive, mechanical sludge centrifugal dewatering methods were available but Northumbrian Water Limited (NWL), which operates in the south east as Essex & Suffolk Water, believed there must be a more sustainable solution.

The project's aim was to deliver an innovative and sustainable cost effective alternative process to treat Hanningfield’s sludge, capturing as much as possible of the sludge’s 99.8% water content for reuse and causing minimal operational impact.

After three years of original research and trials, in a world first a natural reed bed system was proven, selected and installed to sustainably manage the sludge and recycle the valuable water. This is known as the Hanningfield Sludge Treatment Reed Bed (STRB) system.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The work was completed on time and £3million under budget. Other than initial pumping to the reed beds, the system operates naturally on its own, using no chemicals and very minimal energy or human intervention.

Following loading of a bed, sludge residue of up to 60% dry solid content is left on the surface. The alternative

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Reed all about: sludge treatment in Hanningfield centrifuge system produces around 20%, meaning far more water is recovered for reuse. Due to the untried nature of a vertical flow STRB system, NWL conducted a two-year trial to prove it could work and if so, to determine the size and number of reed beds needed to treat 100% of Hanningfield’s sludge.

This research provides valuable information for others looking to adopt a similarly sustainable solution.

Sludge, loaded onto the surface of each bed in turn, filters through the reed and media layers to produce clear filtrate water, which flows by gravity into the main raw water reservoir for reuse. This flows via a newly created 14 hectare reed bed habitat, formed as part of this project in one of the redundant settlement lagoons.

The lagoon is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and attracts a wide variety of wildlife, including a nesting pair of rare marsh harriers.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? This £10m project, funded through NWL’s Capital Investment programme, involved the study of several solutions to treat Hanningfield’s sludge and included a two year trial of the innovative Sludge Treatment Reed Bed (STRB) system.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 At the feasibility stage, costs appeared similar for the mechanical and novel reed bed option. Following detailed design, the green option has proven to be more cost effective with significantly lower capital and operating costs.

The STRB system is hugely innovative and industry leading. Reed beds systems have been used successfully for many years in sewage and food applications, but never in the water treatment process. It has been a long path for NWL to prove this system works and it would have been easy to follow traditional mechanical methods.

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Construction of 16 individual reed beds covering a total surface are of 4.5 hectares began in June 2012. ●

To minimise traffic movements and waste, careful design ensured a cut and fill earthworks balance of 80,000 cubic metres, meaning excavated soil was used elsewhere on site.

Each bed contains a filter layer in to which reeds were planted. Drainage and delivery pipes were laid in to and out of each bed. The fully automated system can be monitored and operated via the internet so there is not always the need to visit site. Construction finished in October 2013 on programme and was well under the £13m budget.

The first of the redundant lagoons (Great Prestons) was successfully transformed in to a managed reed bed wildlife habitat in advance of the main STRB project. The second lagoon (Whitelilies) will soon be transformed by NWL in a similar manner.

WHAT ARE THE SUSTAINABLE, ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL BENEFITS? Compared to the alternative mechanical centrifuge system, this project delivers: ● A new diverse habitat: local wildlife has benefited with the creation of the great prestons habitat, the future whitelilies habitat, the reed beds themselves, the creation of wide field boundaries and grass areas, planting of trees and hedges and a new wildlife corridor linking isolated areas of habitat ● More water recovery for re-use – sludge residue reaches a dry solid content of 60% (centrifuges 20% typically)

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Water flow for great prestons habitat – filtrate water provides cross flow Lower energy use – once sludge is pumped to site, nature does the rest Lower cost (capital and operational) – construction cost two thirds of the centrifuge estimation. Very little maintenance or attendance required Minimal human interaction a weekly visit is required to ensure the system looks healthy Lower whole life carbon cost due to low operation requirements A system that can be used for the foreseeable future.

Once emptied, each bed can be re-employed immediately with no remedial action as reeds remain in situ Fewer lorry movements for sludge disposal – the centrifuge option would require up to two lorries every day option. However, each reed bed will only need to be emptied every 20 years, involving around 100 lorry movements per empty). The higher dry solid content of the residue means less volume (solid and water) is leaving site. This is a benefit for local communities The system is always ready to receive sludge – a bed is always available and there are no emergency situations An industry leading project and a world first for water sludge.

WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? NWL’s reputation benefits from having a world first system that is not only innovative but cost effective and environmentally friendly. NWL proves taking risks can pay off to a traditionally risk averse industry ● The community has an interesting and natural site adjacent to a public right of way. Interpretation boards have been erected at key viewpoints ● Long term relationships have been enhanced by fully engaging the community throughput the process ● The residue will ultimately be used as a soil improver for local fields ● Cleaner water is returned back to the reservoir, thus extending its life ● Less river water extraction and pumping is required to replenish the reservoir as more water is returned through the reed beds. ●

CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT? NWL has proved to the industry that there is an

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 alternative solution for sludge dewatering that is sustainable, feasible and both economically viable and environmentally friendly. Other organisations are becoming aware of this project and several have visited.These include the Minister for the Natural Environment, the Institution of Civil Engineers, CC Water, Essex County Council, the Environment Agency, Chelmsford City Council, the Institute of Water, Anglian Water and Thames Water.

In a letter the director general of The Institution of Civil Engineers, Nick Baveystock, wrote: “…. real engineering and true innovation. I was fascinated by the trip to the reed beds. I hadn’t seen in used in this context before and was highly impressed.”

The Minister for the Natural Environment, Richard Benyon MP, tweeted: “In Essex seeing water company using nature to clean water. Cheaper solution = lower bills = better for environment = virtuous circle.”

WHAT DID YOU LEARN? It takes a great deal of time and company-wide support at all levels to prove a sustainable solution rather than take the easy path with already established energy intensive technology, but the results are worth the perseverance and dedication. The immediate and long term benefits economically, environmentally and for reputation are a great achievement.

NWL is considering using this technology on other sites and it is hoped that other water companies will follow when developing future sludge treatment systems.

Enforcement action Due to the nature of NWL’s business – managing vast water and sewerage networks, some enforcement action is inevitable such as when we suffer a catastrophic failure in the water network, or when sewers block or flood due to the actions of third parties placing objects into sewers which shouldn’t be there. Investigation and mitigation always takes place. No enforcement action has occurred in this project. ◆

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 NWS SOLAR PV INSTALLATION WITH YORK CITY COUNCIL PROJECT AIM In 2012 NWS – formerly known at Nationwide Solar – created and completed what we believe to be an innovative, self-funded solar PV project with York City Council. The key aim of the project was to create a viable model for providing free solar PV installations for housing authorities following the UK government’s reduction of the feed-in-tariff associated with micro-generation systems.

In developing a feasible business plan through which NWS are able to fund and install solar PV for social housing, we have created opportunities to install green technologies in the homes of council tenants, whilst overcoming the predicted negative outcome of the reduction of the feed-in-tariff.

This approach is innovative in its support of the UK’s built environment and perhaps more importantly, it is highly sustainable. In making the installation of energy saving measures more financially viable for the social housing sector, NWS continue to pursue ways of increasing the access of all UK residents to green technologies and the savings they can provide.

Despite its reputation for affluence, York City Council, like much of the country, works with residents who, due to a low incomes, are living in fuel poverty.

In creating a self-funded business model for the installation of solar PV, we have been able to provide clients who might historically have not been able to afford the costs of solar PV with the opportunity to benefit from its advantages. To date, we have installed solar PV systems in 479 homes, which represents 8,511 solar panels installed in York alone.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The installation of solar PV using our self-funded model has already provided significant benefits for both York City Council and its tenants.

These benefits can be split into two key areas: those

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Bring me sunshine: making York even brighter relating to the reduction of carbon emissions and those relating to reduced energy costs.

With the UK government aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a minimum of 80% by 2050, and a series of ongoing restrictions on carbon dioxide emissions permitted in the UK, creating a system in which solar PV can be installed without an initial outlay is becoming increasingly important for housing authorities throughout the UK. Through self-funding solar projects NWS has enabled councils to implement a realistic method of reducing their carbon footprint, allowing preparation for long term targets without depleting financial resources needed for residents struggling in the current economic climate.

Further benefits also extend beyond those associated with reduced carbon emissions. Energy saved through the generation of free electricity can significantly reduce energy costs of residents’ homes not only in the short term but, with rising energy costs, increasingly in the long term.

A key aim of the project was to significantly reduce energy costs for residents identified as living in fuel poverty.

Householders are identified as such if their energy costs

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 are equal to or exceed 10% of their total income.

For these households, installing micro-generation systems such as solar PV is a vital way of facilitating realistic savings that will enable tenants to escape fuel poverty both now and in future years.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Solar PV is a project that we believe can help those living in fuel poverty. With this in mind in 2012 we created an innovative way of providing local authorities, housing associations and other social housing providers with free solar photovoltaic panels.

The first project to make use of the free installation approach was with York City Council. As a result the residents of 479 homes now enjoy the free electricity produced in the daytime by a total of 8511 solar panels and vastly reduced energy costs each year.

We believe that this technology can make a meaningful difference to the energy costs of residents and, as a result, can significantly help those living in fuel poverty.

In creating a business model by which we wholly fund the installation, we have found an achievable way of providing those who may not be able to afford the upfront cost of solar PV the opportunity to benefit from its advantages.

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? NWS’s ability to develop a feasible business plan to fund and install PV panels for social housing illustrates how we have been able to refine our business to meet current calls for sustainable change. This is further demonstrated through our supply chain procedures and the fact that each team is able to install three 3.6 KW systems per day.

An achievement, which is without doubt unique to our company.

At NWS we believe in the importance of creating a holistic service. This approach extends beyond the development of the self-funding approach and is evident throughout our operating procedures.

It is our belief that the self-funding option for local housing authorities is made more successful by the service we have set up to support the process from start to finish.

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At NWS we have a strict policy of directly employed staff.

This enables us to ensure that we maintain the high level of customer satisfaction and quality of work, which we both expect and have built a reputation based upon. We believe that this approach has enabled us to implement innovative changes to our business models and ensure that quality of work and service is maintained.

Furthermore, the fact that we have now received over £270 million of funding in the past 24 months alone demonstrates our commitment to the projects we undertake and the quality of work we are known for.

In a recent statement regarding the NWS solar PV project Steve Waddington, Housing and Community Safety Director at York City Council, wrote: “Without the burden of having to fund the initial capital investment, it really is a very attractive option for local authorities and other social housing providers, with the ultimate beneficiaries being the tenants.”

In addition to our commitment to increasing access residents have to green technologies and the financial savings they can provide (irrespective of their income), we are also dedicated to providing a feasible method of installing solar PV systems which works towards the UK government’s ongoing carbon emission targets.

Supporting local authorities in the UK as they make a transition allows them to continue to support those who need it most in the immediate future, while also committing to the long term goals associated with tackling climate change.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT? Throughout this project, the aim had been to learn and develop ways to create an affordable method of installing Solar PV for large social housing projects following the reduction of the feed-in-tariffs.

Solar PV is a product that we believe can genuinely provide significant benefits for all parties involved. Creating a feasible financial approach to the installation of energy saving technologies such solar PV allows councils and housing authorities to meet carbon emission targets, as well as providing support for their tenants.

The benefits that tenants living in fuel poverty have been

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 afforded by the installation, is an aspect of the project that we are particularly proud of. With current statistics showing that there are around six million people in the UK living in fuel poverty with a projected increase to nine million by 2016, we believe that this approach of installing a micro-generation technology such as solar PV for free is a great way of enabling households to permanently escape fuel poverty.

ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS? Following this project, NWS continues to find ways of installing energy saving measures in homes throughout the UK. In order to be able to further facilitate green technologies becoming more widely accessible, NWS have become involved with the UK government’s Green Deal Initiative, for which we are now both approved installers and assessors.

In addition to this we are also continuing to work to make further micro-generation systems more widely available for those who would benefit most from the technologies.

NWS is an accredited MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) installer. This means that our staff have undergone training in system design, installation and aftersales care. MCS is an official body that certificates microgeneration technologies that are used to produce electricity and heat from renewable sources. !

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 OLD SQUARE SHOPPING CENTRE, WALSALL WASTE DISPOSAL AND RECYCLING SCHEME PROJECT AIM The aim was to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill and reduce the annual spend for waste disposal. The project involved sourcing a new waste disposal contractor and looking at the various options and services available in order to achieve our goal. A new contractor was appointed and a recycling scheme put in place.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The amount of non-recyclable waste services was reduced considerably to encourage recycling by our tenants.

Tenants were informed of the new scheme and educated as to what should be recycled and what was general waste and should be sent to landfill.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT?

Full recycle: Old Square tenants got the message

We found that it was no easy task to ensure that the tenants complied with the new scheme. Most of them complained that they did not have the time to segregate their waste and/or educate their staff.

We spoke to each tenant individually to explain the new system and show how it worked and how it would benefit them. We translated all of the information for non-English speaking tenants and their staff and we had to monitor the situation closely until we were sure everyone understood and complied to the new system.

Each tenant was provided with their own recycling bin which would be compacted daily on site by centre staff.

Very few general waste bins were provided for joint use and they would only be collected once weekly by the contractors.

All bins were clearly labelled with a list of acceptable items to help any tenant or staff member that was still unsure. â—†

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 PALLETSOCK ELIMINATION OF STRETCH WRAP USE ON PALLETED DELIVERIES PROJECT AIM The substantial reduction and in many cases elimination of stretch wrapping for pallet shipments of which there are over 40 million movements per annum.

Currently, even with recycling initiatives more than 150,000 tonnes of plastic wrap go to landfill every year.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The idea patented in 2011 and a new company was formed in June 2012. The packaging initiative was introduced to the wider market later that year and underwent trials with major corporations and logistics companies.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? After years of watching the waste and damage that resulted from the use of stretch wrap on pallets in transit through his warehouse Simon Garrett decided there must be a better way for pallet packaging.

He was after something that was simple, protective, quick, sustainable and safe – so he invented and patented Palletsock.

Simple Made from woven polypropylene ‘big bag’ material, the key to its simplicity are four panels of ‘powernet’ elastication down each side, which grips the pallet like a sock after pulling over it.

Protective Since the arrival of pallet hubs, of which Simon’s company is a member, he had noticed that damaged loads had risen in line with the increased handling. It is necessary for the pallet hub system to operate effectively for pallets to be handled up to eight times on a single journey.

The “cuffing” of pallets during this multiple loading and unloading process can tear open stretch wrap, which is usually much less than 100 microns thick even after four

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It’s a wrap: how to cut plastic going to landfill wraps. In contrast, Palletsock is more than five times thicker.

Quick Manual stretch wrapping can make you dizzy and take up to nine minutes to wrap a pallet four times. Applying Palletsock takes 15 seconds. At 50 pallets per day this adds up to nearly a man’s working day.

Sustainable Currently 150,000 tonnes of stretch wrap goes to landfill every year and that’s after all the recycling initiatives. In years gone by this didn’t really matter. Now we all know it does. The Palletsock is capable of 50 cycles before needing replacement.

Safe If you didn’t need Stanley knives, would you allow them in your warehouse? Probably not, but there really is no alternative is there? Maybe now there is.

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? The Palletsock does not have all the answers as it obviously has a higher upfront cost than stretch wrap. It needs to be tracked and returned but it can be bar coded.

Payback is estimated at between six and 15 journeys.

WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? ●

Stretch and shrink wrap are almost universally in use for wrapping pallets and this generates huge quantities of

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waste every day. Before Palletsock there was no viable alternative Development costs have been borne by the inventors and other shareholders of the new company By reducing labour and eliminating raw materials, the Palletsock can pay for itself in as few as six journeys, but this is dependent on existing usage of shrink or stretch wrap and the method of wrapping. ◆

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 PETALING JAYA CITY COUNCIL (MBPJ) REBATE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLY HOUSE OWNERS PROJECT AIM The goal is to transform Petaling Jaya, a city in Malaysia, into a low carbon green city by 2020, with a carbon emission reduction of 40% through collective and sustainable individual houseowners’ owners efforts.

The project rewards individual houseowners for doing good on environment and also encouraging the individual pursuit of a green lifestyle.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The innovation is being applied as a city-wide strategy to encourage property owners to retrofit their buildings and to change their behavioural lifestyle in order to make it a low carbon green city. It is an instrument of recognising good environmental practice through economic return.

Going green: low carbon scheme for a whole city strong management will of Petaling Jaya City Council and public support without holding on to the idea until legal and financial clearance was obtained.

The scheme highlights the need to think out of the box when it comes to encouraging public to go for low carbon urban living. Although handicapped by the legal and financial provision, the scheme has been successfully implemented thanks to the strong management will of MBPJ and public support.

The principle of “Polluters Pay” was observed here homeowners who do their bit will gain in term of monetary returns. For example, apart from obtaining rebates on energy efficiency electrical appliances, electricity bills are also reduced.

Governmental programmes tend to be discontinued because of the lack of sustaining commitment, the failure of the public to engage the power of government staff and a sudden loss of interest of the stakeholders.

The perception of the general public that going green is expensive was also countered. This was critical if the city authorities wanted to reach out to people with cost concerns.

Unless the initiative is bringing in tangible benefits and becomes part of the daily routine, public interest fades away. In contrast, this scheme encourages behavioural change and the permanent retrofitting of buildings pitched at an affordable level for individual property owners

Social equity and justice were also addressed by giving rebates for various aspects of behavioural change such as following the 3Rs – Reduce, Reuse and Recycling –, fitness regimes such as walking or cycling, and changing consumption pattern for lower carbon footprint as everyone can change his behaviour regardless of social status and income level.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU IT? The scheme highlights the need to think out of the box when it comes to encouraging public to go for low carbon urban living. Although handicapped by legal and financial provisions, the scheme is successfully implemented with

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The scheme also realised the notion of Think Globally, but Act Locally in sustainable development. While national government is committed to a global pledge of reducing carbon emission by formulating various policies, these

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 policies can only be realised with effective implementation at local level. As the administration closest to grass-root levels, MBPJ through this scheme demonstrated the importance of a complementary role and bottom-up approach to achieving a global blueprint.

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? The scheme encourages continual improvement, which is the underlying principles of sustainable development. The houseowners are encouraged to keep improving on the “greening” levels of their properties for tax rebate entitlements, as an award is given once for any aspect.

Property owners can apply for rebates either for similar aspects that have strived for significant betterment or on a new aspect.

CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT? The scheme is cost effective, inclusive and easy to be implemented and replicated. Sepang Municipal Council has started a similar scheme and there are others in the pipeline.

The scheme was selected as an innovative idea by the Malaysian Ministry of Housing and Local Government in a recent Innovative Ideas Competition. A review of the Local Government Act, 1976 (Act 71) is under way now with a view to incorporating this policy. ◆

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 QTS GROUP THE QTS SUSTAINABLE ENERGY PROJECT PROJECT AIM QTS are working towards reducing carbon emissions, waste, water usage and pollution. Our operations include the use of energy saving and generation measures, recycling schemes, operator training, using fuel efficient vehicles and using different types of fuels.

The actions taken to date include the following: Head office building construction ● Construction of new head office and maintenance facility, including use of recycled materials ● Ground source heating ● Rainwater harvesting ● Solar water heating ● Klargester sewerage treatment plant.

Head office and workshop site ● Establishment of 30 hectares of new woodland (carbon sequestration) ● Installation of 30kw solar photovoltaic system (completed December 2011 to March 2012) ● Installation of further 20kw solar photovoltaic system (completed July 2012 ) ● Installation of electricity use monitoring system ● Electricity consumption survey (May 2012) ● Noise survey (to establish baseline for noise emissions, June 2012).

Right line: QTS has saved energy across the board efficient use of vehicles and machinery. Work is planned to maximise efficiency and minimise vehicle journeys. Plant and machinery is maintained in-house and correct and efficient operation is mandated to minimise environmental impacts.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The achievements outlined below illustrate how successful our Green Energy plan has been: Operationally ● QTS undertake internal audits on a periodic cycle and external audits are done on a three-yearly basis by UKAS accredited external auditors ● Site inspections are undertaken on a monthly basis to support this programme ● Group-wide targets focus on continued maintenance of our environmental management system to ISO14001.

