The Green Book Volume 20 A Work of Reference
Your guide to Environmental Best Practice by companies, countries, councils and communities
www.thegreenorganisation.info Including
CSR World Leaders Volume 1
A selection of International CSR Excellence Award-winning papers, demonstrating corporate social responsibility programmes at their best.
www.csrawards.co.uk
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Setting the standard
T
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.
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
2
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
A
ABERDEEN CITY COUNCIL MUSIC Page 33 The long-term goal is a sustainable city in 2050, and the shorter-term benefits include an Energy City educational game for five to seven-year-olds; a sustainable living video for teenagers in education; an annual event promoting street life and low carbon transport; and pupils monitoring energy use at home. 01224 523378 wdevall@aberdeencity.gov.uk
I n d e x
ALOR GAJAH MUNICIPAL COUNCIL, MALAYSIA GREEN TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE Page 36 With £50million of foreign investment, this is the first bigscale green technology manufacturing industry in the State of Melaka and it has inspired community-based renewable energy programs as well as other commercially-based green technology approaches. Seven million watts of electricity have been generated from a clean and renewable source from commercial and individual installations of solar photovoltaics, which equals to 6,017 tonnes of reduced CO2 emissions. 0060 17698959 mohamad_shafietaib@yahoo.com
ALUMINIUM BAHRAIN (ALBA) FLUORIDE EMISSION REDUCTION Page 39 Fluoride is a major emission from an aluminium smelter and it is emitted in the form of gaseous fluoride and particulate fluoride in the Hall–Héroult process. Fluoride has a negative health and environmental impact on both humans and animals as well as vegetation growth. With the fortification of our Continuous Emission Monitoring System, the plant fluoride emission for the year 2013 as measured from treatment centres stacks and pot room roofs was 0.92 kg/t.Al. compared to the same value for 2012 which was 1.22 kg/t.Al. – a big improvement. 0097 317837306 salah.aqeel@alba.com.bh
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
3
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
A
AMBASSADOR THEATRE GROUP ALWAYS THINK GREEN (PROJECT BLACKOUT) Page 44 Always Think Green was started in 2012 and part of the programme was an initiative named Project Blackout, where the 39 entertainment venues in the group were surveyed at night, looking for ways to save energy, money and reduce their carbon footprint. Over the past year they have realised a saving of 11% across all sites - despite the electricity price rising by 7%. 0207 4208182 juliethayes@theambassadors.com
I n d e x
AXA PPP HEALTHCARE ISO 14001 Page 46 Many people talk about how they are committed to the environment but AXA PPP preferred to take action and embed their commitment into everything they do. Greening their estate and raising employee awareness about the environment was no easy task but success is now here and employees are in the mindset of “it is just the way we do it here� Achieving ISO 14001 standard is just the beginning and the best is yet to come. 01892 505013 katie.randall@axa-ppp.co.uk
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
4
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
B
BALFOUR BEATTY HELIX CANAL PROJECT Page 49 The new canal reconnects the Forth & Clyde Canal to the Forth River and involved the building of 900 metres of new waterway, with two new lochs and three bridges. This has all been achieved without incident, with increased biodiversity, enhanced flood defences, and 268,000 road miles were avoided during construction. 07977 260285 atillotson@balfourbeatty.co.uk
I n d e x
BFK CROSSRAIL WESTERN TUNNELS Page 53 The aims were to complete the project with as little disruption to everyday life of those close to the site and normal train travel. Particular attention was invested in noise management, and with the work between BFK and the Environment Team, noise was monitored on a daily basis and lessons were learnt for present and future constructions. 078053 04917 tom.howden@kier.co.uk
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, FEDERATION OF INTRODUCING INSTITUTIONAL FUNDING See Page 81
BRECKLAND COUNCIL GRANTS4GROWTH Page 59 Grants4growth delivers clear attributable benefits and demonstrates immediate and unequivocal support for local businesses. Within the first 18 months of operation, £770,000 in grant funding has been distributed, against £6.3million of efficiency initiatives and a current pipeline of £660,000 against planned investment of £6.7million. The project has overcome the barriers to growth, enabling businesses to integrate sustainability into daily life. 01362 656808 simon.best@breckland.gov.uk Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
5
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
B
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
BURNT TREE GROUP RETAIN & REVIVE TO ZERO WASTE Page 62 Having had previous success with their Revive project in 2013, the Zero Waste project was a new venture. Realising that any waste was an inefficiency within the company, this was looked at and it was identified that some processes and mindsets needed to be changed for the better. Improvements were immediately applied with internal and external education given to employees and clients and waste prevention activities on the agenda every day. All parts and materials are now recycled or reused, making this project every bit a Gold Winner. 07870 396354 deborah.greenall@burnt-tree.co.uk
I n d e x
6
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
C
CBRE LTD ZERO LANDFILL Page 66 Project Zero-Landfill aims to establish the Mall Cribbs Causeway as a leader in waste management through their recycling practice. Cardboard, paper, tin and plastics were highlighted as the four main groups which were suitable for recycling. The introduction of balers enabled the recycling team to bale, store and recycle sufficient quantities of these streams both efficiently and cost effectively. Consequently, the project has achieved an annual recycling rate of 60.10% and a landfill diversion rate of 96.29% to date. 07774 005549 paul.smith@mallcribbs.com
I n d e x
CLARKE: DAVE & SON OWN RENEWABLE WORKING SHOWROOM See Page 73
COUCH PERRY & WILKES/IBI NIGHTINGALE KIRKWOOD HOSPICE, HUDDERSFIELD Page 70 Providing specialist palliative care for adults facing life threatening illnesses, along with support for the families, this 25-year-old building needed significant upgrading. At a cost of ÂŁ3million, the Kirkwood scheme was funded from donations and sponsorship, with IBI Nightingale as architects and interior designers throughout the two-year programme. 0113 247 0709 John.Hauton@cpwp.com
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
7
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
D
DAVE CLARKE & SON LTD OWN RENEWABLE WORKING SHOWROOM See 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. Our aim this year, and future years, is to meet many environmental concerns by means of educating and encouraging the development of renewable energy and the national target for 15 per cent of the UK's energy to come from renewable sources by 2020 is firmly within our grasp. 01455 618187 annie_clarke@hotmail.co.uk
I n d e x
DS SMITH, LIVINGSTON WASTE WATER TREATMENT UPGRADE See Page 156
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
8
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
E
ECOPAINT – ANGOLA, LDA OCTOBUILDING Page 75 Ecopaint Angola now provide long term, eco-friendly, recycled and sustainable products for the building trade. These products can also be used for the auto industry and cleaning industry. The membranes they produce are innovative and environmentally friendly, fire retardant, water resistant and they aid in the thermal and acoustic insulation. The products have been used in the Octobuilding that has a grass rooftop, east facing glass panelled side, to the north face, cork and to the south there are solar panels. Internally, recycled materials were used, providing a sustainable eco-building throughout. 00244 928113351 geral@ecopaint-angola.com
I n d e x
EIBE PLAY LTD EASTMENDERS Page 77 Eibe Play, together with the London Borough of Waltham Forest and various installers and subcontractors, have established a framework of play spaces across the East End. Children can develop useful motor skills and eye/hand coordination, as well as having fun. They can also integrate with each other, something that was unavailable, until now, in the built-up areas of the East End. Thousands of smiling faces are testimony to Eibe’s achievements and promises. 01483 813834 rnapier@eibe.co.uk
ENVIRONMENTAL CROP MANAGEMENT HELPING FARMERS MANAGE CLIMATE CHANGE Page 79 ECM are using the non-fungicidal effects of fungicides to reduce the night-time respiration rate of cereal crops and give a 10% yield increase and better grain quality. The project can also mitigate against the effects of climate change and the trial has been expanded to cover 1,200 farms. 01565 777444 peterclare@dial.pipex.com
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
9
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
F
FEDERATION OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA INTRODUCING INSTITUTIONAL FUNDING Page 81 The Environmental Fund of Federation is responsible for collecting funds as well as stimulating and financing preparation, implementation and development of programmes, projects and similar activities pertaining to environmental protection and preservation. Allocating around 49 million KM to 422 projects in the 2010-2013. period, the following thematic areas were covered: waste water management and the sustainable use of water, water protection and quality monitoring, remediation and emergency interventions in cases of environmental disasters and raising awareness of importance of environmental protection. Based on the results achieved in the past four years, there is no doubt that the Fund gives priority to funding the programmes and projects, of environmental protection and energy efficiency of the "vulnerable" and threatened areas of federal significance. 00387 33723680 info@fzofbih.org.ba
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
I n d e x
10
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
G
GREENSHOOTS FUND GREENSHOOTS FUND Page 85 This is a charity established and supported by FMC Technologies, of Dunfermline, to mitigate the environmental impact of FMC’s core product. With a self-imposed levy on all air travel, and with support from suppliers, the charity reached the £100,000 milestone this year – all spent on community carbon reduction projects, with the target of reducing by 42% by 2020. 01383 742046 sheena.johnston@fmcti.com
I n d e x
GUY TAYLOR ASSOCIATES PARSON'S MOUNT, NEWARK-ON-TRENT Page 88 Twelve sustainable sheltered housing units have been built on the site of a listed building, which has been fully refurbished. This is the first Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4 almshouse in the UK, and it uses sustainable materials and techniques like green roofing, high efficiency glazing and timber frame construction. 01636 605100 chris@guytaylorassociates.co.uk
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
11
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
H
HERON BROS LTD DAISY LODGE Page 91 The lodge has been built to the highest standard to be a home from home for those families living here. The first of its kind in Europe, this unique mountain style lodge was built using materials reflective of the surrounding natural beauty and incorporating sustainable and energy efficient technologies throughout. 02879 628505 noel.mullan@heronbros.com
I n d e x
HEWLETT PACKARD LTD THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY – CLOSED LOOP RECYCLING Page 93 HP's recycled polypropylene inkjet printing cartridges are years ahead of expectations and have been independently acclaimed as “an unprecedented engineering innovation”. Among the environmental benefits are 6,900 tons of greenhouse gas emissions avoided last year by recycling instead of using virgin plastic. 07768 728557 lynda_kennedy@hp.com
HINCKLEY & BOSWORTH BOROUGH COUNCIL THE ATKINS BUILDING CULTURAL QUARTER REGENERATION Page 95 Creating 300-plus jobs, securing the future use of a Grade 2 Listed building and the regeneration of a run down area, adjacent to the town centre of Hinckley, were just a few of the key achievements of this project. Overall, the redevelopment has created a sustainable total of 45,000sq ft which includes serviced offices, studio space, meeting/conference facilities, an educational area and a café. 01455 255872 daniel.britton@hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
12
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
I
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
IBI NIGHTINGALE KIRKWOOD HOSPICE, HUDDERSFIELD See COUCH PERRY & WILKES Page 70
I n d e x
13
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
J
J AND J COMPANY (THE ENERGY GIANTS) THE FIRST SOLAR TREE IN AFRICA (FIRST OF ITS PROTOTYPE) ENGINEER: JULIAN IGBO
Page 98 Installed in Imo State Government House, Owerri, in Nigeria, this solar tree has provided much needed energy to the area and giving street lights at night, where fossil fuels could not achieve. The Solar Tree in Imo has 27 branches, signifying the 27 Local Govt. Areas of the State and the Solar Tree in Abuja has 36 branches, signifying the 36 states of Nigeria and Abuja as the centrepiece. 004176 4354655 kayceejulian@yahoo.com
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
I n d e x
14
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
K
KELTBRAY LTD CHELSEA BARRACKS Page 100 The aim was to reduce carbon emissions at Chelsea Barracks. With the aid of a Carbon Footprint Tracker, from the outset all personnel were informed that this was essential to their success. Technical and practical items such as self-closing taps, rainwater flushing toilets and leakage detection systems were installed on site. Further energy saving targets, set by Keltbray and UK Gov, were implemented, ensuring success was achieved and will continue. 07803 246862 alexandra.webb@keltbray.co.uk
I n d e x
KELTBRAY LTD MITRE SQUARE Page 103 The project involved the demolition of ground and eight upper buildings, ready for re-development. Major hazards were exposed, such as asbestos, which was safely removed by Keltbray Environmental Solutions while an existing subway was closed during demolition. Keltbray recycled 97% of the materials produced by demolition and reduced noise levels by using Munchers and Shears. 07803 246862 alexandra.webb@keltbray.co.uk
KIER CONSTRUCTION MAJOR PROJECTS THE T1 TAPESTRY BUILDING Page 105 The T1 Tapestry Building has taken over where the B3 project started and Kier’s canteen staff have been leading by supplying an anaerobic digester with waste food. It is part of Project LEAP, which will provide employment, educational opportunities and reduce food waste going to landfill. All food is transported via zero carbon cargo bicycles and turned into fuel and fertiliser. 0207 2390290 rachel.thompson@kier.co.uk
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
15
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
K
KIER CONSTRUCTION NORTHERN ROCHDALE COMMUNITY FIRE STATION Page 108 Rochdale Community Fire Station was the second in a pair of twin new-build fire stations, and allowed the team to learn important lessons in how to improve end use energy performance for an identical building. It won the highest BREEAM score for a UK fire station. 0151 4485200 bob.fairhurst@kier.co.uk
KNIGHT FRANK LLP
I n d e x
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT Page 109 From the outset of this project, they were achieving zero waste to landfill and in the first year, they recycled 62.5% of their total waste with 37.5% going to energy recovery. After four months of the stage 1 audit, they were credited with ISO14001 and further courses of action were taken. Bins were purchased in different colours and labels were put on them so all retailers were able to recycle correct items with 100% success. 07738 217799 duncan@princesmead.co.uk
KOREA AIRPORTS CORPORATION AVIATION INDUSTRY, DEVELOPMENT OF AC-GPS Page 111 Normally an aircraft’s ground power supply (GPU) is used when parked after landing and before take-off. As the fossil fuel used creates large amounts of carbon dioxide, it has been one of the main factors in damaging the environment. In order to solve these problems, Korea Airports Corporation has developed the ecofriendly AC-GPS for the first time as an airport operator, which transforms the commercial electrical power of 60 Hz into the aviation power of 400 Hz and reduces the carbon dioxide emissions by up to 80%. It enhances safety by improving the electrical power quality, reduces operational fault by improving the control modules and offers easy maintenance. 0082 2 2660 2397 merrysu@airport.co.kr
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
16
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
L
LEDCORP THE HOWARD CENTRE RETROFIT Page 113 Having not made renovations to some of the centre’s car park since the early 1990s, LEDCorp needed new designs for a lighting system that would not only be environmentally beneficial, but also cost saving. Energy consumption since the retrofit has reduced from 22% to 15% of their total energy usage and due to the success of the car park, LEDCorp has been asked to retrofit the internal fittings of the Howard Centre with their technology. 01732 228110 allen.brockington@winchenergy.com
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
I n d e x
17
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
M
MANIT CONTRACTORS PREBEND STREET CAR PARK Page 116 Converting an old Railway Yard into a 284-space sustainable car park was the project obtained by Manit Contractors. This was achieved in a 16 week period and now the current occupancy is over 90%. The site offered materials that were recycled, greatly reducing the carbon footprint and reducing the amount of vehicle movements to and from the site. A SUDS drainage system was put in place, reducing the number of gullies and drainage systems that would normally be required. 07842 146794 manitcontractors@btconnect.com
I n d e x
MEERCAT ASSOCIATES ZERO-2-LANDFILL INITIATIVES Page 118 Reducing traffic flows, covering every possible waste stream with a waste management process and building a Zero-2-Landfill community were the main aims for Meercat Associates and partners. This has been implemented in many UK districts, with costs reduced by 40-50% across the board, and where up to 19 suppliers of waste removal were used, there is just one. 07771 634611 andrew@meercatassociates.com
MERSEYSIDE PENSION FUND ENVIRONMENTAL/BUILDING EFFICIENCY 2014 Page 121 The first priority was to identify all achievable energy savings at minimal costs to tenants of the building and all aspects of all utilities were considered. The first options available that would be easy to achieve were the toilet taps. Traditional taps were replaced by water sensor type taps and they made considerable savings to water consumption. A rainwater containment unit was introduced for plant watering, saving even more water and costs. 07767 891403 derek.parsons@cbrems.com
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
18
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
M
MORCLEAN LTD BIN WASH CITY Page 123 Morclean has developed a unique mobile bin washing system that makes the unpleasant job safer, cleaner and more environmentally friendly. Using batteries and recycling the water enables the system to be used all day without topping up or charging. 01246 471147 peter@morclean.com
MORGAN SINDALL
I n d e x
INNOVATIVE SUSTAINABILITY MANAGEMENT Page 125 Embedding sustainability into everything they say and do, from the top down, is what they have committed to doing. This is how they are helping the people, the planet and their profits. Having used this to great effect, the first construction ever passing Passivhaus and BREEAM "Outstanding" classification was built at the University of East Anglia. They have a sustainability task force and share ideas with other companies for future improvements. 01603 666669 darren.carter@morgansindall.com
MOUSEMESH MOUSEMESH INBUILT Page 128 This new product is available to architects, planners, designers and builders of the construction industry. It is an air brick which prevents pests/vermin entering buildings, with a humane prevention and benefits human health. Made from environmentally friendly materials, this product is long lasting and animal friendly too. 0208 3685060 info@mousemesh.co.uk
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
19
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
M
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
MVBJV LEE TUNNEL PROJECT Page 130 This project prevents 16 million tonnes of sewage, mixed with rainwater, from overflowing into the River Lee each year. The Lee Tunnel incorporates vital safeguards for wildlife and provides four million cubic metres of underground storage before sewage is transferred to the treatment works. 0797 6181272 vanessa.jury@leetunnel.co.uk
I n d e x
20
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
N
NATIONWIDE SOLUTIONS GROUP LTD GREEN FIRE INITIATIVE Page 133 The main focus on all environmental projects undertaken through the Green Fire Initiative and implemented on industrial sites, brown field sites and damaged land, will be biodiversity, environmental sustainability, carbon offset and flood reduction, as well as the overall aesthetic value of the land. The target is to plant half a million native trees by 2020 throughout the UK that have been grown from UK seed from Nationwide Forestry Solutions Ltd. 0844 8736130 jmurcott@nw-solutionsgroup.com
I n d e x
NETWORK RAIL/PARSONS BRINCKERHOFF CROSSRAIL KENT Page 136 With the widening of the railway corridor between Plumstead and Abbey Wood, East London, the companies were obliged, under the 2006 NERCA act, to conserve biodiversity in this area. The enhancing of species populations and restoration of habitat was top of the list in this project and all targets were met, with no net loss for biodiversity and a wider tree planting target through to 2017, benefits for the environment have been enhanced. 07896 222886 emanuele.stella@pbworld.com
NORTH KESTEVEN DISTRICT COUNCIL SLEAFORD LEISURE CENTRE REDEVELOPMENT Page 138 At a time when many local authorities were closing their leisure centres, NKDC gave their community a state of the art facility. Swimming has been part of this community since 1886. The refurbished centre has exceeded all expectations and was delivered on time and at half the cost of a new facility. It now provides the community with swimming and fitness areas, to a new build standard and significantly extended the sustainable life of the centre. 01529 308281 scott_masterman@n-kesteven.gov.uk
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
21
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
N
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
NMC/NOMENCA ST BARDOLF STW Page 141 This project has achieved some amazing results, including processing 85,000 cubic metres of raw and storm sieved sewage into streams of materials that could be used elsewhere within the construction industry. These included 50k tons of sand, 70k tons of 10mm gravel, 40k tons of 20mm gravel and 17k tons of other materials that was used for backfill, saving over ÂŁ1.2million in the process. 07970 136559 bill.ball@nmcnomenca.co.uk
I n d e x
22
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
P
PARSONS BRINCKERHOFF/NETWORK RAIL CROSSRAIL KENT See Page 136
PEEL MEDIA LTD MEDIACITYUK Page 143 Originally a brownfield site, Dock 10 in Salford Quays became the aspirational site to create a digital hub and vibrant community. MediaCityUK was born and became the catalyst for a ÂŁ600million BBC development. Undertaken as a joint venture with Salford City Council, to name but one venture, a new footbridge over the Manchester Ship Canal has been built, right into the heart of the city along with a dedicated Metrolink stop. Over 53% of construction went into the local economy with 3,200 jobs established and growth continues. 0161 8865300 derek.elliott@mediacityuk.co.uk
I n d e x
POWER YOUR FUTURE SOLAR FOR SCHOOLS Page 146 This project aims to install free solar power generation systems in schools and help educate pupils about the importance of sustainability. The systems have been installed in 110 schools across the UK, resulting in 1,300 tonnes of CO2 being saved each year. The schools have offset the electricity they generate against the electricity they use, resulting in lower energy bills. 01732 228110 victoria.swain@winchenergy.com
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
23
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
P
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
PROPELAIR PROPELAIR Page 149 Having developed and patented a toilet system that saves the 84% of water used by the average UK toilet and 80% of its carbon footprint is quite an achievement. The toilet is more hygienic as it removes 99.9% of waterborne contaminates, has a very quick refill, reduces queuing times in public toilets and produces less sewage, requiring less treatment. Probably the most environmentally friend toilet in the world. 07718 539986 anthony.blaiklock@propelair.com
I n d e x
24
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
S
SALIIS LTD EXPORTED SOLAR PV Page 151 Saliis is one of the major companies in Northern Ireland, offering 'free' and 'paid-for' PV solar installations. They provide services to both domestic and commercial properties, ensuring savings for all – and major reductions in CO2 emissions. 02890 455136 michael.burke@saliis.com
SINDICATUM SUSTAINABLE RESOURCES
I n d e x
THE RENEWCO PROJECTS Page 153 Contributing to the sustainable development of South & South East Asia, by meeting the growing demand for energy, this project aids the conversion of methane gas to clean energy and the promotion of all green energy solutions. Located in all areas of low reliable power, such as Thailand, RenewCo projects provide clean energy to communities in need, giving social, economic and environmental benefits. They aim to be a world provider of clean energy with the utilisation of sustainable natural products and waste. They have exported 573,000 of clean power to the grid to date and reduced CO2 emissions by 2.6million tonnes, the equivalent of six million barrels of oil NOT being consumed. 0207 1480305 farida.lowe@sindicatum.com
DS SMITH, LIVINGSTON WASTE WATER TREATMENT UPGRADE Page 156 By choosing peristaltic pumps instead of air driven ones on a new waste water treatment plant, air power consumption dropped by 18%. Tankered untreated waste is a thing of the past and the new system allows the use of treated water, instead of the previous fresh requirement. 07876 446846 kenny.mullen@dssmith.com
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
25
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
S
SPACEVAC TECHNOLOGIES HIGH LEVEL CLEANING EQUIPMENT Page 158 Spacevac has developed a system for cleaning at height without the need for platforms, ladders or any other climbing equipment - making the job more pleasant and safer. The system is used by companies such as Asda and Rolls-Royce where it has reduced cleaning costs. 01604 760282 bill@randsindustrialservices.co.uk
ST ALBAN’S DISTRICT COUNCIL
I n d e x
WESTMINSTER LODGE LEISURE CENTRE Page 160 Opened in 1971, the Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre (WLLC) had dated facilities that were costly to maintain. The new WLLC was relocated, so the existing centre could still operate and building materials were selected to address the sustainable and low maintenance aims and objectives and reinforce the history of the site. These included Grade A Ancaster Limestone (as per main façade of St. Alban’s Cathedral) and flint (as per Verulamium Park Roman Ruins). 01727 819365 Richard.Shwe@stalbans.gov.uk
SUBANG JAYA MUNICIPAL COUNCIL, MALAYSIA THE BIOMASS WAY Page 162 With 55% organic waste, 30% recycled waste and 15% other waste generated in the community, 40% of the council’s revenue was spent on waste disposal. This was unacceptable so changes were made. Programmes for waste management were implemented and the Biomass Project was born. In 2013 a Biomass Centre was established at Bandar Bukit Puchong with the concept Waste to Wealth at its forefront, aiming to reduce waste disposal by 22%, recycling as much as possible, turning food waste into fuel and turning the municipality into a Biomass city by 2020. 00603 80263125 nurfazian@mpsj.gov.my
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
26
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
T
TAYLOR ASSOCIATES: GUY PARSON’S MOUNT, NEWARK-ON-TRENT See Page 88
TEAM VAN OORD MEDMERRY MANAGED REALIGNMENT Page 164 Coastal realignment and coastal sea defences are becoming a sustainable option now, due to rising sea levels and other challenges. Team Van Oord have unique and innovative approaches to these issues and have influenced the Environment Agency on future policies. With this project, they have protected 348 properties, sewage works and caravan parks, which equates to £90 million of economic benefits, and given Green Tourism opportunities to grow. 01273 492212 Jacqui.bandy@mackley.co.uk
I n d e x
TELFORD SHOPPING CENTRE (DTZ) PROJECT ZERO Page 167 Project Zero is exactly what it set out to do – zero waste to landfill. This has been achieved in 22 months by appointing a part-time recycling manager who liaised with 170-plus tenant managers and staff to embrace the project and deliver with a passion for the environment. All tenants comply with the policies and new tenants are briefed immediately so success can continue. 01952 238002 doug.lebeau@telfordshopping.co.uk
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
27
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
T
THE HEART, WALTON-ON-THAMES THE HEART OF SUSTAINABILITY Page 170 Zero waste to landfill was the main objective. All sources of waste – be it food, plastic, metal or cardboard – have been recycled or reused and food waste generated by retailers has been turned into bio-fuel for renewable power generation. General waste to landfill has decreased from 261.4 tonnes to zero in just six years, a project all centres could adopt. 01932 225 225 t.gomm@theheartofwalton.com
I n d e x
TRG PEST CONTROL TREE BEE ADOPTION PROGRAMME Page 173 This wildlife project has raised public awareness of the issues and dangers faced by the Tree Bee and the dangers they pose to themselves by living so close to humans. There have been seminars and written educational media showing the environmental impact that disturbing these bees could have and why the relocation of their nests should be the first priority instead of destroying them. 01704 894018 abigail@reade.me.uk
TUSKER TUSKER GREEN SCHEME Page 176 The company is really plugged in to electric vehicles and it has improved its environmental performance by offering customers a unique carbon offsetting option. 30,000 tons of emissions have been offset in this way and customers are also encouraged to drive ultra-low emission vehicles that can save them £500 a year. 03334 007451 naomi.wayne@tuskerdirect.com
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
28
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
U
UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS LONDON WIMBLEDON COLLEGE OF ART STUDIO BUILDING Page 179 Out of only 45 Outstanding BREEAM buildings in the higher education sector, this was the first. Compared to standard building regulations, this building will save £71,000 over ten years on revenue costs, increase its sustainability on catering, utility consumption (down from £5 million to £4.1 million per year) and it is the first London university to use the Chartered Institute of Procurement Specialists Sustainable Index to improve environmental management system. 0207 5142612 i.lane@arts.ac.uk
I n d e x
UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL OF NORTH MIDLANDS NHS TRUST WATER REDUCTION PROGRAMME Page 182 With 700,000 patients a year and 7,000 staff, water demand was very high and expensive. The solution was to implement a three-prong strategy on leaks, clinical innovation and staff engagement. Although bed numbers have increased, water consumption has decreased to the point where they save £210,000 a year, and 140 tonnes of carbon emissions. 01782 672091 charlie.cox@uhns.nhs.uk
UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS FIFE PARK DEMOLITION Page 185 The aim was to minimise environmental impact when demolishing student accommodation by encouraging reuse and recycling of the building and contents. Re-use has included carpet tiles, kitchen units, smoke alarms, white goods and furniture. On a larger scale, shower pods are melted down for recycling, and Sir Robert McAlpine will recycle wood and glass and reduce the structure for use in foundations and road surfaces. 01334 463012 sjm17@st-andrews.ac.uk
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
29
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
V
VAUXHALL MOTORS ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS & IMPROVING PRACTICE Page 187 Having four sites that are landfill free, Vauxhall are raising their profile to show their environmental sustainability is reducing the amount of the earth’s resources in their production, increasing the recycling of products for production and reducing waste to zero. During the last 12 months Vauxhall Forest was born and all employees are encouraged to plant trees by shopping online. They have created a Green Room at HQ and a 33% target for a reduction in waste should be achieved by the end of the year. 07775 825073 ian.allen@gm.com
I n d e x
VICKERS ENERGY GROUP ENERGY MANAGEMENT Page 189 Through their advanced energy management systems and control software, Vickers Energy Group are dedicated to saving business energy costs by as much as 60%. This not only increases profit but also improves environmental credentials of the companies who use their services. Over ten years, customers’ use of gas has been reduced by 10.5billion kWh and CO2 emissions by two million tonnes. This has earned them the Queens Award for Environmental Achievement. 08707 420808 ah@vickers-electronics.co.uk
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
30
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Y
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
YEALANDS FAMILY WINES LTD YEALANDS FAMILY WINES Page 190 Founded in 2008, Yealands had the goal of becoming the world’s most sustainable wine producer. Having won a number of international awards for sustainability, they have realised that sustainability has a no-end point and they must continue to refine their practices to stay number one in the world. By incorporating the country’s largest solar array along with wind and biological renewable energy supply initiatives, they have become four times more energy efficient than standard wine producers. Power consumption has reduced by 750 kWh per annum and the burning of vine prunings in preference to LPG, has reduced CO2 emissions by 161 tonnes per annum. They have an extensive composting programme that collects waste from other companies such as grape skins, aquaculture and untreated sawmill waste, that they use to reduce chemical application and improve the soil water holding capacity and microorganism activity. They have also planted over 200,000 trees to encourage wildlife and bio diversity. 0064 3 575 7618 ext 7319 Michael.Wentworth@Yealands.co.nz
I n d e x
31
renault.co.uk
MEET ZOE, THE FRENCH
SUPERMODEL.