Operations ● Replacement low loader tractor unit with more fuel efficient and lower emission rated vehicle (completed July 2012) ● Pilot scheme road vehicle using LPG fuel (ongoing) ● Recycling/fuel use for recovered timber ● Recovery of felled timber from railway line side for sale to sawmills ● Replacement of light vehicle fleet with newer fuel efficient vehicles ● Replacement of halogen lights on plant and vehicles with LED units (on-going).

Sustainable project activities Example project – a planned programme of earthworks remediation on the Oban Line was accelerated following a derailment. The resultant project illustrated our commitment to sustainable practices.

All operatives receive environmental training, including

Approximately 800 tonnes of hardwood timber was

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 extracted from the site in 12ft lengths. The majority of the hardwood timber was marketed into the firewood industry at rates dictated by the Forestry Commission, with a smaller portion classified as beam quality at a higher price.

should be leading the way for pioneering, sustainable and clean environmental business ethics. Since winning our last Green Apple Award in 2008, we have significantly invested in our green energy programme.

25 tonnes of 3m larch saw-logs were produced and taken to a local sawmill, where it was cut into 10ft posts and reused on site to replace damaged posts.

This has included a £75,000 investment in our solar panels and our rain harvesting and heating systems, reducing our water consumption.

QTS’s Viacar fitted with a timber grapple and tilt-rotator supported the cutting team by lifting heavy timber produced and removing it to the stock-pile at shift end, reducing plant movements

We have self-funded the majority of our green energy activities with little help from government grants, because we believe that ethical business practice is such an important ideology for our growth.

The 190,000 trees at HQ and vehicle de-limiters combine to set off against the carbon emissions form transport and contracting activities

This year we have won Lanarkshire’s Best Green Business award and we have been awarded our Carbon Management plan from the Scottish Government.

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED?

The awards we have won thus far are a great boost to us professionally, as it affirms our vision and hard work towards our sustainable development as a green business.

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QTS cleared viewing vistas for the charity, The Friends of the Highland Line QTS carried out geo-technical works on two slopes between the railway and the road, benefiting Scotland Transerve The new Falls of Cruachan access point was left intact for future use.

The budget for our sustainable project is just shy of a million pounds, and we are awaiting permission to install a wind turbine that would more than compensate for the business energy needs.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT?

Our solar panels already produce enough energy to power our main office. Our forestation plans also secure the safety of our vast 74 acre woodland, as we are proud of the beautiful environment we work in. The vast area of land will also ensure that the wind turbine and solar panels are hidden from plain sight, so these won’t deface the countryside.

QTS are very keen to ensure that that our Sustainable Energy Project remains a key focus for our future growth.

When we moved to our 172 acre estate, we knew that we would have to work hard to project and enhance the beautiful Scottish countryside.

We believe that we have demonstrated a strong commitment to the environment, both in our contracting operations and in the construction, on-going development and use of our headquarters.

QTS worked closely with Network Rail and others providing a co-ordinated, innovative, sustainable and cost effective solution with change control management and open book pricing on a uniquely challenging site.

The responsible actions we are taking further prove how dedicated we are to becoming a successful clean energy business, which prides itself on sustainable development.

The engineering and manufacturing industry is not renowned for their green business practices. However, we are proud that we can change the perceptions of the public, by clearly showing that engineering companies

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Complying with environmental legislation is necessary in the sectors in which we operate, but we have consciously chosen to adopt good practice above the minimum legal requirements and above the normal practices of our contemporaries.

In addition, the extra financial investment in our headquarters, necessary to fund the sustainable

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 construction, implement the ecological enhancements and adopt the renewable energy technologies is a long term investment, not just for ourselves but also for the wider community.

The 90,000 trees which we have planted, the creation of the SUDS ponds, our conservation of the wetland and our encouragement of the return of wildlife should provide benefits to the area for many decades We have also taken steps to ensure that our future energy and water use and our carbon emissions are maintained at the lowest levels currently possible given our operational needs.

Moving forward QTS aim to complete the one million pound investment in our sustainable future by securing our fist wind turbine, and by continuing to provide innovative and sustainable machinery, amounts our other ventures.

We believe that our sustainable project could become a pioneering tool for other engineering companies to follow.

We are very proud of what we have brought to this community and the local environment. Our efforts have been recognised by the Scottish Government and Local Authorities, which we greatly appreciate. â—†

WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? Our sustainable plans greatly benefit the environment around us, as do our innovative ways of reduction our carbon footprint, such as rain water harvesting and solar energy.

Our staff and senior management all value our sustainable business practice and aim to extend this to our colleagues around the UK. By ensuring our sites employ the same practices as we do at head office, we have seen great reductions in wastage, both tangible and environmental.

We have greatly developed the existing office space from its original derelict land, and our determination to keep improving the environment has led to the introduction of various new sustainable projects, like introducing sheep to the grounds to encourage natural grazing.

Although our initial costs were high, the standard spend we have at the HQ and out at site offices has dramatically reduced, due to ongoing contracts with providers of recyclable products and services. This has meant that our suppliers also face the same savings and the reduction in wastage saves greatly in the removal and disposal issues.

Our innovative plant fleet has allowed us to become one of the market leading providers of sustainable machinery. We spend a lot of money and time in combining machinery for road and rail use. This eliminates the need for two machines and it saves massively in transportation and storage costs. Our clients are very impressed with our innovative fleet.

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The QTS Sustainable Energy Project

QTS are very keen to ensure that that our

One of the UK’s leading Rail Infrastructure, Sustainable Energy Project remains a key focus for our future growth. When we moved to our Engineering & Training Specialists QTS provides an extensive range of engineering, infrastructure and training services to major organisations across the Rail,Utilities, Construction and Public sectors.

Our MD, Alan McLeish started the QTS Group with his trusty sidekick Tara, the Jack Russell, and a £300 loan from his mother to buy a chainsaw. The company is now one of the largest multi-functional organisations in the UK and Alan has become one of the country’s most successful business men. A highly Commended Director from the Institute of Directors, Alan has now won the Scottish Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the year for his services to business.

The QTS Group is now one of the UK’s fastest growing businesses and the company is on track to become one of the UK’s largest organisations, employing staff nationwide.

172 acre estate, we knew that we would have to work hard to protect and enhance the beautiful Scottish countryside.

The engineering and manufacturing industry is not renowned for their green business practices.

However, we are proud that we can change the perceptions of the public, by clearly showing that engineering companies should be leading the way for pioneering, sustainable and clean environmental business ethics.

Since winning our Green Apple Award in 2008, we have significantly invested in our green energy programme. This has included a significant investment in our solar panels, rain harvesting and heating systems, reducing our water consumption. All of these actions have led to us picking up the Scottish & UK Gold Green Apple Award in 2013.

Gold Apple Winners & Green World Ambassadors

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 RAINWATER HARVESTING THE RAIN DIRECTOR PROJECT AIM Rainwater can be used for any non-potable application.

This includes toilets, washing machines and outside use, which can represent a 50% saving in a domestic setting.

With the stresses on water supplies increasing, it was important to develop more efficient rainwater systems.

Market research was carried out to determine consumer attitudes to the rainwater market and what factors they felt were important in their adoption of product.

Many items on the market were energy inefficient and failure rate was high. The Rain Director is a gravity fed rainwater management system with the component parts designed for purpose.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The Rain Director allows the home owner to have a reliable supply of water and therefore reduces the stress on the mains supply, producing a long term solution rather than a short term fix.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? The design and manufacture was funded in-house by a dedicated team looking to solve a serious issue.

The system incorporates a revolutionary smart header tank which has been specifically designed and injection molded.

It has been designed for easy installation by the trade. It incorporates sophisticated electronic sensors and a safety overflow weir. The system can be incorporated to any other tank so it is inclusive across the industry.

The Rain Director is WRAS and Waterwise approved. â—†

Gain in rain: be water wise with the Rain Director

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 REGENT ARCADE SHOPPING CENTRE STRATEGY ON ENERGY AND WASTE MANAGEMENT PROJECT AIM To maximise the environmental opportunities presented by a major refurbishment and implement a large-scale waste materials recycling strategy.

Regent Arcade is Cheltenham’s premier shopping centre and is owned by Canada Life. The centre was beginning to look tired and outdated and a £22m, two-phase refurbishment programme began in 2010 to give the interior a new contemporary feel, create two new large retail units and a Regency inspired façade.

The refurbishment involved a substantial amount of stripping out of old materials and replacing with new, which was the catalyst for the centre management to reevaluate its waste management strategy.

The centre management set themselves a goal of recycling 80% of all waste generated in the Regent Arcade by 2012.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The centre management has successfully engaged with tenants and members of the public to begin the process of changing attitudes and behaviours towards recycling.

A dedicated area on the service deck has been devoted to waste sorting and recycling waste bins have been located throughout the concourse for shoppers. In 2009-10 53.8% was sent to landfill, while the most recent figures show just 8%.

On the construction side, the contractors recycled over 87% of building waste following the demolition of the existing frontage. As the retail units are expanded or updated, all of the stripped out metals, wood and plastic are also now recycled.

Shoppers have demonstrated a willingness to take part in the initiative bringing greetings cards, shoes, plastic carrier bags and bras to the centre for recycling.

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WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? The Regent Arcade shopping centre, which was opened in 1985, followed the footprint of an old coaching inn and was one of the first shopping malls to be opened in the country. It was at the forefront of retail technology.

After 25 years the centre was looking tired and in need of a facelift. The clear polycarbonate roof that covered the entire length of the building was leaking, and energy costs were high, so in 2008 Canada Life began the planning process to gain permission for a £22m, two-phase refurbishment of the centre to create a light and bright contemporary feel.

In accordance with Canada Life’s sustainability policy, contractors’ consideration for environmental issues was a key part of the tender process.

The shopping centre is at the heart of Cheltenham, linking the Promenade to the High Street. It is committed to playing its part within the community it serves and supports local charities throughout the year.

As part of the refurbishment project, centre manager John Forward, supported by managing agents DTZ and Associate Director Richard Ralph, decided that the general recycling shopping centre should set an example and lead the way in retail recycling, aiming to recycle 80% of all waste by 2012.

That target has already been reached with 92% of all cardboard waste recycled and the team is now working towards keeping 100% of waste out of landfill within the next year.

Many of the initiatives introduced at the Regent Arcade have been shared with other shopping centres managed

by DTZ, and the centre plans to publish details of its waste management programme through an initiative run in conjunction with the local evening newspaper, the

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Reel progress: the Regent Arcade has introduced a successful campaign to reduce waste going to landfill Gloucestershire Echo, focusing on the environmental and associated issues.

RecycIing Bags for Life were introduced for customers to kick off the campaign and porter Chris Spenceley was put in charge of separating out of waste and recycling. Nobody knew at that stage how passionate he was to become about recycling, motivating tenants to play their part and setting up the now long-established recycling station on the service deck. His commitment to recycling was recognised in 2011 when he was named the South West regional winner in the Recognition Awards.

Destination of waste Chris personally manages the sorting of waste and has worked very hard to encourage tenants to separate out waste for his collection rather than throwing it in the bin.

Today the centre recycles household batteries, printer cartridges, paper, glass, cardboard, plastic, wood, metal and food waste. The office staff follow a policy of minimal paper use.

Tenants are encouraged to run their own recycling initiatives which, to date ,have included bra recycling by the Triumph lingerie shop and a ‘shoe-swap’ run by the footwear retailer, Schuh.

refurbishment programme. The marketing theme for phase two is Walk this Way, signposting shoppers to follow signs into the temporary entrance to keep up footfall.

The distinctive design was printed onto shopping bags and given to customers in exchange for their old plastic bags and a charity donation. This raised £3,041 which was donated to Winston’s Wish, a local charity for bereaved children.

Costs and savings For waste recycling, benefits in terms of hard cash cannot be so easily measured. There are some financial benefits gained by recycling cardboard and metal but for all of the other waste materials, there are associated costs.

Machinery hire, collection charges and overtime payments cost the Regent Arcade a total of £22,000 in 2012. But in terms of environmental impact, the centre diverted 92% of waste away from landfill.

Tenants have seen a financial benefit from the combined savings gained through energy and water conservation measures and recycling.

The energy and waste elements of the service charge has gone down by £23,000, representing a saving of 31%. ◆

Members of the public are invited each year to bring their Christmas cards to the Regent Arcade for recycling. In 2012 58 sacks full were donated to a local cancer charity that uses the old cards to make up new ones for resale.

In addition, this year the centre held a ‘Cinderella’ promotion to encourage customers o bring in unwanted shoes. When the clock struck noon each day, one lucky shopper won a £50 shopping voucher.

The arcade has continued to trade throughout the whole

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 ROYAL BOON EDAM INTERNATIONAL BV IMPROVING THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF A REVOLVING DOOR PROJECT AIM Maintaining ambient temperature in a building such as a fitness club is often energy consuming as visitors are entering and exiting the building continuously.

In order to improve the energy efficiency of one such club, Boon Edam was asked to reassess the air tightness of the revolving door that had been installed in the main entrance.

Based on thermo-graphic imaging, smoke tests and ultrasonic tests, the company installed: ● Special airtight hairbrushes with a rubber interlayer around the door wings to limit draught around the door even further ● Airtight LED ceiling lighting, consuming less energy and with a sealed housing to minimise air permeability around the light ● Canopy insulation ● Airtight sealing material at any junctures in the door.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS In this particular case Boon Edam has been able to reduce air infiltration by 43% and save 150 cubic metres of air per hour with a 10 Pa. over pressure in the building. This resulted in yearly energy savings of 6,500 kWh. Some of the air infiltration improvements have been carried through as standard on virtually all new Boon Edam revolving doors. The company also offers these energy efficiency improvements as a Green Retrofit package that can be fitted on most Boon Edam revolving doors that have been installed in the field.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? The Green Retrofit package is a new and innovative way to improve the air permeability characteristics of a revolving door even further. Consisting of airtight, low energy LED ceiling lighting, one direction motion detectors and innovative special air tight hairbrushes around the door wings, this package can save 4500 kWh of heating or cooling energy every year, based on an average

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Turnaround: the revolving door is now airtight temperature difference of 10 degrees celsius, compared to a normal revolving door.

Boon Edam is the first manufacturer in the world to introduce such air permeability improvements as a standard feature on their revolving doors.

As of March 2013 virtually all Boon Edam revolving doors will be equipped with these improvements. Additionally, the package will be available for installation on existing revolving doors as well.

As the package will be introduced as standard on all new revolving doors, it will not require any additional cost on top of the investment in a revolving door. The cost of the retrofit package is relatively low compared to the energy and so it will result in cost savings. The Green Retrofit package will therefore pay for itself many times over during its lifespan.

WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? The most innovative aspect of the Green Retrofit package is the special airtight hairbrushes that are installed around the edges of the door wings to prevent draughts.

Conventional hair brushes are constructed from horse hair

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 whereas Boon Edam’s new hair brushes contain a rubber interlayer between two layers of horsehair to ensure that even less of a draught is allowed to enter the building through the hair brushes.

The project in a sports centre, where Boon Edam first installed the Green Retrofit package, has resulted in energy savings of 6,500 kWh heating energy per year, thanks to a 43% reduction of air infiltration into the building.

These results can be achieved in many other buildings as well. Depending on building characteristics such as dimensions and orientation, the amount of energy saved can be even higher.

This project confirmed once again that improvements can be made on even the most energy efficient solutions. With relatively minimal means, it is still possible to get strong results to improve the air permeability and energy efficiency of our products.

After seeing the results from this project, Boon Edam will continue development to determine what further improvements can be achieved. â—†

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Our World Revolves Around Yours

With work environments becoming increasingly global and dynamic, the entry has become the centre of activity in many buildings. As the importance of the entry as a mobility hotspot increases, the demands we put on managing the passage of people through them grow. With over 140 years of experience in engineering quality entry solutions, we have become the experts in creating future proof mobility hotspots that meet your requirements concerning sustainability, security and service. To learn more visit www.boonedam.com

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 ROYAL VICTORIA PLACE SHOPPING CENTRE READY STEADY GREEN PROJECT AIM The project was set up in June 2011 to focus on a proactive approach to sustainability at the Royal Victoria Place Shopping Centre in Tonbridge Wells.

The centre was built in 1992 and has more than 100 tenants. Much of the M&E is approaching obsolescence and is difficult to manage efficiently. It was decided that the best way forward was to look at quick wins and over the next 12 to18 months, develop a strategic approach and cost plan to address more difficult areas.

The project was called Ready Steady Green and involved the centre management team and tenants. The first quick win identified was waste. The centre produces more than 600 tonnes of waste annually but it was not segregated and was sent straight to land fill.

This way of managing waste did not demonstrate a positive approach to sustainability and it was costly to dispose of contaminated waste.

The key waste management objectives were; ● Send zero waste to landfill ● Introduce three new waste streams to reduce costs and generate income ● Educate tenants and centre staff ● Generate positive PR and communicate to customers.

Future objectives for the project included: ● 5% reduction in electricity use ● 10% reduction in water consumption ● Implementation of an energy action plan ● ISO14001 accreditation by the end of 2013.

Ready Steady Green now involves the centre Management team, tenants and contractor staff. Overall, there has been a huge leap forward over the past 18 months. There are still challenges but the centre is now on target to achieve the ISO14001 accreditation by December 2013.

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All’s Wells: Tonbridge centre is going green

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The project has seen a real change in approach to sustainability at the centre from all parties. Recycling has increased, energy and water consumption has decreased and regular environmental meetings now take place with the full team.

The project has put sustainability on the agenda at the centre and improvements have taken place both front and back of house. Overall staff are far more aware than they were in 2011.

Waste ● Increased awareness for all staff via the Ready Steady Green campaign ● Recycling rate increased from 28% to a peak of 66% (now above 50% on average) ● Three new waste streams – mixed recycling, food and plastic ● Waste segregated in back areas and via mall bins ● Over 20% of costs offset with income generated from recycling ● 130 tonnes of food recycling – waste to energy ● 335 tonnes of card board recycled ● 20% reduction in waste management contract costs, down from £92,000 to £73,000.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 Electricity ● Staff made increasingly aware of energy savings via a switch-off campaign ● Retailer lighting audits at night to identify unnecessary lighting ● PIRs in common areas ● Power factor correction implemented in early 2012 ● Voltage optimisation implemented at the end of 2012 ● Overall energy reduction of approximately15% in 2013 compared to the previous year.

Water ● Staff made increasingly aware of savings via a switch-off campaign ● Water audit carried out in 2012 to look at potential savings ● Tap sensors reduced from 30 to five seconds on all public toilet areas ● Overall reduction in water usage of approximately 20% in 2013 compared to the previous year.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Ready Steady Green has been delivered through the general day to day management of the shopping centre and has been led by the operations manager and the centre manager, with support from the centre administrator.

The centre waste management contractor has also been fully supportive and helped to introduce new ways of managing waste by feeding back KPIs and helping to educate tenants.

From initially looking at improving waste management and wanting to create awareness of sustainability as a whole, Ready Steady Green has expanded to become a positive approach to all sustainability issues, including water usage plus energy use and management.

As the waste management started to improve, the focus shifted to forming an overall environmental awareness plan and from there to achieving the ISO14001 accreditation.

The centre is now managing to turn negatives into positives. Royal Victorian Place is more than 20 years old and this has given the management team difficult challenges in terms of running costs of plant and high

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energy use. Starting the project on a fairly small scale and looking at just one area has led to a more strategic approach at management level. Work is now taking place regarding technical sustainability alongside support from the centre managing agent, CBRE, and owners, Hermes Real Estate.

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? Through Ready Steady Green, there has been an increased focus on delivering positive results for the client and tenants. Sustainability is now a regular discussion topic at internal and external meetings, included in centre newsletters and delivered as part of the customer events programme.

Tenants are regularly informed about environmental issues and kept up to date on progress achieved. Internally, environmental awareness training now takes place to all staff with awareness posters and stickers in back of house areas.

ISO14001 As part of the Ready Steady Green project, and to help give a structured approach across various areas of sustainability, the centre decided in 2012 to try to achieve ISO14001, which is held by only one other centre in the CBRE portfolio.

The objectives set as part of the ISO14001 are: ● To monitor and reduce CO2 emissions from combustion and electricity consumption ● Implement improved waste segregation and monitoring ● Meet recycling targets and reduce waste to landfill ● To reduce the environmental impact of activities and purchases made by building managers and contractors ● Reduce the environmental impacts related to employees, tenants and contractors’ travel ● Raise environmental awareness among employees, contractors and tenants ● Reduce water consumption from CBRE, tenants and contractors’ activities.

As part of working towards the accreditation new initiatives and procedures have been put in place and the centre is on target to achieve ISO14001 by December 2013.

Budget To date only minimal budget has been needed to support

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 Ready Steady Green project as the majority of the work has been delivered within the Centre’s service charge budget. Some costs have been incurred with investment into auditing and surveys, but with tangible benefits as a result.

Existing budget has been directed in different ways such as PIRs instead of standard lamps as part of the lighting maintenance budget, clear plastic sacks instead of black ones and simple adjustments made to tap sensors. A small allowance has been used to print posters and leaflets and a special roadshow event has been planned.

but will also continue to improve sustainability going forward.

The next area for improvement will be to consider gas usage. This is a fairly low cost compared to electricity but the aim is to consider replacing plant still using gas if a more energy efficient option is available.

By 2018 the centre hopes achieve an overall EPC rating of at least F. This is critical for the asset to be sold and by helping the owners to achieve this, the project has managed to add real value to the asset. ◆

ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS? Going forward further projects are planned for 2013 that will involve the use of the centre’s planed preventative maintenance budget. These are projects that have been identified as part of the technical sustainability report with estimated savings and payback.

Best practice Although in 2013 some larger projects have been identified with investment required, the changes up to that point were very much a redirection of existing funds or a change in behaviour. This involved little cost and this ‘low hanging fruit’ is something that many large properties could benefit from.

As part of the CBRE management structure, the team shares best practice via bulletins and guidance notes from the HSE team and at internal sector conferences.

As part of the shopping centre management team within CBRE, Royal Victoria Place has been able to utilise central resources such as consultants and also feedback any successes to other centres.

The centre is keen to showcase its achievements and as part of this initiatives, information is also fed back to tenants through workshops and newsletters. Recently the centre has started tweeting about its green approach and a roadshow is being held in the centre on 22 June.

Future plans With the addition of the above projects alongside the good work that has already been achieved, the centre is confident it has not only made real progress in two years

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 RUSSELL ROOF TILES RUSSELL ENVIROTILE PROJECT AIM Russell Envirotile is a pioneering new green roof tile designed to meet the ever-growing need for sustainable construction materials. Offering unrivalled technical performance along with excellent eco-credentials, the BREEAM compliant Russell Envirotile was developed over a four-year period. It provides a technically advanced alternative to traditional roofing materials.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The Russell Envirotile is a joint initiative between Russell Roof Tiles, the Green Roof Tile Company and Wolverhampton University. Made in the UK, it is the first fully sustainable, interlocking roof tile and is manufactured from recycled polypropylene, and is also fully recyclable at the end of its life.

This is the first interlocking roof tile which offers a serious response to the Code for Sustainable Homes.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Leading independent UK tile manufacturer, Russell Roof Tiles, is wholly owned by Russell Building Products, who acquired the business in 2011 from CEMEX. The company was originally founded in 1892 as Alexander Russell. Russell Roof Tiles manufacture a range of tiles and fittings and an extensive range of dry fix and dry ventilation products. Russell Roof Tiles are already leading suppliers of roofing to the nation’s leading housebuilders and developers.

This Russell Envirotile was developed over a four-year period in association with Wolverhampton University and the Green Roof Tile Company. It is a pioneering new green roofing product designed to meet the growing need for sustainable construction and was originally marketed by the Green Roof Tile Company directly.

Russell Roof Tiles recognised a huge gap and very limited range of products that are truly green for those contractors

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Top that: the Envirotile is fully interlocking and architects looking for sustainable roofing.

The challenge was to create a product that is aesthetically pleasing, cost effective, easy to lay and with green credentials. Russell Roof Tiles identified Envirotile to add to its growing product portfolio to meet this demand. Not only does the product have premier green credentials, it also has the appearance, texture and colour of traditional roof slates.

Russell Envirotile is the first fully sustainable interlocking roof tile. It is manufactured from 79% reprocessed polypropylene – mainly from car components, such as bumpers normally destined for landfill – and it is also 100% recyclable at the end of its life.

Every tonne of reprocessed polypropylene used in its manufacture in place of virgin material creates an energy saving of 6,800KWh and a two tonne reduction in CO2 emissions.

Offering unrivalled technical performance along with excellent eco-credentials, the BREEAM compliant tile achieves Code 6 on the Code for Sustainable Homes.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 The precision design and manufacture fully utilises the latest in recycled material technology, which ensures every tile meets the highest standards. Not only does it have unrivalled green credentials, its light weight (just 720g) means it can be transported efficiently, thereby reducing transport costs and carbon footprint as well.

Considering the needs of contractors and the requirement for efficient fitting, Russell Envirotile has been designed to be easy to install. It is up to 25% quicker to fit than traditional roofing and can be cut with a handsaw rather than a petrol saw, addressing the current HSE challenges in terms of cutting traditional tiles and also lessening its environmental impact on installation.

The product has been tested at the BRE (British Research Establishment), and is fire tested to BS476-3 standards.

Also, maximum usage has been considered further in that it is also a viable alternative to flat roofing with a proven minimum low pitch roof capability of 12.5 degrees.

Each tile interlocks with the adjacent tiles in eight places, so the roof’s integrity acts as a whole so no individual tile can easily dislodge. The tile comes with a 25 year guarantee against lamination and decay.

A flat precision manufactured recycled polymer lightweight roof tile with excellent green credentials, it has a low profile chamfered front leading edge a with a slight riven finish which is aesthetically pleasing in all aspects.

It is extremely simple to fix yet it has exceptional performance as it locks into the adjacent tiles to form a fully integrated roof covering, which allows it to perform at low roof pitches down to as low as 12.5 degrees.

The Russell Envirotile measures 325 x 365mm, weighs 720g and is 11mm thick. It won the Green and Growth Award in the regional EEF Future Manufacturing Awards in 2012, was winner Of The Lord Stafford Award For Sustainability in 2011 and was winner of the MEBC Innovation Award in 2012. â—†

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 THE SANTON GROUP THE HIGHLAND CLUB PROJECT AIM The aim was to revive the fortunes of the abandoned Gothic, Grade A listed monastery – St Benedict’s Abbey, which is on the southern shore of Loch Ness.

The abbey was built as an English fort in 1729 by General Wade and named after the Duke of Cumberland, Augustus. Captured by the Jacobites in 1745, just prior to the Battle of Culloden, the fort was eventually passed onto the Benedictine Order and St Benedict’s Abbey was established.

Later the site became Fort Augustus Abbey School, a Catholic boys’ boarding school. The school closed in 1993 and the abandoned building fell into an appalling state of disrepair. Dry rot claimed most of the original timberwork and the disappearance over time of the roofing lead and slate tiles put the building at serious risk of becoming a landmark ruin.

The objective was to not only to restore the fabric of the buildings, but also to provide a long term sustainable future for this historic site.

A careful restoration and conversion to luxury residential use was decided upon as a sustainable use. Where appropriate, unsightly and dilapidated additions were replaced with contemporary extensions and buildings. The Highland Club concept was created. Purchasers of the apartments and cottages would pay a service charge for maintenance of the grounds and buildings.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The site was purchased unconditionally in 2003, planning was approved in 2004 and the development through multiple-phased construction was completed in March 2012. The projects principal achievements can be listed in the following categories: Conservation ● Saving the historic building from irreparable ruin and providing a new sustainable use for the abandoned complex of buildings

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On cue: recreation time at St Benedict’s Abbey ●

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Halting the extensive timber decay and restoring the significant historic features such as the ornate timber staircases, the monks’ dining room, the cloister, the church nave and the extensive stained glass panels Restoring the surviving bastion wall from the 1729 fort.

Procurement ● Procuring a main contractor and sub-contractors to undertake this large and complex project in such a remote and isolated location ● Obtaining such a significant planning permission and listed building consent without a single objection.

Regeneration The development of The Highland Club is now acknowledged as regenerating the rural community of Fort Augustus through: ● The reinvigorated tourist industry in the area and increased visitor numbers ● Direct employment of local workforce during the

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● ●

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construction period and currently direct employment through full- time staff members and service providers The provision of a public on-site restaurant The creation of many new Highland Club based businesses The development has acted as a catalyst to other local developments and investments.

Sustainability ● Through a successfully service charge system the sites long term financial future is now assured.

Innovation Due to the dry rot an innovative method of creating independent buildings within existing structures was used to avoid any reliance upon the integrity of existing walls.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? St Benedict’s Abbey’s conversion into The Highland Club was completed in March 2012. It took eight years, surviving a worldwide recession, to painstakingly convert and restore the buildings and in so doing it has revived the fortunes of the town of Fort Augustus. The final cost of the project was over £30 million pounds.

The development has created over 200,000 square feet of residential development comprising 109 residential units and extensive communal facilities, including a spa and a loch-side restaurant. The rural town of Fort Augustus, which takes its name from the original building, depends almost entirely upon tourism for its source of income, with the abbey being the primary attraction in the region.

With the abbey in disrepair, the site closed, visitor numbers dried up and hotels, cafes and bed & breakfast accommodation closed. In 2003 Fort Augustus had a population of 650 and unemployment was over 40%.

The conversion of the abbey was the key to regenerating the local rural community and the building was purchased

by The Santon Group in 2003.

Conservation The design brief was to convert the abandoned abbey into a luxury residential development with an array of quality communal leisure facilities. The guiding design principle was to retain and restore as much of the historic fabric

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Abbey habit: the restoration project paid dividends from the abandoned buildings as possible but, at the same time, create a luxury and contemporary living environment.

With regards to the historic buildings: All the stone walls had to be restored and repointed ● Almost every internal timber had to be replaced as it was infected with dry rot ● The majority of the roof structures had to be removed and either replaced or re-laid ● All the timber sash windows were replaced and historic features such as the stained glass windows were restored where necessary. ●

The abbey had suffered poor quality post-war additions.

Many of these were condemned as structurally unsound so the opportunity arose to remove all the unsightly additions and create new buildings and extensions that could be sympathetic with the older buildings, but at the same time bring some character to the development.

Picking up on the newly pointed lime mortar joints and sandstone trims, it was decided that the new buildings and extensions would be characterised externally by an ‘oatmeal’ colour rendered finish. This would bring colour to the site that would help re-characterise what some had seen as a grey and dark site. The new additions are contemporary in design, reflecting The Highland Club’s interiors and marking the site’s fourth reincarnation – from fort to abbey to school to residential development.

WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? Extensive dry rot The dry rot and ongoing collapse of at least 80% of the

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 site’s timber was a major problem to rectify. It was decided not to employ the usual environmentally destructive chemical treatments as this would only provide a short term solution.

Instead, it was decided to employ a radical pioneering solution which involved building the internal layouts within their own isolated shell. This would avoid potentially compromised connections of the interior fabric with the external stone work, and allow an all important airflow to run between both structures.

Procuring a main contractor Procuring a contractor was extremely challenging given the remoteness of the site and the complex building structure. The four significant Highland contractors were heavily committed to the house-building boom in the mid2000s centred on Inverness and so a more manageable phased approach was chosen.

Eventually a mid-sized contractor was sourced who, having completed the first two buildings, entered administration in 2006. After an extensive but unsuccessful search for a replacement, the decision was made to set up an in-house contractor. Santon Contracting Ltd finally completed the development in March 2012.

The recession The development’s funder, Anglo Irish Bank, entered difficulties following the financial crisis of 2008 and there was a real risk that construction would be permanently halted on site.

However The Santon Group purchased the debt and, by injecting further equity, assured its completion in 2012. The whole development cost in excess of £30 million and was finally completed, without the aid of any grant or bank debt, with the developers’ own equity.

Prior to the 2008 crash, 95% of the units had been presold and were either occupied or with purchasers awaiting completion of the construction. After 2008 a number of purchasers struggled to obtain finance and many pre-sold units failed to complete. Today, of the 109 built units, 80 have been sold and are occupied, while a remaining 29 are available for purchase.

The loss of these purchasers was disappointing but the unsold flats are now

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furnished and while still for sale, are benefiting from the strong seasonal letting market in the Highlands.

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? The local community fully supported the development and was integral in the construction process. It is estimated that 60% of the labour was sourced locally. The majority of units are rented as holiday homes by their owners. This provides a huge annual influx of visitors to Fort Augustus each year, benefiting the local economy.

The operation of The Highland Club is now directly responsible for a multitude of employment generating onsite businesses, including rental agencies, management companies, cleaning companies, a laundry business, an outdoor activities company and a restaurant.

The development has acted as a catalyst for further economic activity in the area. Notable examples are The Lovat Arms Hotel and The Inchnacardoch Hotel in Fort Augustus. These hotels were of a poor standard in 2003 but both were purchased and rebranded by new owners, both of whom confirmed that their investment plan was a direct response to The Highland Club development. Both are now award winning hotels with AA Rosette rated restaurants.

The confidence and investment of local businesses, shops and bed and breakfasts generally throughout the town has increased alongside the development.

The long term future The converted abbey is again reviving wider tourism in the area and the weekly arrival in peak season of over 300 owners and guests at The Highland Club boosts the local economy and will continue to do so over the long term.

The population of Fort Augustus has doubled since 2003 in order to service the large influx of visitors. The Highland Club levies an annual service charge to every owner to ensure that the building fabric, the landscaping and the ongoing positive economic impact to the local community can be sustained long term.

The abbey regeneration has won a number of awards, including the The Regeneration + Renewal Awards 2012 and the Scottish Homes Awards 2012 Development of The Year. ◆

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 SCARLETT FIREPLACES SUSTAINABLE HEATING SYSTEMS PROJECT AIM ●

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To set up a sustainable and environmental heating system to demonstrate the benefits and practicalities of using sustainable and environmentally friendly heating systems to lower carbon emissions and reduce reliance on fossil fuels To reduce operating costs for the business and to allow the business to demonstrate efficient ways of using sustainable resources to heat domestic and commercial environments.

The project involved the development of a system that can use solar energy and wood fuels linked with existing heating systems.

Heat is on: sustainable system reduces emissions

It also involved the installation of solar panels, a wood burning appliance with a boiler, linked together via a heat store tank with relevant heat exchanging devices to give hot water, plus heating to radiators and underfloor heating.

power from solar panels, whilst retaining the ability to use existing heating boilers. Others have now benefited from the system we set up as numerous similar installations have been successfully completed.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED?

The project benefited the business by lowering its operating costs, and by enabling us to show the public how you can efficiently use sustainable fuels to reduce carbon emissions and reduce overall energy costs.

The project was not without its teething problems, in completing the linkage of various different heat sources.

The environmental benefits were how to manage local woodlands to produce fuel from coppice work, thereby maintaining woodland habitats for wildlife.

Since its inception we have shown numerous customers the benefits and have installed numerous similar systems, allowing them to benefit from reduced heating costs and helping the overall drive to reduce carbon emissions.

These were overcome by the business owner – Jason Scarlett – who has now moved on to looking to be able to add further heat sources such as ground source and air source pumps, biomass and pellet boilers.

This should show that again you can use alternative energy sources to successfully heat both domestic and commercial buildings.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT?

The business has won a local award for Best Environmental Awareness in the Southend-on-Sea business awards in 2009, and was also voted Small Business of the Year in the same awards.

This project was the first in the country to set up a live wood-burning Rayburn cooking stove that can be used to cook, heat water for heating and domestic hot water and is linked to a heat store that also has the ability to use

It has led to Jason becoming a fully accredited installer for the above listed heat systems, and the business is now undergoing MicroGeneration Scheme accreditation.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? The project was fully funded by the business itself as Jason was keen to demonstrate how efficient wood fuel can be and how it can also benefit the environment by bringing unmanaged woodlands back to use for the benefit of both the community and wildlife. â—†

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THE COMPLETE SERVICE MULTI FUEL HEATING SYSTEMS FUELED BY NATURE • RENEWABLE HEATING SYSTEMS • WOOD BURNING STOVES • CHIMNEY ENGINEERING • BESPOKE FIREPLACES • SOLAR THERMAL • GROUND / AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMPS • BIOMASS BOILERS • WOODLAND MANAGEMENT • GREEN DEAL ASSESSMENTS • THERMAL STORES, HEAT BANKS • LOCALLY SOURCED LOG SUPPLIES • DOMESTIC ENERGY ASSESSMENTS • TRADE ADVICE, DESIGN & SITE INSPECTIONS

164 LONDON ROAD SOUTHEND ON SEA ESSEX, SS1 1PH TEL: 01702 335054 www.designafireplace.com

ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION?

scarlett@designafireplace.com

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 SCOTASH SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS FROM POWER STATION ASH PROJECT AIM ScotAsh manufactures sustainable construction products from power station ash. Based at Longannet Power Station in Scotland, the company is a joint venture between energy utility Scottish Power and Lafarge Tarmac, the UK’s leading construction materials and services company.

We produce a range of blended cements and grouts, along with environmental stabilisers for the remediation of contaminated land and hydraulic binders that are used to conduct road repairs using nearly 100% recycled materials, instead of quarried aggregates.

We supply products mainly to the construction industry in Scotland and in the last few years have supplied many major infrastructure projects.

Cash from ash: sustainable products from ScotAsh ●

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We also produce specialised products, including a superfine concrete enhancer, which we export to Holland and a cement for the oil industry that we export to Singapore, Canada, the US, Malaysia and the Middle East.

We were the first ash processor outside the US to use electrostatic technology to remove carbon from ash, ensuring it is suitable for use in CE marked products.

The UK construction sector uses around 420 million tonnes of resources annually. By using a by-product as our raw material, our products conserve natural aggregates and by displacing energy intensive Portland cement, they reduce the carbon footprint of construction.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Over the last ten years since we introduced electro-static separation of the ash, we have sold 6.2 million tonnes of ash-based construction products, which has: ● Resulted in the beneficial reuse of six million tonnes of ash resource, which otherwise would have been disposed by being sent to landfill

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Conserved around six million tonnes of quarried aggregates Saved around 500,000 tonnes of CO2 by displacing energy intensive Portland Cement and heat-treated aggregates. Based on figures from the UK Quality Ash Association, the carbon “cost” of one tonne of Portland Cement is 960kg and the factory gate carbon cost per tonne of aggregate is 21kg.

In addition, ScotAsh’s commitment to sustainability and continuous improvement has resulted in us: ● Reducing our energy use per tonne of product by 50% in the last five years ● Reducing our carbon footprint by 9.3% since 2010 ● Recycling more than 80% of all waste ● Making significant improvements to the sustainability of our packaging and logistics ● Maintaining accident-free production for more than ten years ● Maintaining zero environmental breaches or community complaints for ten years ● Helping customers to reduce the carbon footprint of construction.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING? ScotAsh was formed in June 1999 from a desire by both

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aggregates and by displacing conventional cements, they save CO2 emissions..

At that time, Scotland’s power stations produced up to one million tonnes of ash annually. Some was sold for low value applications such filling mine shafts or road embankments, but the majority was disposed of in lagoons.

Last year we improved the ash separation process, resulting in annual energy savings of 57,156kWh and achieved annual savings of 68,586kWh by swapping an electric pump for one that operates on compressed air.

We have reduced energy consumption per tonne of product from 31kWh in 2003 to just 8.27kWh in 2012.