LESS THAN 2P PER MILE FUEL COST* TOUCHSCREEN TECHNOLOGY WITH INTEGRATED NAVIGATION AUTOMATIC CLIMATE CONTROL
RENAULT ZOE. 100% ELECTRIC. CO2 while driving: 0. MPG: N/A. *Equivalent to 2p per mile based on (i) overnight electricity costs (British Gas Clear & Simple Economy 7 unit rates for a customer paying by Direct Debit as at 1 April 2015, assuming 7 hours of charging at the night rate and 1 hour on the day rate), and (ii) a range of up to 126 miles per full charge (based on 95% efficiency and 17! wheels). 26p per day standing charge applies. Actual consumption and range may vary: Renault ZOE can travel up to 130 miles on a single charge, based on the new European Driving Cycle (NEDC). Renault also publish real life ranges of 63 miles (winter) to 94 miles (temperate conditions), reflecting range variations from driving style, road conditions, heating and other external factors.
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 ABERDEEN CITY COUNCIL MITIGATION IN URBAN AREAS: SOLUTIONS FOR INNOVATIVE CITIES (MUSIC) PROJECT AIM The aim of the MUSIC project is to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 50% by 2030 within the partner cities. The five cities of Aberdeen, Gent, Ludwigsburg, Rotterdam and Montreuil went through a stakeholder led process called Transition Management (supported by DRIFT – Dutch Research Institute for Transitions). This consisted of a series of workshops attended by people from a range of sectors including education, business, local authority and communities. During this process the stakeholders produced a vision for a more sustainable Aberdeen in 2050 as well as an action plan for reducing CO2 emissions. Outputs from the project included six working groups established in 2013 with actions to reduce CO2 emissions and create a more sustainable future city of Aberdeen. A steering group was also set up – the Sustainable Aberdeen Implementation Group – to help facilitate this. In 2014 a network of more than 50 stakeholders meet regularly to carry out these objectives.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Working groups achievements Sustainability from primary to school leaver level An Energy City game was developed on energy and sustainable living for primary 5-7 children, supported by an educational package for students and families. Shared learning for sustainability Partners are developing a video on sustainable living by June 2014 aimed at secondary school and further/higher education students. Practical energy management Partners are developing a project where secondary school pupils will monitor energy use at home starting from August 2014. Aberdeen City and Shire Transport Plan An e-forum is being developed providing information to the
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Right note: vision of a more sustainable Aberdeen public about consultations and transport developments, allowing questions and discussions on transport option improvements. Celebrate the streets From 2013 this group participated in organising a yearly event promoting alternative uses for streets and low carbon transport, scheduled in September each year. Remote working hubs A trial day took place at the SRUC campus at Craibstone in April 2014. Five people took part to test out the pros and cons of remote working. The three education projects above will reduce CO2 emissions through working with pupils, families and students on energy efficiency. The transport and remote working hubs projects will reduce emissions through changing transport habits.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? MUSIC involved a stakeholder led process (Transition Management) involving eight workshops to produce a vision and action plan for a sustainable Aberdeen with reduced CO2 emissions. A magazine was produced detailing this process. This was presented at an event – The Sustainable Aberdeen Summit) on December 4 2013
33
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 at Aberdeen Art Gallery. 58 people attended the summit which included support and presentations from the leader of Aberdeen City Council (ACC) Councillor Barney Crockett, the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure at Aberdeen City Council, Gordon McIntosh, as well as stakeholders from NESTRANS and Robert Gordon University. The following working groups have gone on to produce results: One group was created to support the investment of photovoltaic panels at Loirston Primary School through the MUSIC Project. The investment of solar panels on a local primary school led to the direct benefits of an economic saving for the school on their energy bill, as well as offering a learning opportunity about renewable energy for the pupils, teachers and local community. An education package to support the solar panel installation included the development of an online game, Energy City, which was launched in March 2014. The game was developed by ACC and SCARF to assist learning on energy and sustainable living for primary 5-7 children. An energy efficiency toolkit is also being developed by the ACC Energy Management Team to supplement the game. Partners in the working group intend to work together to further develop the educational package in primary schools.
questions. Partner organisations will provide weekly articles which people can respond to on transport issues. Another group took part in an event to recognise alternative uses for streets and promote low carbon transport in September 2013. Partners are working to expand the event for September 2014. A trial day of remote working hubs took place at the SRUC campus at Craibstone on 4th April 2014. Five people took part in the trial day and further trial days are planned for 2014. Sustainable Aberdeen Implementation Group (SAIG) This group was developed in 2013 through the MUSIC process and is a partnership of organisations who meet quarterly to push the sustainability agenda. The working groups and SAIG will continue to have quarterly meetings to develop outcomes until the MUSIC project finishes in December 2014 and beyond. The reason we did it was because Aberdeen County Council wanted to work with other stakeholders to produce joint solutions to reducing CO2 emissions and cocreating a more sustainable city. Strategic drivers for change also include legislation (Climate Change Scotland Act 2009 targets of 80% reduction in Green House Gas (GHG) emissions by 2050) and corporate policy (ACC Carbon Management Plan).
The University of Aberdeen and Bucksburn Academy are working together to develop a video on sustainable living and energy efficiency aimed at secondary school pupils and further/higher education students. The video will be produced in time for the Rethinking Energy conference in June 2014.
WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM?
Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) is working with Bucksburn Academy to develop a project where secondary school pupils will monitor their energy use in the home. This will help pupils and families improve their energy efficiency in the home.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED?
An e-forum is under development that will provide information to the public about consultations regarding transport, as well as providing a place for people to ask
Projects are producing an online game for primary children, a video for secondary schools/students, an energy-monitoring project in schools, a transport e-forum,
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
The total budget was 645,000 Euros and 50% was funded by ACC and 50% by the EU Interreg IVB NWE Programme, as part of the European Regional Development Fund.
Six working groups were formed on a range of sustainability themes including education, citizenship, transport, energy and reduction of carbon emissions; acting as a starting point and catalyst for wider change.
34
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 an event on celebrating the streets, and a trial day for remote working hubs. Some of the benefits from the process are: ● Legal compliance with Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 ● Improved health and wellbeing of citizens of Aberdeen ● Reduced commuting costs and emissions from commuting ● Behavioural change ● Partnership working. Those who have benefited include: Primary school teachers, pupils and the wider community through the Energy City game and education toolkit for schools ● ACC benefited through the installation of solar photovoltaic panels on Loirston Primary and resultant utility bill reduction ● Secondary schools, pupils and families through the home energy monitoring project ● Secondary schools and further/higher education students through the video on sustainable living ● Organisations through learning about pros and cons of remote working hubs and potential for shared office space ● Stakeholders through the e-forum on transport ● Stakeholders through the event organised to celebrate the streets and promote low carbon transport. ● Stakeholders through SAIG pushing the sustainable agenda in Aberdeen. ●
status quo and find new ways of reducing carbon emissions such as by working at remote working hubs and finding alternative uses for streets opposed to driving cars.
CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS LEARN FROM THE PROJECT? Transition Management can be replicated by any organisation facilitating change. This methodology works particularly well with sustainability transitions. The manual developed by DRIFT can be found at: www.drift.eur.nl/wpcontent/uploads/2012/05/DRIFT-MUSIC-TransitionManagement-In-Urban-Context.pdf
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED? We learned how to co-create projects from a shared vision with a variety of stakeholders. ACC intend to continue to continue to work with partners to reduce CO2 emissions through MUSIC project groups and develop a Climate Change Framework, including a stakeholder led process to develop a Sustainable Energy Action Plan for Aberdeen. ◆
WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM ACHIEVEMENTS? MUSIC acts as a catalyst for increased partnership working and promoting change towards a more sustainable Aberdeen. The aims of the project continue to be overseen by SAIG which will meet beyond the completion of the MUSIC Project in December 2014.
WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? Transition Management is an innovative methodology which is stakeholder led, rather than organisational led. The resulting projects are also stakeholder led with support from ACC and MUSIC as required. The ideas themselves are innovative as they seek to challenge the
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
35
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 ALOR GAJAH MUNICIPAL COUNCIL, MALAYSIA ALOR GAJAH MUNICIPAL COUNCIL GREEN TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE PROJECT AIM The project is aimed at the creation of a sustainable urban systems in the Alor Gajah Municipal Council area of jurisdiction, in particular the generation of electricity from renewable energy sources. Solar energy has been identified as the most feasible option in this initiative. The project objectives as follow: ● To co-ordinate with government agencies and commercial entities in the implementation of solar energy technology projects ● To promote and execute policies that conforms with sustainable development practices and green technology application ● To promote the development of green technology industry as catalyst for economic sustainability ● To educate and create awareness amongst the community on sustainable energy ● To develop and upgrade green technology-based infrastructure and utilities in line with the existing and future land use planning ● To achieve targets of sustainability based on sustainable development indicators.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The development of the AUO Sunpower Sdn. Bhd. solar cell factory in the Rembia industrial area of Alor Gajah, is the first big-scale green technology manufacturing industry in the State of Melaka. The RM2.5 billion foreign direct investment has successfully inspired community based renewable energy programmes as well as other industrial and commerciallybased green technology approaches. A total of 7MW of electricity were generated from a clean and renewable source (solar) from commercial and individual installations of solar photovoltaics, which equalled 6,017 tonnes of CO2 emission reduction is targeted for Alor Gajah area with an additional 10%
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Bright sparks: electricity from renewable energy generation from public amenities areas installed by the council. The following projects were proposed and implemented in the Alo Gajah municipality: ● A target of 2MW of electricity generation from Solar Retrofitting On Rooftops Community Project (Individual Installations). Status: pilot project involving nine houses retrofitted with solar PV panels (45kWp) ● 5MW Solar Farm Project (Commercial). Status : Project completed ● 163 units of public street lighting poles fitted with solar and hybrid technology. Status: Project completed and new installations planned ● Two units of bus stops with solar PV-generated lighting. Status: Project completed, new installations planned (retrofit existing bus stops with solar PV for lighting).
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? This project focuses on promoting and maintaining renewable energy projects that involves both the public and private sector within the Alor Gajah Municipal Council area as a catalyst for green technology implementation and sustainable development approaches, specifically in the application of solar energy technology in an urban scale
36
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM?
of utility bills from the installations. The savings may then be channelled to other beneficial projects to the local community. The project has benefited the local community as a whole and responds to the economic, social and environmental aspects of sustainability as follows: ● Supply of energy from a renewable and clean source and saving of energy from conventional sources (fossil fuel) ● Supply of green technology components and systems for local and international markets ● Create jobs in the green technology industry ● Produce skilled and semi-skilled workers in the green technology industry ● Create awareness for sustainability.
The whole initiative involves many projects and processes which include funding from government and private sector. Based on the initiative and projects that has been planned and completed in Alor Gajah, the federal government has agreed to fund approximately RM300,000 to prepare a special area plan for the implementation of additional green technology project components.
The local community and the private sector also benefited from : ● Potential income from the production of electricity – the Malaysian Feed-in Tariff policy) ● Incentives and tax exemptions for the application of green technology and within the industry;
environment. The project was initiated based on the Green Technology Policy launched by the Prime Minister in 2009. Malaysia is also adopting an indicator of a voluntary reduction of up to 40 per cent in terms of emissions intensity of GDP (gross domestic product) by the year 2020 compared to 2005 levels. This is in line with the state government’s intention to lead in the green technology sector in the country which will result in having cities, townships and communities built on the fundamentals of green technology.
The estimated total cost is RM1,586,290.962.50 in three phases of development as follows: ● First phase development cost (2013-2015) = RM 477,212,125.00 ● Second phase development cost (2016-2020) = RM 667,437,837.50 ● Third phase development cost (2021-2025) = RM 441,641,000.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? The following figures are based on 7mw of electricity generated from the current development components: Carbon emission factor 0.614 ton CO /MWh with peak solar hour (PSH) in Malaysia is approximately 1,400 hour/year = 7 x 1,400 = 9,800 MWh/year. Reduction of CO2: 9,800 x 0.614 = 6,017 tonnes of CO2 a year Another 8MW of electricity generated from solar PV installed at rooftops (1,600 homes) and 5MW from a solar farm in the next phases of development is targeted. Through pilot projects of solar-hybrid powered street lighting, the council has recorded more than 50% savings
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? ●
●
Dynamic development of green technology through the proposed research, development, innovation and commercialization institution; Reduction of CO2 emissions.
The project has encouraged the council to mobilise its resources and jurisdiction as a local authority to ensure that beneficial green technology projects are implemented within its area to create economic opportunities to the locals and contribute to sustainable development. The council has also introduced guidelines which have gained support from the private sector, especially property developers. to implement green technology components in new property development projects. Other councils are monitoring and adopting the green technology initiatives from the Alor Gajah Municipal Council based on projects most suitable for their area and community.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM THE PROJECT? ●
Understanding the evolution of world green investments
37
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
●
●
●
●
and assess demand both nationally and locally Understanding the Government's fiscal policy to encourage private sector investment, and assessing challenges in green investments and strategies to overcome them Emphasize the opportunities and investment strategies in various green industries Reviewing the decisions and strategies of capital resources How to maximise return on investment.
The council has also identified challenges in the implementation of green technology development components as follows: ● Land acquisition for specific green technology project components purpose ● Funding for specific project components ● Commitment of private sector (industry players/property developers/commercial entities); ● Procedures and bureaucracy in the implementation of Feed-In Tariff; ● General nature of green technology policies.
ARE YOUR PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS? ●
●
●
● ● ●
● ●
Community programmes on sustainable practices, sustainable development and green technology Sustainable development approaches and green technology application guidelines in new development plans Research, development, innovation and commercialisation of solar energy technology More green technology industry as development catalyst Green management for existing development Development of green technology-based infrastructure and utilities Sustainable development indicators Develop incentives for property developers, investors, communities, businesses and home owners.
Alor Gajah Municipal Council has presented a project component in the initiative – the Solar Community Pilot Project – to the Malaysian Productivity Council Innovative and Creative Circle and won the Gold Award in June 2014. ◆
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
38
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 ALUMINIUM BAHRAIN (ALBA) FLUORIDE EMISSION REDUCTION PROJECT AIM Fluoride is a major emission from an aluminium smelter. It is emitted in the form of gaseous fluoride (HF) and particulate fluoride (NaAlF4, Na3AlF6, CaF2) in the Hall–Héroult process. Fluoride is known to have negative health and environmental impact, as its effects on humans and animals as well as vegetation growth are well documented. In a modern aluminium smelter the fluoride emission is controlled by utilising fume treatment dry scrubbers to absorb and recycle fluoride back to the process and by following best practices in pot room operation. Nevertheless, some amount of fluoride is emitted from both the treatment unit stack and the pot room roof in the form of fugitive emission. Our project aims to reduce the total fluoride emission from the smelter to well below the legal limit by strengthening the emission monitoring strategy and then identifying the most significant sources of emission. The next stage is to identify readily available and easy solutions, applying the solutions and finally reassessing the benefits and doing necessary adjustments. Basically, it is following the PlanDo-Check-Act cycle. Process improvements carried out must be practical, sustainable, and creative, and aim to achieve modest and realistic benefits that has no negative impact on the smelter performance.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Total average plant fluoride emission for the year 2013 as measured from treatment centers stacks and pot room roofs was 0.92 kg/t.Al. In compression the same value for 2012 was 1.22 kg/t.Al. The average for the years 2008 – 2012 was 1.246 kg/t.Al, which is slightly short of the legal limit. Along with the improvement in total HF emission the total
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Smelter control: fluoride emissions are reduced particulate has also reduced since the implemented control measures effect both HF and TP. The average TP from pot room roof for 2013 was 1.42 kg/t.Al while last year’s value was 1.97 and the average for the previous five years was 1.60 kg/t.Al. The other achievement is the fortification of our Continuous Emission Monitoring System (CEMS) monitoring technique. There are known reliability issues with the pot room roof (CEMS) that use the Laser Open Path measurement technique due to the harsh conditions inside the pot room. This was addressed in a simple and creative modification to boost the reliability of the monitoring device, and hence the emission control as a whole.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? In the Hall–Héroult process aluminium is commercially produced from its raw material which is aluminium oxide. In this process Al2O3 is injected in a Cryolite melt that is maintained in a reduction cell. An electrical current is passed through the cell where Aluminium and Oxygen are separated. The aluminium settles to the base of the cell on the cathode and oxygen reacts with the carbon anodes to
39
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 form carbon oxides, so the anodes are periodically replaced. Fluoride in the form of AlF3 is added to reduce the melting temperature and to aid in the thermal balance of the process Modern aluminium smelters have come a long way since the process was established. Alba has started production in the early 1970s with two reduction lines and the associated ancillary departments such as the power plant, carbon plant and cast house producing around 120,000 tonnes per annum. Now Alba has five reduction line with an annual production capacity of close to a million tonnes. Back in 1992 Alba has installed pollution abatement plants to capture, treat and recycle the reduction cell gasses that are rich in fluoride. The older lines were retrofitted with this technology. In total Alba currently has eight gas treatment centres that are linked with the reduction lines. As the plant expanded and production increased through current creep, this has placed a bigger toll on the treatment units and our fluoride emissions started to increase. The continuous emission monitoring system (CEMS) reliability was not exceptional, and it was either not working or giving ridiculous values that cannot be trusted. This has indirectly contributed to relaxing operation practices that are related to fluoride emissions. Top management were committed in setting this aspect right and controlling pot room roof emissions to well below the legal limit and this was supported by the board of directors. Aluminium is the third most abundant element in the earth's crust after oxygen and silicon, but because of its chemical reactivity, is never found in nature as an element but always in its oxidised form such as bauxite, which is the base raw material for primary aluminium production. The bulk of world bauxite production (approximately 85%) is used as feed for the manufacture of alumina via a wet chemical caustic leach method commonly known as the Bayer process. The alumina is then transported to primary aluminium smelters (such as Alba) where the process of aluminium reduction occurs. To some extent the term smelting is a misnomer because although high temperatures are
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
required, the aluminium reduction process is an electrolytic process during which the passage of electricity through the molten alumina reduces the oxide to a metal. Aluminium reduction takes place in a series of pots or electrolytic cells that consist of a metal shell lined with carbon (which forms the cathode) together with a pot superstructure that supports a series of anodes. Electricity is passed through the anode, and then through the electrolytic media (or bath/Cryolite) to the cathode. The process that is commonly used in the aluminium industry and that is used in all five existing pot rooms in Alba is the Hall-Heroult process. Alba Line 1 to Line 3 are fitted with electrolysis cells developed by Montecatini. Line 4 and Line 5 are based on pot technology by Aluminium Pechiney (AP30). Pots are arranged in series and connected by aluminium busbars, which conduct the electricity. During pot operations the anodes are gradually consumed and need to be replaced and it is for this reason that aluminium smelters typically have facilities for the production of anodes. The major components of an aluminium smelter are then: ● Pot lines – these are the electrical circuits connecting the individual pots or cells in series and where the aluminium reduction takes place. This component of the smelter is also referred to as the ‘reduction’ area ● The Carbon Area where the anodes are produced and ‘rodded’ ● The Casting Area or Cast house where the molten aluminium is cast (cooled) into the various forms such as ingots, extrusion billets, or rolling slabs ● Utilities, especially the electrical supply (and in Alba’s case generation as well), which requires rectifiers and transformers, water, compressed air and natural gas ● General Services such as maintenance, logistics and administration. The heart of the smelter is the pot lines or reduction lines where the metal is produced. Here the most significant pollutant is the fluoride in either gaseous or sold form. Each cell is connected to the fume treatment centre where the fluoride as well as dust is reduced. Fugitive emission or roof emission as commonly referred
40
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 to in the industry is released form the reduction cells due to various reasons. It is a statuary requirement to measure and report both stack and fugitive emissions. Monitoring There are two methods used for determination of fluoride emission, the standard analytical techniques and the Continuous Emission Monitoring System (CEMS). The standard method is reliable, accurate and used extensively even where CEMS is available as means of cross verification. However, it requires more time and manpower and is not suitable to detect sudden process disruption, and it also requires dedicated sampling points and excess platforms/catwalks. The CEMS is highly responsive and gives instantaneous result that is displayed to the operation crews for rapid actions if required, it requires specialized maintenance, regular calibrations, and has reliability issues especially in the pot room environment where high vibration and thermal structure movement are high temperatures are normal. This has resulted in most sensors being out of order, so we were not practically controlling fluoride emissions in most pot rooms. The schematic graph below shows all the reduction lines at Alba with the type of roof emission monitoring system at each line:
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Under the decision of top management, a task team was formed to address the roof emission monitoring status, this task team consisted of representatives from operation, maintenance, environment and engineering personnel. The first task was to identify the causes of failure and to address them internally within Alba. The causes of sensor failures were attributed to the following: ● High ambient temperature: Since the sensors were placed directly above the reduction cell they were subjected to high temperature that reached 80°C in some instances ● High vibration: The sensors are laser type whereby a laser beam is emitted to a reflector that is placed 200300 metres away from the transceiver. The laser gets reflected back to the transceiver which determines the loss in intensity of the certain wave length related to HF and determines the concentration see schematic below. Slight vibrations could lead to misalignment and loss of signal. The vibration is mainly caused by the overhead cranes that are unavoidably heavily used for pot room operations ● Thermal structure movements: Pot room structure varies from 600 to 1000 metres, and seasonal and operational changes cause movement in the structure that could cause out of alignment condition and loss of signal ● Maintenance access: Since the sensors are hanged
41
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 directly above the cell with no proper access, it becomes difficult for maintenance personnel to attend to the sensors. The only way to reach the sensor is by using the Pot Tending Assembly (Crane) which cannot be spared by production for the time required to do the maintenance. Maintenance crew couldn’t work for extended period due to the high temperature. For these reasons the sensors were not attended to even for normal preventive maintenance activities.
WHO OR WHAT HAS BENEFITED? In order to address those conditions, the task team decided on the following: ● Sensors have to be relocated to a better location at the very end of the pot room and proper access be provided ● The reflector will be placed at the center of the pot room hence dividing the pot room to two halves instead of three parts as the original design. This will place the reflector at a further distance and could be more challenging for alignment purposes, but now the vibration issue is very much reduced ● Sensor is to be place in an air conditioned cubical for better reliability and for maintenance personnel wellbeing ● Start this modification as trial for one room at reduction line 5 and assess the reliability. Simultaneously all the sensors were brought down repaired, calibrated and fixed back and were operating well. It was no surprise that the actual emission was high, higher than the production crew anticipated. It was again the top management commitment towards the environment that called for immediate measure to control and reduce the emission. Production and environment teams worked closely to address the requirement. The causes for the increase in emission were attributed to the following personal and design aspects: ● Cell covering hoods were difficult to handle, they were heavy and un-ergonomic, hence operators were not putting the covers properly and leaving them open for extended periods. ● Lack of follow-up and less priority exhibited on environment by operation
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Shining example: new hoods are more ergonomic ●
●
Low awareness due to focus was put more towards the production technical aspect rather than environment Current increases to the reduction cells increase the aluminim production causes an increase in cell emission.
The following actions were taken to address the shortcomings: ● The old hoods were phased out and a new design was introduced. It was a challenge since we were having three distinct cell design requiring different hood shapes and tens of thousands of hoods. There were several design iterations until all hoods were replaced with the new, better sealing and lighter more ergonomic hoods ● Continuous environmental auditing and inspection of reduction cells, the quality of hoods and how they are stacked (minimum gaps), cell leakages, air duct condition and other aspects related to reduction lines emission are assessed. Feedback is provided to production crew and fast actions are taken to address all issues. ● Environment Inspector carried out a comprehensive site audit ● Awareness sessions were held to cover all the reduction lines operation crews on the importance and best practices to control and lower the hydrogen fluoride and particulates roof emissions. ● Roof emission awareness session for production crew: Numerous modification and design improvements are being implemented on the Fume treatment centres that included increasing the scrubbing media rates, increasing filtration surface area, boosting the suction airflow and cooling the cell off gas. Applying these actions led to our total fluoride emissions
42
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 being reduced from 1.22 kg/t.Al in 2012 to 0.92 kg/t.Al, which is a reduction of 24%.
WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? The main driver for the change are our top management and their commitment towards the environment. It is this commitment that channelled the efforts and created the enthusiasm amongst the workforce to achieve a common target. Monitoring was the first step to accurately assess our current position. The inherent issues with the CEMS were addressed and solved by teamwork amongst different departments. These modification can benefit not only Alba but can also be shared regionally and internationally for the global benefit of the environment. The final change in reducing the fluoride emission was brought by through the hard work and dedication of a motivated workforce that worked hard to achieve the set target. Total average plant fluoride emission for the year 2013 as measured from treatment centers stacks and pot room roofs was 0.92 kg/t.Al. In compression the same value for 2012 was 1.22 kg/t.Al. The average for the years 2008 – 2012 was 1.246 kg/t.Al which is slightly short of the legal limit. Along with improvements in total HF emission, the total particulate has also reduced since the implemented control measures effect both HF and TP. The average TP from pot room roof for 2013 was 1.42 kg/t.Al while last year value was 1.97 and the previous five-year average was 1.60 kg/t.Al. ◆
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
43
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 AMBASSADOR THEATRE GROUP ALWAYS THINK GREEN (PROJECT BLACKOUT) PROJECT AIM Under the internal campaign Always Think Green launched in 2012, the Project Blackout initiative was born out of the need to reduce the group's carbon emissions in relation to our 39 UK theatre/entertainment venues, fuel consumption and associated energy use. Through torchlight surveys carried out initially by the group's Safety & Environmental Advisor, the project identified overnight energy waste issues between midnight and 7am and the associated costs involved. The project engaged with senior management, our venue managers, their venue green ambassadors and teams and our venue technical teams who, in most cases, have the technical knowhow to help solve energy wastage issues and input simple switch-off solutions. Another significant aim of the project is to support a culture and behavioural change for our group with regard to energy management and efficiency.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS We've now seen clear engagement across all venues with this initiative. In the first year we achieved cost savings of 5.04%, based on our CRC data from 2011/2012. Following successful implementation of monthly Project Blackout reports now sent to all venue managers, an 11% saving was realised when comparing December 2012 to December 2013 figures, despite electricity contract renewal costs increasing by 7.43%. Venue managers and their line management fully support this ongoing initiative, as the bespoke reports help them to understand the benefits of proactively monitoring and managing their overnight energy use, encouraging and prompting investigation to solve unnecessary high energy use. Each month, venues achieving reduction from the previous
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
month are awarded Green Star status, which supports internal healthy competitiveness, which already exits within the Company between venues and divisions.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? The Ambassador Theatre Group is the largest theatre group in Europe, who own and manage 39 UK venues and one in the USA. As a company with CRC reporting responsibilities, the group identified the need to recruit a person dedicated to reducing the company’s environmental impacts, a significant area being electrical energy use. We looked at projects to support staff engagement and behavioural change, one of which was born out of our Always Think Green campaign, which was Project Blackout. The project offers a no cost solution as it is managed inhouse. We began by identifying areas where we could easily affect change, the easiest being overnight energy use, when the theatres close after evening performances, midnight to 7am, where we potentially have greater control of our energy use. Through existing electricity monitoring tools, supported by our utility broker, we identified a third of our venues were using significantly high levels of energy during closed periods, which prompted further investigation. Working with these 11 venues, our Safety and Environmental Advisor, previously a venue manager with the group for 12 years, visited these venues to carry out Project Blackout torchlight surveys, accompanied by the venue manager, environmental ambassador and a technical staff member. These could only be carried out
44
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 late at night after an evening show finished and all customers, staff and production company members had vacated the building and the current closedown procedures were completed. Each torchlight survey, carried out in darkness, would take around 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours to complete, where every area and room were checked to identify any equipment left switched on that didn’t need to be, as well as equipment that should be left switched on, such as alarms, chargers and till systems. The survey included myth busting with all venues; two common issues were that if IT office equipment, such as printers, were switched off, the link to the company network would be severed. This is not true. Also, emergency lighting had been left switched on overnight in case of emergencies. It was reiterated to all venue managers that this kind of lighting should be switched off at night, but would need to be switched on easily should an emergency arise during the night. Any emergency lighting that had to remain on as a security deterrent would need to house low energy light bulbs.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? Following each survey, the venues would receive a feedback form highlighting equipment left switched on and recommendations to reduce their overnight electricity spend. The surveys helped the venues create new Capex bids and have included installations for “last man out” switches, enabling easy operation of emergency lighting during closing and opening up procedures and increased requests for low energy and LED lighting solutions. The initiative encourages venues to develop their own environmental targets and objectives which locally develop environmental improvements and are audited during our internal Safety & Environmental Audits. We have not only engaged venue staff, but we also have senior management support, with our Managing Director (Venues) and our Property Director actively encouraging the surveys and scrutinising the energy use and cost saving benefits. This is discussed at the monthly ATG board meetings.