A key issue in maximising ash sales was the variable quality of power station ash, which has a carbon content of five to 20%. Using ash in quality-controlled cement required a carbon content of less than 7%. Another issue was that power stations produce most ash in winter, while the peak period for construction is summer.

WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? ScotAsh put together an £8m investment plan (financed by a 50:50 loan from our parent companies) to install electrostatic separation and build extensive storage silos, to match supply with demand.

An earlier project to install an additional feed to the separator reduced energy use by 46% and increased productivity by 29%, saving an estimated £150,000 annually.

Using water from a borehole saves 12,000 cubic metres of mains water annually and the energy involved in water treatment. The amount of waste produced has reduced from 50 tonnes in 2005 to 18 tonnes in 2012. We have increased the volume of waste we recycle from 23% in 2003 to more than 80% in 2012.

Electrostatic separation is a simple process, where the carbon in the ash (basically particles of unburned coal) is attracted to a negative plate and the mineral ash is attracted to a positive plate.

Increasing the size of our (reusable) pallets for 25kg bag deliveries means we use 3,500 fewer pallets annually. We are reducing the volume of wood in the pallets and these combined initiatives should save more than 75 cubic metres of wood annually, along with significant haulage savings.

The process enables us to control the carbon content of the ash to as low as 2%, making it suitable for use in CE marked products. The high carbon by-product is recycled and mixed with conditioned ash for road embankments.

During the last three years the construction sector has suffered a significant downturn, but we have refocused our business to increase sales of lower volume products and added value products.

ScotAsh produces a range of blended cements, grouts and Envirocems – environmental cements, which are used to treat contaminated land in situ, binding contaminants within a solid matrix and avoiding the need to dispose of contaminated soils.

To create added value, we promoted the cost and environmental benefits of Envirocems for soil stabilisation and sales exceeded expectations. The use of Envirocems to treat coal-tar contaminated soils at a former gasworks saved the client £200,000 on landfill costs alone, as the treated soils were safe to leave on site.

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED?

We also produce pozzolanic binders. These enable excavated road planings to be milled, stabilised, bound and reused to make a new road surface, using nearly 100% recycled materials. This conserves premium grade stone, reduces vehicle movements, avoids landfill and saves CO2 emissions.

Stabilising 1,000 cubic metres of road in-situ using ScotAsh binders can save 400 lorry movements and 20% of the cost of traditional road repair methods. It is quicker, cheaper, less disruptive and there is no waste to dispose of at a landfill site.

Our products divert ash from landfill, conserve natural

We have also increased exports of our Superpozz

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 concrete enhancer to Holland and sold our specialist cement for oil industry pipelines to Canada, Malaysia, the Middle East and this year to the United States for the first time, following quality and performance tests.

We continue to work with universities on new ash-based products, including an additive to enable more ash to be used in cement and grinding trials to produce ash with superfine particle size and therefore high value potential.

We work continually with customers to help them reduce their carbon footprint. For example, we helped Marshalls reduce the embodied carbon in kerbstones by 31%.

In-situ stabilisation of canal dredgings for British Waterways saved 1,500 vehicle movements, 3,000 tonnes of aggregates, 6,500 tonnes of CO2 and diverted 4,000 tonnes of sludge from landfill. The use of our products in venues associated with the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games saved 10,000 tonnes of material and 500 lorry movements.

Our cements reduce by 30% the amount of Portland Cement required in wind turbine foundations and protect against early age thermal cracking, so we educated developers and secured contracts to supply many major windfarm projects, including Whitelee Windfarm, near Glasgow, which is Europe’s largest.

WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? We continue to work with customers on innovative projects that save costs and create environmental benefits.

We worked with the Materials Engineer on a major Scottish roads project to use ash-based products, combined with paper waste to build embankments.

All of these initiatives are helping us to diversify and protect revenue and profit, while helping customers to save money and be more sustainable.

ScotAsh employs 22 people in skilled jobs in a former mining area with high unemployment. The ScotAsh business model is already being deployed by Lafarge at two other UK power stations and also overseas, though as yet we remain the only ash processing plant. â—†

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 SONGPA-GU OFFICE, SOUTH KOREA SOLAR SHARING POWER PLANT PROJECT AIM Songpa-gu’s Songpa Solar Sharing Power Plant project is an innovative energy model for the 21st century that targets both environmental conservation and social welfare. This type of project has been only contemplated so far but Songpa-gu has transformed it into reality.

In 2009 Songpa-gu entered into an agreement to jointly run domestic energy-related NGOs and solar sharing power plants for the next 25 years. To date, the district has built and has been running four power plants.

This project not only contributes to the protection of the earth’s environment via greenhouse gas reduction but also gives 100% of the profit from energy sales to the energydeprived class and Third World countries. It can also be used for installing more sharing power plant.

With a rise in the awareness of the importance of climate change management both in Korea and overseas, this project will lead a shift to a recyclable energy system that solves fundamental resource depletion and environmental problems by utilising fossil fuel. Also, it is working on expanding the general consensus of citizens and their participation.

There has been a lack of good energy welfare policies at the national governmental level as energy support budget for the low-income class has been continuously reduced.

Powering on: Songpa-gu’s innovative energy model programme, 14,564 tons of CO2 will be reduced over 25 years. This is equivalent to creating a forest over an area of 17,476,800 square metres. This project has so far reduced CO2 by 2,091 tonnes.

Secondly, there is a social effect. While the existing environmental policy was led by the government, this project was achieved through collaboration with NGOs and was a government-private sector project.

That is to say, this project is not a short-term campaign but a collaboration project that is both practical and sustainable through a series of project initiatives.

However, through Songpa Solar Sharing Power Programme, we can now support the energy-deprived class and Third World countries for more than 20 years.

This is significant in that it is not a temporary solution but a sustainable energy welfare policy model managed by a local autonomous government.

In addition, we are using the profit from greenhouse gas reduction and power plant operation business to expand our energy welfare policy programmes to support the energy-deprived class and Third World countries.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS

From 2009 to the present, we have provided about 200 million won to the energy-deprived class through energy sales.

This project has achieved three effects that simultaneously realise environment conservation and welfare.

Firstly, there is an environmental effect. Through this

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Third, there is an economic effect. From 2009 to the present, we have been running four power plants. We

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 expect to generate about 3.55 billion won in energy welfare funds for the next 25 years through energy sales.

WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? This project has cost so far 8.1 billion Won, 20 billion of which has been financed by Songpa-gu’s district budget.

The rest of the funds were acquired through PF loans and corporate contributions. Also, local residents willingly lent their support to help with the cause. (A PF loan is based on the expected economic return of the project itself rather than credit or collateral of the borrower)

WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? This project is considered innovative for the following two reasons: ● First, this project can achieve the twin goals of social welfare and environmental conservation. This differentiates this project from that of other cities.

Through the Songpa Solar Sharing Power Plant programme, we expect to reduce 14,564 tons of CO2 in the next 25 years. Also, 3.5 billion Won in power plant operating income will be reinvested in helping energydeprived families in Songpa-gu, Third World countries and building additional sharing power plants. ●

Second, the project is significant in that it is not a shortterm campaign but a practical and sustainable government-private sector collaboration project in partnership with NGOs. That is, citizens, local residents, corporations and environmental organisations have come together to execute this project.

Through this programme, public administrators from many prominent cities in the world who attended the C40 Seoul Climate Exhibition showed a keen interest in this project.

We are currently working on the sharing power plant project as part of the Solution To Reduce A Nuclear Power Plant project. Many of other local autonomous governments such as Seongbuk-gu district and Shiheung city have benchmarked this project.

Under the goal of reducing 40% of green house gas BAU by 2020, our district is continuously working on solar sharing power plant no. 5 and 6. Through this programme, we will receive more and more support from people and be able to achieve the benefit that is equivalent to saving even more trees.

This project has been highly praised both in Korea and overseas. It won the Bronze Award at the LivCom Award and the Grand Prize at the 2011 Globe Award in the field of sustainably growing city. In Korea, it won the Green Growth Committee Chairman Award at the First LowCarbon Environment Award.

Through this programme, it has elevated the status of Songpa-gu district as a City of Climate and Green Growth that represents Korea. It means that this project has been acknowledged as a model of future environmental practice.◆

ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS? This project is a long-term project planned for the next 20 to 25 years and requires heavy investment. However, it is known to have a low profit level and therefore there was a difficulty in securing budget.

However, after five years, it is being considered a successful case of using the government’s FIT system for public use for the first time in Korea. Also, it has achieved the goal of protecting the environment and utilising new recyclable energy resource as well as creating added value for the public’s benefit. As a result, it is considered an exemplary case of a successful public policy project.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 SONGPA-GU OFFICE, SOUTH KOREA WATERWAY PROJECT PROJECT AIM The goal of the Project Waterway Songpa project is to use a waterway system to restore the natural environment within city that has been damaged by indiscriminate urban development.

From the 1970s to the 80s, Songpa gradually became greyer as the city went through rapid urbanisation.

Due to its geological characteristics, Songpa was a region susceptible to floods since the ancient times and one of the top priorities of its early urbanisation programs was the establishment of a solid city infrastructure that prevented flood damage.

Structures were built for short-term flood control measures but they also caused environmental pollution and impaired the overall aesthetic value of the city. Due to such structures, the ecology of Songpa deteriorated with dried streams with dead fish; piled-up garbage and odour; and harmful insects. The streams in Songpa became dead streams incapable of sustaining life and the natural habitats underwater and near the streams were destroyed.

In the 21st century Songpa made reassessments of its city infrastructure with the goal of creating a sustainable city.

The campaign began to revive a dying city. Concrete was removed, water was supplied to dried streams and marshes were put under protection.

to as the “streams of garbage”, now have clean water. In particular, Seong-nae Stream is now home to corbicula, a breed of fish which only lives in the cleanest waters, for the first time in 20 years.

The streams of Songpa are now home to seven breeds of fish, including the stone moroko, monnow and carp; nearly 250 species of plants, including the silver grass and chrysanthemum; and 36 different birds, including the mallard and heron.

Furthermore, the city has built Seong-nae Stream Water Park, which utilises subway seepage water and is visited by 33,000 people annually. Also, every bridge in Songpa features a water light plaza, water sound plaza and waterfall fountains offering a refreshing leisure space to its residents. The city also holds various resident-participated events.

Seokchon Lake used to be an unattractive location but is now filled with greenery, trails and resting areas. The surroundings of the lake have become a major attraction as a wellbeing location in the centre of an urban environment. More than 10,000 people visit daily.

The establishment of an ecological space within the city, response to climate change and various other activities were performed to improve the city’s sustainability and set eco-friendly city development examples that reflect the demand of its residents.

Such efforts led to the Project WaterWay Songpa, which established an organic ecological network connecting the four streams surrounding Songpa and its 140 parks to restore the stream water and greenery of the city and recover the overall ecology of the city.

WHAT DID IT COST?

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Project Waterway Songpa project restored the stream water and greenery of the city to re-establish beautiful scenery throughout the city, secure a clean water source and create habitats for life forms. The four streams surrounding Songpa, which were once infamously referred

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING?

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The project requires a significant budget and therefore has been implemented in phases. The cost was partially financed by borrowing from the budget of Seoul City Government. The total budget was 22.5 billion Won, 16.7 billion of which was financed by Seoul City Government.

This project is considered an exemplary project that answers the need for building an environmentally

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 sustainable city, a common interest of the international community. Most international cities that have undergone rapid urbanisation still use waterways as a sewer to flush out garbage or an open space for road development.

cherry flower Road in Seong-nae Stream has restored the warmth of friendship among neighbours and has become a symbol of beauty that reaffirms the love of family, lovers and friends.

We broke away from such a stereotype and reinvented the urban waterway, which has been neglected in the 20th century, as a new ecological space of the 21st century.

The water park that opens every summer became a popular tourist destination, attracting almost 300,000 thousand visitors over about 70 days. In addition, it has become a place of dynamic culture where various small and large cultural concerts are held all year around, and people can visit and experience the beauty of four seasons as they watch birds and flowers each season.

When the restoration project began in 2002, the waterway was virtually dead. Urban development population concentration that occurred during the 1970s led to the drying of the waterways, which were full of stench and garbage.

The first step taken to restore this waterway was to use the water used in subway stations and channel it to the waterway. Once clean water began to flow, small water organisms including water plants began to grow in the waterway and, eventually, birds came to inhabit as well. It was proof of the great power of nature.

Then, local government and civic groups continued to work on improving the waterway system and made a heavy investment over ten years, which finally led to the restoration of a clean and natural waterway system.

As a result, the waterway system is providing a clean place for rest, education, culture and leisure. Every year, we host the Songpa Ecology Road Walking Marathon where people walk 27km of ecologically-restored roads.

In the future, we will continue to maintain and improve the restored waterway system in order to make Songpa a city that people are proud of.

This project earned Songpa-gu much recognition both in Korea and abroad. In 2011, it won the National Globe Award at the Energy Globe Awards. In 2012, it was selected the Gold Winner at the 2012 International Green Awards in the sustainable growth area. In Korea, it won the Prime Minister Award in the Field of Environment and the Grand Prize at the Korea Climate Protection Leader Award in the field of public projects.

Finally, once neglected by residents as a stream filled with garbage, it won the honour of being selected as one of Korea’s 100 Beautiful Streams out of 28,875 water streams in the nation based on a survey by the Ministry of Land and Sea. ◆

In particular, this project used environment-friendly technology to overcome the drying of the urban waterway system and pollution. It restored the waterway as an ecological waterway system by constructing water steams within a concrete cave as a place where water organisms can grow.

At the same time, this project demonstrated a successful case of the recycling of resources by utilising the underground water of urban subway stations that was being wasted. It is an exemplary case of an ecological waterway system.

Through this project, we are fulfilling our dream from ten years ago when it was our wish to provide a clean environment to children who are living in the city. The

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 ST HELENS & KNOWSLEY TEACHING HOSPITALS SUSTAINABILITY DAY PROJECT AIM The overall aim of this project was to take considerable steps to make a positive impact on the environment and encourage others to do the same in the process.

However, this project had numerous other objectives. First of all, the St Helens and Knowsley NHS Trust wanted to educate staff, patients and the public on what they can do to save energy both at home and at work.

Secondly, the Trust wanted to bring local organisations together to show how we can all work in partnership to achieve a more sustainable future. Finally, the Trust wanted to take a leadership role in the local community and get community members involved in helping their local environment.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The project was a huge success. On Thursday March 28 2013 St Helens and Knowsley NHS Trust planted 120 saplings at St Helens Hospital. Children from the local primary school got involved and had a fun and educational experience planting a variety of species in the hospital’s wildlife area. The trees will offset carbon emissions in the Trust’s supply chain and improve the local biodiversity.

The Trust worked in partnership with a range of internal and external organisations and dedicated the day to promoting environmental awareness by engaging with staff, patients and the public, and helping them to understand the mutual benefits of sustainability.

People visited stalls that were set up in Whiston Hospital’s atrium and they took part in fun and educational quizzes.

Hundreds of gifts were given away by Vinci Facilities, SRCL, and Mersey Travel. These gifts included free bus passes, 2GB memory sticks, key rings, and note pads and pens made of sustainable materials. People also took away information and ideas on how they can contribute to

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Just the tonic: sustainable effort by hospital trust a sustainable future through saving energy and reducing waste and carbon emissions. It is believed that people’s use of this knowledge has benefited them and the Trust through reduced energy bills.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals set out to engage with people and organisations in the local community and take a leadership role to breaking down barriers and take action for a sustainable future.

There was no financial cost to the Trust for this project.

Working together with organisations such as Vinci Facilities, B&M Waste Services, Mersey Travel, and SRCL kept financial costs to an absolute minimum for everyone involved. For example, B&M Waste services donated 120 saplings to the Trust and SRCL and Mersey Travel donated promotional gifts and materials. Vinci Facilities managed the tree planting, provided innovative energy saving ideas and strategies and also donated a range of promotional gifts and materials.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THE PROJECT? One thing St Helens and Knowsley Trust learnt from this project was how willing people and organisations were to get together and contribute towards sustainability.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 Following the success of this project, there is no doubt that St Helens & Knowsley Hospitals will continue build relationships with other organisations and share ideas, initiatives and innovations. The Trust believes that huge improvements can be made towards sustainable development through working together, taking action and involving communities.

CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT? Implementing the methods that St Helens and Knowsley NHS trust used to improve and promote sustainability would be beneficial to any other organisation. This is because getting others involved can make such a project affordable whilst maximising its coverage in terms of conveying the mutual benefits of sustainable development.

Such a project also greatly improves corporate citizenship and enhances the behaviours that lead to energy reduction and carbon saving. !

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 THAT LITTLE PLACE RESTAURANT GREENING THE RESTAURANT PROJECT AIM That Little Place won a Silver Green Apple Award in 2012 for its pilot project in greening certain aspects of its operations. This has now been adopted as a permanent strategy and massively extended to include 100% renewable energy and cutting waste to near zero as well as partnering projects with other green organisations.

The new initiative’s aims are two-fold: ● To demonstrate a blue-print exemplar of sustainable dining as both environmental responsibility, better business and better dining ● To lead as the greenest restaurant in the county and aspire to national levels, providing ethical choices and developing debate locally.

Our simple belief is that the better use of all resources is an individual and corporate responsibility benefiting the environment, the business, employees, customers and suppliers. Local fresh produce is simply fresher and provenance is assured. Its use also makes a contribution to the local economy, cuts transport costs and reduces our carbon footprint.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Established in 2010 That Little Place is a small independent British restaurant firmly based in the concept of environmental responsibility and sustainability. This principle is important not only for contemporary green philosophy but also because of a genuine belief that greening of dining brings better dining.

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? ●

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Change, environmental protection and sustainability for a future Better competitiveness in a more demanding world and market driven by both necessity and higher awareness of customers’ increasingly changing behaviour Promotion of local produce, sustainability and environmental best practice on menu (with an innovative inclusion of Food Miles and local producer information for dishes)

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Plenty of greens: That Little Place serves up savings ●

Getting the environmental mission across via the web, social media and explanations by staff.

Quantifiable results ● An immediate 30% increase in business in the first week after winning a Green Apple Award in 2012 ● Waste reduced with 100% food waste going to renewable energy production ● No landfill tax ● Energy footprint reduced to zero with 100% renewable gas and electricity supplies new for 2013 ● No Climate Change Levy ● Tangible signs of change being adopted by other businesses following our example ● Enquiries about production of local beer, new green restaurant encouraged to open shortly, increased publicity driving further business and awareness of our distinct approach.

Produce ● Growing the restaurant’s own produce, including a roof herb garden new for 2013, enhances footprint minimisation and almost negates some food miles ● Our own production of real ale using hops grown by the restaurant. Successful launch of local micro-brewery

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festival involving four micro-breweries under the Campaign for Real Ale Locale initiative and conforming to the Localism Bill Local sourcing of local produce (as opposed to simply sourcing locally of produce which may produced elsewhere), including meat, goat’s cheese and other produce. As much as possible is collected and delivered by foot or bicycle.

Waste management and reduction ● Careful waste management minimises both food and general waste to near zero in 2013 through its new 2013 initiative, adding to the existing reuse and recycling policy and general waste is converted into heat. ● Takeout boxes available for customers wishing to take unfinished dishes home. ● Free staff food auction” to claim and take home unused menu items at the end of service. ◆

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 THE MALL, BLACKBURN TRIAL OF LED LIGHTING/RETROFIT PROJECT AIM Recent developments have resulted in the commercial availability of LED lighting sources. These sources have the key features of high energy efficiency and long life.

Light fittings and lamps with LED sources are now being produced for use in the UK and Europe.

As a follow-on from successful environmental sustainability projects across the mall, Blackburn decided to undertake a trial of LED lighting to determine if there is potential for wider rollout across the estate. The trial installation was carried out in Stoneybutts, a small but high profile area of the mall. The trial was supported financially from internal budgets at minimal costs.

The aims of the trial included an assessment of user perception, performance, energy efficiency, maintenance and factors affecting the installation, when compared with similar factors for a typical fluorescent installation.

Structure of the trial To carry out the trial, a suitable light fitting was identified by a local supplier. An area for the trial – Stoneybutts – was agreed with the mall’s management. Stoneybutts is an area of heavy traffic use and links several routes around the mall. This area provides access from King William’s Street (Clock Tower) and Lord Street (Debenhams).

To obtain a measure of the user perception to the new installation, both staff and retailers were invited to provide opinions of the lighting and the appearance of the space before and after the new lighting was installed.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Design considerations An initial survey was carried out and site dimensions and other related parameters obtained. The existing fittings were linear format, 1200mm surface mounted fittings with a reflector. The new light fittings were surface mounted with a bespoke reflector/prism. The lighting requirements were taken from the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineering (CIBSE) Code for Interior Lighting,

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Mall’s well: LED lighting trial in Blackburn as updated by the standard BSEN 12464:2002 Lighting of Indoor Workplaces. The code requires lift lobbies to have an average illuminance of 150 lux on the working plane floor) and a minimum illuminance of 50 lux. Theoretical calculation from photometric test data confirmed this could be met with a one for one replacement of existing fittings.

Installation and maintenance considerations The projected lifespan for the new LED lamps is 60,000 hours, a figure which normally is quoted with a 10% failure rate. For a system operating 24/7 this represents more than seven years, which is three to four times the life of the lamps from the replaced fittings. It is therefore anticipated that future maintenance should be reduced considerably.

The fixing centres of the new fittings matched those of the fittings replaced. Packaging was similar to that of a standard fitting. Once unpacked, the fittings had similar handling characteristics to a standard fitting and displayed minor flexing and twisting of the steel spine if not supported correctly.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING? Performance of the installation The lumen output per watt of input power is comparable with that of tubular T5 /T8 and TC-L (twin tube)

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 fluorescent lamps. However, the light distribution of the lamp is different from a tubular lamp as it is not omnidirectional. No special reflector is provided in the LED fitting, as the LEDs are mounted on a flat PCB type base and the light distribution follows an 1800 degree angle.

The following lamp comparisons can be made: Fluorescent T8 1500mm 58w nominal wattage, 64w circuit watts, 4,600 Lumen output, 72 Lumens/watt Fluorescent T5 1100mm 28w nominal wattage, 31w circuit watts, 2,600 Lumen output, 84 Lumens/watt Fluorescent TC-L 36w nominal wattage, 42w circuit watts, 2,900 Lumen output, 69 Lumens/watt LED linear 7w nominal wattage, 19.2w circuit watts, 1,260 Lumen output, 66 Lumens/watt.

The average lighting level of the new installation is similar to that of the initial installation, but due to the nature of the new fitting and lamp, the uniformity is less. This however appears to add interest to the space. The space is finished with matt painted walls and a floor with a light tile that is cream/white in appearance. The ceiling is white fibrous plaster in appearance.

User reaction From the results of the surveys user reaction is mixed. The following should be noted: ● The respondents were requested to provide a subjective non-technical impression of the space and the lighting.

The sample size and level of use of the space in both cases was adequate (about 88% of respondents use the space) ● Users considered that there was a similar amount of light in the space before and after the installation, but with an increase in attractiveness of the space. Users also considered that the degree of glare from the fittings had increased. This can be explained by the more concentrated light at source provided by the LED lamps.

Users also had the perception that the LED lighting is energy efficient, although this may be linked to the perception of increased brightness. The users did wholeheartedly support the site operations management in their initiatives to provide more carbon-efficient lighting.

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Life cycle costs The mall also included a life cycle analysis for the new installation compared to the previous lighting system. The LED fittings/lamps and reflectors are relatively cheap at £2.50 per unit (1.5x meter @ 7 watts), but they are at an early stage of their product lifespan and costs can be expected to reduce as sales volumes increase.

Despite this, a simple payback of 1.5 years can be expected from replacing the former system. This gives a significant carbon reduction of 523 tonnes a year.

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? The overall performance and appearance of the LED lighting installation was acceptable to the users. User reaction is generally good and the technical performance meets the required standards. The energy and carbon savings realised are significant.

The main factor that differentiates LED lighting from fluorescent is the lamp life, which is stated by the manufacturer to be four or more times longer than fluorescent. Where lighting is provided in areas which are difficult or costly to access, LED lighting is ideal.

If access for the cleaning of fittings is ignored, a policy of ‘fit and forget’ could be followed. This may be particularly applicable in areas where refurbishment at seven to ten year intervals occurs such as some office, commercial and retail space.

It can be noted that the LED lighting does not provide the highest level of efficiency in lumens/watt terms. This can be exceeded by linear fluorescent lamps, particularly the T5 type. These figures are slightly misleading as a key criterion of performance is the ability of the lamp and fitting to provide light into the space.

Due to the omni-directional nature of light from fluorescent lamps, reflector systems are required to maximise performance, but even in the most efficient of fittings, it is rare to utilise more than 80% of the lamp lumen output.

As the light from the LED lamp is more directed, this factor does not apply. However, the concentrated nature of its light means that measures are required to control glare, such as diffusers. These however reduce the efficiency of the use of the light.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 A more cost effective replacement solution may be available by the use of T5 lamps and new high efficiency fittings. Capital costs would be lower while achieving similar energy and carbon savings. This situation will change as the costs of LED lighting systems reduce.

One reservation relating to LED lighting is that of lamp replacement. Unless a common standard is adopted for LED lamps, replacements in seven to ten years time may only be available from the original manufacturer.

Anticipated cost reductions and widespread availability through high production volumes might therefore not be achieved. Such drawbacks do not apply to fluorescent lamps which are a much more mature product and have been standardised. There may even be the possibility that due to the longevity of the LED lamps, future technical developments mean that this type of fitting becomes unsupported for maintenance. â—†

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 THE MALL, BRISTOL REDUCING OUR IMPACTS PROJECT AIM We understand that all of our activities impact on our environment. We therefore continually strive to reduce those impacts. The initiatives identified below summarise our ‘global’ efforts to meet our aim of a more environmentally friendly place to visit and work.

The objectives were to: ● Reduce electricity consumption and therefore CO2 and carbon emissions ● Reduce water consumption ● Reduce waste going to landfill ● Increase on site waste recovery ● Encourage sustainable transport options for site employees ● Create revenue from savings for future investments.

Cleaning up: Bristol Mall makes a difference ● ●

A further aim of the project was to create a pragmatic understanding of environmental sustainability solutions, demonstrating that it was not always necessary to spend money on technology and equipment to reduce energy consumption or increase recycled waste volumes.

Engagement from a number of disciplines and a range of stakeholders needed to be acquired for the project to be successful. The project needed to have commitment from the Landlords, the tenants and employees and additionally from sub-contractors supporting our aims.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS As a background leading into these projects, during the previous years since 2003, the overall electricity consumption has been reduced by 49.6% leading to a reduction in CO2 emissions of 1982 tons and 551 tons of carbon.

For comparison, the periods referred to for reductions in consumption of electricity and water are January to May 2012, and January to May 2013: ● Reduction in electricity usage of 7.2% ● Reduced CO2 emissions by 53.9 tonnes

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Reduced carbon emissions by 14.97 tons Reduction in water consumption of 17.2%

For comparison, for waste the reference period is the whole of the year 2012 against 2011: ● A reduction in waste to landfill of 37.5% ● A reduction in the quantity of waste management machines operated by site of three compactors and seven balers ● An increase in on site waste recovery of 7.3%.

Sustainable transport ● A ‘Dr Bike’ scheme was run, to encourage the use of bicycles to travel to work ● Several bike shelters were erected in partnership with South Gloucestershire Council, to give those who cycle to The Mall a dry place to park ● A Cribbs Causeway Travel Card has been created in conjunction with FirstBus to encourage the use of buses for travel to work ● An uptake of around 600 employees have purchased these discounted travel cards.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? The Management Team at The Mall at Cribbs Causeway

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 continually evolves ideas to improve environmental performance across a range of disciplines as detailed in the projects section above.

A hierarchical process is followed to establish the best cost option, questioning what can be done using existing resources, using low cost technology and if necessary, technology that is more expensive, weighing each cost option against the benefit it may bring.

Staff awareness is also crucial, so all employees undergo an Environmental Awareness Package.

Therefore a range of projects have been brought together for the purposes of this award, and costs will be identified against each element below.

Reducing electricity consumption The ranges of cost options were examined and the following contributed to the reduction in energy consumption: ● Using existing resources, not incurring any monetary costs ● Ensuring employees are aware of any initiatives being undertaken ● Examining and honing lighting schedules in the BMS so that lights were switched off where not required, or as soon after closing as possible ● Ensuring employee safety by providing lighting to dedicated car parks and foot paths for out of hours workers, allowing the full switch-off of main car parks ● Ensuring escalators, revolving doors, public lifts and fountains only operate during trading hours ● Switching off air-conditioning plant and using smoke vents and windows for natural cooling of the building ● Reducing hedges that border covered car parks, allowing natural light in and non-essential lighting to be switched off.

Low cost options ● Engaging tree surgeons to reduce trees in covered car park pits, allowing non-essential lighting to be switched off. ◆

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 UNIVERSITY OF EAST LONDON THE BEETLE BUMP PROJECT AIM The streaked bombardier beetle (Brachinus Sciopeta) is probably Britain’s rarest insect. It was believed to be extinct in the UK from the 1970s until it was recently found on two post-industrial (brownfield) sites in the Thames Gateway, London.

One of these sites had already been destroyed by development and just days before development was due to commence at their second home, Silvertown Quays, 18 streaked bombardier beetles were rescued by UEL and Buglife staff in an emergency operation to preserve the UK’s last known colony of the extremely rare insect.

UEL staff and student volunteers teamed up with Buglife and the London Wildlife Trust to create the Beetle Bump as part of the landscaping for its new Sports Dock development. Made from 65 tonnes of recycled materials (hard core, chalk, brick and topsoil) and seeded with floral species recorded as present at the Silvertown Quays site, the Beetle Bump was designed as a multi-functional space blending art, landscape design and conservation priority habitat to support the streaked bombardier.

Beetles rescued from the donor site were released at UEL and the site is being used as an open-air laboratory as part of the EU FP7Transitioning Towards Urban Resilience and Sustainability (TURAS - www.turas-cities.orgresearch) programme to study the behaviour and habitat requirements of the beetles and the benefits of urban brownfield landscaping.

London pride: safety first in the heart of the capital innovation in art, design and conservation, the site is also being developed as a showcase for organic art installations developed by staff and students. A monitoring regime is now in full swing to check on their adaptation and help to understand their behaviour and needs, information that could be vital for conserving and restoring populations.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS

With a wildflower meadow and sculpted aggregate areas (including hard core recycled from the original Sports Centre development site), the Beetle Bump adds to the aesthetics of UEL’s landscape. It also provides a bold visual statement demonstrating that biodiversity creation and development are more than just compatible, they can be married together.

The project represents an excellent example of collaborative working between the higher education sector and conservation charities towards a shared goal of establishing truly sustainable development in the Thames Gateway.

This theme has been repeated throughout the sports centre development through the use of green roofs, native planting and inspiring landscape architecture, all of which provide additional habitat for local flora and fauna.

This combined vision led to the beetles being rehomed on a new designer brownfield nature reserve at the University of East London’s Docklands Campus. Bringing together

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WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? On the day that a press release from the Rio earth summit

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 confirmed a 30% global decline in wildlife since 1970, the University of East London (UEL) and Buglife completed an innovative urban habitat creation project to try to prevent the extinction of what might be Britain’s rarest insect Believed to have been extinct in Britain since the 1970s, the streaked bombardier beetle had not been seen here since 1928. However, 2005 brought its exciting rediscovery on a brownfield site on the north bank of the river Thames, next to the Thames Barrier.

The streaked bombardier gained Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) status in 2007 and inclusion in the Natural Environment Research Council’s (NERC) section 41 in 2008, as recognition of the species vulnerability. A further population was then discovered nearby.

Redevelopment works at Silvertown Quays destroyed one of these habitats and only a last minute intervention by a project team comprising Buglife and the University of East London managed to rescue the remaining colony and relocate it to a new, purpose-built habitat at the university’s Docklands campus, an area specifically set aside by the university’s governing body.

To construct the Beetle Bump, UEL Facilities agreed to donate a parcel of land of approximately one third of a hectare within the landscaping of a newly developed sports centre, Sports Dock. The donor area in question is only 2.4 km away from the original Silvertown Keys site. It is bordered by the A1020 Albert Way and the DLR line and has no public access (Grid Ref:TQ435808). As part of the landscaping for Sports Dock, the donor area was created as a large hibernaculum for enhancing biodiversity on the site.

The beetles’ new mock, brownfield habitat was constructed from 65 tonnes of recycled materials (hard core, chalk, brick and topsoil) and was seeded with floral species recorded as present at the original Silvertown Quays site, to make the beetles feel at home! The Beetle Bump was specifically designed to support the known habitat requirements of the streaked bombardier beetle.

WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? The bricks were provided by Wienerberger Ltd and the other material was funded by London Pleasure Gardens.

UEL staff and students worked with Buglife and London

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Full bloom: wildflowers pollinate the site area Wildlife Trust staff and volunteers to help with the habitat creation of the Beetle Bump, which included plug-planting a range of native wildflowers rich in pollen and nectar for pollinating insects such as beetles, bees and butterflies.

WHO AND WHAT BENEFITED? The aim of the sowing and planting regime was to provide habitat and resources suitable for Brachinus Sciopeta and other coleopteran species on which Brachinus Sciopeta larvae are thought to predate. It must be stressed at this point, however, that very little is understood about the ecology of Brachinus Sciopeta. As such, a broad diversity of wildflowers was considered to be the main aim.

Moreover, by adopting this broad brush approach it was considered that the Beetle Bump would provide a broad ecological benefit to groups such as wild bees and butterflies, as well as an aesthetic benefit to the UEL campus.

UEL is certified to 150-14401 for an Environmental Management System that covers its two campuses at Stratford and Docklands and operates a pro-active programme of engagement with staff and students on a wide range of sustainability issues.

The new beetle “reserve”site will be used to study the behaviour and habitat requirements of the beetles and to build up a better knowledge of what they really need.

Information boards will be used to explain the importance

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 of the habitat in the region and the Beetle Bump now stands as a bold statement of UEL’s commitment to the conservation of biodiversity and the innovative ways in which habitat can be incorporated into urban green space within sustainable development.

In addition to the aesthetic benefits and enhanced profile of the campus, initial monitoring of the Beetle Bump has shown that the rescue attempt has been successful in the short term and it is hoped that they continue to thrive in their new home and provide researchers with valuable information.

If UEL can provide a suitable home for the beetles, there is potential that it could form a sustainable population from which further colonies may be founded at brownfield sites across East London. In addition, the new habitat has attracted several other key species including kestrels, linnets, dunnocks and fieldfares.

CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS OR COMMUNITIES BENEFIT FROM IMPLEMENTING YOUR METHODS? The UEL Beetle Bump is an example of sustainable landscaping on an urban campus. The significance of the project for the sector is that UEL is demonstrating that regeneration of the Thames Corridor can work in harmony with existing biodiversity and furthermore can create new habitats for species such as the streaked bombardier beetle.

Moreover, the site has been incorporated into a European FP7 research project – TURAS, part of which involves developing innovation in urban green infrastructure design to build more resilient sustainable cities.

Research outcomes from the Beetle Bump and UEL’s role in TURAS as a whole serve to inform the wider public about the various social, ecological and economic benefits represented by green roofs and urban landscapes designed sustainably to maximise eco-system service provision within the space of the city. ◆

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS END OF TERM WASTE REDUCTION PROJECT AIM ●

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To provide students with sustainable choices when packing up to leave halls of residence, and to minimise their impact on the local and wider environment To minimise the amount of waste going to landfill while helping a local charity.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS We worked with Frontline Fife, a local homeless services charity, which collected and sorted donations from all halls of residence.

Some items went directly to people in need in the local community, while other items were donated to Frontline Fife’s charity chic store, Relove it!

Degrees of success: clean-up at St Andrews This allowed the charity to increase sales by 45%, which raised approximately £900 which was used to support two local homeless and housing charities in Fife.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? The University of St Andrews has a population of approximately 3,000 students who stay in halls of residence in various locations throughout the town.

There is a significant number of international students in this population. The majority of these students move out of their accommodation in May each year. This amount of students departing at one time obviously impacts on the amount of waste generated.

Many students leave a large amount of useable items. We wanted to minimise the amount of waste being sent to landfill to encourage reuse, to minimise the staff time involved in processing the waste, and support a local charity.

The University of St Andrews is committed to Zero Waste by 2020 and this initiative aims to help us achieve that goal. It is supported by both the Director of Residential and Business Services and the Environment Manager at Estates.

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We worked with Frontline Fife, a local homelessness services charity. They met with residential services managers and agreed what items they were looking for, the best method of collection and a collection schedule.

Then it was over to the students. We have now established a good working relationship with the charity and are looking forward to working together in the future.

Each of the halls had their own collection point, which was stocked with boxes and bins for different types of items ranging from books, electrical items, clothes and household items to food, toiletries and, cleaning products, stationery, small furniture and toys and games Alongside these facilities we encouraged students via a publicity campaign with support from the Wardennial team and the senior students. Once all the rooms were empty our housekeeping staff and porters ensured that when cleaning rooms, they moved any reusable items to the collection points.

Unfortunately we do not have any figures on the amount of waste collected, although we know that there were several transit vans of items collected. Some items such as food,

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 crockery and small items of furniture went directly to people in need in the local community.

Other items were donated to their Relove It! Charity Chic store. This allowed them to increase their sales by 45% in that month and raised approximately ÂŁ900 for two local homelessness and housing charities in Fife.

WHO AND WHAT BENEFITED? The success of the initiative last year means that we are continuing with the project this year and hope to be able to recycle/reuse even more. We are going to increase the amount of publicity carried out in the residences and use mobile bins to put the facilities closer to the residents.

The costs of the project were minimal in that it involved publicity and the provision of some small wheelie bins.

Frontline Fife used their own vehicle for collecting and distributing the donated items. â—†

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 WASHINGTON GALLERIES SHOPPING CENTRE ENERGY REDUCTION TARGETS PROJECT AIM The project aim was twofold: ● To identify the current baseline operational energy efficiency and carbon emissions relating to the Galleries Shopping Centre, and to assess the magnitude of savings opportunities ● To identify and implement more sustainable forms of transport for staff and visitors.

The energy and carbon efficiency project was focused on three key areas: ● Plant efficiency ● Building operation and management of the plant ● Behavioural change.

The project identified any weaknesses in these areas and provided improvement solutions and initiatives to improve them through implementing a number of energy and carbon saving projects, setting high but realistic carbon reduction targets for the next three years.

The Galleries forms the focal point of the community and has an estimated footfall of 14 million and provides employment to more than 2,000 people. Consequently, transportation will have a significant environmental impact.

This part of the project focused on environmental impacts relating to travel to and from the centre and was addressed by preparing a detailed Green Travel Plan. The key objective was ensuring that both staff and visitors have access to more sustainable forms of transport.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Part One of the project set up a baseline year for energy consumption and set high but achievable and realistic targets for carbon reduction.

Current consumption is:

Energising: the Galleries met its reduction targets A three year reduction target of 15% with a 5% annual reduction target was set to be compared with the baseline year 2012-13. In addition, a reduction target of 50% in C02 reduction for the management suite office was set to be achieved over the next two years.

A detailed energy survey was completed and an energy monitoring and targeting programme has been implemented. The energy survey identified more than 20 separate projects that would improve energy efficiency and decrease C02 emissions.

These projects were split between the three areas of focus – plant equipment, building operation and behavioural changes.

These projects revealed that the Galleries Centre has the potential for achieving annual electricity savings of 531,575 kWh (25.35%) and gas savings of 296,45O kWh (17.50%), the equivalent of 331.5 tonnes of C02 (22.83%).