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Curtain call: group’s green production The project is actually fun and receives support from all members of the venue teams. This simple and easy initiative is helping us to promote and enhance a positive culture towards energy management and creating a little competitive edge, venues are also creating a change culture.
CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT? Following the internal success of the project we are keen to develop industry best practice initiatives. We are working with members of SAGE (Safety Advisors Group for Entertainment) and Project Blackout has already been identified as a project that is transferable to any sector of industry, one of the main attractions being no or little cost to the employer, full engagement with venue staff and almost instant environmental changes. We are now keen to roll out the project to our US venue, and although legislation and energy targets differ, the basic principles of Project Blackout will also work on an international level. We have now developed a series of project images stickers for use next to light switches and the bottom of computer monitors. The most satisfying achievement with the project is that venues are now conducting their own surveys to great success and we hope this initiative is the start of more projects to reduce energy use but more importantly to engage all levels of staff in environmental management. ◆
45
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 AXA PPP HEALTHCARE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT AIM The aim of the project was to 'green' our estate and raise employee awareness about our environmental impact. Many people talk about being committed to the environment, we have preferred to take action and embed it into everything we do. Now that we are happy that “it is just the way we do things around here”, we would love to get recognition for all our employees’ efforts.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS We have achieved ISO14001 standard across ten of our UK wide buildings by reductions in energy use, the amount of paper we use, our carbon footprint and the amount of waste we send to landfill. We have also increased employee awareness, green stationery, heavily invested in solar panelling and green initiatives and increased AXA PPP healthcare's environmental profile within the local community.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? In 2008 we decided to demonstrate our commitment to the environment by setting an objective of achieving and maintaining ISO14001 across our ten UK buildings,where we employ around 2,800 people. In 2014, we finally achieved our objective of obtaining ISO14001 across all ten sites. Our certification with ISO 14001 provides a simple, clear message to employees, clients, members and the community that AXA PPP healthcare operates in an environmentally responsible and ethical manner. We needed to ensure that all our stakeholders can see that we are a company that cares about the environment and that we are safeguarding it for the future.
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Right remedy: AXA PPP greens its estate To achieve this certification, we needed to ensure that everyone who works here is aware of how to work in an environmentally responsible way.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? Our significant employee achievements are: ● A full-time environment manager ● 20 trained volunteer internal environmental auditors ● 14 trained volunteer bee keepers, giving up their own time to keep our bees ● A volunteer Green Team who focus on making employee suggestions a reality ● 92% completion on environmental awareness courses ● CIWM waste awareness courses ● Recycling initiatives that benefit charities, from bra recycling for Africa to toiletries for the charity Shelter ● Environmentally focused Hearts in Action days ● Office ‘Green Days’ raising environmental awareness. The birds and the bees Our unusual environmental initiatives include: ● Three working bee hives: the honey is auctioned off to staff and money given to charity ● Norman, a Harris hawk and our environmentally friendly pigeon controller ● A wormery, which composts our food and grounds
46
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 maintenance waste, converting organic food waste into a bio-rich, high quality compost. Environmental initiatives ● Heavy photovoltaic investment, LED lighting and two electric, emission free vehicles ● Dyson Airblade hand driers (preventing 28,000 sacks of paper towels per annum going to landfill) ● Urinal dosing – eliminating need for daily bleaching and bowl cleaners ● PIR (Passive Infrared) lighting ● Sensor taps. 65% waste recycled The percentage of waste recycled has increased from zero in 2007 to around 65%. We have: ● Furniture redistribution/ recycling via third parties, including helping local charities and hospices • Removal of under the desk waste bins • Introduced recycling bins • Introduced balers • Educated staff on being greener • Tree huggers for green waste on all desks • New WEEE process for ordering and collection. We routinely recycle paper, cans, plastics, cardboard, batteries, light bulbs, printer cartridges, CDs computer discs, mobile phones and Christmas cards Paper – 2.5million fewer sheets of A4 paper used per annum We want to remove paper wherever possible. We have reduced member correspondence and marketing print, investing millions in driving members on-line to access documents instead of printing them. We’ve increased email and pro-active telephone liaison. Office paper usage has been reduced by forcing doublesided printing. Office, transactional and marketing paper is produced on 100% environmentally approved stock. Energy reductions ● Carbon neutral car park hybro-lights producing 880 watts of electricity, feeding the grid during the day and powering during the night ● Since 2009 our solar panels have generated 225,750 kWh, saving £32,000 in electricity costs ● Carbon Trust and Bureau Veritas surveys to measure
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Hawk eye: Norman harries the pigeons ●
our carbon footprint Reduced our carbon footprint by over 46 tonnes.
Water reduction by 787m3 ● This has been achieved by installing sensor taps in all buildings, with urinal dosing eliminating the need for daily bleaching and bowl cleaners ● Hippo bags are used in our water cisterns and distributed to all staff for domestic use ● Mains fed water coolers replacing the need for bottles. Energy improvements We have cut energy usage by: ● Reducing our voltage with PowerPerfector which optimises our “at source” power quality so all our equipment benefits ● Installing time clocks on heating and lighting and time switching on plant and equipment ● Fitting control systems to reduce air-conditioning and heating power draw ● Fitting solar filters on windows and external light sensors ● Installing PIRs in all areas ● Providing Wyse boxes for all employees, of which up to 90% of product can be recycled.
ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS? AXA PPP healthcare sets itself a number of environmental targets every year to ensure continuing improvement, with our main focus being energy reduction. The community and us As the largest employers in our area, we take the impact of our business on our neighbours seriously and are continually working on our relationships with them. We use
47
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 a lot of the spoils from our recycling initiatives to support our local charities and we have Hearts in Action challenge team days where we take part in various environmental projects within the local community. Everything else! Vending – Fair Trade drinks in all vending machines and no cups in vending machines, so everyone uses their own mug
● ● ●
Investing heavily in new solar panels Constructing a new naturally ventilated building Better heat efficient windows.
Being environmental is a core part of our culture and continues to be supported at all levels of our business. ◆
Green travel policy – Preferential car parking for car sharers. Golden Buddy – incentivising walking to work Bike and bus loan schemes and bike maintenance sessions. What next? AXA PPP Healthcare will continue to invest to maintain its ISO14001 standard across all ten properties. We are embarking on a three year investment plan which includes: ● Commitment around installing LED lights in two more buildings
Team effort: AXA staff cool down after digging in and taking part in another green initiative
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
48
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 BALFOUR BEATTY HELIX CANAL PROJECT PROJECT AIM The Helix is a 350ha community regeneration scheme to transform an area of underused land between Falkirk and Grangemouth into a Living Landmark, which is an area designated to preserve nature. The core aim of the Helix project is to create a new greenspace within the Falkirk District that successfully connects the 16 surrounding communities and provides a place for these communities and visitors to be healthy, explore, grow and learn. The Helix Canal Project is the centre piece of The Helix and links up the greenspaces to the North and South. The aim of this project was to create a world class visitor destination with a world class piece of public art, The Kelpies, and reconnect the Forth & Clyde Canal to the Forth River via a major new canal extension to a more suitable part of the River Carron. Balfour Beatty were employed to coordinate and manage the design and construction of this complex civil engineering project in a manner that reflected the sustainable ambitions of all project stakeholders.
Canal turn: new greenspace created in Falkirk ●
●
●
● ●
There were both contractual targets and voluntary ambitions for Balfour Beatty to engage with the community and maximise the social and economical benefits to the local population.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The Helix Canal Project was handed over in December 2013 with all key aims and objectives being achieved. In addition to the successful delivery of the 900m canal extension, two new locks, three separate bridges (M9 Bridge, Lift Bridge on Glensburgh Road and pedestrian swing bridge) and a platform for the Kelpies, project achievements include: ● Zero environmental incidents and increased biodiversity ● Enhanced flood defences for local properties ● An above industry average Considerate Constructors’ Scheme score of 39 out of 50
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
●
Four NEETs benefited from the Employment and Skills strategy which was designed to maximise local social and economic benefits In 2013 64% of the contract value was spent with companies located within 30km and 100% of these were SMEs Avoided 268,000 road miles and 410 tonnes of carbon emissions by redesigning earthworks and selecting low carbon transport All surplus earthwork material being retained on site More than 200 members of the public and students toured the project as part of Open Doors Weekends and other educational events Balfour Beatty worked with students from five schools and two universities to engage students in the Helix project and the construction industry.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? The project entailed an extension of the Forth & Clyde canal to mitigate tidal constraints on boats entering from the River Carron. The construction of this 900m sheet-piled canal extension included the construction of an inland lock, tidal sea lock, boat turning pool, a 65m under-bridge to allow the canal under the M9 motorway, and two mechanical moving bridges. Piled foundations were required for the Kelpie
49
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 structures. Several services had to be diverted and extensive temporary works were necessary, including the diversion of the M9 carriageway to allow construction of a cofferdam for the sea lock works. Balfour Beatty had significant knowledge of the canal system from the projects delivered under the Millennium Scheme that re-opened the Forth & Clyde canal in 2000. Eager to undertake similar projects in this sector, we acknowledged our suitability to deliver the Helix Canal Project. In addition to the associated prestige, Balfour Beatty was keen to work with The Helix Trust as our sustainability agendas closely aligned.
Head start: work involved a stand for the Kelpies ●
We recognised that senior leaders of all parties were committed to the project being delivered sustainably and that the project would provide tangible benefits to the local community and contribute to the economic regeneration of this area. Balfour Beatty competitively tendered for the contract and was successful for being capable, innovative in our approach and evidently committed to the sustainability ambitions.
●
●
●
The project was successfully delivered and we exceeded the agreed sustainability goals.
●
WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM?
●
●
● ● ●
●
The Helix was awarded a £25 million grant by The Big Lottery Fund as part of its Living Landmarks Programme with significant funding and land committed by Falkirk The total phase one development costs are £43 million The Helix Canal contract value is £13.4m The project is being driven by a partnership of Falkirk Council, Falkirk Community Trust, Scottish Canals and Central Scotland Forest Trust Balfour Beatty's innovative solutions ensured the budget was optimised.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT ACHIEVE IN TERMS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMY, ENVIRONMENT? ● ●
Zero environmental incidents and increased biodiversity An above industry average Considerate Constructors’ Scheme score of 39 out of 50
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Four NEETs gained employment and work experience on the project In 2013 64% of the contract value was spent with companies located within 30km and 100% of these were SMEs Shipping 1800 tonnes of sheet piles to Grangemouth avoided 43,000 road miles and 240 tonnes of carbon emissions All surplus earthwork material was retained on site, including 50,000m3 for a landscaped area and 20,OO0m3 of marginal soil being lime stabilised and used in flood embankments. This saved 225,000 road miles and 170 tonnes of CO2 More than 200 members of the public and students toured the project as part of Open Doors and educational events Balfour Beatty worked with students from five schools and two universities.
WHO AND WHAT BENEFITED? The Helix Canal Project developed previously derelict land to benefit the local environment, community and economy. The environment benefited from zero pollution incidents, the mitigation of hundreds of tonnes of CO2 and the expansion of the Living Landscape which will allow the environment to flourish. Biodiversity benefited from the planting of wildflower seed on the landscaped bund and with safe passage across 350ha of Greenspace wildlife will thrive. All stakeholders benefited from honest and open community relations via a dedicated Customer Care
50
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 Manager, as well as excellent construction and traffic management. These were key to fostering good community relationships. Local business and individuals benefited from the entire project team's commitment to maximise local and SME spend and provide opportunities for local young people. 200 students and members of the public benefited from the site hosting Open Doors events, and supporting several educational initiatives including careers fairs, presentations on careers and civil engineering, and Child Safety Week. Students from five schools and two universities benefited.
was set up that automatically recorded rainfall, temperature and wind speeds.
CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT FROM IMPLEMENTING YOUR METHODS? Yes, if applicable to the project. Subsequent Balfour Beatty projects are implementing many of the community engagement techniques, including the use of social media and supporting Open Doors Weekend.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THE PROJECT AND ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENT? ●
The status of The Helix Project benefited as international interest increased and the project was visited by delegations of business leaders from Holland and China, including the Mayor of Yueqing.
●
●
WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS?
Realised the benefits of working with a client who shares Balfour Beatty's sustainability objectives and is committed to delivering a sustainable development Increased our experience and capability to design and construct canal and waterway projects Reinforced our view that proactive stakeholder engagement is key to successful project delivery. ◆
Long-term social and economical benefits will be realised as a result of the increased accessibility to the Forth & Clyde canal and the creation of a green space in which the world class Kelpie artwork is situated which will attract both local and international visitors. Other long term benefits include: ● The restoration of ecosystems and opportunity for biodiversity to flourish ● Economic and employment opportunities ● Strengthened community spirit and identity ● Improved flood defences ● Young people being more aware of construction industry opportunities ● The NEETs that were employed on the project are in a stronger position to secure future employment.
WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? ●
●
●
Sustainability being high on the agenda of all stakeholders for the duration of the project was refreshing Balfour Beatty instigated the redesign of the M9 bridge from a ‘box structure’ to an ‘open aspect’ bridge, which the client preferred, avoiding extensive temporary ground supports and reducing the duration of traffic management and the associated risk. The flood embankments were designed to allow for future expansion, while a temporary site weather station
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
51
HELIX CANAL PROJECT – AN AWARD WINNING COMMUNITY REGENERATION SCHEME. READ OUR CASE STUDY IN THE GREEN BOOK TO FIND OUT MORE.
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 BAM FERROVIAL KIER (BFK) CROSSRAIL WESTERN TUNNELS PROJECT AIM Alongside its joint venture partners, Bam Nuttall and Ferrovial Agroman (comprising Team BFK), Kier has been engaged on the Crossrail Project since 2011, having been awarded twin contracts on the Western Tunnels (C300/C410) based on engineering efficiencies and associated sustainability benefits proposed at tender stage. The Western Tunnels work comprises two 6.2m internal diameter bored tunnels (completed), each 6.5km long between the Royal Oak Portal, just west of Paddington Station and Farringdon Station, and the sprayed concrete lining (SCL) station tunnels at Bond Street and Tottenham Court Road and the Fisher Street crossover tunnel.
Digging deep: BFK is tunnelling across London
●
To minimise potentially significant noise and vibration impacts, BFK has invested significant time and effort in establishing industry leading noise and vibration monitoring and management to minimise the impact of its construction works. This has benefited a diverse range of receptors including residents, businesses, schools, auditoria and places of religious worship with knock-on benefits of reduced project risks and costs. Lessons learnt are being shared across the wider industry and are already supporting decision making for major future projects, including HS2 and Thames Tideway, thereby providing a longer lasting legacy of improvement for sustainable construction.
●
●
●
●
●
●
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Given the complexity of works being undertaken, their scale and geographic extent, BFK’s achievements are testament to the success of their multi-faceted approach to noise and vibration management, and the benefits of working as an integrated team with client and consultants. Notable successes include: ● Environmental Acoustics Award from the Association of Noise Consultants for ground borne noise and vibration modelling and monitoring ● Support from local businesses, organisations and
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
● ●
residents for key works No impact to project programme arising from noise or vibration impacts Completion of bored tunnelling works without a single complaint Early and contest free buy-in from Local Authorities for installation and operation of the temporary construction railway (TCR) Ongoing 24/7 works within central London through implementation of BPM and close working relationship with Local Authorities A complaint incident rate from the TCR of 1 complaint for every 4,400 operating hours / 44,300km travelled. All complaints have been closed out Zero complaints from a number of key receptors due to effective noise mitigation measures Estimated costs savings in excess on £2million through collaboration between rail supplier and acoustic consultants Improved industry knowledge Legacy of best practice currently supporting decision making and risk analysis for future key infrastructure .
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Kier has been engaged on the Crossrail Project in London since 2011 having been awarded, alongside its joint venture partners, twin contracts on the Western Tunnels (C300/C410) based on engineering efficiencies and
53
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 associated sustainability benefits proposed at tender stage. The Western Tunnels work comprises two 6.2m internal diameter bored tunnels, each 6.5km long (completed) between the Royal Oak Portal, just west of Paddington Station, and Farringdon Station, and the sprayed concrete lining (SCL) station tunnels at Bond Street (BOS) and Tottenham Court Road (TCR) and the Fisher Street (FIS) cross over tunnel, including ticket hall shaft construction at TCR. The work also involves extensive utilities works including boring a new main sewer line. BFK also operate a waste transfer facility at Northfleet (NFL) in Kent. With the exception of Northfleet, all work is carried out within Central London, through highly populated residential areas and adjacent to a diverse range of stakeholders with high sensitivity to noise and vibration impacts including places of religious worship, theatres and auditoria, recording studios, centres of education and hotels. At our BOS, TCR and FIS sites for example, receptors are located less than five metres from site boundaries. Work in these locations is further complicated by the extent of underground Sprayed Concrete Lining (SCL) works for the creation of Bond Street Western Ticket Hall 2011, Tottenham Court Rd Western Ticket Hall 2011 station platforms and cross passages which in some cases gives rise to significant Groundborne Noise and Vibration (GBNV) Impacts. The SCL tunnel works have a very large underground footprint which changes significantly in geographical extent over time. This means that the number and type of GBNV receptors changes according to the programme of works for any single site. Given the proximity of these receptors to our worksites, the nature of the work being undertaken (with an engineering requirement for 24/7 works) and the varying sensitivity of this range of receptors to works at different times of day, noise and vibration impacts were identified at early project stages as giving rise to potentially significant noise and vibration nuisance impacts, resulting in risks to public health, quality of life and wellbeing, and impacting on businesses.
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
The potential knock-on effects to the project encompass impacts to programme and overall costs due to works limitations to mitigate nuisance for example. With this in mind, BFK has invested significantly in noise and vibration monitoring and management, employing Anderson Acoustics as principal acoustic consultant, to work as an integrated team alongside the BFK Environment, the Community Liaison and Construction Teams to minimise the impacts of our works and deliver a more sustainable project across environmental, social and commercial functions. The following sections provide a summary of what we did, described within the following key areas: ● Management of groundborne noise and vibration arising from SCL works ● Management of groundborne noise and vibration from the temporary construction railway ● Management of airborne noise impacts. Management of Groundborne Noise and Vibration arising from SCL works GBNV Assessments Development of effective mitigation requires a good understanding of the nature and scale of likely impacts. Given the level of variance in GBNV levels resulting from different ground conditions, building foundation, and building construction the development of predictive GBNV models was not seen as feasible. An alternative approach to proactively assessing potential GBNV impacts was provide through the development of GBNV Risk Assessments for all SCL work sites covering TCR Western Ticket Hall, BOS Eastern and Western Ticket Halls, FIS and five tunnel cross passages. The assessments were developed by the environment, construction and acoustics team on the basis of the following: ● Proactive and reactive GBNV monitoring ● Identification of all receptors within 200m of SCL works ● Identification of sensitive periods (day, evening and night) for all receptors and predicted exposure to GBNV based on distance. This information provides a risk profile of GBNV impacts to all receptors arising from SCL works. The assessment is updated on a monthly basis to address changes in construction programme and also to reflect a developing
54
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 understanding of risk and impacts as a result of complaints or GBNV monitoring. Given the dynamic and complex nature of the London property market, the assessments also reflect changes in use of buildings, or where new receptors are identified. The risk assessments have improved the effectiveness of mitigation measures and BFK response to risk, characterised by reduced complaints and improved complaints resolution through the following: ● An improved prioritisation process for proactive GBNV monitoring; ● Improved planning of potential reactive monitoring requirements which has enabled a swifter response to complaints ● Improved commercial planning for temporary respite and temporary rehousing needs ● Improved planning and phasing of works to limit impact of works to as few receptors as possible. Works under or near recording studios, for example, can be timed for evening and night time periods ● Improved community liaison and information management through an improved understanding of the extent and timing of potential impacts. Construction methodology An early review of construction methodologies took place at the start of SCL works. This resulted in the adoption of a hierarchy of SCL demolition methods which ensures that heavy equipment associated with GBNV impacts is not used unnecessarily, leaving use of a heavy breaker for only those occasions when, for instance, thickened concrete needs to be broken out. For a demolition cycle, this reduces use of a breaker to 10% of works time – a significant reduction in the duration of works impact. For works requiring breakthrough of significant structures, stich drilling – a method associated with no GBNV impacts - is carried out to weaken the concrete and enable quicker breakout. The importance of good relationships with the local community is recognised by BFK through employment of a full time, three man, Community Liaison Team (CLT) responsible for the following: ● 24/7 coverage for complaints or queries ● Keeping local residents and business updated with
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
●
information on construction works Lead support initiatives for local organisations such as schools and charities.
Management of GBNV from the Temporary Construction Railway To minimise impacts from 13km of temporary construction railway, BFK adopted a range of mitigation measures to limit impact from groundborne noise and vibration (GBNV). These measures were split into steps implemented at and during the following phases: ● Design and procurement ● Construction ● Operational. Design and procurement The client’s track design specified three different track types to be laid at different locations (chainages) along the tunnel alignment in accordance with receptor sensitivities/ predicted noise levels. During the pre-construction phase BFK carried out significant work on modelling the acoustic performance of the rail types which was fed back to BFK rail suppliers to improve designs to meet the required acoustic performance criteria, improve H&S and reduce costs. A number of design changes were made, including a change from a ballasted track design for Type C track to simply using thicker, more resilient support pads under rails and sleepers. Materials cost savings alone were approximately £600,000 but savings estimates rose to £2 million once the cost of Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) stoppage time was included which would have been necessary to install the ballasted track. by segment lip. Operational phase A track and loco inspection maintenance regime was established to ensure that track condition was maintained and to limit deterioration in acoustic performance. Track upgrades took place on two occasions following complaints from residential receptor in the 15kph zone. The upgrades covered lengths of track 100 metres either side of affected properties. As a result, the residents reported a significant drop in perceived noise levels and there were no further complaints received.
55
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 Rolling Stock Procurement ● New build – the locos and wagons have been designed and built specifically to BFK requirements. The integrated design means that they operate as a unit thereby reducing rail clatter and induced noise and vibration. Use of new wheels helps ensure vibration arising from the wheel /rail interface is minimised. ● Sprung wheels – reduced rail clatter which reduces GBNV Construction Phase.
highly successful with no stoppages of the TBM or trains as a result of GBNV impacts. Ten construction trains were in operation in two tunnels for a year and a half, covering many thousands of kilometres under Central London and a range of highly sensitive receptors including recording studios and theatres. In all, a total of eight complaints were received, all of which were from residential receptors and all of which were resolved to the satisfaction of the complainants.
Track Placement Proper installation of the track is of critical importance in ensuring that it operates to acoustic design parameters. All installations were inspected by a rail engineer to ensure conformance with installation methods.
Management of Airborne Noise Impacts Point source noise reduction and management Elimination and reduction of noise through review of works requirements, revising works methodology and plant are used as a first stage approach to noise management and mitigation. Examples of BFK’s innovative approach to noise mitigation include the following: ● Fixing foam pads to site gates and walkway gates to stop ‘clanging’ ● Adopting a lights signalling system to manage construction loco movements on site ● Laying rubber matting (old conveyor belt) on skip storage areas to prevent noise ● Lining excavator buckets to minimise spoil retention and Use of hybrid lighting towers across all sites (mains supply is not available) ● Reconfiguration of generator exhaust pipes to prevent flapping of top cover ● Spoil separation to enable wagon loading with smaller sized material prior to heavier, larger material to prevent banging on wagon base ● Daily construction loco track maintenance within yard area to prevent wheel squeal, and replacement of conveyor rollers with impact bars at base of conveyor chute to prevent roller noise from falling clay.
Track Configuration To improve overall system performance, BFK elected used track types A and C alone where type C (the highest performing track design) replaced all type B track sections. In total, Track Type C replaced 1070m of Track Type B. Cost for replacement of approximately £20,000 was balanced against the reduction in risk through using a higher performing track type. A track and loco inspection and maintenance regime was established to ensure that track condition was maintained and limit deterioration in acoustic performance. Managing loco speed The speed of the rolling stock is a significant contributing factor to groundborne noise and vibration. Simply put, the higher the speed the higher the noise and vibration. Speed zones – Implementation of variable loco speeds zones in reflection of the sensitivity of surface receptors. Track upgrades ● Automatic speed checks with drivers rebriefed where necessary ● Spot checks using a speed gun ● Fixed speed signage within the tunnels, with warnings of speed changes in the approach zone using a system of track side lights. Achievements Overall, the mitigation measures put in place were deemed
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Innovation Case Study – Breakout works at Westbourne Park Works methods have also been specifically developed to reduce noise impacts. Prior to recent handover to a followon contractor at Westbourne Park, a large area of concrete slab (400m x 40m) needed to be broken out. Given the proximity of a large residential estate 60m to the south of the site, there was significant concern about elevated noise levels over an extended period of time. To reduce the duration of breaker use, the site team developed methodology to remove the reinforced concrete foundations. This involved segmenting the foundations into
56
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 blocks using acoustically screened core drills, excavating around the foundations and then lifting individual blocks (3m long) out by crane.
mitigation was therefore carried out in association with BFKs noise consultants to determine the best way forward.
This saved two hours of heavy breaker use per block with an overall reduction in breaker use of approximately 420 hours. This allowed works to progress within the S61 limits and all slab demolition works were completed in a six week period with only one complaint: a significant achievement considering the extent of the residential estate bordering the site less than 40m to the south.
In addition to implementation of a range of noise management solutions an acoustic screen was erected which covered the northern (site facing) façade of the construction site up to the top floor of the centre. The screen was designed and built by the site team, making this the most cost effective solution and ensuring minimum works delay. A follow-on noise assessment demonstrated that noise levels at the receptor had been reduced by a minimum of ten decibels.
Acoustic screening Acoustic screening has been used comprehensively across all BFK work sites to limit noise to nearby receptors. For example, the woodworking workshop at Westbourne Park was fitted with overhead screening to prevent noise reflection off the Westway, a main road above part of the site. Built from FSC ply and lined with waste foam matting, the large opening at the front (to facilitate deliveries) could be covered with acoustic panels as required. The proximity of residential receptors meant that even works at the base of the 30m deep shaft were screened. Breakout of a tunnel eye was being completed manually with the use of hand held tools such as jiggers, due to the complexity of the works and the awkwardness of getting machines to the face. In addition to the works method developed to reduce use of the breaker, temporary screening was also used to limit noise from slab breakout works. This acoustic ‘corridor’ was moved on a daily basis to cover new work areas. Case Study: Noise screen at Tottenham Court Road Excavation of the southern box at our TCR Western Ticket Hall worksite on Oxford Street and follow-on SCL works required extensive breakout and spoil removal operations. The predicted noise levels at an adjacent medical hostel were predicted to exceed the temporary rehousing threshold adopted by the Secretary of State for limiting noise impacts during the construction of Crossrail. Given the nature of the work carried out at the medical centre, temporary rehousing of this facility and patients was not an option. A review of construction methods and noise
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
The screen has provided ongoing effective noise mitigation since early 2012, with no complaints about construction noise received from the medical centre, despite numerous works phases covering 24/7 works. Noise and vibration monitoring All construction sites are covered by both weekly attended monitoring and also 24/7 unattended monitoring. All sites have at least two unattended noise monitors to provide adequate coverage for nearby receptors and unattended vibration monitors are also located within properties adjacent to our SCL sites. At TCR for example, vibration monitors are located within the British Board of Film Classification, Essential Music (a recording studio), St Patricks Church and a nearby residential property. Innovation case study: Attended noise monitoring Reporting has been improved across all construction sites through the development of an i-Pad app. Reporting times have been reduced from five working days to same day reporting. Reports can also be sent immediately where required which has proved very effective in complaints handling procedures. Innovation Case Study: Noise monitoring at BOS Western Ticket Hall At BOS four noise monitors have been located on the boundaries of the worksite (<5m from receptors) on all site axis. The SPL Track System is used to provide further functionality over and above standard monitors. The system provides a web based data display which enables the construction team and environmental advisor to monitor site noise levels in real time and understand future
57
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 averaged noise levels based on current and previous trends. A CCTV system used alongside the noise monitoring has enabled quick proactive and reactive identification of any noise nuisance issues.