The budget cost for the key recommendations was around £410,250, providing total estimated annual energy savings of £77,850, with a simple payback period of 5.3 years.

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 To date, some of these projects have been implemented with the remainder in preparation with feasibility studies.

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WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? This is the first time a holistic approach has been taken to energy management at the centre, based on developing a detailed understanding of where the centre is currently and what can be done moving forward to improve efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

We are at the beginning of this process. We have undertaken an energy baseline survey and implemented an energy monitoring/targeting programme. We have also undertaken a number of feasibility studies of existing plant refurbishment, including the installation of renewable energy sources on site and promoting renewable energy by the consideration of installing charging points for electric vehicles.

The Green Travel Plan project comprised a review of the current transport arrangements and a look at how visitors and employees access the site. From the findings an action plan has been drawn up to promote sustainable forms of transport.

We undertook the project to improve the centre’s overall energy performance and decrease C02 emissions and to promote sustainable forms of transport.

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WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? The initial surveys and feasibility studies were approximately £10,000.

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IF QUANTIFIABLE, WHAT DID THE PROJECT ACHIEVE IN TERMS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMY, ENVIRONMENT AND/OR EQUITY? The projects identified were: ● Replace all energy inefficient tungsten halogen spotlights in the Management Suite with Watts LED equivalent and install PIR occupancy season within the toilet area ● Consider installation on site of a small 5kW wind turbine pilot project ● Ensure that the AKU and Split Systems temperature set points in the management suite are consistent

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Implement staff and tenant behavioural change programme Arrange central data collection to enable facility manager/energy managed energy analyst to analyse and take relevant actions at site level Replace loading car park extraction fan and fit with a CO sensor, to ensure that the fans are operated only when the levels of carbon dioxide require them Undertake feasibility study on refurbishing existing 21 No. H&V units. New more energy efficient fans could be installed Update existing DHW asset register. This will allow identification of the most energy inefficient units and schedule them to be replaced Ensure that DHW units with tank capacities over 25 litres are controlled by the seven-day programmable time clocks to prohibit units operating while the centre is closed Replace the existing Philips lighting management system with a new system with at least the same level of controllability and improved user-friendly interface Undertake a feasibility study of implementing a comprehensive building management system for the whole shopping centre Install a second set of automatic doors with additional set of warm air curtains. This will create a lobby area and should prevent cold air from penetrating the shopping centre mall Consider converting old T8 low frequency ballast fluorescent tubes by implementing 15 conversion kits.

This refers to the 18 installed within east and west services corridors, ground and first floor centre truck way, with total power of 4,300 watts Consider installing occupancy sensors across the east and west office corridors. This could control the light on the 1+2 arrangement which means that every third luminary would be permanently switched on and two would be brought into operation when the occupancy sensor detects movement Consider replacing the main loading dock area lighting with LED equivalent Consider decreasing the lux level to 15 lux on the Sainsbury car park between midnight and 6am. This can be achieved by an installation controller which will switch off four of the eight lamps on each mast Continue replacing the car park lighting system with the new one. Consider LED lighting which should provide high energy savings and relatively short

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payback times. An additional car park lighting feasibility study would be required. The savings can be 40-60% better when compared to the energy consumed by existing high pressure sodium lamps Replace energy inefficient T8 fluorescent tubes within the Escott signs with T5 High Frequency ballast fluorescent tubes. This can be achieved by installing conversion kits along with replacement control gears Similar project should be undertaken on Escott Signs located at the northern entrance elevation and western entrance Undertake fan condition survey. Consider replace existing extraction fans with the new more efficient models.

The identified projects revealed that the Galleries Centre has the potential to achieve annual electricity savings of approximately 531,575 kWh (25.35%) and gas savings of 296,45O kWh (17.50%), the equivalent of 331.5 tonnes of CO2 (22.83%).

the objectives and propose new initiatives where possible.

It is hoped that the shift in mode of transport used to access the shopping centre will also be adopted in other areas of the visitors and employees’ lives.

WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? An holistic, structured approach which covered all sustainability aspects of the shopping centre.

CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT FROM IMPLEMENTING YOUR METHODS? This model can become an industry standard to be followed and implemented by other shopping centres.

ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS? The Galleries is going to be extended and this new extension will benefit from what we have learned during this project. We will be able to incorporate all our energy efficiency solutions in the new development. ◆

The total budget implementation cost for the key recommendations is approximately £410,250 which should provide total estimated annual energy savings of £77,850 with a simple payback period of 5.3 years.

It is anticipated that improvements to the transport infrastructure will decrease the pressure on car parking facilities and improve the accessibility of the centre to all members of the community.

In addition the success of the travel plan format has resulted in the format being adopted by other shopping centres in the same property portfolio.

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? The landlord, tenants, customers and the community will all benefit from reductions in the centre’s use of energy and the reduction in carbon emissions. Landlord and tenants are likely to benefit from actual cost reductions.

WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS7 The focus on achieving improvements in energy efficiency and carbon reductions has longer terms effects for the users of the centre and the community as a whole. This type of initiative also supports the centre owners and managers with tenant engagement and community engagement activities. An annual audit of the Green Travel Plan plan will be completed to review the progress against

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 WATSON BATTY ARCHITECTS ROYAL MAIL MEDWAY MAIL CENTRE PROJECT AIM The project involved the construction of a 15,540 square metre mail processing building on a brownfield site in Strood, Kent, and serves to regenerate this former industrial site and has acted as a catalyst for the surrounding area.

Now employing more than 800 staff, this highly automated centre has improved the efficiency of mail delivery in the Kent area and processes over 3.5 million mail items per day.

The new Medway Mail Centre replaces four aging centres – Dartford, Canterbury, Maidstone and Tonbridge which have become inefficient and impracticable to alter.

The Mail Centre is designed to be flexible, sustainable and provide a quality working environment for Royal Mail staff, incorporating the principles of a world class mail delivery.

Royal Mail is the first postal operator in the world to adapt the ethos of world class manufacturing process into their logistics business.

From start on site to first mail deliveries, the project was constructed and commissioned within 38 weeks, including the installation of over £10m of automation equipment.

This was a substantial reduction in programme from previous new mail centres procurement, representing a 30% saving in the overall programme.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The Mail Centre’s CO2 emissions are 30% lower than other new institutional buildings. A 700 square metre solar wall helps to pre-heat the centre in winter. It is the second building in the Royal Mail’s estate to use biomass heating, rainwater harvesting, and solar hot water to meet its needs.

Special delivery: the Medway Mail Centre is hi-tech adoption of LED lighting has delivered a further 11% improvement in CO2 emissions. The project focused on the importance of reductions in water consumption by the use of rainwater harvesting and continuous leak detection systems. The processing area benefits from natural lighting from roof lights and feature windows. In other areas sun pipes have been utilised to provide daylight to internal spaces.

An EPC B rating rating was attained as well as achieving the target of a BREEAM Very Good status.

Efficient use of space has enabled the business to reduce the floor area within the Kent estate by 10%. Economically the development has created and retained 800 jobs locally, with additional benefits for the local services industry.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? The Medway Mail Centre was safely delivered on programme, under budget, and to a quality that exceeded Royal Mail’s expectations.

The building’s stand-by generator is also used via a Flextricity Agreement with the local supply board to provide power to the grid at times of peak demand.

The cost of £15.1m for the facility was within the Royal Mail budget of £850 per square metre and it was financed

by Royal Mail.

Energy efficient through intelligent lighting controls and

Royal Mail is engaged in one of the biggest transformation

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Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 programmes in UK business, to modernise the company so it is more efficient, effective and customer focused.

Royal Mail is undertaking major capital investment of its estate, in particular its Mail Centre buildings, by including new automation equipment to help drive efficiencies.

A number of new Mail Processing Centres have been constructed, this being the most recent. Other work programmes include major extensions to existing centres with the aim of rationalising the network.

The flexibility of the new centre allows modern automated sorting equipment to be installed, and any required reconfiguring to address future changing demands.

During the design and construction phases, openness has been fostered to ensure shared learning. Close liaison of the design team, end user, and contractor has allowed valuable improvements to be introduced within the scheme. Co-ordination of construction activities and installation of automation equipment has been developed over a number of projects into a streamlined fully integrated process helping to deliver a turn-key solution.

To modernise successfully, Royal Mail employees need to be fully engaged with all the challenges that the business faces. This engagement with staff and all stakeholders has led to a number of features within the building to improve the way Royal Mail work.

These include team pod areas off the operational floor where staff undertake work-time listening and learning sessions. These small auditoriums equipped with audio visual technology help stimulate interactive discussion in an environment away from the operational floor.

The inclusion of external roof terraces outside the restaurant help to improve social wellbeing, and provide a much deserved break during the working day. Careful selection of colour and durable finishes has successfully been used to break up the uniform institutional space, enhancing the team ethos and generating an element of competition throughout the workforce.◆

In turn, the learning points from Medway are being translated into current projects, and are informing ongoing policies and standards reviews. Royal Mail’s partnering and framework approach has further facilitated continuous improvement across construction procurement activities.

Lessons learnt as part of the build process include:● Openness between parties regarding impact of change ● Detailed design checks of M & E proposals and clear monitoring of the M & E subcontractor ● Contractor responsible for management of Royal Mail sub-contractors ● Complete FM training prior to handover ● Completion of handover requirements in good time.

The team’s relationship with Royal Mail is long-standing and continuous improvement is at the heart of everything we do. Each of the consultants has now developed a dedicated team working on Royal Mail projects, allowing the learning experience to be translated into future developments. Royal Mail’s partnership ethos has been continued with the introduction of the Contractor and Professional Services Frameworks.

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Work of reference on

Environmental Best Practice Volume 19 WINTERDALE CHEESEMAKERS WINTERDALE CHEESE DAIRY PROJECT AIM The aim of the project was to construct a cheese dairy with a capacity to produce in excess of 20 tons of traditional cheddar style cheese in a carbon neutral environment.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The project achieved a production of cheese within a carbon neutral environment, by constructing a unique cavelike cellar for the maturing of the traditional cheese. For most cheese dairies, this is the most energy consuming part of the production, whereas our facility uses no energy for the the ten months of the cheese maturing cycle.

WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM?

Say cheese: Winterdale Dairy goes carbon neutral

The cost was around ÂŁ150,000 and it was financed by personal funds and also a DEFRA grant.

WHAT WAS INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? The most innovative is the low energy design of the building and the cave-like cellar for the maturing of the cheese. The installation of a ground source heat pump and photo-voltaic panels enabled the dairy to be entirely carbon neutral.

The delivery of the cheese was considered and a zero emmision electric vehicle is used, which utilises carbon neutral energy produced by the dairy photo-voltaic panels.

The design was chosen as a finalist for the KEIBA awards 2012. The cheese was awarded Gold in the World Cheese Awards 2012. â—†

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CSR World Leaders Volume 1 T

he International CSR Excellence Awards are presented to companies that have a heart: caring companies that use their privileged position to help their colleagues, communities, customers, the environment and the less fortunate.

This publication comprises winning papers from the International CSR Excellence Awards, providing excellent examples of best practice in

1. BRISTOL WATER PLC Page 3 Trout and About is an innovative project which enables inner-city schoolchildren to connect with the wider environment. It provides schools with equipment to raise trout from eggs, followed by a fish release event into Chew Valley Lake. Managed as a partnership between Bristol Water and Avon Wildlife Trust, five schools have worked on this project. It will continue for two years and focus on schools in socially challenged areas of Bristol.

2. FOSTER REFRIGERATOR Page 6 Foster Refrigerator was the first European commercial refrigeration company to set robust environmental targets and it has set a benchmark for quantifiable credentials through its second corporate social responsibility report.

The company’s “Working Today, Protecting Tomorrow” mandate is paying off. £4million of investment in a new low-carbon manufacturing facility is providing the tools to build the award-winning EcoPro G2 product. The report focuses on Climate Change, Sustainability, Social Responsibility and Independent Verification.

3. JKX OIL & GAS Page 10 JKX plc is an oil and gas exploration and production company. As an integral part of the communities in which they operate, JKX are determined to play their part through both financial and practical support. All operations are managed with local interests in mind. In Ukraine and Russia, JKX has trained a full team locally which is now delivering a high standard of CSR management. This includes aligning their CSR strategies with organisational goals and capabilities, and achieving higher levels of recognition and respect for CSR as an integral part of managing their business.

4. MISSION HILLS, CHINA Page 14 Mission Hills' vision is to create a sustainable and

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corporate social responsibility. The case histories are supplied by winners who decided to take their CSR commitment to the next level, by allowing us to publish their information so that others can learn and follow the lead of our CSR WORLD LEADERS. We thank them on behalf of all the other companies around the world who will benefit from their generosity.

environmentally responsible leisure and tourism business that harnesses the power of sport and leisure to make a positive impact on the local community and the whole region. Additionally, the company's founder, the late David Chu, saw golf as an effective vehicle for international goodwill and co-operation between China and the rest of the world. This philosophy remains at the heart of the organisation today.

5. NMCNOMENCA Page 19 The company was approached by Friends of Ashfield War Memorials in Notts to help with the construction of a new war memorial on the Pepper Gardens site. NMC Nomenca saw this project as an ideal opportunity to help the local community under their Corporate Social Responsibility policy. The aim was to provide a “Landmark” War Memorial with landscaped surroundings at the “Gateway to Ashfield”, in memory of those who died in all wars from 1914 to the present day.

6. O’BRIEN CONTRACTORS Page 22 In the last three years, this 55-year-old family business has been on an extraordinary journey that has seen them implement a massive product and service diversification.

They pride themselves on being a company that cares about its stakeholders, and CSR has been at the forefront for the business, customers, suppliers, staff and the environment. O'Brien has implemented segmented recycling, upgraded the vehicle fleet with low-emission models and developed a wildlife area at its headquarters.

They are also supporting local businesses through a regional purchasing policy, raising over £7k for charity, and providing community support to numerous local groups. O’Brien’s achievements showcase how similar businesses can be commercially successful while still demonstrating a strong and sustained commitment to corporate social responsibility issues.

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CSR World Leaders Volume 1 1. BRISTOL WATER PLC TROUT AND ABOUT PROJECT AIM Trout and About is an innovative project which enables inner-city schoolchildren to connect with the wider environment. The project provides the schools with equipment to raise trout from eggs followed by a release event of the fish to Chew Valley Lake, one of the principal sources of drinking water for Bristol.

Managed as a partnership between Bristol Water and Avon Wildlife Trust, the project provides education about the local water environment and about the importance of water efficiency in protecting this environment.

In 2013, five schools have worked with Bristol Water and Avon Wildlife Trust on this project, with a popular blog and good press coverage for the schools. The project will continue for two more years and extend to other schools in Bristol, focusing on socially challenged areas of the city.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT?

cooling system for the water. Once set up, fertilised trout eggs are provided by Bristol Water so that pupils in Key Stage 2 can take care of them, including feeding of the newly-hatched fish.

Using the life cycle of the fish as a learning tool, schoolchildren are then taken by representatives from Avon Wildlife Trust to their local watercourse for pond-dipping and invertebrate awareness, followed by education about water efficiency and protection of watercourses.

When the fish are ready for release to the environment, the pupils take them to Chew Valley Lake to release into one of the tributaries of the lake. They are given further visits with Bristol Water staff and Avon Wildlife Trust to Blagdon lake visitor centre and the newly-installed eel pass system at Blagdon, which will work to help protect this endangered species.

The children are taken to the site's historic visitor centre to learn about water supply, and are able to see large trout bred at Bristol Waters Fisheries’ department prior to the return of these trout to the lakes.

We wanted to reach out to a sector of society traditionally less likely to engage with the natural environment, by providing an innovative and fun education and engagement programme.

Finally, the pupils go to the new bird hide at Chew to learn a little about the bird wildlife at the site, before returning home. The project overall takes four weeks for each school.

Young people from socially challenged areas are less likely than their counterparts from better-off areas to take part in activities such as country walks, angling and birdwatching. We believe that by enabling children from these schools to learn more about the importance of the natural world and the place we all have in it, we can help them to feel that the natural world belongs to them too.

WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM?

Schools targeted for the programme are from more socially challenged areas and the project has also included transport to and from the sites to ensure that no-one is excluded. Schools are provided with a specialised trout rearing system including water tank, pumps and

The total project cost was £22,500 and this was fully funded by Bristol Water as part of the company's corporate social responsibility programme.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT ACHIEVE IN TERMS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS? This is an education and engagement programme and we feel that environmental education and awareness underpins every part of

“It really brought our in-class learning to life. It has been a real highlight of our year and it would benefit to have the project run again next year. It particularly benefited our inner city children as many have never been to the countryside or seen living fish” Sarah Bagnell, Year 4 teacher, St Bamabus Primary School

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CSR World Leaders Volume 1 sustainable development and environmental protection.

Education has included awareness and understanding of protected species (eels), resource efficiency (water and energy), environmental protection (catchment protection of watercourses) and an understanding of the richness of the water environment, its biodiversity and the biodiversity of the water environment within a city.

The education programme has been delivered by specialists from Avon Wildlife Trust and staff from Bristol Water, working alongside the schools' teachers to ensure the project links with the national curriculum and learning aims and outcomes.

Knowledge stream: children learn about protected species and the water environment

A popular blog and website has been produced for the project, with pupils reporting on successes and failures and the new things they have learned. As for the economic benefits, Bristol Water operates a commercial fishery and is always looking for new customers, engaging with school pupils about commercial angling as well as natural fish populations will help to support this business into the future.

Education on protection of drinking water sources and water efficiency also helps to reduce the company's long-term costs on water treatment and future investment required to meet an increasing demand for water.

WHO BENEFITED? Pupils from inner-Bristol schools and the pupils from the Chew Valley area who acted as 'hosts' for their new friends from Bristol.

WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? Education is always about long term benefits. The specific benefits in this case are an understanding of water efficiency, greater connection

with the natural environment, protection of the natural environment by understanding the links between pollution prevention and water supply, and an understanding of protecting endangered species such as eels.

WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? This is the first time in England that a water company and wildlife trust have worked together to deliver an education programme using newlyhatched trout as an education tool.

Although a programme on fish and education called Salmon in the Classroom has operated in Scotland, this is the first time in the UK that the approach of linking schools, a water company and wildlife trust has been used for education in the broad issues of environmental protection and water efficiency awareness.

CAN OTHERS BENEFIT FROM IMPLEMENTING YOUR METHODS? Yes. This is a directly transferable project to any organisation working

“It has been well organised, fits well with the curriculum and is exciting and engaging for the children. Many parents have also commented about how much the children have enjoyed the project�

Simon Partridge, Year 5 teacher, Ashton Gate Primary School

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CSR World Leaders Volume 1 with fish and natural waters. Management of the technical issues on EA licencing and maintenance of the fish-keeping equipment have been resolved by the team, who would be able to provide guidance to any other organisations seeking to reproduce the project.

Demand from schools has been far greater than the number of participants possible, indicating that this is something which could be reproduced successfully elsewhere, and we already have been contacted by other wildlife trusts asking for information on how they can reproduce the project.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THE PROJECT? Learning more about partnerships and developing new relationships between schools, a water company and wildlife trust has been an excellent outcome of the project, and technical issues on managing the new equipment required (as well as the legislative requirements of fish transfer) have all been resolved during this project.

ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENT? The first year’s project has worked using rainbow trout and subsequent projects will work with brown trout, which will give further opportunities for learning.

Also, the links between water efficiency and protecting the natural environment will be developed further (wet weather in 2012 made developing this theme less natural to pursue). As the project proceeds we anticipate developing closer links with the Environment Agency and its eel protection programme. â—†

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CSR World Leaders Volume 1 2. FOSTER REFRIGERATOR WORKING TODAY, PROTECTING TOMORROW PROJECT AIM

More than this, Foster is the first to proactively build sustainability, community and carbon reduction into their everyday working life with quantifiable, independent

Leading commercial refrigeration manufacturer, Foster Refrigerator, has again set the benchmark for quantifiable green credentials with the release of its second corporate social responsibility (CSR) report.

The next generation CSR report comes two years after the company's inaugural report marked Foster as the first European company in commercial refrigeration to set its own robust environmental targets.

Now the company is proving its Working Today, Protecting Tomorrow mandate is paying off, with independent verification to back up its success.

With £4m investment in a new low-carbon manufacturing facility providing the tools to build the award-winning EcoPro G2 product, and a string of environmental awards to data, Foster really is working today to protect tomorrow.

The report focuses on four themes – Climate Change, Sustainability, Social Responsibility and crucially Independent Verification. Foster's activities and procedures adhere to ISO standards which are audited

by Lloyds Register Quality Assurance and which are endorsed by the Carbon Trust to meet its stringent standards.

As well as the green credentials of the EcoPro G2 cabinet and its production facilities, Foster's environmental successes to date include pioneering work with hydro-carbon refrigerants and being the first in the industry to be recertified for the second time with the Carbon Trust standard.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Environmental and social awareness is at the core of Foster Refrigerator's future development. Foster was the first professional refrigeration manufacturer in the UK to have created successive Community Social Responsibility (CSR) reports, and the first in the sector to be awarded the Carbon Trust Standard.

results.

For over half a century, Foster has been a leading manufacturer and innovator of professional refrigeration products from its UK factory in King's Lynn, Norfolk.

Everything Foster does is dedicated to producing world-class products that provide the optimal storage environment for an audience as diverse as restaurants, supermarkets, hotels, staff catering and high street food retailers, as well as the public sector including schools, universities, prisons and social services.

The Foster product range includes cabinets, counters, un dercounters, freezers, walk-ins, blast chillers, prep stations, multidecks, ice machines and water coolers. Yet it was the creation of the company's first CSR report in 2009 and the subsequent launch of the Eco Pro range in 2009 that marked the company as an industry leader in producing environmentally sound products to the highest standards.

2013 has seen the launch of Foster's second, highly anticipated CSR report, in which real significant progress was announced in the key areas of climate change, sustainability and social responsibility and more importantly independently verified – a chance to see the Foster philosophy Working today, To Protect Tomorrow in action.

This is no green wash: it works, it has become a way of life, and it is improving product quality and environmental efficiencies for the end user.

Carbon footprint Foster is the first in the industry to achieve recertification of the Carbon

“As well as the green credentials of the EcoPro G2 cabinet and its production facilities, Foster's environmental successes to date include pioneering work with hydrocarbon refrigerants and being the first in the industry to be recertified for the second time with the Carbon Trust standard”

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CSR World Leaders Volume 1 Trust Standard (2012). Foster set a carbon reduction target of 2.5% year on year but actually improved carbon efficiency by 14% relative to the output of cabinets sold.

This was achieved through investment in new plant and products and continuous improvement processes driven throughout the business.

Reductions across all aspects of the Foster business are continuously measured covering energy use – from gas and electricity, to fleet management, product shipping, and employee travel.

Significant improvements in fleet emissions have resulted in reductions of C02 per cabinet produced from 18kg in 2007 to 6.6kg in 2011 (64% reduction in C02 over five years). As a British manufacturer we produce and sell locally and we ensure that components and materials travel the shortest distance possible – delivering low product miles.

Gas usage kWh per cabinet produced has reduced from 89 in 2008 to 65 in 2011 and electricity has reduced from 114 in 2008 to 101 in 2011.

Foster has set itself a target to reduce carbon energy by 2.5% year on year, and it is testament to its commitment to its CSR and the environment that its results in reducing carbon can be found across all areas of the Foster business, including: ...In Foster product: Foster products deliver some of the lowest carbon emissions in commercial refrigeration. None more so than the EcoPro G2 range, launched in 2012. The EcoPro G2 range is Fosters most technically advanced and energy efficient model yet and Include many low energy innovations including: thicker more robust cabinet designed with advanced thermal efficiency, twin circuit evaporators to provide maximum cooling performance, new door interface rebated to the rear to provide a cold barrier to protect the door seal.

The G2 was been designed using Fluid Food-Fresh Dynamics modelling and Foster Circulair II air distribution system and the G2 features the Airlines ventilation system, cooling the compressor and reducing running time by 15%.

Eye on the future: working hard to reduce emissions All this adds up to make the G2 range 20% more efficient than its predecessor and significantly more efficient than competitor products available today: EcoPro G2 products are cheaper to run than a traditional light bulb: costing the end user just £65.30 over a year (independent laboratory tests). Foster also asked customers to test their G2 products in their own environments and the remarkable results showed that in real world tests the G2 was a further 20% more efficient than in laboratory tests (average £52.12).

The products are built to last, long-lasting so that we delay the environmental impact of making anew product. They are built using products from suppliers that are mainly UK based (85%) and 51% of these within a 35 mile radius of the factory.

Foster also ensures that the other 15% are responsibly sourced through the Ethical Trading Initiative and SEDEX. At the end of their useful lived Foster ensures that up to 98% of the old products are recycled or reused. ...In Foster refrigerants: hydro-carbon Foster is at the forefront of pioneering the use of greener refrigerants,

“Foster is the first in the industry to achieve recertification of the Carbon Trust Standard (2012). Foster set a carbon reduction target of 2.5% year on year but actually improved carbon efficiency by 14% relative to the output of cabinets sold”

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CSR World Leaders Volume 1 no more so that its pioneering use of Hydrocarbons in commercial refrigeration. Hydrocarbon refrigerants have a much reduced GWP in comparison. Foster actively promotes the use of hydro-carbons to customers to choose this at the same price as other refrigerants.

It is working, with hydro-carbons totalling more than 42% of all Foster product ordered, a rise from only 5% since 2005 .

Foster’s reputation and knowledge is being used to shape future environmental legislation such as the EuP programme.

LLoyds Register Quality Assurance (LRQA) audit the whole business every six months, identifying and measuring environmental impact.

Added to this, Foster holds the ISO 14001 environmental quality standard, which it gained in 2005. ◆

... In the Foster manufacturing processes All plants are operated using 11W and lean manufacturing techniques that create one oft the most advanced commercial refrigeration plants in Europe. These techniques have contributed to helping Foster reduce its energy consumption and carbon footprint.

Examples include: ● Lights out manufacturing where operations can continue through the night due to the latest laser machines ● Improved product testing using 'footprint techniques that reduce energy consumption by 70% ● Lean supply chain and a made-to-order environment, reducing storage, lighting and heating by 34% ● Cyclopentane insulation – 13% efficiency improvement.

Foster has an Environmental Management System (EMS) certified to the International Standard for Environmental Management ISO 14001: 2004, including all energy and resource usage, the safe handling of refrigerants, control of wastes and product impacts, all designed to minimise the potential specific environmental impact. ●

● ● ● ● ●

£4 million was invested in the factory to drive continual reductions in carbon footprint Packaging eliminated to propane heaters Kanban system to eliminate paper usage Low energy fibre optic laser LED lighting for a 70% saving On-site nitrogen generation, so no gas deliveries.

...In how Foster proves the fact Foster’s environmental credentials are far more than claims – they are facts. They are not greenwash and each can be independently verified.

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CSR World Leaders Volume 1 3. JKX OIL AND GAS PLC CORPORATE, SUBSIDIARY AND OVERSEAS OPERATIONS PROJECT AIM CSR is led by the dhief executive officer. The CSR manager reports directly to the CEO and has responsibility for maintaining the CSI Management System. As an integral part of the communities in which we operate, we are determined to play our part through financial as well as practical support. All our operations are managed with local interests in mind, thereby increasing public confidence in the integrity of our assets and underlining our commitment to our performance.

continue the ongoing work with The Carbon Disclosure Project on our Carbon Management Plan. We have started a more detailed baseline study to engage in Supply Chain Management in the Carbon Disclosure Project during 2012.

In Ukraine and Russia we have recruited and trained a full team locally which is now delivering a high standard of CSR management. The board is provided with quarterly updates and a review of all management systems is carried out annually. The objectives are to: ● Align our CSR strategies with organisational goals and capabilities ● Influence stakeholder organisations to embrace high standards on all business matters and to recognise the social and economic benefits ● Optimise our resources to enhance our reputation as a good corporate citizen and enjoy successful interaction with key internal and external stakeholders, as well as governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) ● Develop new ways to maintain an effective culture in a changing global economy, so that we take our corporate responsibilities seriously, the workforce is fully involved and the risks are property managed ● Exemplify oil and gas sector best practice in managing our resources, enforcing the law and undertaking and encouraging relevant research ● Achieve higher levels of recognition and respect for our CSR as an integral part of managing our business.

Sustainable performance Sustainability reporting is the practice of measuring, disclosing and being accountable to internal and external stakeholders for organisational performance towards the goal of sustainable development.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING?

At the heart of our sustainable supply chain is a policy of localising supply by fabricating, manufacturing and sourcing as much aspossible as close to the point of use. This means that those supplies are provided to us by indigenous companies. By sourcing close to the

Our operations have implications for our relationships with our people, their communities, partner organisations, the media, governments, investors and other stakeholders. In 2012 we were pleased to

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is a worldwide multi-stakeholder organisation that created and maintains the Reporting Framework, a global sustainability reporting standard.

We have commenced reporting according to the GRI’s Sustainability Reporting Guidelines.

Supply chain management The nature of our assets means we have an ongoing demand for services. This is will allow us to forge reliable agreements and offer longer term commitments to our suppliers. Apart from the opportunity to maximise our expenditure to create business benefits, it also enables us to influence our suppliers’ behaviour in critical areas such as safety, local content and the environment through leveraging our contract performance management processes.

“At the heart of our sustainable supply chain is a policy of localising supply by fabricating, manufacturing and sourcing as much as possible as close to the point of use. This means that those supplies are provided to us by indigenous companies”

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CSR World Leaders Volume 1 point of use, we greatly reduce the distance over which our supply chain is spread and this in turn greatly reduces the impact on the environment, project cost and time.

We can also improve our supply operations by focusing on the use of green technology for managing and developing logistics handling, particularly in new projects such as Russia.

In 2013 we are meeting to formulate plans and procedures on how to engage suppliers effectively and manage our supply chain.

We support and respect the protection of internationally recognised human rights in our areas of operation. The policy is applicable to all our operations. We uphold and promote human rights within our sphere of influence which includes, but is not limited to, employees, contractors, local communities, suppliers, and business partners.

We also actively engage with key stakeholders to address the rights of the communities surrounding our operations.

Diversity and equality We believe that access to work opportunities should be based on merit, equality, fairness and need and that no one should be treated less favourably on the basis of their sex, racial or ethnic origin, colour, religion, disability, marital status, sexuality or age.

Our approach to Equality and Diversity is core to our business reflected in all our policies, practices and procedures. We are committed to respecting diversity in all aspects of our work and we will not tolerate any form of discrimination – direct or indirect.

Acts of discrimination, prejudice, harassment and victimisation which occur within the workplace or within the communities in which we work will not be tolerated and will always be challenged. We aim to involve all aspects of the business in valuing the diversity of our customers, staff and stake-holders at all times eradicating inequality and discrimination.

CSR policies, procedures and standards We aim to comply with all local laws and regulations as a minimum

and to exceed them where possible. We expect our partners to reach the same standards. Our policies and standards cover: ● Safety reporting and incident management ● Occupational health provision and record keeping ● Environmental reporting and incident investigation ● Management including climate change ● Behavioural based safety programmes ● Continuing professional development and implementation ● Human resources practices,covering areas such as equal opportunities ● Handling of charitable requests ● Local community relations ● Reporting to local Russian, Ukrainian and UK authorities ● Risk management programmes.

Charitable donations and volunteering Each operation has a limited budget for good causes and we handle charitable donations at a local level. Donations from the group during 2012 amounted to: Ukraine $433,491 (2010: $543,000); Russia $25,121 (2010: $188,000); UK $15,921 (2010:$30,000) and Georgia $2,279 (2010: $3,000).

Subject to management approval, staff may be given additional time off in order to join in certain charity-related activities.

Local charitable projects Charity projects that are local to our operations and that we have supported were: Ukraine ● Construction of a playground at the Andriivka boarding school ● Provision of fuel tickets for the Andriivka boarding school ● Provision of Easter cakes to children staying in the Sokola Balka hospital ● Provision of gifts to physically challenged children in Sokolova Balka Village to commemorate Children’s Day ● Purchase and installation of sports facilities and equipment in the Novi Sanzhary town park in Poltava to commemorate Children’s Day ● Sponsoring of the Novi Sanzhary District Competition of Young Friends of Traffic Police, purchasing dummy road signs and arranging the driving training and ground marking.

“We support and respect the protection of internationally recognised human rights in our areas of operation. The policy is applicable to all our operations. We uphold and promote human rights within our sphere of influence which includes, but is not limited to, employees, contractors, local communities, suppliers, and business partners”

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CSR World Leaders Volume 1 Russia ● Improving the building and road for Maikop Children’s and Youth’s Crafts Development Centre ● Supplying basic equipment and supplies to the Medical Centre for Dmitrovskoye rural settlement ● Supplying books and academic equipment for children and youth schools in Maikop.

Stakeholder engagement We recognise that our stakeholders include local communities, government (national, regional and local), NGOs, inter-govemmental organisations, academics, investors, the media and employees. While we have always aimed to be open and transparent in all that we do, we implement a strategic approach to building relationships.

In 2012 we continued to make progress by improving our stakeholder communications in Poltava and in Koshekhablskoye. In the same year we held regular meetings with local leaders to explain our projects and we held informal discussions with community groups to discuss their concerns with stakeholders from local government, media, NGOs and CSOs (Civil Society Organisations) and local business people.

These are in addition to the daily contact our community liaison officers have with rhe communities near to our operations. The outcome of events such as the Town Hall meetings in Koshekhablskoye and Maikop, in Russia, influenced the way in which we now manage carbon emissions.

In 2013 we plan to implement an approved Stakeholder Management Plan for our Russian operations, engaging with stakeholders in key locations. This will help us to shape an improved dialogue and to respond appropriately to stakeholder needs and concerns. It will also help us to demonstrate the depth of our legacy in Russia, our desire and commitment to creating shared prosperity there and to promote and contribute to the development of the local area and ultimately the nation as a whole.

There are genuine risks in failing to recognise and respond to the concerns of our stakeholders which can translate into realbusiness and opportunity costs. The need to formalise and implement an

external Stakeholder Management Plan in Russia has been identified by the Board as key aim for 2012.

Investors In 2012 we took part in a number of meetings and interactions with investors. The board places considerable importance on communication with shareholders and addresses investors’ questions on all aspects of corporate responsibility, in person or in writing.

Employment policies We operate across a number of different countries, cultures and environments, therefore we have a decentralised management structure, with employment policies designed to suit the needs of individual locations. Each group company complies with certainkey principles, including: ● Providing safe and healthy working conditions for all employees ● Creating an open, challenging, rewarding and participative environment which, through development and training, aims to maximise the talent, skills and abilities of all employees ● Communicating to provide the fullest possible understanding of our goals, directions and performance of the business ● Providing compensation and benefits which reflect good current local practices and which reward collective and individual abilities and personal performance ● Providing a working environment, development opportunities and incentives to promote team effort and commitment to the performance of the group ● Referencing the International Labour Organisation to verify standards and best practice ● Our group-wide values of integrity, teamwork, excellence and respect, are essential in helping to guide our employees in the way that they behave.

Dealing with growth In the five years since 2006 our employees have grown from 250 to over 850 full-time workers at the end of 2012. Regular and effective communication in a growing and an ever changing organisation is key to its continued success. We now have a small team of internal communication specialists in Ukraine and Russia. ◆

“In 2013 we plan to implement an approved Stakeholder Management Plan for our Russian operations, engaging with stakeholders in key locations. This will help us to shape an improved dialogue and to respond appropriately to stakeholder needs and their concerns”

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Corporate Social Responsibility

Our people, the environment and the communities where we operate are the keys to our business.

We manage our business with due regard to our stakeholders’ best interests, and are committed to being recognised as a good corporate citizen and neighbour. We strive to support our people at work as well as in their broader lives and also to minimise our impact on the environment

In practical terms, our community support frequently involves using the Company’s plant and machinery – as well as manpower – to provide much-needed assistance.

JKX Oil & Gas Plc 6 Cavendish Square London W1G 0PD Tel: +44 (0)207 323 4464

www.jkx.co.uk

CSR World Leaders Volume 1 4. MISSION HILLS CORPORATE, SUBSIDIARY AND OVERSEAS OPERATIONS PROJECT AIM

Building on its operational expertise and golf and leisure industry experience, the Mission Hills Group has developed a comprehensive management philosophy and has set a model for the industry.

Mission Hills China was founded in 1992 and has properties in the heart of the Pearl River Delta and on the tropical island of Hainanand.

It is a pioneer of China’s fledgling sports, hospitality and leisure industry.

With its head office in Hong Kong, its holdings include 22 championship golf courses, three five-star resorts operating over 1,000 hotel rooms, award-winning spas and volcanic mineral springs, an international convention centre, golf academies and Asia’s largest tennis facility.

In 2004, Mission Hills has been accredited as the World’s Largest Golf Club by Guinness World Records. In 2012, Mission Hills Haikou was accredited the World’s Largest Spa Resort.

Since 1992, it has been Mission Hills’ vision to create a sustainable and environmentally responsible leisure and tourism business that harnesses the power of sport and leisure to make a positive economic, cultural and environmental impact on the local community and the region as a whole.

The company’s founder, the late David Chu, saw golf as an effective vehicle for international goodwill and cooperation between China and the rest of the world. This philosophy remains at the heart of the organisation today.

Mission Hills Group boasts a 15,000 strong service team comprising overseas experts, (e.g. golf course design team), local qualified elites and trained industry professionals.

From 20 countries and 30 provinces, regions and cities in China, our staff offer unrivalled, personalised service to over three million visitors each year.

Through technical and systematic training, efficient management structure, as well as team-building activities, Mission Hills has accomplished the efficient integration of staff from diverse cultures and origins and at the same time, built a highly efficient and cooperative team to deliver all-round professional services.

As part of its continuous development in the leisure industry, Mission Hills has created job opportunities for the local community through its training programmes, thereby sharing the success of its business model with the communities in which it operates.

The company, which is based in Hong Kong, remains committed to these four guiding principles: ● To build and maintain a sustainable and responsible business bringing economic and cultural benefit to the communities in which it operates for future generations ● To safeguard and promote the natural environment in which it operates ● To promote international goodwill through golf ● To promote an active and healthy lifestyle while supporting youth golf development in China via facilities, coaching and competition.

To realise the phenomenal growth that it has experienced, the business has required a clear and long term vision, extensive private fund raising, industry leading golf course design, adoption of international sustainability and environmentalbest practices, and extensive co-operation with the local and international golf community.

“It has been Mission Hills’ vision to create a sustainable and environmentally responsible leisure and tourism business that harnesses the power of sport and leisure to make a positive economic, cultural and environmental impact on the local community and the region as a whole”

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CSR World Leaders Volume 1 WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Mission Hills Properties embarked on the transformation of an urban wasteland (in the case of Mission Hills Shenzhen and Dongguan) and volcanic swampland (Mission Hills Haikou) into thriving and sustainable economic, ecological and cultural communities.

In the case of Mission Hills Shenzhen and Dongguan, the complex was built on the outskirts of a 20 square kilometre wasteland that was unused and too acidic for plantation. Mission Hills Haikou was developed in a sparsely populated rural backwater, 20 miles outside the city of Haikou in an area strewn with lava rock, prone to flooding and unsuitable for agricultural purposes. It has since been transformed into a natural paradise.

This resulted in the following environmental and sustainable achievements: ● The development provided significant economic benefit to the local community ● It transformed what were relatively desolate landscapes into thriving ecological environments that preserve the natural beauty of the surroundings ● It utilised the latest technologies available to ensure the most sustainable resort development and operation.