●
●
WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THE PROJECT? For the duration of the project to date, a huge amount of time and money has been invested in noise management, involving collaborative work between the BFK Construction Team, the Environment Team, BFK Acoustic Consultants and the client’s environmental team. Noise management expertise across all these teams has significantly developed given the scope, range and duration of the work, and through development of a positive feedback loop encouraged through development of a best practice working environment and communicating ‘lessons learnt’ across all groups. Lessons learnt are evidenced daily through a more informed, proactive approach to noise management by construction teams. These teams include staff from BAM Nuttall, Ferrovial and Kier - major contractors within both national and international markets - and numerous other subcontractors meaning that lessons learnt will have broad industry coverage.
CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS LEARN FROM YOUR INNOVATIONS? Lessons learnt have clearly extended beyond our organisation, raising the bar for construction noise management, evidenced by more informed discussions with local authorities covering our areas of operations and their expectations for how we will manage work.
● ●
considerations as part of an integrated approach to noise management Application of GBNV monitoring to tunnelling machines and underground railways Management of GBNV arising from SCL works and underground infrastructure Application of different monitoring technologies Community engagement and communications.
Through innovative and informed use of noise mitigation, the impact of construction on local communities and businesses has been significantly reduced, contributing to the delivery of a sustainable project across commercial, social and environmental functions. Given the extent, complexity and location of the works being carried out by BFK, this achievement cannot be understated. As highlighted above, other organisations are already benefiting from our work though its learning legacy and for them, benefits will include reduced risk and cost while for local communities and businesses, benefits will be realised through reduced impacts. It is hoped that our work will ensure that the impact of future works is reduced further, helping to secure firmer conditions for similar critical infrastructure developments in the future and the benefits these can bring to the local and UK economy. This will be achieved through facilitating the progress of major projects through planning, saving significant costs and, most importantly, reducing the impact on residents, businesses and organisations exposed to construction works. ◆
BFK’s innovative award winning approach to noise and vibration management, has been shared with other contractors and the wider industry such as Network Rail, TfL, the Institute of Acoustics, the British Tunnelling Society and Association of Noise Consultants, helping to provide a longer term legacy for this work which is already being incorporated within risk assessment and environmental management planning for HS2 and the Thames Tideway Project. Key areas of learning include: ● The importance of construction design and methodology
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
58
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 BRECKLAND COUNCIL GRANTS4GROWTH PROJECT AIM SMEs are a key driver for economic growth and play a crucial role in the UK economy through their contribution to gross domestic product, job creation, innovation and the promotion of entrepreneurship, making them key players in any transition to a low carbon future. Grants4Growth was conceived during the worst recession in recent history. For many companies, the cost and availability of corporate credit is now stabilising, but smaller firms still struggle. Capital-intensive efficiency initiatives – and resource efficiency initiatives, in particular – were shelved. The project therefore was needed to address two closelyrelated and timely issues: ● Facilitating movement towards a low carbon economy, acting as a catalyst for SME investment in low carbon economic growth, creating new jobs and enabling existing SMEs to grow ● The market failure rationale for public sector intervention in SME finance markets. To achieve these aims the project has defined two clear objectives: ● Objective 1: Help foster the necessary conditions and success factors to develop the local Low Carbon and Environmental Goods and Services (LCEGS) supply chain ● Objective 2: Help SMEs to deliver efficiency savings and reduce carbon emissions to realise the associated benefits: reduced operating costs; competitiveness; business growth; resilience.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Grants4Growth delivers clear, attributable business benefits/outputs – cost savings, carbon savings, job creation and safeguarding etc, which demonstrate immediate and unequivocal support for local businesses. There is a clear – if latent demand – from SMEs for grants
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Delivering growth: Breckland Council drives ahead to catalyse investment in growth and efficiency initiatives which, in turn, deliver commensurate competitiveness and carbon benefits. Grants4Growth has successfully overcome the barriers to growth, giving SMEs the confidence to bring forward, extend or integrate sustainability into their initiatives. Ninety per cent of project costs are a direct function of successful delivery in the form of grants administration. Within the first 18 months of operation, Grants4Growth has distributed £770,000 in grant funding against verified investment of £6.3 million in efficiency initiatives. The current pipeline comprises additional grant offers of £660,000 against planned investment of £6.7 million. In terms of impact, 64 SMEs have already implemented new products or processes and 50 more are currently doing so with grant support. Initiatives already completed and those in the pipeline will create 250-plus jobs and safeguard 1,200 more, adding millions of pounds of added value to the regional economy. Ricardo-AEA developed a custom carbon impact assessment tool for the programme which, whilst ongoing,
59
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 should evidence predicted carbon savings in excess of 10,000 tonnes.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Grants4Growth is an £11 million portfolio of ERDF-backed projects working across seven counties in two regions. It is managed by Breckland Council in partnership with five of the new Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs). This small, rural district council is punching above its weight to build effective, relevant business support where it’s actually needed against a backdrop of sustained pressure on budgets. The programme comprises an innovative package of grantbased support for SMEs, focusing on clean tech, to help then realise efficiency savings, increased competitiveness, growth and resilience and help foster the necessary conditions and success factors to develop the Low Carbon and Environmental Goods and Services (LCEGS) supply chain.
A key innovation is Grants4Growth’s underlying business model, which matches the contribution of European ERDF funding directly to private matched funding contributions. From an EU structural funds perspective, it’s also low-risk: ERDF funding is matched directly to private sector investment and, thereby, performance/outcomes. In terms of rationale, Defra notes that low-cost and no-cost UK business resource efficiency opportunities are around £23bn in value. Total savings opportunities with a payback of greater than one year have been estimated at £55bn. The associated carbon savings are around 90 MtCO2 or 13% of the UK’s annual greenhouse gas emissions. Helping businesses to realise these opportunities is significantly more efficient – and ultimately achievable – than a) assisting businesses to grow and increase profits by the same value, or b) develop low carbon / renewables infrastructure or robust offsetting equivalent to 90 MtCO2.
The financial and practical proposition is underpinned by a significant body of analysis around demand, need, likely uptake rates and the aid intensity required to realise quantifiable action.
Despite the clear opportunity for businesses, projects have consistently encountered barriers to the uptake of cleantech: SMEs are typically wary of environmental and efficiency technologies and measures to stimulate their uptake and lack objective and accessible information about specific types and suppliers of cleantech that they need to justify investment.
All organisations – both private and public – were looking to reduce costs and focus on core services. With public sector budgets under threat, there were few opportunities to build or maintain local business support and no obvious alternatives to utilise the new business-led LEPs.
With more restricted access to SME finance/credit and the ongoing prospect of flat economic growth, increases in resource/utility costs can be difficult to bear; more so for more marginal businesses which may already have been ‘underperforming’.
As such, the realisaton of Grants4Growth as a source of direct, technical assistance to SMEs at zero net cost to local authorities and LEPs is – in itself – a significant achievement.
In the current climate, cutting costs through investment in efficiency measures confers more than comparative advantage – it confers business fitness and resilience. This reinforces the importance of access to support for those SMEs that can benefit from deploying low carbon technologies and conservation measures but need assistance to do so.
BIS has previously outlined the rationale for public sector intervention in SME finance markets. Where government investment is justified, a case is made for focusing it on those beneficiaries with greatest potential to contribute disproportionately to economic growth and wider environmental objectives. There was, and is, a clear gap between where the Government wishes to head with regard to the green economy and the green recovery and where SMEs actually are; intervention was required to close this gap.
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
The locally-branded grants are made available through participating business-led Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), working alongside and adding value to their existing networks, marketing and business offerings. The programme complements existing provision by adding value to and deriving value from the other activities. Another key innovation is the embedding of a visible LEP-
60
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 branded grant facilitator within each LEP to co-ordinate promotion, liaise with local stakeholders, engage SMEs and provide technical and procurement advice and grant application support. On average, beneficiary SMEs have contributed around 80% of eligible capital costs. This amounts to an average grant award of around £8,415 (optimised against total costs of £25,333); clearly aligned to demand/need – and the actual costs – of high-impact cleantech; established or emerging equipment such as voltage optimisation plant, heat capture/exchange installations, low-carbon/emissions vehicles and retrofits. Proprietary carbon accounting systems developed by Ricardo-AEA are used to predict and verify the impact of capital investments as explicit cost- and carbon- savings over their entire useful economic life.
– positioning Norfolk and Suffolk as the UK Government’s main trailblazer in areas such as the LCEGS sector and business resource efficiency. Low carbon economic growth puts the principle of industrial/commercial decarbonisation at the heart of any proposed activity focussed on economic development or recovery. Grants4Growth has proven that the funding model matching EU structural funds directly to private sector investment in business resource efficiency works. Given access to the right advice and support, SMEs are clearly still willing to invest in growth and efficiency – even in uncertain times. ◆
Within this framework, impact is calculated independently of other factors, such as retail energy prices or – in the case of businesses – fluctuations in industrial activity that might distort or obscure the positive impact of intervention. During its two-year lifetime, Grants4Growth will provide direct technical assistance to around 300 SMEs, focussing on low-carbon and/or efficiency initiatives to realise cost- and carbon-savings. The SMEs, themselves, will invest at least £11.5 million and 200 will integrate new products, processes or services. Ongoing analysis and feedback from SME interaction and monitoring and the collation of this key learning enables: continual improvement of targeting and delivery; assuring realistic expectations around likely outputs/outcomes; identification of clear foci for ‘marketing’ the grants; efficient deployment of project resources aligned with overall objectives/deliverables. Grants4Growth is scaleable and can be focussed on the delivery of priority outputs for individual LEPs’ operational programmes. Breckland is already engaging with partners to ensure that the programme – or derivative thereof – can be rolled out when the current iteration concludes in mid2015. There is a clear inter-regional dimension emerging and the team is actively engaged in the Green Economy Pathfinder
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
61
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 BURNT TREE GROUP RETAIN AND REVIVE TO ZERO WASTE PROJECT AIM Waste is a sign of inefficiency and the company’s Zero Waste Strategy has led us to look for inefficiencies in the use of materials, energy and human resources. We have identified inefficiencies in both processes and mindsets which has allowed us to find cost saving solutions resulting in waste reduction, improved efficiency and lower costs. Having successfully introduced Project Revive during 2012/13, we had a goal to create a 360 circular process diverting all damaged vehicle parts/components away from landfill/treatment and to re-use as many components as practicable. We evaluated the existing processes allowing for some immediate improvements, we then identified which materials/components could be re-used. We didn’t just want to recycle key parts, we needed to ensure that we had processes in place to ensure the quality of all parts and vehicles were not compromised. We realised that we needed to create conditions and processes to help and allow us to close the loop at every opportunity. Instead of damaged vehicles automatically going to salvage, the aim was to “retain and revive” them. So we retained the vehicles and stripped them of all major components and parts. These were then catalogued into an electronic library accessible across all sites. This removed the need to purchase parts to repair vehicles – lowering down time, lowering repair costs for customers and culminating in a reduction in disposal cost and a positive impact on the environment
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Engagement of the board, general managers and employees by getting them to “buy in” to a totally new way of thinking and getting their input to ensure complete ownership of the process. This had a positive effect on the outcome of the project as we encouraged the sharing of idea rather than focusing on obstacles that would normally be in the way.
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Zero waste: group’s green credentials We set up a process allowing us to continually monitor performance of the system, listening to all of the key employees at each part of the circle. Following the electronic library launch the initial uptake from the sites was amazing, this in part because we had taken the time to engage everyone in the project. The materials within the internal circular process include steel, plastics, rubber, leather and copper cabling. During 2013 154 tonnes diverted from the waste stream including 52% steel, 5.2% plastics, 3% copper cabling, 6.3% iron and 5.5% glass. We have achieved 98% of all damaged vehicle components being reused across the business and we are looking at working with other partners to see whether the further 2% can be re-used or recovered as a target for 2014. As part of this analysis we are a looking at a vehicle ancillary project which are “bolt ons” to vehicles and how they are removed/reused. We now operate a fleet of over 16. 500 vehicles so the success of this circular economy process is unlimited.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING? Waste prevention Total waste generated before, recycling, re-use and diversion is 320 tonnes
62
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 Internal education we use a number of strategies to encourage and persuade all employees to “think” about waste they generate. These include environmental briefings, quizzes, posters associating waste streams with where and how they are disposed of. We used “cardboard to caviar” as a thought provoking exercise; everybody now wants to run a donkey sanctuary. External education We share the companies initiatives with both customers, contractors and suppliers. We carry out regular reviews and supplier evaluations whereby we evaluate how the supplier has impacted on the companies ability to provide a quality service and if Waste not: how much can be taken from damaged vehicles and reused they have provided support for the companies environmental targets or even helped to reduce saving replacing the whole curtain shortest being 20ft long 8ft high longest 28ft x 8ft high. the companies impact by partnering with us on initiatives. Waste prevention activities We have included evaluating individual supplies waste streams and how much waste is created when they supply parts etc to the business. Following this evaluation we meet with the companies to see if they are able to prevent the waste being created or whether there is an alternative to this supplier who is able to provide us with a closed loop solution. This worked well with the seven tonnes of confidential paper created from accounts which is diverted away from the waste streams, shredded and recycled back to paper. We purchased a headlight repair kit that enables headlights that are very badly scratched in an accident to be repaired with ease. A UV protective coating is also applied at the end of the process. Any rips to curtain-sider bodies are now repaired by us using the Leister Triac. We bond strips of material over the rips and using a roller it welds the new material to the old
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Re-use The materials that are being re-used include steel, plastics, rubber, leather and copper cabling. In 2013 115 tonnes have been diverted from the waste stream including 52% steel, 5.2% plastics , 3% copper cabling, 6.3% iron and 5.5% glass. We have achieved 98% of all damaged vehicle components being re-used across the business, and we are looking at working with other partners to see whether the further 2% can be re-used or recovered as a target for 2014. As part of this analysis we are looking at a vehicle ancillary project which “bolts on” to vehicles and how are they removed/reused. Re-use activities We are taking components directly from damaged vehicles, to re-use across the fleet where previously these would have been scrapped and new parts ordered and used. Bumper repairs have historically been an issue and disposal even more of an issue, so we investigated
63
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 Burnt Tree Environmental Management System
alternatives to disposal and came up with a system to allow them to repair bumpers with a bonding kit which now allows them to be reused rather than disposed of.
Waste Thinner-paint slops- Veolia ES Ltd Norwood WML-EAWML/61923
End of life Disposal Destination for all Hazardous Waste
Recycle/compost/ recovery Closed loop recycling has resulted in seven tonnes of confidential paper targeted to be shredded and recycled into photocopy paper for re-use within the business.
Interceptor Waste WRG Group Sheffield PPC Permit MP3631SM
Contaminated Plastics Delta Recycling Manchester
Materials that are being recycled and recovered include engine oil, used oil filters, rags and absorbents, antifreeze, brake parts, contaminated liquids, air filters, electrical equipment, aerosols, oil tins, paint tins, empty steel drums, lead acid batteries, mixed fuels, plastics, waste thinners, and waste paints, paper and cardboard, Achievements made on a difficult waste stream One of the areas we identified as a difficult waste stream was badly damaged panels which would normally be disposed of. We evaluated whether it would be possible and practicable to repair the panel, which would provide a major benefit to the business and reduce the company’s impact on the environment. This would involve a great deal of skill (and will) to repair; the benefits far outweighed the negatives. 95% of all panels were recycled/reused with the only cost being labour. Energy recovery During 2013 85% of the general waste stream was diverted landfill through energy from waste which equates to 123 tonnes of waste. Broadly based on the calculation using 525Kw per tonne of waste this would generate 64575 KW, which is the power needed to run an average house for nearly six years. We have completed an exercise to reduce power usage through the introduction of LED lighting across the group which would reduce CO2 emissions in the region of 432 tonnes. General Diversion of waste from landfill. We have achieved a total of 92.3% diverted from landfill, re-used or recycled. Proximity principles. We conduct yearly reviews with the waste management company to establish end disposal points and whether we can influence routes etc (see map top right). As part of the process to ensure that we were able to use
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Lead Acid Batteries HJ Enthovens –Darley Dale PPC Permit BL5598IR
Waste Oils- Disposal Point-Oakwood Einviromental BilsthorpePPC DP331MG Oil Filters :-Disposal Point Briggs Metals – Newark WCL-NTT 654256 Empty paint Tins :Disposal Point Briggs Metals – Newark WCL-NTT 654256 Waste TyresSapphire Energy Recovery, Staffordshire.
Waste Antifreeze in 205 ltr barrels – STW Minworth , Sutton Coldfield.
Oil & grease cont rags,granules,mats, PPE- Coventry & Solihull Waste disposal company
WEEE Equipment Recycle it 4 U Unit 12, cedar court,Telford CB/RE5300XG
Section Titleall : Endvehicle Of Life Disposal Points or recycle components, we discussed with the _ team what “other” things we could do with parts of Author: Charlie Bailey vehicles that could not be re-used on another vehicle. The answer (see below right) came from the guys who fabricated from a damaged transit tipper door/panel a trophy cabinet to display the HS&E awards. This is located in the head office reception and has become a “feature” for all visitors from the UK and farther afield namely the United States, where pictures etc have been shared across many networking events. Maybe an idea for a new business venture for recycled parts.
Aerosol Cans :Disposal point De-Pack Environmental Loughborough,
Date: Sept 2013 Approved by D Greenall
Communication The introduction of various recycling initiatives including, workshops creating waste champions through the apprenticeship scheme; introducing waste
64
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 receptacle that are easily identified on each work station with mini bins attached for gloves etc that previously would have just been placed in the wrong bin, thus allowing a greater pre-treatment rate and understanding of why we pre-treat. This has allowed for a self-policing exercise across the group.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? The Zero Waste Strategy has led us to look for inefficiencies in the use of materials, energy and human resources. We have tried to support all three generally accepted goals of sustainability, economic well being, environmental protection, and social well being. We have identified inefficiencies in both processes and products which has allowed us to find cost saving solutions resulting in waste reduction, improved efficiency and lower costs. We have reduced areas below permit levels thus reducing cost of compliance to current regulations. Environmental protection is enhanced through the operation of ISO 14001 reducing demand for resources and energy from nature and the reduction of waste. Social well being is enhanced through efficiency improvements that allow more resources to be available for all. We conduct 360 degree reviews with strategic partners sharing and communicating environmental initiatives and best practice. â&#x2014;&#x2020;
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
65
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 CBRE ZERO LANDFILL
PROJECT AIM Project Zero Landfill aims to establish the Mall Cribbs Causeway in Bristol as a leader in waste management through continued development of recycling practice. By working closely with colleagues, tenants, and contractors, the Mall aims to continually increase recycling and landfill diversion rates as it pursue the ultimate goal of becoming a zero landfill site. Such an achievement would ensure the centre contributes to a more sustainable future for both the immediate and wider environment. This would result in efficient, more cost effective methods of practice on site, in addition to reducing the amount of waste sent to increasingly undesirable landfill facilities. Following the introduction of a landfill tax in 1996, costs associated with landfill waste has significantly increased from ÂŁ8 per tonne in 2003 to ÂŁ80 per tonne today, making recycling more cost effective than ever before. By reducing, and eventually eliminating landfill from site, The Mall aims to have better control of the service charge passed to tenants as it aims to control operational expenditure. This will ensure the centre remains competitive whilst being attractive as a retail destination for years to come.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS To date, Project Zero Landfill has achieved a success rate which is impressive considering the size and complexity of the operation. Prior to the conception of the project, The Mall achieved a landfill diversion rate of 3%. With nearly 1,800 tonnes of total waste produced each year, much improvement was required. Following analysis of waste practice by management, recycling streams were identified and cost effective methods of operation introduced. Cardboard, paper, tin, and plastics were highlighted as the four main groups suitable for recycling. The introduction of balers enabled the recycling team to bale, store, and recycle sufficient quantities of these streams both
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Full recycle: plan to eliminate waste in Bristol efficiently and cost effectively. The storage of baled items also supported sustainability as the frequency of collections was significantly reduced and therefore transportation miles and our carbon footprint declined. In addition, quad recycling bins were introduced within the Mall to support segregation at source. Further developments included the introduction of facilities which offered the ability to convert food waste into energy. Contaminated food waste, which attributes 20% of the total amount of waste generated at site, could be recycled through incineration and conversion into energy. This was a vast improvement on the previous method of sending it to landfill. Consequently, the project has achieved an annual recycling rate of 60.10% and a landfill diversion rate of 96.29% to date.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Over recent decades, society has become more aware of the negative footprint left by mankind. Businesses have had to develop greater environmental awareness in order to ensure they can compete in a developing world of green thinking. The Mall generates around 1,800 tonnes of waste per year and sending this amount of waste to landfill is neither
66
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 financially or morally feasible. By reducing landfill waste, The Mall was able to demonstrate that it is determined to limit its impact on the environment while maintaining stable service charges for its owners and tenants. Poor reporting mechanisms and the waste contractor’s inability to provide detailed information further fuelled the project as the Mall strived to accurately assess waste practice. Until this took place, it was difficult to move forward effectively as the Mall had no access to market. Therefore, the waste contract was placed for re-tender in a bid to improve the reliability and transparency of reporting information, in addition to providing access to the commodities market.
WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? Affording such a project was made even more difficult due to the poor economic climate – no additional funds were available as a result of a tightly controlled environment. With recycling rates increasing from 3% to 41%, The Mall used savings from reduced landfill costs to fund the introduction of nine balers.
Spread the word: recycling made clear in the Mall
● ●
●
●
18% to 96.29% of overall waste at a local materials recycling facility (MRF) Zero increase in service charge to tenants Reduced staff turnover in team from 44% to 10% due to better working conditions and training Fewer waste compactor collections reduce carbon footprint as less lorry journeys required Improved health and safety within the back of house and loading bays areas.
WHO AND WHAT BENEFITED?
Further funds were raised through the use of the balers as rebates could be gained from commodities such as cardboard, paper, tin and plastics. In addition, these products could be safely and neatly stored ready for collection when commodity prices were high.
Tenants received better service at no additional cost through the green box system. Instead of having to leave their store – particularly important during busy shopping periods – retailers could have their recycling collected from the rear of their unit providing they segregate at source.
Further zero cost improvements included retraining staff and educating tenants on the recycling process. A tenant engagement programme was initiated and this resulted in the employment of retail liaison officer.
Through a clear corridor policy, security around the back of house areas has been improved as ‘foreign’ objects can be identified quickly. In addition, a safer, cleaner environment is better for all users through improved health and safety practice. Clear escape corridors also ensure that we are compliant with the Regulatory Reform Order (Fire Safety).
The successful candidate was tasked with establishing lines of communication with retailers in a bid to promoting recycling and segregation at site.
IF QUANTIFIABLE, WHAT DID THE PROJECT ACHIEVE IN TERMS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMY, ENVIRONMENT AND/OR EQUITY? Quantifiable achievements of the project included: ● Recycling rates up from 3% to 60.10% of overall waste segregated at site, while recovered rates were up from
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? ● ● ●
●
Reduction in carbon footprint due to fewer lorry journeys Supports reduction in land required for landfill Reuse of resources/less use of virgin material (worlds resources) A seasonal landscaping team was set up during the Christmas period because of an increase in recycling. This ensured that the team remained in full-time
67
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 employment all year round and helped to support the local economy.
WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? To support the success of the project, the following innovations were made: ● Waste strategy was formed and implemented across the portfolio of 13 shopping centres – previous waste was not considered as important ● Hoppers introduced to support storage of recyclates in preparation for baling. Baling could then take place only when sufficient quantities of product were available ● Engagement with retailers through recycling liaison officer and introduction of green box recycling system ● Change in perception across a portfolio of 13 shopping centres ● Access to commodities market through waste partner ● Quad recycling bins introduce within The Mall ● Change in title from waste operatives to recycling operatives in order to reflect the important work conducted by the team.
CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT FROM IMPLEMENTING YOUR METHODS? Due to the extent of the project, The Mall led a portfolio of 13 shopping centres in delivering the waste management strategy. Best practice seminars were delivered at site and a representative from The Mall attended the recycle waste management exhibition as a forum panelist. The Mall also contributed to articles within the Shopping Centre magazine.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN AND ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENT? Experience gained through retailer engagements has supported the introduction of other projects around the site such as a security loading bay ‘lock down’ project. Future developments include a restructure of the department to ensure better delivery and recycling practice and the addition of external quad recycling bins to mirror and complement the internal setup.◆
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
68
Bristol fashion
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 COUCH PERRY & WILKES/IBI NIGHTINGALE KIRKWOOD HOSPICE, HUDDERSFIELD: IN-PATIENT UNIT REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT AIM Opened in 1987, Kirkwood Hospice in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, provides specialist palliative care for adults facing life threatening illnesses. The hospice also supports families, carers and friends during illness and bereavement. As it approached its 25th anniversary and originally designed with an emphasis on operational functionality, the hospice’s In-patient unit required major upgrading to meet current and future clinical requirements and heightened user expectations. With no requirement to increase the numbers of beds or activity on site, the project focused on significantly upgrading the In-patient accommodation in line with national clinical guidance – an increase in the size and number of single bedrooms and improving the amount and quality of social and support spaces available. The project achieved this through a substantial new extension and a complete remodelling of the existing inpatient unit. The hospice’s aspirations were for the extended and reconfigured facility to be state of the art and so our role was to create a multi-functional, highly flexible unit that was both functionally efficient and supportive of the holistic needs of patients, family, friends and staff.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The new accommodation comprises nine single rooms, each with en-suite showers. Responding to patient requests during an extensive briefing stage consultation, the scheme also incorporates two multi-bed bays which have been configured using an innovative IBI Nightingale Cruciform layout to maximise visibility and provide a noninstitutional feel. Each incorporates a seating area, enlarged en-suite shower, clinical write up area and enhanced clinical space around each bed. All rooms benefit from views into landscaped gardens and level access to semi-private screened external garden
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Total care: Kirkwood Hospice is state of the art ‘rooms’ that extend the patient bedrooms. Reflecting the importance of patients and families being able to spend time away from the bedrooms and meet other families, the design increases social and support spaces, but also includes quiet rooms for those desiring solitude. The scheme has completely reconfigured clinical support spaces to facilitate best working practices by staff; employing the latest clinical standards, good observation and an abundance of natural light to rooms and corridors via floor to ceiling windows and roof lights. Improved clinical efficiency and a patient focused interior design, landscape and artwork strategy mean IBI Nightingale has designed a state of the art hospice that will serve the people of Kirklees for the next 25 years.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? At a cost of £3m, the Kirkwood scheme was funded from donations and sponsorship raised on top of the hospice’s annual running cost of £4.2m. Value for money was of paramount importance and high quality environments for patients prioritised over more functional staff and clinical support spaces. The project was ‘traditionally’ tendered with IBI Nightingale
70
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 commissioned as architects and interior designers throughout the two year programme.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? The Design and Patient, Staff and Visitor Benefit As the scheme developed it expanded to involve the remodelling of the whole of the existing in-patient unit. The patient accommodation was divided into two nursing units allowing for new working practices and a greater range of spaces with beverage bays/seating areas opening off naturally lit circulation routes. A key driver for the design was the orientation of all patient accommodation – nine single rooms, two multi-bed bays and patient lounges – towards the landscaped gardens to the east and south of the building, an arrangement which has filled the rooms with an abundance of natural light, created garden views and provided a tranquil and calming environment in which the hospice’s caring work continues. Spacious, comfortable bedrooms with en-suite facilities and the provision of bespoke built-in furniture, including bedhead storage and drop-down overnight beds for relatives have facilitated delivery of state of the art clinical care in a homely and welcoming environment. The single bed rooms feature full-height glazed window walls to maximise natural light and provide easy, level access to semi-private garden rooms. A range of social spaces has been provided throughout the unit to give patients and their families/visitors greater flexibility and freedom during their stay. Previously, there were limited facilities for families away from the bedside, so visiting was stressful and intense. The new patient/family lounges and kitchen provide spaces to meet other families in informal and comfortable surroundings, which can be an invaluable source of support through very stressful times. In addition, a range of quiet rooms, lounges and even alcoves off circulation routes create spaces for confidential interviews, informal chats and relatives to stay overnight. The project has greatly benefited patients, staff and visitors, best summed up by the public’s reaction after the unit’s opening:
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Tranquil: the bedrooms are light and airy “An inspired renovation, tastefully co-ordinated decor and superb equipment which can be tailored to patients' needs. Kirklees people are very fortunate to have this wonderful facility..... Excellently planned. Beautiful peaceful place to end one’s days....The new hospice building is the best example of money well spent. Patient centred and absolutely fantastic. It brought a tear to my eyes and I am not an emotional person.”
WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? Garden rooms During the design stage it was identified that patients and families placed great value on having access to the gardens, but many were not keen on the lack of privacy due to its open plan. As a result, each room has been provided with a semiprivate garden room, screened from adjacent spaces by a series of planters and trellises that have built-in seating, and which act as extensions of the patient’s bedrooms, even when the full height glazed external double doors are closed. With the doors opened, patients’ beds can be wheeled out beneath the extended overhanging eaves and plugged into external power supplies so there is no loss in clinical function. Exterior and landscape It was important to create a recognisably modern building expressive of the future of the hospice’s service, while also complementing the existing buildings on the hospice site through scale, design and material selection.
71
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Haven of peace: the hospice gardens provide a gentle setting for both patients and visitors Thus, the form and pitched roofs of the existing were adopted and cedar cladding and handmade buff bricks present in the surrounding hospice used in conjunction with complementary white render, mesh stainless steel balustrades and stone filled gabions. Maintaining the use and openness of the gardens whilst adding a total of 1,352 square metres of refurbished and new build accommodation was also a key factor in the design. Not only was this achieved but the gardens have been extensively redeveloped, with wheelchair access greatly improved, and an enlarged pond and labyrinth introduced. The gardens complement the architecture offering a complete transformation of the Hospiceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offering to the community. Sustainable design Passive environmental features were central to the design. The environmental benefits of natural ventilation to all rooms with windows have been enhanced by shading provided by generously projecting eaves and the introduction of stack effect ventilation utilising opening roof lights to circulation areas. The scheme also includes a 20% enhancement of Building Regulation Part L thermal requirements and the reconfiguration of an existing CHP boiler as the prime source of heat and power.
commitment to sustainability was reviewed throughout the design and construction processes by an internal panel of Trustees and staff. Additional sustainability measures were considered throughout the design development process and decisions on their adoption based on payback periods and available tariffs. For example, south facing solar photovoltaic roof tiles were integrated into the roof construction, this discrete design having a minimal aesthetic impact on the building but providing a financial payback for the hospice over a 20year period.
WHAT HAVE YOUR LEARNT? The importance of consulting extensively and listening to all stakeholders to understand what they desire from the building has reinforced the criticality of a well defined brief in ensuring the delivery of a design solution that offers a comfortable, peaceful and non-institutional environment for patients and a healthy workplace for staff. The difficulties experienced by lay stakeholders in interpreting traditional 2D drawings led us to make extensive use of 3D visuals of the conceptual design and samples/mock-ups of key components and assemblies, an approach we have adopted more widely on similar healthcare projects. â&#x2014;&#x2020;
Although the scheme was not obliged to meet an external accreditation such as BREEAM, the hospiceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
72
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 DAVE CLARKE & SON OWN RENEWABLE SHOWROOM
PROJECT AIM Our aim is to meet environmental concerns by means of educating and encouraging the development of renewable energy projects. The national target of 15 per cent of the UK'S energy to come from renewable sources by 2020 is firmly within our grasp and our energy technologies we offer become increasingly more important. We show our consumers how to take control of rising energy costs by harvesting what comes naturally – daylight for one. Solar PV for harvesting electricity and solar thermal for hot water are other examples.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Our project has proven to be a great benchmark. We can show to people how we can control the contamination of drinking water and air pollution and can easily show how to look at ones carbon footprint. This all leads to climate change and issues related to global warming, the greenhouse effect as well as ozone depletion. We prove that we offer sustainable development aims – meeting human needs while preserving the environment. This means that these needs can be met not only in the present but also for generations to come.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Our project involved transforming our former church premises into a renewable energy working showroom – bringing renewable energy to the forefront of our industry by the use of thermal integration. This was sympathetically carried out with bespoke tiling adorning our hand crafted reception desks and a Uponor underfloor heating system. To show the quality of the underfloor works, part of it can be seen through an area exposed by specialised glass. We did this project to outline almost all economic and lifestyle benefits. Energy costs are rising and will never come down. With our proof of integration we can offer not
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Taking control: showroom is green and friendly only improvement with large benefits in performance over time but also long term cost savings.
WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? Our project cost in the region of £87,000 all funded by ourselves. This was particularly difficult due to having to keep the project afloat while keeping the company going and keeping our customers and their projects happy. Our project achieves the ability to provide renewable and green friendly options for every project. To the rear of our 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 find the heat bank is perfect for bespoke hot water systems that have a lot of different renewables linked together. Biomass boilers, wood burners,heat pumps and solar systems all work fantastically from this one unit. We also prove that wood burning fires, air source and ground source can be integrated and our array shows this. Our innovation speaks for itself. Our rainwater harvesting system is evident. We recently won an award for a rainwater harvesting installation, a project that we worked on locally.
73
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 Our display of low energy lighting is evident as soon as you enter the building. Our MCZ pellet boiler keeps the front of our showroom warm and becomes quite a talking point with clients and architects alike. Our showroom is our benchmark that enables us to carry out bespoke design and also the redesign of old and inefficient systems. Our work takes us nationwide and is varied. We hold free open days and invite architects, project developers and practically any one who is interested in practising a more friendly environment. We have no sales teams or marketing departments and acquired our very first green vehicle over 30 years ago when human beings in general rarely thought about renewable energies. We appreciate that the environment is fragile and needs protecting and therefore we have the practical implementations to prove our resolve on this. This is 32 years of hard work and dedication. Our old church stands proud and hopefully will be here for future generations as will our innovation and technology. â&#x2014;&#x2020;
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
74
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 ECOPAINT ANGOLA OCTOBUILDING
PROJECT AIM Ecopaint Angola is involved with the maintenance of buildings and providing products for the automobile and cleaning industries. It also is involved in the development of eco-friendly products and solutions, such as thermal and acoustic insulation and fire retardant and water-proofing membranes. At a summit of leaders in London in April 2014, the company launched the OctoBuilding, a conceptual approach to providing innovative buildings that showcases the firms enviro-friendly developments. Building on success: Ecopaintâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s innovation The octagonal shape has a grasstop roof that provides insulation and it has been designed to capture and store water, which is a very precious commodity in this part of the world. On the east of the building, Low-E insulating glass has been used so the room stays cool even when the sun is Question of balance: the OctoBuilding design The company was responding to a need for quicker and cheaper buildings that have a rational use of materials and their recycling and a sustainable use of energy and water.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The OctoBuilding is a 40-foot standard trailer that is 28 square metres with high strength and versatility, and it follows the environmental and ecological guidelines.
Cool interior: promoting energy efficiency shining.The south solar panels capture energy and so the building is self-sufficient and the lighting is natural. In the north section of the building, cork has been used for thermal and acoustic insulation. Count on cork: thermal insulation Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
75
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 Internally. the floor, walls and ceilings have been constructed from recycled paper and glass, resulting in compact and continuous surfaces, with high functionality and aesthetics. The whole concept has been designed to promote energy efficiency through insulation and energy capture and storage.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? The design and flexibility of the building is such that it can be adapted for many uses, including commercial, sporting and recreational. It can also be used for private accommodation and because of the design benefits, it can be replicated to become a main city plan. â&#x2014;&#x2020;
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Glass act: recycled paper and glass used on walls
76
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 EIBE EASTMENDERS PROJECT AIM Waltham Forest is the largest multi-site project that Eibe has undertaken, having been awarded the contract after a design and build tender at the beginning of 2013. Eight companies were invited to pitch, but it was Eibe that proved its worth by providing important sustainable credentials and a customer service promise to deliver on London Borough of Waltham Forest’s own environmental beliefs.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENT Waltham Forest was an Olympic Host Borough at the 2012 London Olympic Games. As part of its sporting legacy phase, it had an ambitious programme of significant regeneration projects to deliver by January 2014. These included an extensive Parks and Play improvement programme using council capital investment. In order to deliver the Parks and Play project, key council stakeholders sought experienced and innovative partners to install relevant, desirable and inclusive playgrounds for a variety of schemes. All of the parks welcomed community involvement where neighbourhoods had their own chance to influence the design process. This proved both popular with the younger generation and beneficial to the end result, as each and every site was completely different in terms of the play equipment and cosmetic design. The Eibe team invested a serious amount of time in advertising and promoting the new ventures, getting to know local schools and counselling opinion and ideas. There was also a Parents’ Forum, an organisation that has over 2,000 families registered with them for special needs. A meeting was held with the director who was able to give the Eibe team guidance and information regarding the area of special needs within the borough. Where there were no Friends of Groups formed, letters were sent out via the local schools asking for suggestions
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Play time: Eibe’s dynamic delivery and thoughts. “Involving the local community each step of the way was a great initiative,” says Eibe managing director Paul Redden. “Public consultation findings lead to a feeling of belonging and the concluding feedback from all of the local communities that we have interacted with is one of total positivity. “Having set out to revitalise fun and recreation areas by providing the young with dynamic natural play and adventure facilities, Waltham Forest has shown a commitment to support children’s learning and curiosity in safer and more alluring environments. It’s been a pleasure being part of the journey. “Each renovated playspace now has its own unique characteristics and features. All the wonderful ideas and creative input we received manifested itself into a myriad of wondrous design concepts and genuinely influenced the ultimate look and feel of the parks.”
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? The resulting dynamic play areas are refreshing and exciting for all users, whether from the local neighbourhood or visitors to the East End. The all-inclusive factor was essential and was always high on committee agendas. The accessible nature
77
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 of the playgrounds encourage harmonious play and imaginative interaction through natural and sensory landscaping. The playscapes are evocative to sight, smell, touch and sound, offering an educational element on top of all the fun and adventure. One thing that is absolutely evident from the whole regeneration project is the increase in participation and footfall. By creating Park and Play areas that people want to visit and re-visit with friends and family, we have helped to nurture community spirit and enhance social integration across different ethnicities, a tremendously important success criterion in this particularly multi-cultural part of the world. There have been many winners in this complex process. Waltham Forest has certainly delivered on its promise to the community and maintenance costs will now be much lower, as repairing the older, uninviting parks was a costly reoccurrence, largely due to anti-social behaviour. Simple things like not having sides on pavilions – ergo, no hiding places – mean graffiti opportunities are harder and the aesthetically-pleasing appearance of the playspaces should render a sense of pride and ownership because of the initial involvement of so many different parties. Indeed, Friends of Park Groups have been established around several sites already, bonding neighbourhoods further and Eibe plans to replicate the ‘urban turnaround’ in other major cities such as Birmingham and Manchester in the course of time. Each park had its own launch day, typically attended by a local mayor or councillor, as well as Eibe staff who came
Full house: the play area is proving very popular equipped with gifts and sweets. At certain events, local schoolchildren made the ribbons for the grand cutting ritual! As a result of some outstanding feedback from attendees, Waltham Forest entered the Place Making awards for its delivery of the parks and programmes team 2013. They received a Highly Commended award. They are also entering the RoSPA Play Quality Awards with a more individual focus on the aspect of inclusivity. Eibe’s Sandra O’Sullivan, who led much of the community engagement exercise, believes that the entire team’s commitment, including weekend work and personal meetings at unsociable hours embedded the business within the society. The fostering of fraternal goodwill is picked up by Waltham Forest’s Project Engineer for Parks and Play, Ben Frearson, who enthused: “Sandra’s enthusiasm, dedication and quality of her work are unparalleled. Throughout the year, she has undertaken consultation that has been far more thorough and comprehensive than other play companies. “Sandra is always happy and willing to assist with queries and issues when they arise and she will ‘go the extra mile’ to ensure the client is happy.” ◆
Head over heels: fun time for youngsters
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
78
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 ENVIRONMENTAL CROP MANAGEMENT HELPING FARMERS MANAGE CLIMATE CHANGE
PROJECT AIM The aim is to research, advise and educate our farmers in pioneering agronomy to mitigate the damaging effects of climate change on farming and to reduce green house gas production associated with conventional farming practices. The project has used the non-fungicidal effects of cereal fungicides( otherwise ignored) to reduce night time respiration ( dark respiration) that burns grain carbohydrate at night as a result of higher night time temperatures caused by climate change. Furthermore, we will reduce the production of nitrous oxide from nitrogen fertilizers by stabilizing nitrogen in the soil.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Cereal yields increased by 10%( £50/acre) on a pilot group of farmers in 2013 and these practices have been adopted by our 1,200 farmers in 2014, with crops looking much healthier (with high yield potential) than normal with less fertilizer applied. More C02 is trapped, as yield namely starch, a carbohydrate, is harvested as grain. The quality and boldness of grain is substantially improved a key selling point for grain from the farmers’ point of view: ● 10 % higher yields and better grain quality ● More C02 trapped as starch ● Less nitrous oxide lost to the atmosphere as grain is also composed of protein as well as starch ● The same or less nitrogen fertilizer applied for a 10% yield increased, therefore better nitrogen usage by the crop and less pollution to water and atmosphere ● Sharing of this pioneering work with 90 agronomists across the UK, several universities and our multinational suppliers.
Rich furrow: ECM’s pioneering agronomy As temperatures rise farmers in the UK will see yields decline if no management changes are made. The higher CO2 levels could be used to reverse this process as the crops trap and use this valuable plant building block. Farmers are conservative by nature and fragmented so it is important that ECM can communicate on a one to one basis the new techniques that are needed. As agronomists we are ideally suited both in terms of expertise and trust to help the farmer with these changes, and to monitor the performance of these innovative techniques. The project aims to transfer the knowledge of how to mitigate the damaging effects of increased temperature (especially night time-dark respiration) and to benefit from higher C02 levels to increase yields and trap this damaging greenhouse gas.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT?
Also nitrogen fertilisers, vital for crop yield, are lost as nitrous oxide (a highly damaging greenhouse gas far more damaging than C02), this process can be drastically reduced by better management on the farm.
Farmers are seeing changes in the climate alter their farming practices often by experiencing longer drought periods or floods. This has a huge impact on their ability to produce our food in a time of ever growing demand.
So far ECM has achieved better yields by reducing night time respiration in cereals and reducing nitrogen fertilisers loses to nitrous oxide.
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
79
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? Environmental Crop Management (ECM) has undertaken an extensive literature search over the past four years aided by Professor Peter Dunleavey and Dr Mark Langan to investigate how to help plants adapt to climate change. These findings supported by ECM field trials have led to pioneering ways of crops being grown in North West England. Night time respiration is increased by higher temperatures and the crop effectively burns grain yield that could have been harvested as well as generating more C02 as a waste product of this process. By using the non-fungicidal effects of a range of SDHI and Strobulurin fungicides, ECM is able to help the cereal plant reduce dark respiration by lowering the C02 compensation point. The farmer only has to slightly change his choice of cereal fungicide with no extra cost being incurred. ECM agronomists are fully trained in this new approach and saw significant yield increases in the 2013 harvest, whilst our competitors using old technologies did not. This had the very encouraging effect of farmers flocking to use our newly developed agronomy. The results manifested in farmers seeing a 10% cereal yield increase (worth ÂŁ50)/acre) and better grain quality over using our traditional methods (which are now redundant) for no extra cost. The unseen benefit of this is that more C02 has been trapped and more nitrogen extracted from the soil is no longer available to be leached into the water system or degraded into nitrous oxide, a highly damaging green house gas. The other aspect of this project was to protect the environment from nitrous oxide production as a result of bacteria in the soil degrading nitrogen fertiliser, an expensive and vital farming input.
This dual approach stabilises the nitrogen in the soil and the plant starts to use nitrogen more efficiently and extracts it more fully from the soil leading to higher yields and reduced pollution. Farmers are cynical folk and have tested this system to great success in 2013 leading to almost complete uptake in 2014. This nitrogen efficiency scheme has worked in cereals, potatoes and maize with farmers experiencing better yields, and almost unwittingly reducing nitrogen losses to nitrous oxide at the same time.
WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? Climate change poses a serious threat to farming in the UK but also presents a great opportunity to exploit higher levels of C02 in the atmosphere to increase yields. Our pioneering work, which has been adopted by all our 1,200 farmers, is producing better yields of higher quality whilst trapping more C02 and making more efficient use of nitrogen fertiliser and reducing the pollution threat it can pose. The environment, farmers and the food consuming public all benefit from this scheme. ALL ECM agronomists have adopted this system across 1200 farms in the North West of England. ECM presented this work to 90 agronomists working across the UK and has had equally great success for many thousands of farmers served by these agronomists. ECM has shared this work with our university colleagues in the hope that further research will lead to even better agronomy advice in the coming years. We have a research student looking in greater detail as to the mechanisms involved.
ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS? ECM is looking at how plants can be helped to be more water efficient, as climate change poses many issues for water use by crops. â&#x2014;&#x2020;
This was achieved by using a material that selectively slows the bacteria causing this nitrification in the soil, combined with the foliar application of amino acids that improve the speed at which crops metabolise nitrogen.
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
80
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 FEDERATION OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA IMPROVING ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION PROJECT AIM At a time when the (rare) investments in Bosnia and Herzegovina are the only thing that moves us forward, the Environmental Protection Fund of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina seeks to contribute to the financial and systemic protection of nature and environment with the obligation of contribution to development of society, and to help today’s and future generations alike to live in an environment that does not jeopardise their wellbeing. The Environmental Fund of Federation of BiH is responsible for collecting funds as well as stimulating and financing preparation, implementation and development of programmes, projects and similar activities pertaining to environmental protection and preservation, sustainable use and improvement of the state of the environment, particularly: ● Funding the implementation of environmental projects, programs and similar activities pertaining to environmental protection, preservation, sustainable use and improvement of the state of environment ● Providing support in performing national environmental tasks stemming from the international obligations ● Promoting development of environmentally favourable economic structure ● Preservation of the nature protection areas ● Funding development and implementation of programme documents and similar activities pertaining to environmental preservation and protection, sustainable use and improving state of environment as well as use of renewable energy sources; ● Co-operation with academic and research institutions, communication and information activities about the importance of environmental protection ● Activities aimed at fostering cooperation with nongovernmental organizations, ecological associations and other associations primarily focused on environmental protection.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The Environmental Protection Fund has been operating in
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Fundraisers: protecting the environment Bosnia and Herzegovina since 2010 and so far has managed to establish itself as a leading institution that their work contributes to solving systemic problems accumulated in the field of environmental protection in the territory of the Federation of BiH. In this regard, we may say that the year 2013. saw us set in motion the long-term development processes of the Fund in terms of environmental protection and sustainable development. It is the Fund’s strategic and development objective to continue the successful implementation of projects and to extend the scope of project-related activities in order to include projects focusing on energy efficiency and renewable sources of energy. As the Federation BiH’s main environmental funding mechanism, Fund made contribution to improving the state of environment by allocating cca 49 million KM to 422 projects in the 2010-2013. period, within the following thematic areas: ● Waste water management, sustainable use of water, water protection (with an emphasis on water source protection), and water quality monitoring ● Remediation and emergency interventions in cases of
81
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
●
●
environmental disasters, raising awareness of importance of environmental protection Support to projects developed by non-governmental organisations and other non-profit organisations, public research and higher educational institutions Sewer system projects and urban waste water treatment plant projects aimed at abatement of emissions of pollutants generated by traffic and projects aimed at improvement of air quality monitoring.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Contribution the Environmental Protection Fund on its way to achievement of sustainable water use and improving the quality of life is not negligible. In accordance with the Water Management Strategy of the Federation of BiH and programme activities in the period 2010-2013, the Fund has allocated 34,170,053 KM which is for water conservation projects of importance for the Federation provided about 11 million KM, which will allow the opening of funds from international sources in the amount of about 150,000,000 KM. The task of the Fund is that this means maximum protection of the environment threatened by industrial effluents, chemicals and other polluting substances for which it is necessary to build a variety of filters, collectors, drainage sewer systems and finance other modern technologies that will protect our water well. Programme activities are related to water protection, and under the Water Act included the following: ● Waste water management ● The use of water ● Protection of watercourses ● Management of water resources for projects whose implementation is under way, which includes cofinancing of projects that are partially completed, and is due to lack of funds stopped them in place, or are likely not to be completed in an environmentally sound manner ● Projects that are undertaken international obligations in terms of loans, grants, etc., and where is a need for closing the financial structure in terms of the final realization of the same ● Rehabilitation and immediate intervention for restoration, which includes rescue and immediate care in order to hinder and prevent incidents which may cause damage to the environment and which have a direct impact on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
the water, and biodiversity and to raise public awareness of the importance of water protection.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? This Fund provides financing for a wide range of beneficiaries and environmental projects. What is most important is that with every project, significant benefits on the ground are achieved, that the funds are distributed only in the purposes and needs of the local community. Through the implementation of environmental projects, at the levels of the FBiH and local communities, we are actively engaging with each stakeholder in order to understand current and future needs and expectations of the Fund’s beneficiaries, meet their demands, and strive to exceed their expectations during project implementation. To improve quality and efficiency of work, in order to be able to address complex environmental issues as effectively as possible, we have established solid and constructive co-operation with: ● Public institutions ● Regional and local self-government ● Agencies and trade chambers ● National and international institutions responsible for various environmental issues, considering their specific expertise and scope of activities ● Non-governmental organisations ● Ecological associations ● Institutes and academic institutions through funding of projects, and media.
WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? The key principles that guided the Fund’s policy in the 2010 – 2013. period remain unchanged, and they include programming, partnerships, co-financing, transparency and evaluation. The Fund ensures long term financial perspective for achieving sustainable environmental management and protection priorities, in line with the principle of sustainable use of natural resources as well as with the FBiH policy of adopting the sustainable development concept and philosophy.
WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? In line with the FBiH Law on Environmental Protection Fund (Official Gazette of the FBiH no. 33/03), the largest
82
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 part of means for financing for the Fund are secured from: ● Compensation from polluters of the environment ● Compensation from users of environment (not yet identified) and special compensations for environment paid during registration of motor vehicles. The environmental protection fund of Federation of BiH collects fees in line with the FBiH Law on Water, the fees for specific categories of waste from fees during the registration of motor vehicles, and from fees paid by air pollutants. From these last two items, 30 per cent of total fees collected are being invested in the projects and programs targeted at improving the environmental performance in FBiH through public calls launched by FZOFBiH (Environmental Fund), and 70 percent of the transfer is liable forwards cantons, with an obligation to report on the expenditure of funds. During 2010-2013 the Fund collected fees in the amount of KM 67,503,307. The structure of expenditures and participation are the most significant expenses to fund projects to protect the environment in which the Fund spent a total of 62,147,832 KM.
IF QUANTIFIABLE, WHAT DID THE PROJECT ACHIEVE IN TERMS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMY, ENVIRONMENT AND EQUITY? By co-financing environmental projects and programs of strategic importance for the FBiH, the Fund is proving to be (one of) the undisputed drivers of economic development in the Federation of BiH. The Fund continues to pursue transparency with regards to the special purpose investments as well as efficiency in the procedures of collecting, managing and using the Fund’s resources. In this sense, we are aware of the challenges facing BiH in the context market by economic crisis, country in transition, the large number of unemployed; thus, the Fund has managed to create the conditions for the efficient operation of a young a federal institution that has already proved to be a support to all levels of government, by implementing a large number of environmental projects which are a prerequisite for further development, with a modern and successful financial operations, and the management of public revenues. Based on the results achieved in the past four years, there
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
is no doubt that the Fund gives priority to funding the programs and projects of environmental protection and energy efficiency of the "vulnerable" and threatened areas of federal significance. This seeks to create better conditions for the development of these areas and open prospects for sustainable economic growth, employment and raising the standard of living. As it has been providing co-financing for strategically important environmental protection programmes and projects in the Federation of BiH, which aimed at policy development and improvement of infrastructure, the Fund within a dynamic set of priorities, ensures the following: ● Environmental protection which brings social and economic benefits ● Contributing to reducing differences with regards to the degree of development at regional and local level by improving quality of life across the regions ● Contributing to fulfilment of international obligations, in particular with regards to our intermediary role in environmental funding ● Increasing direct and indirect benefits of investments, ● Reducing costs and improving energy saving for the beneficiaries by creating environment favourable for investments in EE.
CAN ANOTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT FROM IMPLEMENTING YOUR METHODS? On the basis of such a a respectable investment, the Fund has become a leader in the implementation of these projects and is recognized as a highly reliable partner. Based on past experience, the Fund developed capacities by providing recommendations and guidelines, and other entities that would be through additional investments in environmental protection accelerated development of the domestic market on the financing of environmental protection, and thus the sustainable economic development of the Federation. Previous results have shown that: ● Stakeholders identify the Fund as a reliable partner ● Context in which relevant institutions implement environmental development activities and strategies offers higher degree of certainty and predictability ● Environmental projects are more effective in terms of achieving their objectives (Financial resources are invested in more complex and demanding projects, resulting in much wider effects)
83
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 ●
●
Investments in environmental infrastructure benefit future generations Local self-government authorities and potential investors receive a clear message that their investments in improving the quality of environment will be supported and funded.
today’s and future generations. Also, to undertake all the necessary measures, as far as it is possible, to accelerate setting in place the preconditions for the long term economic development of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. ◆
WHAT DID YOU LEARN AND ARE YOU PLANNING FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS? It is the Fund’s strategic and development objective to continue the successful implementation of projects and to extend the scope of project-related activities in order to include projects focusing on energy efficiency and renewable sources of energy. In the foreseeable future, the Fund will focus on expanding its activities with the view to stimulate, establish and implement cooperation with international and national financing institutions for the purposes of funding projects aimed at environmental protection, energy efficiency and renewable energy sources, which are in line with the Federation of BiH’s interests, strategic documents; action plans and international treaties. We are aware of the challenges facing BiH marked by rising energy prices, overall energy costs increase and environmental pollution. The Fund expects to continue funding projects aimed at energy efficiency (primarily in public buildings and facilities), reduction of energy costs, abatement of emissions, and proactive management of resources and local and regional level. In addition, it is of great importance to continue efforts aimed at water protection by means of comprehensive development and reconstruction of municipal sewerage and waste water treatment systems, increasing coverage and improving public water supply networks, and by ensuring conditions for sustainable use of water in those areas where development depends on market interests. The mission of the Fund for the coming period is to ensure efficiency and transparency of allocation of earmarked funds, drawing on the available knowledge, experience and necessary financial resources, aiming to achieve systemic and effective protection of environment and sustainability of natural resources for the wellbeing of
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
84
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 GREENSHOOTS FUND GREENSHOOTS FUND
PROJECT AIM The Greenshoots Fund is a registered Scottish Charity (charity no. SC043185) established and supported by FMC Technologies Ltd. The fund is an innovative project developed and implemented by FMC Technologies and is a pioneering project designed to mitigate the environmental impact resulting from the manufacture, sale and distribution of FMC Technologies’ core product – installations known as Subsea Trees. Greenshoots is supported by FMC Technologies, through a levy placed on all business air travel and through their customers, who are asked to get involved and support the fund through voluntary contributions. Greenshoots aims to improve the environment for local communities by directly supporting local community projects that deliver a reduction in carbon emissions and related economic benefits. The charity’s objectives are: ● The advancement of environmental protection and improvement by donating funds to charities or registered social enterprises with well managed community carbon reduction projects to deliver demonstrable carbon savings ● To contribute to the prevention and relief of poverty for local communities by targeting projects that help to reduce fuel poverty ● To advance community development and to encourage local social cohesion by funding projects that have a high element of community participation.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The Greenshoots Fund was launched in 2009 by FMC Technologies and registered as a Scottish charity in 2012. Since then the charity has successfully funded a diverse range of projects. In March 2014 Greenshoots reached a major milestone,
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Carbon abating: Greenshoots reduces output having made £100,000 of funding available to community carbon reduction projects. Greenshoots funded its first project in 2010 making £26,103 available to the North Howe Transition Toun, a community interest company based in North East Fife. Following the success of this project the fund has supported a number of other initiatives and to date has supported the mitigation of 203 tonnes carbon, which will equate to over 1,200 tonnes by 2020, based on current projects. We are however, expecting this figure to be much higher and will increase significantly as the fund grows and new projects are funded each year. In creating the fund we have established a price of carbon, based on the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. As the fund matures and Greenshoots supports further projects, we hope to gain greater understanding regarding carbon pricing and for the fund to contribute to the learning surrounding the true cost of carbon.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? The Greenshoots fund (www.greenshootsfund.com) was launched by FMC Technologies in 2009, in an approach
85
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 by the company to address and mitigate the environmental impact resulting from the manufacture, sale and distribution of their core product. Developing relationships with communities and enhancing the local areas in which they operate are two of the company’s core values, and Greenshoots will continue this work by directly funding local projects to help reduce carbon emissions and deliver real economic benefits. The fund is a key part of FMC Technologies sustainability strategy and in achieving its 2020 targets of reducing carbon emission by 42%. While the company is taking significant steps to reduce their energy consumption and carbon emissions (e.g. installation of 1.5MW wind turbine), Greenshoots will play a part in mitigating operational emissions and in supporting the companies environmental and sustainability commitments. The fund is governed by a board of directors who are responsible for evaluating and selecting projects and reviewing performance. Applications are assessed against set evaluation criteria including anticipated carbon savings, how projects account for carbon savings, local economic benefit, other environmental benefits and project location. Greenshoots aims to provide funding to projects that cannot source support through existing sources and therefore would not otherwise be able to go ahead.
WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? Revenue for the fund is from two main sources. FMC Technologies contribute a levy placed on all their business air travel and the company are also asking their customers to get involved and support the fund through a voluntary levy placed on the purchase of their product. The customer levy is based on the approximate carbon emissions involved in the supply, manufacture and distribution of this product. To date the fund has been primarily funded by FMC Technologies, but the fund is expected to grow through 2014 with contributions from their customers.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? Since its launch the Greenshoots Fund has supported a range of community projects. It funded its first project in 2010, providing £26,103 to a project being delivered by
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
the North Howe Transition Toun (NHTT). The NHTT is a community interest company focusing on climate change issues at a local level and it represents four small villages in rural north east Fife. Greenshoots funding was used to support the installation of energy saving measures in households which had previously been classed as ‘hard to treat’ due to their traditional construction materials and design and which did not qualify for funding through more traditional means. Measures included the installation of draught proofing, insulation and secondary glazing. The funding was targeted at vulnerable groups known to be in fuel poverty and was significant in assisting these households to improve their standard of living. The project resulted in a carbon saving of 43 tons per year and estimated lifetime saving of over 1,500 tons. The total combined saving on fuel bills is estimated at £12,687 per year and £180,984 over the project lifetime. Between 2012 and 2014 Greenshoots has been supporting a project delivered by Greener Kirkcaldy, with £28,778 being donated for their Energy Savvy project. This is an innovative energy efficiency handyman project, which carries out energy saving home improvements such as draught proofing, fitting hot water cylinder jackets and secondary glazing. The initiative benefits people who are in fuel poverty by helping them to save money on their energy bills and improving the thermal comfort of their homes. The project is due for completion later in 2014 and to date has helped 161 households in the Kirkcaldy area, with a range of measures implemented. This has included draught proofing of 125 doors/windows and the installation of 27 cylinder jackets. To date the project has saved an estimated 51 tons of carbon per year with a projected lifetime saving of over 1,004 tons. In another project, Greenshoots has agreed to provide £20,000 to a project implemented by the Kingussie Community Development Company. This is part funding for their community project that will see the refurbishment of a 90-year-old micro-hydro scheme on the River Gynack.
86
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 The project is scheduled to start in June 2014, with completion later this year. Profits generated through the project will be reinvested back into the community for further environmental and energy saving initiatives. Funding for Greenshoots’ most recent project was agreed in March 2014, providing £27,388 to an energy saving project at St Agatha’s Primary School in Leven, Fife. The project, which is being coordinated by Green Business Fife, will see the installation of energy monitoring equipment in the schools classrooms. This will give pupils the opportunity to see how much energy the school uses and put in place measures to reduce their use. The project will help the school to reduce their carbon emissions and raise awareness of energy issues amongst its pupils, developing lifelong learning skills in relation to energy and sustainability. Although the project is a pilot scheme, we hope that it will lead to expansion of this technology to other schools around Scotland. ◆
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
87
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 GUY TAYLOR ASSOCIATES PARSONS MOUNT, NEWARK-ON-TRENT
PROJECT AIM The project centred on a new sustainable development in Parsons Mount, Newark-on-Trent. which would provide 12 sheltered housing units for a local charity. A listed building on the site has been refurbished to provide communal facilities and accommodation for a fulltime warden. Sustainability was a major criterion for the project from the start, and the proposals have been designed with this in mind. The project was designed to meet the requirements of Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4, as well as providing high quality housing for elderly residents. To the best of our knowledge, the development is the first Code Level 4 almshouse in the UK. It demonstrates that the almshouses of the future can be sustainable and of exceptional design quality.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The development utilises sustainable materials and building techniques such as green roofing, timber framed construction and high efficiency glazing to meet the requirements of Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4.
Grand design: the Newark almshouses
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? The project involved the design and delivery of 12 sustainable housing units for a local almshouse charity in Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire. We have a long standing relationship with the client, St Leonardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital, and we were thrilled when they approached us with the ambitious proposal to design a sustainable, modern development to provide additional almshouses in Newark.
The individual dwellings are designed to a high standard and have achieved high scores in rating systems such as Housing Quality Indicators and Lifetime Homes.
From the beginning, we have viewed this project as the perfect chance to design and deliver an innovative, high quality project that pushes the envelope of architectural design.
All units feature full disabled access and emergency warden call systems, as well as flexible living spaces which can be customised to suit the requirements of individual occupants.
Parsons Mount has achieved Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4, along with compliance with a variety of other design standards such as Lifetime Homes, HQI, HAPPI and Secured by Design.
Initial feedback from the residents has been very positive, who enjoy living in a modern, high quality building designed with them in mind. The project won the Timber in Construction award for Best Social Housing Project 2013, and a Civic Trust Award for the renovation of the Listed Building.
Parsons Mount is a low carbon development and far exceeds the Building Regulations standards for thermal performance, airtightness and carbon output. The building uses sustainable technologies such as solar hot water collectors and whole house ventilation with heat recovery. The development also maximises the use of timber (a
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
88
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 renewable resource) in the structure and cladding, and minimises the use of nonrenewable materials such as concrete and steel. The embodied energy of the building is low, and its excellent environmental credentials are complemented by the enhancements the scheme has made to local ecology, including a green roof and bat boxes to provide habitats for local wildlife.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? The main benefit of our development is to the residents who now live there. Initial feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and all the residents have praised the high quality of the accommodation, the attractive design, and the generous provision of space.
Quality street: residents love the high quality accommodation
The residents were particularly complimentary of the large outdoor balconies provided to each unit, as well as the generous communal facilities and the sense of community this has fostered amongst the residents.
Trent. We believe the project is highly innovative, demonstrating that “an almshouse can embrace all the environmental credentials of the 21st century” (a quote from Timber in Construction magazine).
The high quality design of Parsons Mount makes a positive contribution to the local built environment, enhancing the setting and character of nearby historic buildings, and creating a pleasant feel to an area which was previously occupied by derelict buildings, vandalism and crime.
It aims to become an iconic and well-known building in Newark-on-Trent, a flagship for environmental design and exemplar project for future sustainable development in the town.
As a highly sustainable development, Parsons Mount benefits everyone by minimising the impact on the environment. The ecological aspects of the project also bring benefit to local wildlife.
WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? The development of Parsons Mount has cost around £2m to date. The money came from the charity’s own private funds, made up of charitable donations and money made from renting out their various commercial properties.
WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? The project brings long term benefits to our client due to its very low running costs. The charity is responsible for paying the running costs of the building – residents only pay a small contribution towards them – and minimising the running costs reduces the outgoings of the charity, in turn freeing up funds to allow St Leonards Hospital to fulfil its remit by constructing additional almshouse units. Parsons Mount is the first almshouse development of its kind. It is also the first green-roofed building in Newark-on-
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Charitable funding was sought for the project, but we were unsuccessful in securing any money.
CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT? We believe that other organisations can benefit from the expertise we have developed during the realisation of this project. We view Parson’s Mount as a blueprint for further high quality sustainable social housing developments, and are currently seeking housing associations who may be interested in taking on similar projects.
89
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 We have recently presented a talk about our experiences with this project at the Building Centre in London in a seminar about the benefits of timber frame to the housing sector. We learned a great deal about Code for Sustainable Homes during the project and investigated many sustainable materials and technologies in order to develop the best sustainability strategy for the scheme. Timber was instrumental in delivering the project and we learned a lot about its use as a construction material during the design process.
ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS? We are hoping to build a further 10 units on the same site, along with additional communal facilities and landscaped gardens. The development was originally designed to provide 22 units but had to be implemented in phases due to budget constraints. We are currently looking for charitable funding to allow us to build the second phase of the project. The project won the 2013 Timber in Construction Award for Best Social Housing Project. It also won a Civic Trust award for the renovation of the listed building and it has recently been shortlisted for a Patronâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Award from the Almshouse Association. â&#x2014;&#x2020;
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
90
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 HERON BROS DAISY LODGE PROJECT AIM This project aimed to deliver an energy efficient and sustainable building that would blend seamlessly into the natural and beautiful surroundings of The Mourne Mountains. The overriding motivation of the design was to ensure a high level of flexibility and adaptability with regards to the future use of the building, thereby providing a longterm sustainable solution for the client and building users. The building must allow those that would be living in the space to feel nurtured, feel safe and start back on a journey to recovery.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS NI Cancer Fund for Children Daisy Lodge has been designed and built to the highest standard, providing a home from home for those families living in the space The result is a unique mountain style lodge, built using materials reflective of the surrounding natural beauty, incorporating energy efficiency and sustainable technologies and construction practices. The features include: ● High levels of flexibility and adaptability for future use ● Designed to cut into the surrounding hills using materials including stone, a green zinc roof and cedar timber cladding ● 70% PEFC certified timber cladding used throughout ● Extensive glazing to maximise the use of natural daylight, increase overall efficiency and enhance the feeling of health & welling-being ● Energy efficient lighting installed ● Solar panels for hot water utilised ● SUDS (Sustainable Urban Drainage System) installed with 95% waste diverted from landfill ● Carbon reduction measures implemented during construction ● High levels of collaboration between all stakeholders ● Sets global standards for the provision of therapeutic services
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Home from home: Daisy Lodge has a unique style
●
First of its kind in Europe with future facilities planned on the success of Daisy Lodge.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Heron Bros offers a comprehensive range of design, construction and property services working across the public and private sectors. Formed in 1956 the company now operates throughout the UK, Ireland and Europe with its head office in Draperstown, Northern Ireland. From the outset, Heron Bros knew that Daisy Lodge was an inspiring project that had to provide essential respite facilities for families in Northern Ireland affected by cancer. Coupled with its unique location within one of Northern Ireland’s most beautiful and scenic locations, the company had to ensure they delivered a project that blended into its surroundings while providing a warm and comfortable environment for the families staying at Daisy Lodge. The result is a unique mountain style lodge built using materials reflective of the surrounding natural beauty incorporating energy efficient and sustainable technologies and construction practices. Daisy Lodge is the first project of its kind in Europe and
91
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 demonstrates what can be achieved when an architect, client, buildings users and contractors take a sustainable and collaborative approach to building. Daisy Lodge was designed by Michael McDowell Architects. Using an existing log cabin on the site and inspired by Narnia, Michael designed a hunting lodge style building that wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look out of place in a European ski resort. The internal finish resembles a boutique hotel ensuring it felt in no way clinical. The overriding motivation throughout the design process was to ensure a high level of flexibility with regards future use of the building. This flexibility to change and adapt provides a long term sustainable solution that will meet the needs of the client and indeed those families staying at Daisy Lodge. To ensure the building blended seamlessly with its surroundings, the building was designed to cut into the hills with the front one storey set up, concealing a two storey complex to the rear. Materials including cedar, stone and a green zinc seamed roof were selected to ensure Daisy Lodge was reflective of the natural beauty of its surroundings. To maximize natural daylight, extensive glazing was used throughout. This increased the overall efficiency of the building, added to the feeling of health and wellbeing, maximizing the stunning scenery of the Mourne Mountains.
Beauty spot: Daisy Lodge is a perfect blend Management Plan (SWMP) to ensure all environmental risks are identified early in the planning stages and actions agreed to eliminate, reduce and / or mitigate all associated risks to the environment.
Energy efficient light fittings were installed throughout and solar panels utilised for hot water, adding to the overall efficiency of the building, while reducing operating costs.
Decisions to maximize resource efficiency within the SWMP ensured hardcore was crushed and reused on site, reducing waste to landfill and reducing the need to buy virgin aggregate material. In addition an area was allocated on site to segregate materials for recycling.
A SUDS (Sustainable Urban Drainage System) was installed at the site using a natural approach to manage drainage in and around property.
In accordance with their Sustainable Procurement Policy, 70% of the cedar timber cladding used within the build was PEFC accredited.
By placing family at the centre of the design, Daisy Lodge been built to highest standard, providing a home from home for those will be staying at the facility.
The company used local subcontractors and procured materials from local suppliers benefiting the local economy. While agreeing the order with one contractor, a decision to reduce the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s carbon footprint resulted in an agreement between both parties to ensure all deliveries of aggregates was coupled with the loading and removal of waste material, ensuring no empty vehicles left or entered the site. â&#x2014;&#x2020;
In accordance with our ISO 14001 Environmental Management System, the Heron Bros Project Team developed and implemented their Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) and Site Waste
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
92
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 HEWLETT-PACKARD THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY: CLOSED-LOOP RECYCLING PROJECT AIM Hewlett-Packard (HP) evaluates environmental impacts across the life cycle when selecting materials for use in our products Our supply chain accounts for 34% of HP’s carbon footprint, largely as a result of materials extraction and manufacturing. Using less raw material and more recycled materials reduces our overall environmental impact. In support of an economy that is regenerative by design – the ‘circular economy’ – HP has fully incorporated a new closed-loop recycling process for polypropylene (PP) materials used in the manufacture of its inkjet printing cartridges.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS With a recycled PP resin ‘recipe’ that is years ahead of expectation in the waste management and recycling sector, HP’s new process was launched in October 2013. With this and its other environment programmes, HP aims to help lead global businesses toward a sustainable future and lead the shift to more environmentally sustainable printing. The Hewlett-Packard (HP) closed-loop recycling process for polypropylene (PP) materials used in the manufacture of its inkjet printing cartridges is diverting millions of kilograms of PP from landfill every year, and significantly reducing the use of virgin resins. It has been described as “an unprecedented engineering innovation” (Society of Plastics Engineers). With a recycled PP resin ‘recipe’ that is years ahead of expectation in the waste management and recycling sector, HP’s new process was launched in October 2013. Many HP inkjet printing cartridges are now entering a third life cycle (manufactured, sold, used, returned, recycled, reused, returned, currently being recycled again). HP recovers plastics from its own customer-returned inkjet printing cartridges and combines this with outside-sourced post-consumer waste plastics from an unrelated industry –
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
In the loop: Hewlett-Packard goes full recycle waste clothing hangers from the retail fashion industry. Much more than a boutique, proof-of-concept effort, this closed-loop PP recycling process meets HP’s exacting global supply chain demands.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Hewlett-Packard (HP) has fully incorporated a new closedloop recycling process for polypropylene (PP) materials used in the manufacture of its inkjet printing cartridges. With patience and persistence, HP’s engineers, chemists, and partners invested over three years to create a recycled PP resin ‘recipe’ capable of replacing virgin PP resin. This achievement is years ahead of expectation in the waste management and recycling sector. According to circular-economy champion, the Ellen McArthur Foundation, the “high potential” of PP is hampered by “lack of systematic reuse options” and treatment technology limitations (‘Towards the Circular Economy’, January 2014). HP has already overcome these issues. The new process was launched in October 2013 and now many HP inkjet printing cartridges are entering a third life cycle (manufactured, sold, used, returned, recycled, reused, returned, currently being recycled again). This innovative closed-loop PP recycling process builds on
93
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 the company’s earlier development in 2005 of a closedloop poly-ethylene-terephthalate (PET) process. PP and PET are the two most commonly used plastics in HP inkjet printing cartridges. Recycled poly-ethylene-terephthalate (RPET) plastic from the closed-loop PP recycling process has a 33% lower carbon footprint and 54% lower fossil fuel consumption in its production than new plastic—even when accounting for the environmental impact associated with collecting, transporting, and processing used cartridges and plastic bottles.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? Since 2005, HP has used more than 35,000 metric tons of recycled plastic (which would fill more than 1,400, 40foot shipping containers) and manufactured from this more than 1.8 billion inkjet printing cartridges (laid end to end, these would extend over 50,000 miles, or encircle the globe more than twice). Manufacturing Original HP ink cartridges with recycled plastic instead of virgin plastic reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 6,900 tons in 2013—equivalent to taking 1,455 cars off the road for one year.
facilities in four geographic locations, with multiple contract manufacturing partners, moulding suppliers, and production lines. The RPP program combined with the existing RPET initiative has led to more than 75% of our Original HP ink cartridges containing recycled plastic. In addition, 24% of HP LaserJet toner cartridges contain recycled plastic. Now that HP is operating not one, but two closed-loop recycling processes (PET and PP), the company forecasts using more than 8,000 metric tons of recycled plastics per year (which would fill six 40-foot shipping containers every week). These processes demonstrate the practical application of the circular economy, and provide a template for technicalnutrient cycles across large-scale supply chains. HP continues to research additional opportunities, including efficiencies in existing cycles, additional closedloop materials, product design improvements, and business model innovation, to facilitate expanded circular economy solutions in the future. ◆
HP recovers plastics from its own customer-returned inkjet printing cartridges (through its Planet Partners Program initiated in 1991) and combines this with outside-sourced post-consumer waste plastics. For the closed-loop PP recycling process, HP and its materials development partners researched and tested multiple types of materials, and identified a supply of PP that met HP’s exacting requirements. The supply is from an unrelated industry – waste clothing hangers from the retail fashion industry. By efficiently reclaiming PP from its inkjet printing cartridges and from clothing hangers, HP is now diverting millions of kilograms of PP from landfill or low-value applications every year, and is using fewer resourceintensive virgin resins. Much more than a boutique, proof-of-concept effort, this closed-loop PP recycling process is a true replacement for the use of virgin resins. It meets high quality, volume, cost, product performance, and consistency demands of HP’s entire global supply chain, with cartridge manufacturing
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
94
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 HINCKLEY AND BOSWORTH BOROUGH COUNCIL THE ATKINS BUILDING CULTURAL QUARTER REGENERATION PROJECT AIM ●
●
● ●
●
Reversing the decline of a key former employment area close to the heart of the town centre Facilitating the delivery of a fit for purpose conversion of a listed building to ensure it met modern employment requirements Delivery of a creative enterprise centre Securing a modern, high quality design to achieve a state of the art new college on a challenging steep site within a conservation area adjacent to a Grade II listed building. Securing the timely and co-ordinated commitment to funding both the conversation works and new college.
In a previous development attempt, a developer had proposed to demolish the building to create new-build residential units. In response Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council’s (HBBC) Conservation Officer worked hard with English Heritage in 2006 to list the building, which had been the largest and most architecturally impressive of Hinckley’s hosiery factories, to protect its future. The adjacent Druid Quarter area has attracted investment of £24m in recent years to rejuvenate the existing buildings, in particular vacant hosiery factories. The uplift which this area has received only served to highlight how rundown the Lower Bond Street area had become and that action had to be taken.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The key achievements can be summarised as follows: ● Secured the regeneration of a key rundown area adjacent to the town centre ● Created up to 300 new jobs ● Safeguarded the future of a key Grade II listed industrial building, which is testament to the industrial heritage of Hinckley. ● Delivered a new art college which has attracted 2,000 students and helps to support the town centre economy
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Centre point: reversing a town’s decline ●
●
●
●
Made a significant contribution to the development of a cultural quarter in the town centre. The building now accommodates 38 business and six start-up businesses. Established a creative partnership to facilitate management of the art gallery and creative occupiers Received circa £2m funding from EMDA including funds for demolition and total scheme costs was £6.5m.
The redevelopment has created a total of 45,000sq ft which includes serviced offices, studio space, meeting and conference facilities, an educational area and a café. The building is now fully occupied and has 200 to 300 people working in the building, but, more importantly, has populated the vicinity where the building is situated. The Atkins building, has helped to lever further investment into the area and acts as a catalyst for some of the nearby listed properties to be refurbished. It has also encouraged a number of schemes to come forward including the new college, restaurants and car parking. With HBBC’s purchase of the whole site, it helped to secure the investment of North Warwickshire and Hinckley College (NWHC) within Hinckley on their new site adjacent to Atkins. Their bright state of the art new build
95
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 now completed has enhanced the traditional heritage of Atkins. This architectural contrast encourages new to work with old, just as in education, the college and the thinking behind its creative courses mirrors new, young students working with older, experienced professionals. This linkage encourages the synergy with Atkins to engage and develop a positive working relationship between students and creative professionals.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? The council’s attention was focused on the site following the adoption of the Hinckley Renaissance Masterplan and following a proposal from a commercial developer to demolish the building. Following partnership working with the college it became apparent that there was an opportunity to develop a new campus, thereby replacing their current site. It was decided that HBBC would attempt to buy the site (via applying to the East Midlands Development Agency (EMDA) for funding) and transfer the college land by virtual freehold with a peppercorn rent, to enable the college development and thus securing £10m of educational funding for future generations within the town. An application for funding was made to EMDA which fully explained the business case and benefits to be achieved. The successful application provided £2.4m in addition to the substantial three year funding programme they had already committed to facilitate and enable regeneration in the rest of the town centre. In addition the project received £50,000 from English Heritage and £2.51m from HBBC. However, without EMDA funding in place, the NWHC LSC (Learning & Skills Council) funding application, even if successful, wouldn’t have provided enough funds for the college to commence their project. Therefore it was imperative that both applications were successful. The parties worked together closely to ensure the best possible applications were submitted. Throughout the scheme the Conservation Officer worked closely with the HBBC Project Team, including Development Control, to ensure that high standards of sympathetic design were ensured. Within the building, to
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
achieve value for money, every effort was made to retain the industrial character and as many original features as possible. To enable the project to happen within a reasonable budget the difficult decision was taken to demolish some buildings to the rear of the main Atkins building to enable high integrity and quality of design throughout the scheme. Several of the buildings were in complete disrepair and therefore costly to return to an acceptable standard. Also, they didn’t present the high aesthetic value as the frontage of the building did. By reducing the size of the Atkins site the project became financially viable and achievable with the funds available. The option of a partly cleared site also enabled the new NWHC campus to go ahead and they were able to design a building which was fit for purpose.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? Public and key stakeholders were engaged in developing a vision for the town centre which identified the opportunities for delivering a cultural quarter in this degenerated area of the town centre. When detailed schemes were first proposed events were held for the public to voice their views. Both schemes were positively received with the majority of local residents, of whom many have a personal connection to the site, keen to see a major Hinckley landmark refurbished back to its former glory. Since the first tenants moved in mid-August 2010, the building has exceeded expectations above those projected within the business case. In particular a group of local creative people situated within the town have formed a not for profit making body, known as Creative Hinckley. This body has occupied c2,000 sq ft of space which they have sublet to various creative enterprises from the borough such as a jeweller, photographer, textile designer and artists. They also run regularly evolving art exhibitions in the art gallery which has increased visitors to the building. The aforementioned Creative Hinckley has been a big driver in relation to the success of the building. They have added a diverse tenant mix as well as occupancy, which will create a unique atmosphere within the building. Atkins’ architectural character is further substantiated by
96
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 the letting of space to Leicestershire County Council and its Hinckley Registration Office and ceremony room. The whole of the building has been let out to both private enterprises and public bodies before a full marketing exercise was undertaken. Due to the public interest generated an official opening was held at Atkins on September 28, 2010. 500 people attended, many of whom were former workers at Atkins. The event also showcased the De Montfort University MA exhibition which was held in the gallery space. Interest was such that regular open days are held at the former factory and a photographic exhibition of former employees is currently touring several public buildings in Leicestershire and Warwickshire.
WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? The Atkins building now generates over ÂŁ300,000 profit per year for the council and has demonstrated that former hosiery factories, when they become vacant, can easily be converted into office use. This will ensure that these factories, which are very important to residents as a part of the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heritage, are not simply demolished to become brownfield residential development sites, but the buildings themselves can have a future. This regeneration concept is transferable to other former industrial buildings in other towns and boroughs. The Heritage Lottery Fund New Ideas Need Old Building report shows that the commercial businesses based in the historic buildings of our major cities are more productive and generate more wealth than is the average for all commercial businesses across the whole economy, this shows the economic advantage to businesses using historic buildings. It is important that the economic success of this project is spread throughout the East Midlands so that not only public authorities take up the mantle but that the private sector does also. In conclusion the most important lesson that has been learned is that heritage buildings can continue to have an economic use even when their primary function has vanished. â&#x2014;&#x2020;
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
97
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 J & J COMPANY, THE ENERGY GIANTS
Engineer: Julian Igbo
FIRST PROTOTYPE SOLAR TREES IN AFRICA PROJECT AIM AND ACHIEVEMENTS The first solar tree in Africa was installed to bring home to the people of Nigeria the message that we have to invest in renewable energy, rather than rely on fossil energy. We have to go green to make our environment pollution free. We were inspired to act by the amount of complaints we had from people in Africa – Nigeria, in particular – about how solar energy had failed them. We were able to make them believe that alternative energy is still the way forward. We organised workshops and training seminars on solar energy, which will create employment opportunities and stop the exodus of people in search of greener pastures.
Lighting up: J & J promotes renewable energy
We installed the first solar tree with flowers and green leaves for Peace, Love, and Unity of our Great Nation. The solar tree in Imo State Government House has 27 branches, each one representing the 27 local government areas of the state. The second solar tree is in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, has 36 branches, signifying the 36 states of Nigeria, with Abuja as the centrepiece. This is installed in Area 11, opposite Nigeria Television Authority Abuja. It represents Unity and Togetherness in Nigeria, with floral decorations depicting One Love and Peace in the country. We used cool energy floodlights and the LED and other lights are automatically controlled from 6.30pm to 6.30am.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? The environment is cleaner and the tree helps to spread the message that solar energy does not fail when installed properly. It is also a streetlight and is popular with local people, who take pictures in front of it. ◆
Shining example: the solar tree in Abuja Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
98
J & J Company
The Energy Giants
The J & J Company is delighted to present the first solar tree in Africa â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a winning combination of art and renewable energy. This solar tree has customised solar panels and LED lights and is automoatically programmed to switch on from 6.30pm to 6.30 am.The light is renewable in nature and does not pollute the environment. This solar tree has 36 branches, signifying the states of Nigeria, together with floral decorations signifying the one love, peace and unity of Nigeria. The tree in area 11 abuja opposite nta (nigerian television authority abuja) The J & J Compoany brought the technology from Switzerland to teach and educate our people on renewable and alternative energy, which is the energy of the future because we cannot always depend on fossil energy. Engineer: Julian Igbo
The first solar tree in Africa
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 KELTBRAY CHELSEA BARRACKS PROJECT PROJECT AIM The aim to reduce carbon emissions was set at the early stages of works planning. A Carbon Footprint Tracker tool was tested, trailed and implemented at this project. All personnel were briefed on the project environmental aims which showed that, by saving energy on site, it will indirectly results in carbon reduction at the Chelsea Barracks Project.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Measuring carbon reduction required the use of an independent and externally certified carbon measuring tool. The Carbon Footprint Tracking tool was chosen to be the right software for achieving this and a license for the use of this software was purchased. Carbon reduction was initiated by arranging the welfare accommodation within existing building achieving carbon emission for transport and site logistics. As works progressed, site cabins with highest energy efficiencies were ordered and are being used for site accommodation. Technical and practical features that were included with the welfare cabins included items such as; efficient self-closing taps, efficient toilet flushing system (use of rain water), flow controllers, and leakage detection in larger site water installations. In order to meet targets set by UK Government and Keltbray policies for the delivery of this project, Keltbray implemented instruments to encourage energy efficiency and identified as one of the most significant areas for saving energy to be site deliveries and waste removal. Thus Keltbray was well positioned for achieving the highest energy performance at Chelsea Barracks project as the purchasing of latest technology innovations plants and vehicles with high fuel efficiency was used.