The beneficiaries of these sustainable developments are widespread but include: ● The local community through economic benefit in the form of skilled and manual employment ● Cultural exchange ● Protection and preservation of the natural environment ● Local and international visitors who would not otherwise travel to these areas ● The broader Chinese economy, specifically manufacturing, building, travel, hospitality, catering, sports, leisure and media industries.

The long term benefits of the developments will be the preservation of the existing environment for future generations, the ecological benefits of the development, the cultural exchange offered by international

Greens for go: Mission Hills is leading golf drive in China tourism and the economic benefit to the local community. Mission Hills recognizes the importance of the environment and the impact it has for our future generations. Over US$48 million has been spent on the implementation of a sustainable environmental programme.

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? Mission Hills’ approach to environment and sustainability is driven by three guiding principles: Environmentally responsible practices ● Plantation – Missions Hills planted 280,000 square metres of trees and flora, including over 4,000 Al-biz-ia Sal-ca-tria shrubs and over100 different indigenous species. More than 5,000 natural rocks were imported ● Course development – Mission Hills adopts a number of sustainability best practices in course development. These include working with the natural contours when building a hole; using flora and fauna that is best suited to the environment; using natural drainage systems; using natural alternatives to pesticides; and setting aside buffer zones for natural wildlife. ● Fertilisation: In addition to embarking on the largest ever natural fertilising program in Southern China, grass trims are collected and reused as fertilisers for organic plants in green houses. Other fertilisers, such as seaweed extracts and chemicals, are used for the

“The long term benefits will be the preservation of the existing environment for future generations, the ecological benefits of the development, the cultural exchange offered by international tourism and the economic benefit to the local community”

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golf courses and the landscaping areas are treated with slow release, non-toxic formula to prevent overdose. Herbicide, insecticide and fungicide are all chosen based on compliance with the environmental requirements of the US Agricultural Department.

To minimise the use of herbicide, insecticide and fungicides, we select maintenance-free grass that best suit the weather, we implement Caddies Dc-weeding program Less than 50% of herbicide is applied.

They do, however necessitate a clear long term vision end environmental strategy.

Water preservation – use of a rapid infiltration system along with a biological water recycling system to filter and purify waste water for repeated irrigation. Water sources within the development are built in an enclosed environment, such that all used water is treated and reused. 90,000 sq meters of reservoirs and water tanks are built as water catchments and this waterscape is used to nurture the plantation and the courses. This significantly reduces the overall water usage in the whole development and a minimum saving of 3.5 million tons of water consumption is achieved Solar power – solar energy is used in all half way houses on the courses and in the street lamps that light the entire property. Energy saving bulbs are used throughout the complex. Photocells that operate on light sensitivity and timers are installed to control the outdoor lights. This results in a minimum saving of 2.56 million kilowatt hour consumption per year Heat management – in an effort to reduce the use of airconditioning units throughout the development, ice chillers that form ice during the off-peak electricity consumption are used throughout the resorts.

The ice is then used in the heat management system during the day time to cool hotel guestrooms. This results in a saving of over 25% in energy consumption. Also, generator engine cooling water is converted into chilled water for cooling the club house. Heat from an engine exhaust system heats hot water for the entire premises.

Education – Mission Hills seeks to engage with our staff and educate them on environmental issues. We have held over 450 workshops on environmental best practices and thousands of employees have benefited from this programme. The filter-down effect is that they then pass this information on to their families and friends and this makes more people aware of these issues.

Through its golf academy, Mission Hills has been engaging over 20,000 young golfers to participate in the game with community coaching programmes for local primary and secondary schools as a means to promote the values embedded in golf, and also to encourage an active and healthy lifestyle.

These practices available to all golf course operators to benefit from.

Heritage Golf is a sport enjoyed by people around the world, regardless of race, gender and age but it was only introduced to China two decades ago. To build a golf culture and heritage in China, Mission Hills continues to stage top tier international tournaments.

In recent years, Mission Hills has partnered with world golf legends including Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Annika Sorenstam and Nick Faldo to host a series of junior golf tournaments to promote the junior golf in China.

Social responsibility Mission Hills sees it as its responsibility to give something back to the communities in which it operates. We played an active role in social charities in conjunction with the Mission Hills Group, which has donated more than RMB 500 million to build schools in different provinces in China via an educational foundation. It subsidised several scientific research projects at universities and colleges in mainland China and Hong Kong.

In August 2012, a charitable foundation named after group founder Dr. David Chu was established. The first donation of RMB 1million from the Dr David Chu Memorial Foundation went to the Guangdong Poverty Relief Day. The foundation will focus funding key areas including education, science, culture and sports, orphan care, helping people with social difficulties, and providing emergency assistance in areas hit by natural disasters.

Economic and social benefits Mission Hills employs 15, 000 people full-time. It provides people with a job which not only helps the local economy, it benefits the wider

“We are building a community for staff inside Mission Hills. When staff join, we provide them with social insurance and a housing fund. Additionally, staff are provided with a health benefit system including an annual medical examination and basic in clinics”

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CSR World Leaders Volume 1 community in many other ways by familiarising these employees with the opportunities that a sustainable business operation can bring, thereby extending the social, environmental and economic benefit still further.

The majority of our employees come from the provinces in which our resorts are located. We provide attractive job opportunities for local people with competitive salary package. We also create more career development opportunities and have developed training systems and talent performance programmes.

Training and education Mission Hills has a comprehensive training and talent development system for our employees. Every staff will get their job description, orientation, on-job training, MH competency model, language and assessment programme on joining the business.

We usually partner with local universities to have the students to become trainees to learn the skills, and we will providthe academic education for the staff through co-operation with local universities.

ARE YOU PLANNING FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS?

We are building a community for staff inside Mission Hills. When staff join Mission Hills, we provide them with both social insurance and a housing fund. Additionally, staffs are provided with a health benefit system including an annual medical examination, basic treatment in clinics, duty meals, a swimming pool, library, a supermarket and accommodation in staff quarters. Staff can find everything for their needs just inside Mission Hills. These benefits are not statutory requirements and rarely feature in other enterprises in Chins.

The group’s “Golf and More” leisure philosophy has acted as the catalyst for the sustainable tourism-related business expansion.

Mission Hills’ Centreville, Mission Hills’ Lan Kwai Fong Haikou and Mission Hills’ Huayi Brothers Feng Xiao Gang Movie-Themed town are family-friendly metropolitan leisure complexes and low-carbon town centres. The movie-themed town will showcase the historical revolution in Chinese architecture over the last century and admisison is free to all the public.

For our staff’s professional development, we provide training programmes including outstanding employee recognition, academic education leadership training, language training, Trainer Certificate, cross training, etc. With our group sustained development, we also provide the Group Internal Transfer opportunities, succession planning and other programmes for local employees’ career development.

The Mission Hills legacy continues with the group firmly committed to the following: ● To cultivate a new healthy and sustainable golf heritage in China ● To ensure an environmentally responsible leisure destination ● To join forces with people across cultures and nations to create international goodwill through golf and sporting pursuits ● To expose the youth of our nation to and other sports, thus creating a positive and harmonious international community among all our visitors and those touched by Mission Hills. ◆

To enable ocal people to learn and understand golf, we have the golf academies and also the public driving range.

Professionals developments We see it as essential to foster and retain our employees in order to sustain our group development. To this end, we have developed the following talent development and management programmes: ● Talent and performance, MH competency model, succession plan system, fast tract programme, promotion pathway, team development, team direction and on-job coaching ● We also offer a recognition programme, experience sharing forum, skill and leadership training, language training, trainer certificate (ITT), departmental trainer club and knowledge training

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CSR World Leaders Volume 1 5. NMCNOMENCA PEPPER GARDENS WAR MEMORIAL PROJECT AIM NMCNomenca (part of the North Midland Construction Group) were approached by Mr Ian Kerry from Friends off Ashfield War Memorials to ascertain whether NMCNomenca would be willing or able to assist with the proposed new war memorial on the existing Pepper Gardens memorial site.

We saw this project as an ideal opportunity under our company’s Corporate Social Responsibility policy to put something back into the local community.

We duly offered our services on a “no cost” basis to oversee the design and project managementof the scheme, provide the necessary site labour and also utilise members from our supply chain to offer considerable savings on any materials required.

We were also heavily involved with Mr Kerry and the local planning authority throughout the planning process in which the project duly achieved planning approval. The scheme overview consists of: ● Monument and supporting foundation ● Circular brickwall ● Block paving ● Lighting scheme to illuminate the monument ● Perimeter fencing ● Landscaping with flower beds and grassed areas.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? The aim of the project was to provide a Landmark War Memorial complete with landscaped surroundings at the “Gateway to Ashfield” in memory of all those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in all wars from the start of World War One in 1914 to the present day. The site is situated on the A38 on the borders of Mansfield & Sutton-inAshfield, in Nottinghamshire.

Fitting tribute: the immaculate Pepper Gardens memorial The project was delivered by NMCNomenca working in collaboration with Friends of Ashfield War Memorials in developing proposals that would be agreed by both Ashfield District Council and Nottingham County Council through the various planning stages.

The project was only made possible by considerable voluntary investment from key members of our supply chain, who assisted in providing resources, materials and expertise that allowed the project to be delivered efficiently and within the allocated time constraints.

WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? The estimated project value of around £30,000 was financed through Friends of Ashfield War Memorials via voluntary donations and through

“We saw this as an ideal opportunity to put something back into the community. We offered our services on a “no cost” basis to oversee the design and project management, provide the labour and utilise members of our supply chain to offer considerable savings on materials required”

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CSR World Leaders Volume 1 NMCNomenca and its supply chain, members of which offer major savings on materials.

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? The site chosen was an existing public garden that had previously been allocated by the local authorities for memorial use and wa savailable for renovation, thus negating the need to purchase new land.

In sustainability terms many environmental factors were taken into consideration from the onset. The design was based on the reuse of as many materials as possible, promoting the use of recycled materials and the selection of products fromsustainable sources.

The lighting design to illuminate the memorial was chosen for its low energy/high efficiency qualities and ultimately timer controlled to minimise operational costs and create a lower carbon footprint.

Many people benefited including the local community, the Armed Forces, the emergency services, local and county council, Friends of Ashfield War Memorials, NMCNomenca and the supply chain.

To commemorate the completion of the project, an open day was arranged which involved a memorial service by an army chaplain speeches from the local MP, various councillors and representatives from the various armed forces.

The quality and longevity of the finished product is testament to all parties involved in the construction and on going maintenance of the memorial and its gardens.

The company benefited from a greater awareness/understanding when dealing with projects that require multi stakeholder management.

Junior members of the company were utilised on this project and benefited from the development of their inter-personal and technical skills.!

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At Nomenca Limited we are committed to working closely with our nominated charities and supporting the local community in which we work.

Each one of Nomenca’s regional offices have an ongoing programme of events in place, which aim to raise money for charities and assist local community projects.

effectively, we can strive to create a more sustainable culture of business, both internally within Nomenca, and externally in the marketplace.

CSR World Leaders Volume 1 6. O’BRIEN CONTRACTORS DIVERSIFICATION INITIATIVE TO DRIVE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT AIM In the last three years our 55-year-old family business, O’Bnen Contractors, has been on an extraordinary journey that has seen us implement a massive product and service diversification. ●

We pride ourselves on being a company that cares about its stakeholders and CSR has been at the forefront throughout our developments. Highlights include: Business ● Successfully diversified from specialist to principal contractor, resulting in more lucrative contracts ● Secured our largest ever contract (£8m) ● Excelled against all of our corporate objectives ● On target for record turnover and profits.

Customers and suppliers ● Provided a first class service to our customers, resulting in a 92% customer satisfaction score ● Supported our suppliers by establishing partnerships to trial new products before general release and assist in the development process.

Ensured the safety of everyone on our construction sites, with numerous health and safety accreditations gained.

Community ● Supported local businesses through a regional purchasing policy ● Expanded our workforce, providing employment for 22 additional staff ● Raised over £7k for charity and provided community support to numerous local groups.

We hope that our achievements showcase how businesses can be commercially successful while still demonstrating a strongcommitment and investment to corporate social responsibility issues.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT?

Environmental ● Achieved ISO 14001 accreditation ● Implemented segmented recycling ● Upgraded our vehicle fleet with low-emission models ● Developed a wildlife area at our headquarters.

Challenge Established in 1958 by Tom O’Brien, our family business has grown year on year and is now under the wing of Tom’s sons, Peter and Mick. However back in 2009, after 50 years as a specialist contractor providing drainage and groundworks, our business started to feel the pinch of the recession, with turnover and profit reducing by £3.3m and £330,000 respectively.

People ● Invested £52k in training our staff ● Supported the next generation with work experience placements and apprenticeships ● Provided career development for many staff with numerous internal promotions ● Achieved excellent staff satisfaction results

Solution We developed a two phase strategy to expand with a relatively low investment and strong commitment to long term sustainability: Phase 1: 2009 onwards ● Expand our product and service range to allow us to become principal contractors for our existing sectors – commercial, residential, education and healthcare

“In the last three years our 55-year-old family business has been on an extraordinary journey that has seen us implement a massive product and service diversification. We pride ourselves on being a company that cares about its stakeholders and CSR has been at the forefront throughout our developments”

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Provide a total solution package for our clients (including design, drainage, groundworks, laser levelling, plant hire, sewerage, construction, internal finishing, road/car park installation, maintenance and facilities management), enabling us to tender for larger projects with larger margins.

Phase 2: 2011 onwards ● Diversify sectors and penetrate the expanding market of sport pitch construction ● Provide a total solution package for the whole facility including the installation of either natural or synthetic turf and construction of facilities (changing rooms, receptions, etc).

Objectives Objectives to be achieved by the end of 2012 included: ● Be principal contractor on 35% of our contracts ● Achieve £800k of sports pitch contracts in the first year ● Grow turnover and profit to £13.5m and £275k respectively ● Ensure no single client accounts for more than 15% of our work (2009 baseline 30%) ● Ensure best practice CSR commitments throughout.

HOW DID YOU DO IT? 1. Support from our directors Our directors are now key contacts for clients and conduct regular face-to-face meetings. For example our managing director, Pete O’Bnen, is the key contact for John Sisk and Sons, which led directly to us securing our largest project, an £8m contract to deliver services for Nestlé UK’s £200m factory extension in Derbyshire.

2. Business development team Two members of our staff, Stuart Chamberlain and Phil Grifflths, were promoted to directors and tasked with overseeing our expansion plans. They created a business development team whose sole focus is to research new prospects.

In additional to this, we recruited Steve Hillman as business development manager specifically for the sports pitch. He has successfully secured numerous high profile principal contractor projects for us, including Olympic standard tracks.

3. Marketing campaign We recruited Rebecca Gozdecki as our new marketing manager. She developed a comprehensive and integrated marketing campaign to promote our diversifications, including: ● A comprehensive social media campaign ● Expansion of company website

“Our directors are now key contacts for clients and conduct regular face-to-face meetings. For example our managing director, Pete O’Brien, is the key contact for John Sisk and Sons, which led directly to us securing our largest project, an £8m contract to deliver services for Nestlé UK’s £200m factory extension in Derbyshire”

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New company brochure Exhibiting at trade shows Presenting at networking events Coverage in industry publications.

4. Training/people development To ensure we had the core competencies to facilitate our product and service expansion plans, we held training meetings to analyse what additional skills sets were necessary. In 2012 we invested £52,000 to provide the necessary training, equating to 1,600 training hours.

As a result of the commitment to our workforce, we have seen productivity increase by 21.5% between 2009 and 2012, as detailed: ● In 2009 staff generated £117,058 of turnover per head (based on turnover of £11,003,519 and 94 staff) ● In 2012 staff generated £142,150 of turnover per head (based on turnover of £13,788,562 and 97 staff).

We also received fantastic results from an independent staff survey, which showed that 92% of staff are proud to tell people they work for O’Brien Contractors and 87.5% would recommend working here to friends and family.

5. Innovation/partnering with suppliers In 2012 we invested over £40k in a range of innovative and state-ofthe-art software, plant and machinery allowing us to expand our services offered. We also partnered with software and machinery producers Korec to help develop and trial new technology before its general release.

6. Investment in CSR best practice We have continually invested in CSR best practice in areas including: ● Charity and community work – we have raised £7,343 for charity and supported numerous community groups ● Environmental support – a strong commitment to the environment is at the heart of our operations. Our commitments reach through the whole breath of our operations from sourcing, through to installation and dealing with waste. We also strive to influence sustainability down the supply chain through strict purchasing policies. ● Health and safety – we have ensured the safety of everyone on our

construction sites, with the following results: ● We have improved our AFR (Accident Frequency Rate) from 1.48 in 2009 to 0.95 in 2012 ● We have improved our AIR (Accident Incidence Rate) from 6.9 in 2009 to 2.86 in 2012.

WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? 1. We successfully achieved all of our objectives: ● Principal contractor contracts now account for 40% of sales (target 35%) ● Secured £900k worth of sports pitch contracts (target £800k) ● No single client now accounts for more than 13% of our work (target 15% or less) ● Achieved turnover and profit of £13,788,562 and £299,170 respectively (targets £13.5m and £275k) ● We have gained ISOI 4001 as well as many other accreditations showcasing our CSR commitments.

2. Sustainable development/long term benefits Our expansion plans are highly sustainable as they are ensuring longterm success for many years to come. This is evident from the following: ● Improved reputation – we are now securing increased numbers of contracts through referrals from previous clients, for example our £3.25m contract with Hanson Brickworks led directly to a Elm contract with Ibstock Brick ● Increased repeat business – up from 60% in 2009 to 85% in 2012 ● Expanded client base – 43% expansion of our client base from 35 in 2009 to 50 in 2012 ● Testimonnials – received numerous glowing customer testimonials for 2012 projects ● Independent analysis – in 2012 an independent QMS Customer Satisfaction Survey scored awarded us a Diamond certificate and a record score of 92%.

3. Economic benefits Our diversification plans have allowed us to climb back from the impact of the recession in 2009 and we have a secure order book for 2013-14 of £10m, creating record-breaking turnover forecasts for the coming years of £14.5m in 2013 rising to £16.5m in 2014.

“In 2012 we invested over £40k in a range of innovative and state-of-the-art software, plant and machinery allowing us to expand our services offered. We also partnered with software and machinery producers Korec to help develop and trial new technology before its general release”

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CSR World Leaders Volume 1 Most importantly, our growth has allowed us to expand and recruit an additional 23 members of staff as well as expanding our facilities by 20%.

the resources and capacity to do it for a number of years; it just took some economic pressure to stimulate us to start the process.

4. Beneficiaries As the above achievements demonstrate, our growth has benefited numerous stakeholders including our business, clients, staff, the economy and the environment.

To facilitate our projected growth and increased workload, we plan to recruit an additional six staff and to convert a derelict building adjacent to our headquarters into additional office space.

5. Accreditations We have achieved accreditations including: ● ISO 14001 ● 1809001 ● OHSAS1800I ● CHAS ● Achilles BuildingConfldence ● Achilles LinkUp ● OMS Customer Satisfaction Survey: Diamond Standard.

FURTHER DEVELOPMENT

Despite our growth plans, we aim to keep O’Brien a family business and managing director Peter O’Bnen is currently training his children as the third generation of leaders. His son Tom is a site foreman while daughter Vicki is office administrator. !

6. Influencing the sector/knowledge sharing We believe others can benefits from implementing our growth strategy and we have already experienced rivals McDermott Construction following our lead by diversifying into facilities management.

We are keen to assist others in developing their standards and regularly share best practice knowledge through presenting at best practice clubs and issuing case studies to the press.

WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? We invested approximately £941 K in our diversification plans which covered areas including training, staff expansion, facility expansion, additional equipment and marketing. The funds were sourced from our turnover. We feel this investment has proven extremely worthwhile, as demonstrated by the growth detailed in Project Achievements.

WHAT WE LEARNED The key lesson that we have learned from our diversification journey is that we should have done it years ago as the benefits for both our business and the wider community have been fantastic. We have had

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