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Attention: carbon reduction at Chelsea Barracks The energy efficiency information is continuously being checked and compared with previous moths.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Keltbray was appointed the principal contractor to undertake the boundary secant pile probing and associated works at the Chelsea Barracks Project in an environmentally responsible manner. The firm would work to the current industry best practice standards to minimise disruption to the surrounding businesses, residents, visitors and members of the public. Keltbray are to remove all obstructions down to 5m below existing ground level, applying to footprint areas of 1960s buildings and historic 1840s buildings to enable the construction of a secant piled wall around the perimeter of the site. Also, Keltbray within their scope of works are to set up the new site welfare facility, complete the soft strip and structural demolition of the Guards House/entrance portico and removal of an asbestos lined trench. it is the policy of Keltbray Group to make a positive contribution to the world that we live and work in, and be
100
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 the best in its sector at everything the company does. For Keltbray, this means that all construction projects need to maintain and continually improve recording, reporting and reducing of CO2 and other air produced by the company's operations. For this reason approved air emission software was selected and implemented initially at Chelsea Barracks Project, which was then implemented across group. Carbon reduction is one of the key considerations in the way we work, and our goal is to balance our economic achievements with our contribution to society and care for the environment.
WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? The software training and licence purchase costs were sourced by savings generated on eliminating the need of importing crushed concrete for piling mats. We eliminated the need to purchase crushed concrete by using a mobile crusher to produce our own crushed concrete on site.
CO2 emissions by using less water, electricity and CO2 emissions.
CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT? Other organisations and communities who purchase and implement the software we use they will benefit by reducing their CO2 emissions.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN AND ARE YOU PLANNING FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS? The main learning outcomes to date have been implementing the CO2 software. We are able to monitor where we are creating the largest amount of CO2 and contribute towards emission reduction and the overall sustainability performance of new developments. We plan to implement the software across the group in order to accurately record and reduce CO2 emissions. â&#x2014;&#x2020;
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? The surrounding environment, Keltbray Limited, neighbours and everyone working at Chelsea Barracks. our staff working at the Chelsea Barracks Project and the surrounding neighbours have benefited by having better air quality due to reduced CO2 emissions.
WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? We are able to now accurately measure and reduce the amount of CO2 we create, not only at Chelsea Barracks Project but also across group. The software creates charts that indicate what areas we are creating the most CO2, such as transport. This helps us to reduce the amount of CO2 we create and we are able to constantly track our emissions.
WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? In addition to the Carbon Tracker software, we purchased Dustbuster 2, which is an environmentally safe, powerful polymer emulsion that produces highly effective control of dust and erosion. It provides superior bonding, cohesion and the ability to penetrate, saturate and bond surface dust and aggregate together. The result is a hard, dust free water resistant resilient surface. By using the Dustbuster we reduce our
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
101
Innovation in Engineering
Keltbray is the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading specialist engineering, construction, decommissioning and environmental services business providing fully integrated services to meet the needs of diverse and complex projects. We are committed to engineering innovation and industry leadership in Health, Safety, Quality and the Environment. Our in-house training focuses the business on excellence and on delivering value to our clients thereby fostering long lasting relationships and partnerships.
Keltbray St Andrewâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s House, Portsmouth Road Esher, Surrey KT10 9TA T 020 7643 1000 F 020 7643 1001 E enquiries@keltbray.com www.keltbray.com
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 KELTBRAY MITRE SQUARE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT AIM The works at Mitre Square involved the demolition of Priory House and International House down to existing ground level to clear the site for redevelopment. The existing buildings consisted of ground and eight upper floors. All asbestos within the building was removed by Keltbray Environmental Solutions. The entrance/exit of an existing pedestrian subway which fell within the site boundary was closed and protected before any demolition started on site. The demolition was carried out on a floor-by-floor basis using 8T mini-excavators equipped with specialised breaker attachments. The demolition arising’s were transported along each floor by Constructors’ Scheme Skid steer loaders and deposited down to the ground floor via the existing lift shaft where they were processed and removed from site. Temporary party wall restraints were installed at fourth to ground floors.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Keltbray achieved a recycling figure of over 97% for the waste material produced by the demolition works. The project was completed on programme despite delays to the Party Wall awards and won a “Performance Beyond Compliance” Award from the Considerate Contractors.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Keltbray installed a 24-hour, live real-time monitoring units for noise and dust and the Mitre Square project was the first construction site in London to pioneer the Boundary Guardian system supplied by Casella (UK). This type of monitoring proved a great success as text and email alerts were send to each project management team member enabling Keltbray to ensure noise and dust levels were below agreed trigger and action levels. Furthermore, Keltbray carried out monitoring inside neighbouring properties to engage and reassure affected
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Square deal: keeping the demolition noise down third parties that no levels were being exceeded and demonstrate that all practicable efforts were being made to limit the environmental impacts on their premises and working environment. Keltbray monitored of noise levels at various locations around the site using live real-time environmental monitoring units and portable noise meters. The type of monitoring regime and unit locations for noise monitoring was selected according to the sensitive third party receptors surrounding the site. The monitoring locations were outlined within the Environmental Management Plan, which was approved by the City of London Environmental Protection team prior to works starting on site. The Keltbray site teams’ approach to noise management focused on the four fundamental methods of mitigation: ● Reducing noise at the source by fitting plant with the latest technology, such as munchers and shears ● Blocking the path of noise by constructing a six-metre high hoarding around the site perimeter ● sing acoustic blankets to absorb noise production ● Protecting the noise recipient by conducting activities generating high noise levels away from the sensitive receptors.
103
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 To best manage reduction of noise at source the following techniques were implemented by Keltbray at the Mitre Square project: ● Regular and thorough maintenance of plant and equipment operating on site ● Using precise de-construction planning and scheduling techniques ● Ensuring that only well-maintained vehicles are used for deliveries and waste removal from site (FORS Silver and Gold certified) ● Site traffic volume and site maximum speed were managed to limit the effect on the overall noise levels ● Observing a reduced “noisy-hours” working agreed with neighbouring properties ● Use of acoustic screens and enclosures for the duration of the project at each working elevation.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? Located within the heart of the City of London, the site was surrounded by retail outlets, commercial offices, residential apartments and various restaurants and bars. The Sir John Cass Primary School was directly opposite the site. Due to these factors carefully considered additional planning and pre-commencement preparations were required to control and limit the environmental impacts of the demolition works. Noisy working hours were reduced voluntarily as agreed with the City of London Environmental Pollution Team. An allowance was provided within the project budget at the planning stage and agreed amongst all stakeholders. The project did manage to archive reuse/recycle rates of deconstruction waste of above 97%. This reduced greatly the waste removal costs and CO2 emissions by removing waste produced on site for pile matting construction at the nearby construction projects. Some of the savings made from waste management on site were used towards artworks creation as joint venture with the primary school located adjacent to site.
impacts on neighbours located adjacent to the project was the installation of an extended six-metre hoarding erected along the site boundary with the school on which acoustic blankets were attached to the inner side of the hoarding to absorb and further reduce noise emissions from site operations. The external face of the hoarding was cladded with bespoke imagery provided by the school, which helped Keltbray to maintain an excellent relationship throughout the demolition works.
WHAT ARE THE LONG TERM BENEFITS? The long term benefits of purchasing 24 hour live real-time monitoring units for noise and dust is that we can now use the equipment on our other sites and continue to monitor our dust and noise levels. This was the first project where combined live real-time environmental noise and dust monitoring was implemented and proved to be successful. The success of this system was published on various press mediums at the time and is currently being used on over 30 major construction projects across Central and Greater London.
CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT? Other organisations and communities can benefit from implementing our methods. After we finished the demolition works, Skanska implemented our method by using exactly the same monitors.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN? We learned that financial and environmental benefits can be harvested by a good management of deconstruction waste streams. Most importantly, the use of live real-time monitoring regime has proven to be the way we manage environmental monitoring in our construction projects.◆
The local community, surrounding businesses and The Sir John Cass Primary School have all benefited from Keltbray installing 24 hour live real-time monitoring units for noise and dust. Part of the measure to minimise environmental
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
104
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 KIER CONSTRUCTION MAJOR PROJECTS THE T1 TAPESTRY BUILDING PROJECT AIM In early 2012 Kier Major Projects was working on the B3 project in London’s King’s Cross when it was approached by the Project Director, Rokiah Yaman, of LEAP (Local Energy Adventure Partnership) with a view to helping an innovative local food waste collection service. LEAP is piloting the collection service for businesses in Camden, North London. Waste will be transported using zero carbon cargo bicycles to an anaerobic digester at Camley Street Natural Park, where it will be turned into renewable fuel and fertiliser. The project aims to create employment and educational opportunities, reduce waste transport emissions, lower waste management costs and divert food waste from landfill where it emits methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than CO2. In early 2012 LEAP was in its very early stage and the initial contact between Kier and LEAP was to determine if this was something Kier would get behind and support, primarily by supplying the digester with food scrapings and preparation waste from our on-site canteens.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Project LEAP for us is what corporate responsibility and environmental sustainability is all about. We have been given a wonderful chance to support this community engagement and give something back to the community we are helping to build. Project Leap with be part of this community for many years to come and we are proud to have been involved with it in its early conception. Kier, in part through the Considerate Constructors’ Scheme, has over the years promoted green thinking and increased the quality of working conditions for all at site level. Now thanks to Project LEAP we are able to do so for the Camden community.
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Food for thought: waste collection in Camden At the time, Kier Project B3 had just started and it was through this initial contact that a site-wide initiative encompassing the 36 square acres was born and developed. It started with a timber material donation to house the digester, two carpenters to assist with the foundation and general advice about legal waste requirements, such as carrier licences and the need for Waste Transfer Notes (WTNs) for the food leaving site. After two years of development, Project LEAP was ready to begin. Day one: the very first collection: The Tapestry building is about to begin and has taken over what project B3 started. It is now the T1 Tapestry building and Kier canteen staff who are helping to supply the bio-fuel for the digester. Rokiah Yaman said: “On our first collection day at Kier we were accompanied by a group of students from the nearby Central St Martin’s University, who were looking at our
105
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 initiative as part of their local food cycle project. Everyone was taking photographs and chatting about how food plays such an important part in our lives and how the collections were helping the area to deal with the whole organic cycle in a joined up way. Our shiny new cargo bike was christened. “Who would have thought that food waste could be so exciting!”
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? It has helped us to significantly reduce our waste to landfill, create a renewable energy supply for the local community, engage more fully with clients, has influenced how our buildings are managed after completion and enabled us to set a new precedent in innovation for waste management and energy efficiency at construction site levels. Over a four-week period, the T1 Tapestry building has: ● Diverted 56kg of bio-waste from landfill ● Created 6.5 cubic metres of biogas ● Created 50kg of usable fertiliser ● Created 13.5kWh of electricity. That is enough electricity to run a TV for 68 hours or nearly three days non-stop and all from leftover food waste. Our projected energy returns and waste diversion for the duration of the T1 Tapestry project are: ● Diverted 3,780kg (3.7 tons) of bio-waste from landfill ● Created 456 cubic metres of biogas ● Created 3,402kg of usable fertiliser ● Created 950kWh of electricity – enough power to run your entire household for more than three months.
ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS? Since Kier and Leap started to promote this incentive and community engagement throughout the King’s Cross development, many businesses and organisations are currently utilising project leap alongside the Kier T1 Tapestry building. These include: Camden Council Offices – The B3 Project Camden Council will be supplying the anaerobic digester with their employee food waste as part of their building maintenance and sustainability plan. “It would appear crazy to take it elsewhere in the borough or beyond when Camley Street Nature Reserve (a
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Recycling: on your bike to reduce waste community partner) is only 100 metres away from B3. This us something we can support” Terry Gallager, Senior Building Surveyor, Camden Council Argent – the King’s Cross developers Argent is development manager for the King’s Cross site and also be looking at the opportunity to supply food waste from the office to Leap. “It is fantastic that Kier has worked closely with Leap on this initiative. It is a programme which makes sense for the businesses in the local area and we support Kier and Leap’s continued work on this” Lydia Dutton, Project Manager (Environmental) – Argent St Athans Hotel – A local hotel in Camden “This project works on many levels – we jumped at being able to support it. It should be the model for every local area” Stefan Geyer, hotel manager.
WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? Kier in King’s Cross has been part of many community
106
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 engagements over the years, helping to improve the image of construction, has added to the biodiversity of the development, and built environmentally friendly buildings with high BREEAM ratings. What Kier and Leap have achieved here is unique, innovative, durable, renewable, cost effective and pioneering. We can only hope that other communities, construction companies, business partners and local governments will join the bandwagon and make closed loop recycling part of every community. With all the obvious benefits gained from, this, it amazes us that it has not been done before. Kier would like to thanks LEAP and Rokiah Yaman in particular for approaching us with their ideas. We have been thrilled to be a part of something so beneficial and unique, and hope that this innovative idea is still being used long after our buildings have been completed. â&#x2014;&#x2020;
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Going full circle: how the LEAP scheme became a reality
107
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 KIER CONSTRUCTION NORTHERN ROCHESTER COMMUNITY FIRE STATION PROJECT AIM Rochdale Community Fire Station is the second in a pair of twin new-build fire stations procured by the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) via a design-build contract with Kier Construction – Northern. From the PQQ stage, energy efficiency and environmental sustainability have been a significant part of the specification, with a BREEAM Excellent rating the minimum requirement from the outset. The first of these fire stations – Bury Community Fire Station, achieved BREEAM Excellent, a B rated EPC and reduced gas and electricity consumption by 90% and 40% respectively, compared to its predecessor.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS This second build at Rochdale came a year after the first, which has allowed the team a rare opportunity to learn important lessons in how to improve end use energy performance for a building which has exactly the same footprint and use pattern.
Top marks: fire station passes with flying colours We believe this project stands out as an example of the improvements that can be made by a thorough understanding of actual in-use performance. The changes between builds had minimal financial impact, but delivered exceptional gains in efficiency. ◆
As a consequence, the Rochdale Community Fire Station, which cost £2.18million, received the highest BREEAM score for any fire station in the country. From the first project, we learnt that: ● U-values could be significantly improved with better insulation without negative visual impact ● The amount of solar thermal could be optimised to better match the building’s use pattern ● Far more solar PV could be effectively used by the station ● Lighting timings and positions could be altered to maximise energy savings. Altogether, these changes added up to a significantly more efficient building. Rochdale Community Fire Station was opened with a negative, A+ rated EPC.
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
108
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 KNIGHT FRANK LLP ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT AIM The aim of the project was threefold: ● To improve our green credentials and reduce waste to landfill ● To assist with our bid to achieve ISO 14001 accreditation ● To reduce waste costs to the service charge.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS From the offset we were achieving zero waste to landfill, and in the first year we recycled 62.5% of our total waste with 37.5% going to energy recovery. We were accredited with ISO 14001 within four months of the Stage 1 audit and while we reduced the cost of waste taken from site and increased refunds through recyclables, the overall cost increased due to manpower.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? In 2012 we approached SAICA Natur to review the current waste management process, to improve inefficiencies, reduce waste to landfill and increase recycling. We had three compactors on site and a number of 1,100 litre bins and tenants placed the waste in the compactors and put cardboard into the bins. In the 12 months prior to the start of the exercise, we had sent 86.7 tonnes to landfill and recycled just 16.6 tonnes of cardboard. Our initial assessment showed high levels of food waste given that we only had three tenants from 43 producing this waste. SAICA organised a procedure that required us to engage with our retailers. We purchased more 1,100 litre bins in different colours, placed labels on them to show what waste was acceptable, thereby creating a flexible system for removing food waste. We removed access to the compactors and removed one of the compactors from
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Centre clean-up: waste campaign pays dividends site. We employed a full time operative to segregate the waste and purchased a plastic baler.
WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? The initial set-up costs were minimal because we already had compactors on site, but we also needed to purchase a baler for plastics which cost £2,933. We also paid £2040 for an additional eight bins, and £23,000 in wages for an operative to segregate the waste. We replaced bins on the mall with three-way options for recycling for members of the public. This cost £1,600 and was funded via the service charge to the centre over two periods. One compactor just takes dry mixed recyclates and the other now deals with general waste. We had several meetings with the retailers to emphasise the importance of what we were attempting to achieve, and we have six monthly waste tours where we show them how they can continually improve their internal segregation in order to streamline the process and achieve greater recycling rates. By the end of the first 12 months we had sent 48 tonnes
109
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 to energy recovery instead of landfill, recycled 61.4 tonnes of plastic and cardboard and 25.8 tonnes of food waste for aerobic digestion. This added up to a recycling total recycle of 62.5% (87.2 tonnes). From the 1st October 2013 we began to recycle aluminium cans and three different grades of plastics and plastic bottles with the aim of recycling 75% of our waste for this period. For the 11/12 SC period waste costs were £16,894.12 with £676.60 credited back for recycling, while 12/13 waste was £11,494.35 with £1,935.19 credited back for recycling. We are continuing to improve our efficiency and constant discussions with retailers are the key to driving this. Through continual reminders and waste tours, we hope for them to segregate better and so our efforts will be rewarded. ◆
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
110
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 KOREA AIRPORTS CORPORATION DEVELOPMENT OF AC-GPS FOR THE AVIATION INDUSTRY PROJECT AIM Bringing the four corners of the world within a day’s reach of one another, aircraft industries face sensitive safety and environmental issues as much as the conveniences they offer. This is particularly on landing when, even after bringing the engine to a complete stop on the apron within the airport after landing, aircrafts still require supplementary supplies of electrical power for various tasks such as the lighting, heating/cooling operation and maintenance check-ups. For these purposes, normally the aircraft’s auxiliary engine or ground power supply (GPU) is used. As they all use the fossil-based fuel creating large amount of carbon dioxide as well as severe noises, they have been one of the main factors for damaging the air environment.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS In order to solve these problems, Korea Airports Corporation has developed the eco-friendly AC-GPS (Aircraft Ground Power Supply) for the first time as an airport operator, which transforms the commercial electrical power of 60 Hz into the aviation power of 400 Hz, thereby reducing the carbon dioxide emission by up to 80%. Optimised for the airport applications, the AC-GPS enhances the safety by improving the electrical power quality, reduces operational fault by improving the control modules and offers easy maintenance as well as the operational conveniences. In addition, the price competitiveness can contribute to the expansion of AC-GPS installation, which is concentrated in the European market, to major airports in Asia.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Aircrafts require supplementary supply of electricity for various tasks such as the lighting, heating/cooling
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Power play: gas emissions are reduced at airports operation and maintenance check-ups even after putting the engine to the complete stop at the parking stands after landing. It is a reality that the aircraft’s auxiliary engine, which mostly consumes fossil-based fuel with intensive greenhouse gas emission or ground power supply (GPU), is used. In these circumstances, Korea Airports Corporation has been pursuing various eco-friendly and co-operative initiatives, as well as discussing some feasible plans to reduce the emission of greenhouse gas through the Green Partnership Cooperation comprised of numerous airliners and ground-based product and service providers. Provided that Korea Airports Corporation is not under the direct concern from the Carbon Emission Regulation, unlike other airliners, the development of AC-GPS started as a part of these initiatives in order to improve the working environment and significantly to reduce the greenhouse gas emission by changing the fuel type for such supplementary power requirements to electrical type, which yields relatively much less greenhouse gas. This initiative may lead to the significant reduction of the greenhouse gas emission from the airline and airport industries as well as ultimately to the active engagement in
111
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 preparation for global warming and climate change. The development of AC-GPS began with a feasibility study in 2010 and the actual R&D started the following year. A total of $600,000 have been invested to date and the first prototype was created in 2011, followed by two improved prototypes in 2012. These prototypes were tested at the field of Gimpo International Airport and went through successfully three test connections to the real aircraft for the product performance verification. One of the special characteristics that AC-GPS offers is that it employs IGBT mode instead of conventional SCR mode for transforming the commercial electrical power of 60 Hz into the aviation power of 400 Hz.
airports worldwide, including major Asian international airports, contributing to reduction of greenhouse gas emission and action against climate change. Based on highly decorated technological strengths reflecting the special characteristics of airport, Korea Airports Corporation also focuses on the low-carbon airport paving technology. Currently under development, it is known that this new technology may reduce the use of cement up to 25%, cut the greenhouse gas emission up to 15% and extend the life expectancy up to 30%.â&#x2014;&#x2020;
This resulted in substantial improvement in the electrical power quality. It also reduces the internal interference and enhances safety by isolating the input power and system circuits. In addition, it improves the control modules and fault frequency with easy maintenance by integrating various features into one. The mobile feature added allows also easy applicability as it can be utilised in other places and not just the boarding bridge. As the result, this eco-friendly AC-GPS reduces the carbon dioxide emission up to 80% when compared to the use of existing aircraftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s auxiliary power unit. When considering the savings in the equipment cost as well as the maintenance cost, total savings of up to 60% can be achieved. With these remarkable achievements of the AC-GPS which offers both economic and environmental benefits appropriate for airports, Korea Airports Corporation has been recently drawing attention from major international airports worldwide.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? Korea Airports Corporation has been well known for its technological strengths since 2009 by developing and marketing various aviation equipments and LED aerial lighting products. Including domestic market, about 35 units of AC-GPS have been sold to Turkey and Saudi Arabia airports. It is expected that more units will be installed in numerous
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
112
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 LEDCORP THE HOWARD CENTRE RETROFIT
PROJECT AIM The Howard Centre project had the aim of retrofitting approximately 350 energy inefficient fittings in the centre’s car park, with new energy efficient LED technology. This had the goal of significantly reducing energy usage and costs, in addition to CO2 emissions, as well improving the lighting quality of the area. The car park in Welwyn Garden City has its lights on 24 hours a day, which accounted for almost a quarter of the Howard Centre’s energy costs. Modifications were needed in the car park to transform it into a much more sustainable and cost efficient area of the centre.
Seeing the light:: energy efficiency from LEDCorp
Having not made any renovations to the car park in some areas since the early 1990s, LEDCorp had to design and implement a lighting system to completely modernise the car park and achieve the goals set out for us.
out of the car park. The project proved such a success that the Howard Centre subsequently tasked LEDCorp with retrofitting the interior fittings in the shopping centre with LED technology.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT?
Following the implementation of the new LED technology there were measurable improvements. The energy consumption for the car park was reduced to from 22% to 15% of their total energy usage. This has produced dramatic financial savings, allowing resources to be redirected into other areas of the centre. The need for maintenance has been eliminated due to the longevity of the life of the new LED fittings, allowing further savings in costs. The amount of CO2 emissions produced has also decreased and will continue to do so at a rate of over 100 tonnes a year. Other benefits have included increased levels of security. The security camera system is now able to pick up many more areas of the car park that were previously obscured. Owing to the cleaner white light, the distinctions in colour of the images have been dramatically improved. This has also had the effect of improving health and safety as now customers have greater visibility while going in and
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
The Howard Centre is a shopping centre in Hertfordshire that tasked us with retrofitting all the lights in their multistorey car park, which has spaces for 725 vehicles. There were a total of 358 light fittings that have been replaced to reduce the environmental impact of the shopping centre, decrease energy consumption and costs, in addition to lowering their carbon footprint. The reason for this project’s initiation was that the car park’s electricity costs accounted for 22% of the centre’s energy bills. Some lights had not been updated since the centre opened in 1990. With lights on 24 hours a day, there was a significant need to make changes to prevent this becoming increasingly expensive. Over a ten year period there will be savings for the centre of over £420,000. The CO2 emissions will also be reduced by over 1000 tonnes. The reduction in energy usage and operating costs from implementing the new
113
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 technology ranges between 70%. LED lights use between 60-90% less energy than fluorescent and incandescent lights, which provides huge environmental benefits. This reduces the cost of the energy as less is being consumed and in addition they have a life of up to 20 years longer than traditional lighting, which has several advantages. Changing to LED lights reduces the cost of replacements and maintenance, which can be a hidden cost when using incandescent and fluorescent lights. Simply speaking, it greatly reduces the need to change them, which decreases health and safety risks. Furthermore, the environmental impact of having to manufacture fewer replacements is fewer physical resources being used up. This means any potential environmental damage caused by the manufacturing process is significantly less than that of incandescent and fluorescent light production. LED technology does not require mercury, unlike traditional lighting, which further reduces the environmental impact at the end of the light’s life, i.e. disposal. There is less damage to the environment caused by factors such as transporting goods, thereby reducing pollution. One hundred of CO2 emissions will be saved as a direct result of this installation in the first year and each year subsequently. There have been significant economic benefits for the Howard Centre, reducing the cost of running the lighting and adding value to the centre itself. By implementing this technology now, they are reducing their energy costs by 7% each week and significantly increased the internal rate of return.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? For the Howard Centre the benefit goes beyond the economic savings gained; it also benefits their customers by providing a better quality of lighting for them in addition to improved safety. Not only is it easier to see in the car park due to the white light technology of LED, but there is also an improvement in security due to significantly higher colour rendering levels. Effectively, the centre’s security camera system is now able to pick up much clearer pictures of areas in the car park that were previously too dark for clear images,
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
improving customer confidence and “dwell” time (the time clients will stay at the Howard Centre). In addition, the investment by the Howard Centre in LED technology has further reaching benefits for them. It gives the consumer confidence they are getting the best shopping experience, as well as an awareness that the centre is fully committed to their corporate responsibility. The staff working on this project have shown 100% dedication to the refit from start to completion. Owing to the fact that the shopping centre is in use during the day, staff from all areas involved on the project have often worked through the night, to complete the project in the shortest time possible. There have been open lines of communication throughout with the Howard Centre and LEDCorp, managing the project on a daily basis. If any problems arose LEDCorp staff would go immediately to the centre to resolve the issues, even on no notice, showing the extent of their commitment to providing the best service and the smooth running of the project through to completion and handover.
WHAT ARE THE LONG TERM BENEFITS? The community and area will benefit in several ways. Through increased investment in the infrastructure of the centre, the hub of the community, people are able to see the corporate community is dedicated to long term investment in the area, as well as enjoying an enhanced experience after the completion of the work itself. The project has been so successful that the Howard Centre has requested further retrofitting within the internal area of the shopping centre itself. This will consist of replacing around 300 energy inefficient lights to LED technology. Not only will this reduce their energy consumption ever further, but it will again reduce their CO2 emissions. This will save approximately £175,000 and 231 tonnes of CO2, reducing their carbon footprint even further and making them a more environmentally friendly shopping centre. LED technology is fast becoming the way forward for companies to reduce their energy consumption and energy bills and become more environmentally friendly.
114
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 Traditional fluorescent and incandescent lights are no longer a viable option for many as they are only going to become more expensive to maintain as the cost of energy continues to increase Although there is a slightly raised initial set-up cost for LED lighting, companies are becoming acutely aware of the significant savings they will make by investing in this technology over the long term. The projects pay for themselves in a relatively short period, especially when considering the life of the lights. Moreover the financial and environmental benefits only ever increase. LEDCorp hopes that the implementation in the Howard Centre of this technology will encourage others to do the same and see the real financial and environmental benefits of doing so. â&#x2014;&#x2020;
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
115
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 MANIT CONTRACTORS PREBEND STREET CAR PARK PROJECT AIM Manit Contractors and Hanson Contracting were engaged by Bedford Borough Council to transform the Old Railway Yard into a 284-space sustainable car park. The ÂŁ500,000 contract was scheduled to take 16 weeks and Bedford Borough Councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design was to recycle the site material there by reducing the need for virgin material and greatly reducing the carbon footprint of the build. By using innovative products, the design has a positive impact on the surrounding drainage system and is fully SUDS compliant.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS In July 2013 Manit Contractors started work on the Old Railway Yard. The design is to recycle 200mm of material, screen and crush to produce usable road base, porous parking base, finings for ducting backfill and subsoil. Levels are taken so that just the right amount of material is recycled on site, to minimise waste and minimise the need for virgin material to be imported. Any waste material must go to recycling as this site aims to have no landfill as a result of its construction. The benefit of this is to reduce the carbon footprint caused by vehicle movements, and recycle already existing material.
Park drive: true picture of how recycling works The parking bays are constructed by using the Type 3 porous material produced on site. Added on top of this 20mm of 6mm clean gravel and Gridforce (modular plastic grid matting) is placed on the surface, backfilled with clean 20mm stone. Because the material used has been produced on site progress is swift, it was important that a clear programme of works had to be followed so that construction moved across the site in an orderly manner. At times the weather became challenging as the effect on the recycled material was unknown, but this did not impede progress as all staff were continually updated and
Transformation: the Bedford car park minimised waste and put the accent on recycling
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
116
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 fully supportive of the project. This new method of using geogrids is not only more pleasing to the eye, it conforms to the SUDS (suburban urban drainage system). Because of its free draining nature the need for gullies and drainage systems is significantly reduced. As a finished product, the car park represents a true picture of how recycling can work. It must be embraced by all, from client through to delivery. Although challenging this proves it can be done. This is a fine example of how carbon footprint and water footprint can be greatly reduced through innovative design and supportive delivery. The project was completed in October 2013 and Bedford Borough Councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design goals and sustainability were successfully achieved. This innovative concept will be used again and shared with others. Manit Contractors and Hanson Contracting worked together to meet the needs of an innovative client, delivering a sustainable project. Today the car park enjoys an occupancy rate of over 90%. â&#x2014;&#x2020;
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
117
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 MEERKAT ZERO-2-LANDFILL INITIATIVES PROJECT AIM To review an entire district and understand its existing waste activities, the volumes of waste that are being produced, the amount of suppliers currently active, traffic flows, costs being paid and levels of service being achieved. The overall aim is to consolidate the service for the entire district, reduce traffic flows, put in place effective waste management process to cover every waste stream being produced, building an entire Zero-2-Landfill community, while reducing costs for businesses and improving service levels.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS We have achieved the desired aims across many business improvement districts across the UK. Costs are being reduced by 40 to 50% while ensuring that all BID member waste is diverted fully from landfill. In each district there had been 12 to 19 different suppliers (therefore many trucks) identified. On each of our schemes we have brought this down to one. We are able to monitor and manage all waste that is being produced and provide an ISO 14001 compliant scheme. We work with every business, their staff and their cleaning companies to ensure that we educate them on waste and recycling best practice. We link with local charities to ensure that they are given first choice on any usable items before we consider recycling. We also use the same supplier for stationery as we do for waste, so we can bring the recycled products back into the community in a closed loop system.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? It involved reviewing the waste and recycling practices across an entire business improvement district, which consists of levy paying members in a geographic location. Phase One This involved carrying out a needs analysis. In this phase
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Cleaning up: Meerkat zeroes in on waste activities we contacted every business personally and collected their existing data. We needed to understand what waste they produce, how they currently process this, who is their supplier, what are their costs, what level of service do they achieve, and how is this collected for each waste stream. From this we were able to build up an ‘as is’ map of the community. We also looked to understand their local restrictions and constraints. Alongside this we looked at the local community constraints for example space, bylaws, local authority restrictions and so on. Phase Two From our research and analysis we were able to build a requirements specification and a whole community waste strategy, which we then built into a tender document and went to the open market. We have now done this about a dozen time across the UK over the past six years and have built up a great deal of experience on know what is achievable in very different areas, with variable business types. A full tender process then took place – we have over 20 years of procurement experience in house, so this is an extremely detailed and robust process – the suppliers were scored on a matrix of quality and cost. An interview and due diligence process then took place. Along with the
118
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 procurement team, members from the Business Improvement District management team and representatives from levy paying businesses were also included on the supplier evaluation team, to ensure that views were taken from an entire cross section. The output from the tender process was a recommended supplier which was presented to the BID board for approval. Phase Three This involved setting up a contract, service levels and KPIs with the Supplier partner and finalising the BID wide strategy. Then it became implementation. This involved speaking again with every business and sitting down with the more complex contracts and designing a new way to manage their waste. We looked to removed food, glass and cardboard from the general waste and manage the rest as co-mingled. We would collect, sort and recycle. Food goes for anaerobic digestion. Any residue from the waste process that could not be recycled went to an energy from waste plant.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? By processing the waste in a more efficiency and environmental manner we were able to reduce costs for businesses substantially. By removing waste trucks from the community we were able to reduce traffic flows and congestion, and as such help improve air quality. This is a big problem in London where air quality is six times the European standard and the science shows that if you live and work in London, your life expectancy is five years less than the average. The project looks to get the entire community aware and responsible for the waste they produce and as a result has a significant impact on local cost savings and environmental footprints. Each month we review with the waste collector all the management information, so we can monitor how is using the service, how much waste we are processing, how much we are diverting from landfill and how much businesses are saving. This information is the promoted in the local area to increase awareness and sign up rates.
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
The scheme we do is usually done on a yearly basis as after this we will have more accurate data for the community and will enable us to make any adjustments should we wish. The next tender term is usually for the remaining life of the BID which is an elected body running on five-year terms. what did it cost and where did the money come from? The BID itself is a not for profit organisation, which is funded from a business levy generated from a 1% increase on business rates from members. The average cost of Phases One to Three is ÂŁ10,000 which is funded from this BID levy. The BID them ring fences some money from their budget to subsidise the recycling elements of the scheme, which further incentives the business to switch over to our scheme.
WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? The benefits are not only for the local businesses, but also those passing through the BID by car, local footfall and local residence. Once a scheme is up and running we look to continually improve, we use the knowledge and relationships with the businesses to address other maverick waste streams, continually improve training and awareness and further promote segregation at source to aim with recycling. We also work with local charities and make offering of redundant furniture or equipment before we pursue the recycling option. This has proved to be very beneficial to the local areas. There are currently 167 business improvement districts around the country, so far we have put in place about a dozen such schemes. We continually learn and share information with other BIDs. A few words cannot describe the complexities of these projects as we have to deal with different cultures in different area, various business types and a host of personalities, yet to date we have been able to successfully implement these innovative waste and recycling schemes. â&#x2014;&#x2020;
119
Helping Businesses Grow...
Heroes will save your business money across more than 10 essential business services. Our national buying group achieves savings
of up to 50%
plus we manage the supplier relationships, saving you both time and money. The best bit is !"#$%&'(#)*+,-"#.%,#%/,#0",12)"0, so the savings you make are yours to keep! All our suppliers pass our quality charter ensuring service and environmental excellence and our waste and recycling service has helped individual businesses as well as Business Improvement Districts +)*2"1"#3",%#(%#4+&$5446
7+44#(*"#8",%"0#(%$+9 and help your business grow richer, stronger and greener.
T: 0808 178 3900 E:#2&.%:*",%"0;/<;&"(#### !!!;*",%"0;/<;&"(
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 MERSEYSIDE PENSION FUND ENVIRONMENTAL BUILDING EFFICIENCY 2014 PROJECT AIM The aim of the project involved finding various ways into reducing the Quadrant building’s impact on the environment, working together with both tenants and the managing agents (CBRE). It was clear the building utilities (historical) record that utility consumption was a large proportion of the yearly budget and any savings would have a large impact upon the finance of the annual budget, which ultimately helps with tenants budget and the energy consumption.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The first priority was to identify achieveable savings at minimal cost to tenants, so all aspects surrounding utilities were considered. Toilet taps were the first option as it would affect all staff and would be easily recognised by those concerned. The current taps were replaced with water sensor type, which were very well received by everyone within the building.
Royal service: working adjacent to Windsor Castle parks but no allowance for street parking. There are (three tenants over 4 floors, served by two lifts and three staircases. The roof is covered in lead and all plant equipment located in the plant room and roof area.
Another source which not within the building but nevertheless had an impact upon finance in an indirect way was the watering of the external plants, currently using building water, I arranged for a water containment system to capture the rainwater and stored in external tanks, which were then used to water plants.
Each tenant area has its own welfare facilities but the heating and cooling is supplied form a central source. This is a high profile building and as consequence often receives members of the public enquiring on local events/information. There is a daily road closure for the Changing of the Guards and the building’s surrounds are subject to daily security checks by police dogs.
what did the project involve doing and why did you do it? Quadrant, which is owned by the Merseyside Pension Fund and managed by CBRE, is a modern office block adjacent to Windsor Castle. It has four floors and part of the building is modern and part of it is listed as it originally was a bank and still retains some of the original features.
The project involved finding various ways into reducing the building’s impact on the environment and reducing the financial impact upon tenants. This started by way of a programme introduced by the building’s manager ensuring that all equipment/services work at the design rate/standard, whilst monitoring the energy consumption.
Due to the location of the building, daily access is restricted on ceremonial occasions and contractors’ work has to be coordinated to fit in with road closure and ceremonial parades. The building has two basement car
Commitment CBRE has an environmental policy which is reviewed each year by the Director of Health, Safety & Environment. The policy, together with an environmental policy bespoke for
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
121
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 the building, is displayed in the Building Manager’s Office and provided to the tenants and contractors. The policy includes the following: ● The Building Manager is the on-site environment advocate and has been keen to take advantage of the assistance and opportunities available ● CBRE two-day environmental awareness course ● Sustainability Course and subsequent discussion with tenants during tenant meetings held biannually. ● Other opportunities for advice, networking suggestions, articles, environmental audits and training. Energy reduction/savings This is mainly being achieved by no cost/Iow cost initiatives such as:● PIR light switching in common areas ● Installing low energy light fittings and lamps when replacements have taken place ● Adjusting time clocks where fitted. Waste minimisation ● Water saving – sensor taps/rain water saved/stored for plant watering ● Quadrant has been recycling paper and cardboard for years and has actively encouraged tenants to participate. Annual reports detailing exact figures are used by a tenant and reported back to their HQ in Japan. Recycling 2013 has increased as has tenant awareness. Waste going to landfill is reducing as the waste is segregated by tenants .
tenant meetings and revising of the occupiers’ rules to include environmental elements such to use the recycling facilities Contractors are encouraged to comply with the CBRE environmental policy
WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? Costs The projects have been no cost/Iow cost initiatives which have been paid for out of the service charge paid by the tenants. The costs have been kept to a minimum and have helped to reduce waste and energy costs or raise environmental awareness. Going forward, the Building Manager has set various targets of reducing waste improving equipment efficiency and saving water by using rain water to water external flower beds and hanging baskets. Everybody in the building is committed to improve its environmental performance and reduce the impact on the environment. ◆
Transportation Cycle racks have been installed in the basement area and many tenants now cycle to work Management The Building Manager has introduced environmental management systems to comply with environmental legislation, manage waste disposal, keep appropriate records, monitor energy consumption, set targets and identify areas for improvement. Environmental awareness The majority of the initiatives could only be implemented with the tenants’ co-operation, so steps have been taken to increase awareness of environmental issues, the possible actions available to the tenants and their financial advantage. The methods used have been emails, visits,
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
122
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 MORCLEAN BIIN WASH CITY PROJECT AIM â&#x2014;?
â&#x2014;?
To develop a brand new and innovative bin wash machine that would change the way operators think To be the first to recognise the need for a totally new idea in this industry, and to be proactive in taking steps forward to improve whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s currently available in the market place today.
We wanted to develop and launch a product that the environmentally minded love, a concept that operators want to be part of, a machine that turns heads and offers more than just necessity and compliance, and a smarter product that moves into a new direction as opposed to reworking the systems currently available
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS We have designed a system we feel innovates and is brand new to the market place. It provides operators and the community with a smarter, green, quiet, workable and viable solution to a dirty problem. We have endeavoured to produce a machine that lowers emissions and C02, reduces maintenance and lowers running costs, while being practically viable for both parties. We believe that the new machine will achieve more for this industry than any other machine on the market today, and it will enable us to reach into Europe and beyond. what did the project involve doing and why did you do it? Morclean manufacture and distribute industrial cleaning equipment. Many machines are niche or bespoke, and we produce a variety of machines including a range of trailer mounted bin wash machines. Our existing range of bin wash machines, namely the Custom, are self-contained, light and portable, and the system recycles the water for a full day of washing. The self contained, purpose built wheeled bin cleaning
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Cleaning up: innovative wash machine machines feature effortless bin lifting mechanism which aids efficiency at the touch of a button and the bin can be cleaned in seconds. Water is filtered and ready to re-use throughout the day. We developed the first Custom three years ago and we then introduced the second generation machine which benefited from several improvements. Like most machines on the market today, both systems run from a petrol engine During the last three years we have developed a brand new range of bin wash machines, and we've named this the Bin Wash CITY. In order to achieve this we have been working with battery powered high pressure water technology. The new CITY was developed so that we could provide a totally new concept, which we feel is an extremely innovative and unique product that will reduce fuel, costs and C02 emission. We consider that this is an even better solution for the whole industry than what was previously available in the market place. Like many bin wash machines on the market today, recycling water and saving energy was a requirement rather than an innovation. We felt that machines were making savings for reasons of necessity, legislation and profit as opposed to being totally innovative.
123
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 So we tried to excel and improve the machines totally powered from batteries instead of an engine. The new CITY project has involved over three years of research and development, a totally new, fresh approach. This involved research, R&D, design and concept, tests and trials and prototypes.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? What we have achieved is a machine that is virtually silent, with little noise or fumes and is carbon free. We can now provide a quieter, more efficient system. Operators can market their service as truly green, which we feel is a first in the market place. Set aside this, everyone in the community benefits from less noise and pollution on their doorstep. The CITY offers a fuel saving, and little maintenance compared to a petrol engine. The machine switches to standby when not in use. The CITY is easy to work, quiet and simple to use. It also takes a top-up charge from the vehicle during normal use. In the first year of use, we have estimated that a petrol equivalent uses approx five litres of fuel/circa £6.50 per day. Assuming a five-day week, plus maintenance equating to circa £1,900 per year, the CITY costs approx £400 per year to charge, benefiting the operator by up to £1,500 per annum. Based on the battery pack element of the machine costing £4,000 to the end user, as opposed to £2,000 for the petrol engine pack, we’d anticipate a return within 18 months and then ongoing savings of the same
ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS? We’re now looking to expand more of our range by utilising this battery technology. In order to manufacture the machine practically and efficiently we been able to have the battery technology produced in a ‘pack’ format. The existing model, fitted with a petrol engine, can be easily modified during normal production.
Rinse cycle: the Bin Wash generation Interclean ISSA Holland in 2016. We anticipate that the new CITY will allow us to further expand and sell into European markets where there is a significant push towards clean and quite machines. Presently we have an exclusivity agreement with our battery supplier for all CITY battery packs which we feel would be difficult to replicate. Our aim is to be first in the market place. In turn we have applied for patents for the filter system and we are researching to see if we can patent the battery pack. Our next stage of development is to use the battery technology and produce other models, including a larger machine for North American bins. In order to establish the routes to market, we are delighted to announce that we are opening a hub and service centre for Morclean in Rotterdam from July 1 2014. ◆
We have exhibited at several international shows and we will exhibit at Interclean CEE (Poland) in 2015 and
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
124
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 MORGAN SINDALL INNOVATIVE SUSTAINABILITY MANAGEMENT PROJECT AIM Embedding sustainability in our business. Part of a top down commitment, it aims to improve the way Morgan Sindall delivers its operations in terms of People, Planet and Profit. The management framework has been developed in such a way that its simplicity can be taken, applied and embedded into any business. Ultimately, this is what sustainability is about: not just improving our business, but also working together with our industry, economy and environment as a whole. With executive board leadership, targeted KPI measurement and performance publicised results, our sustainability strategy is helping our business stand the test of time, while providing thought leadership, support and advice to other organisations about how they can deliver the same success.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS This sustainability strategy is already delivering measurable successes across the company. We have delivered projects from a BREEAM Very Good rating right through to Outstanding across the business, and are on site delivering the UK’s greenest commercial building to meet both Passivhaus and BREEAM Outstanding certification. Our community investment increases year on year, with last year’s figures totalling £221,000 in donations and 5,271 in volunteering schemes. We have also added nearly 60 apprentices and undergraduates to our ranks, seeking to help bridge the skills gap and provide clear avenues to working in our industry. Our strategy has delivered us recognition at the Government Cabinet and environmental bodies such as BSRIA where we are helping lead and develop environmental strategy in our industry. But one of the biggest successes has been sharing our strategy for embedding sustainability with our supply chain,
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Working together: embedding sustainability through our award winning supply chain sustainability school and tailored road shows. This has proved our approach is applicable and transferrable to any business.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Morgan Sindall’s commitment to sustainability is structured around three areas of sustainability – People, Planet and Profit. Our innovative approach has firmly embedded sustainability, underpinned creative thinking towards sustainability leadership and helped leave behind a positive legacy while future proofing our business. This approach, illustrated below, has been applied to any business. Our sustainability strategy is aligned with the GR4i (Global Reporting Initiative), a worldwide sustainability KPI tracker which enables us to measure and communicate performance, while benchmarking against organisations across the globe. As one of the first contractors to use GR4i, we breaking new ground with a robust strategy. Our overall approach is delivered using the following methods: Effective leadership John Homer, MD (East) chairs our sustainability taskforce,
125
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 actively developing strategy, empowering people and undertaking executive reviews. The strategy is illustrated through a simple tracker, mapping each KPI against the RIBA stages, enabling everyone to understand their responsibility. Its implementation is co-ordinated by a sustainability manager, leading a taskforce of multiple business roles, capturing and sharing best practice, while delivering renewable technologies, supply chain engagement and community investment. Training and communication Our New Year Workshops included a sustainability group, which shared the 2014 route map, capturing new ideas for sustainability. It proved a popular topic receiving 49% of votes in the feedback survey. This popularity is attributed to effective communication, ensuring our movement captures hearts and minds. Formal sustainability training modules, newsletters, conferences, and awards, driven by the taskforce, helped embed the culture across our business. Supporting our supply chain Educating our supply chain is vital. Our award winning www.supplychainschool.co.uk delivers free training and consultation on sustainability implementation. Our Supply Chain Sustainability Roadshows drew record attendees to learn about our strategy, while providing them with links to innovative products and apprenticeship opportunities. We also held separate People-Planet-Profit workshops at Saint Gobain’s Innovation Centre to collaborate on moving our strategy forward. Market leading innovations We are focused on new ideas, local materials, opening new markets, supporting local economies and reducing carbon and waste. Our Green Dragons hold regular Dragon’s Dens to identify new sustainable products. This has led to using products including Limecrete, Thatching and Spiralite Ducting. The Dragons also held an event at City College Norwich, where students’ sustainability ideas were pitched, with the
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
winner securing himself an iPad and a week’s work experience with us. Now our customers are involved too. At the University of Cambridge’s Department of Engineering project, our team has held Green Innovation Days. Subsequently, the team is now investigating the reuse of structural steel on the project through testing, inspection and certification. This is a UK first that will also reduce energy consumption, carbon emissions and waste production. At the University of East Anglia, we are constructing a building to meet Passivhaus and BREEAM Outstanding ratings. The timber frame is constructed from Thetford Forest pine – local, carbon negative and a UK first. he unique low carbon concrete slab is produced from 70% GGBS (Ground Granulated Blast furnace Slag – recycled product from the steel industry) and 100% recycled sand from Great Blakenham. The floor is then polished so no additional materials are needed, making it truly low carbon. Add to that the Norfolk Thatch being used to clad the building, rainwater harvesting systems and solar panels, this facility is set to be one of the greenest in the UK. Thought leadership We don’t keep secrets – we educate effect change on industry and the environment. Locally, this included hosting a Green Shoots Event at the Norwich Research Park. This engaged the local market, revealing how we have achieved sustainability success. Taking this to the next level, we spoke at World Green Building Week and Eco-Build, sharing ideas and progress of how we are leading the way in our projects, and in the development of Soft Landings with BSRIA. This has led to regular invites into the Cabinet Office, where we are advising Government Soft Landings. Recognition causes performance Internally and externally we give awards including the Sustainability Award (a sixth monthly award for excellence) and Value Awards (delivered to people by the executive board who demonstrate true commitment to our strategy). The Sustainability taskforce has also created competition
126
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 between business units. Each director receives their Sustainability KPI results monthly, and is placed in a running league table. At the end of the year, the winning office receives a reward recognising exceptional performance. This has provided focus, ensuring our delivery is consistent across the business. Working for a positive legacy Working in the community has also been an important part of our strategy. In 2013, we contributed £221,000 to community and charity projects, while investing over 5,271 hours in volunteering schemes. This includes our annual Neighbourhood Project at Colman Hospital, carrying out student engagement sessions and supporting charities such as Sue Ryder care. Bridging the skills gap is a vital part of strategy. In the last two years we have employed 32 apprentices directly, 29 undergraduates and a Community Investment Advisor responsible for developing Project Employment Skills Plans. This covers 14-plus years of work experience placements and apprentices. We have partnerships with JobCentre Plus, aiding the unemployed on routes back into the industry, and TrAC, a unique organisation of pooled apprentices that provides resource to our sites, guaranteeing them employment to finish their NVQs and enter the industry. This has been further driven by our area director, Bob Ensch, Acting Chairman for TrAC. Looking to the future But it doesn’t stop there. This sustainability strategy isn’t just for us. We’ve built the way we work and behave, so that it can be applied by any business. If this strategy, like ours, is equally weighted across People, Planet and Profit segments, it will naturally self-perpetuate, becoming embedded into what you do. Other businesses have taken our model, our supply chain is using it to improve, and now the Government has lent us their ear to help develop policy. This is what sustainability is about; not just improving us, but improving our industry, economy and environment as a whole. ◆
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
127
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 MOUSEMESH HUMANE PREVENTION OF RODENTS IN THE HOME PROJECT AIM The MouseMesh airbrick cover has proved to be a humane method of pest control – stopping house mice, rats and many insects from entering your home. It is available in three sizes and three colours and comes with a stainless steel frame, making it rat-proof via the RatMesh, or mouse-proof via the MouseMesh, the cost effective, long term solution to mouse problems. Mice in your home or on your premises can be a very annoying problem. Many of us look for a way to control mice without the use of lethal traps. There are of course humane mouse traps and any number of stories about how to get rid of mice, but the ideal scenario is to prevent mice from entering buildings in the first place.
Humane measures: getting rid of rodents
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS When it comes to mouse control, prevention is better than cure. Mice can squeeze through gaps the thickness of a pencil and one of the most common ways for mice to enter your property is through the holes in air bricks. MouseMesh addresses the problem of mice using your air bricks as their front door. We have designed a simple and durable prevention grill which fits neatly over the air bricks. Easy to fit and very cost effective, MouseMesh will help to reduce the use of cruel snap traps and toxic poisons. Look at places where mice are getting in to your property and use a MouseMesh on all air bricks. Don’t get rid of mice, don’t let the mice into your property in the first place.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? New Stainless Steel MouseMesh – Rat and Mouse Proof Grills We are now able to offer a new, all stainless steel version of our mouse prevention grills in all three sizes. Rats have occasionally been able to chew through the tough ABS plastic surround of our conventional mouse grills. These new stainless steel grills will keep out both mice and the most determined rat.
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Why stainless steel? Experience has shown that rats are able to chew through the plastic surrounds of normal airbrick mouse prevention grills. Where rats may be a problem, we recommend the use of these much tougher stainless steel airbrick grills which will are impervious to rat attacks. Rat prevention grills These new rat prevention grills (RatMesh) are made entirely from stainless steel and are very durable. They are supplied with stainless steel fixing screws to remove the possibility that rats could prise the grill from the brickwork. Stainless steel grill sizes The sizes are the same as our normal ABS surround MouseMesh grills. The smallest of our airbrick covers is designed for a standard airbrick occupying the normal nine inch brick from which the majority of houses are built. Some airbricks occupy more than one course of bricks and so we offer three sizes: Small MouseMesh: width: 245mm (9.75ins) - height: 95mm (3.75ins) Medium MouseMesh: width: 245mm (9.75ins) - height:
128
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 170mm (6.75ins). Large MouseMesh: width: 245mm (9.75ins) - height: 245mm (9.75in). We offer three different colours at present and each comes with straight forward fitting instructions. The inspiration behind MouseMesh is Tony Carr, from Hornsey in North London. A builder by trade, Tony won a gold medal for his humanitarian mouse trap at Alexandra Palace’s British Invention Show. Tony came up with the idea after struggling to rid his own home of mice. He said “I came home from work and my wife is frantic. She has got a mouse and my mother-in-law said ‘You have to get rid of it’. “I got the traps and poisons and duly got rid of them and they came back after a week or so. I thought they must be getting in somewhere and discovered it was via the air bricks.” Tony’s MouseMesh is designed to fit over air bricks, which are underneath most houses to encourage air flow. He was surprised to win the prize after entering the competition at the last minute.The father-of-two added: “When you get recognition for something like this it makes it worthwhile and my kids are happy for me.”
Blocked: the MouseMesh
MouseMesh went on to receive a Progress Award for humane pest control from PETA, the animal rights organisation, citing it as an “innovative and thoughtful product that will spare mice and rats from painful deaths whilst contributing to humane pest control”. ◆
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
129
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 MVBJV THE LEE TUNNEL PROJECT AIM The Lee Tunnel will help prevent more than 16 million tonnes of sewage mixed with rainwater from overflowing into the River Lee each year by capturing it and transferring it to a sewage treatment works. These sewage overflows significantly harm wildlife consequently lowering biodiversity and organism numbers, create litter and risk the health of people using the river for work and pleasure. Storm water overflows occur because the Victorian sewers are unable to cope with an expanding London, making this project vital for both the estuarine eco-system and for the residents and visitors of London. The Lee Tunnel is one of three Thames Water schemes developed to address London’s sewer overflow problem and reduce the amount of untreated sewage entering the River Thames by 40%. The tunnel will create around 400,000m3 of underground storage from the 6.9km long tunnel and associated five70-80mm deep shafts. MVB– Morgan Sindall, VINCI Construction Grands Projets and Bachy Soletanche – have been appointed by Thames Water to create this essential infrastructure, using extremely sophisticated design techniques to build the deepest shafts in London. Project environmental management has addressed not only the required mitigation but also made industry best practice a requirement across the site. Being aware that the end product has huge environmental and economic benefits, the project strives to ensure that construction methods are as sustainable as the result. The Lee Tunnel is not an aesthetic building but a legacy project which will continue to benefit Londoners for decades.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Even though the project is still in the construction phase, many enhancements have been carried out – for example, the creation of an intertidal habitat on Barking Creek. This habitat was specifically designed to offset any disruption
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Tunnel vision: industry best practice across the site during project construction work in the bed of the River Thames. Once fully established it will provide a nursery ground for fish and invertebrates, increasing the number of individuals living and breeding in the River Thames. Works involved creating a channel inlet sloping to 2.5m deep and driving wooden posts into the shaped and graded bed for stability. Then fascines (bundles of brushwood) were wound around these posts to provide micro-habitats. Both of our construction sites contain invasive species, and extensive work has gone into the management of these plants to control or eliminate them in the area. We have treated over 20 separate areas of Japanese Knotweed and Himalayan Balsam, none of which has gone off site for disposal, therefore reducing waste and traffic movements in the local area. Design optimisation has been key throughout the project and our skilled designers have saved approximately 26,484 tonnes of CO2 by methods such as reduction of shaft inner lining thickness, replacement of steel reinforcement cages with steel fibres and use of plastic pipe rather than site built concrete culvert. The project employs 28% of people from the London
130
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 Borough of Newham and ensures that all of our job requirements are sent to the local authority to fulfil our commitment to employ 25% of our workforce from the local borough.
management which facilitated identification and discussion of potential problems and buy-in to the solutions such as bird nesting, invasive plants and archaeology, which they may otherwise not have been consulted about.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT?
It also aided material reuse on site. We used clay from the pump shaft to line the creekside and Thanet sands for backfill of the culverts, saving imported material transport, cost and waste removal.
The ÂŁ635 million Lee Tunnel is funded by Thames Water, with the budget approved by OFWAT (The Water Services Regulation Authority). The contract is the largest ever let in the UK water industry as the upgrade of the sewer is essential for expanding London. Budgets, however, are extremely stringent on the project and our efforts in sustainability have been mainly elective requiring substantial commitment from senior management and construction teams. The project has built the deepest sewer shafts ever constructed in London. We have used innovative design and construction techniques such as a Hydrofraise to safely build the diaphragm walls of the shaft without confined space entry or aquifer contamination. The planning for this project has been exceptional. The tender process for spoil removal for example looked in detail at the impacts to the environment and carefully considered each option involving the local council, client and Environment Agency to assess each end site, route and management. We are able to achieve waste recycling rates of 97% and above through our subcontractor selection process which was objective and quantifiable to all stakeholders, allowing us to understand exactly how the 1.5 million tonnes of material will be used after leaving site.
WHAT WAS SUSTAINABLE ABOUT THE PROJECT? The project continues to strive for improved sustainability via targets and objectives set out in the sustainability action plan, the results of which are bound into the annual sustainability report. Most of these targets and objectives are selected by us, an example of which is the biodiversity hotspot. We took an area of land which had previously been infested with Japanese Knotweed and planted 28 trees, of which 18 were different species, to increase the biodiversity index of the site. This will be left as a legacy and it is hoped that the trees will provide shelter, food and habitats for the local wildlife. Our continual improvement is corroborated by our score from the Considerate Constructorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Scheme (CCS) who visit twice a year. Our annual average for 2012 was 37.5 and more recently we received a gold award from CCS. Engagement with the workforce has formed a big part of our sustainability commitment with a environmental toolbox talk delivered to all staff every month by an environmental advisor and operatives participation in the half-day environmental training session.
Due to the complexity and location of the Lee Tunnel, it requires over 100 permits and consents from more than 12 different authorities. Through early engagement with the enforcing agencies and the employment of a dedicated Consents and Permits Manager, we were able to avoid delays which could have been costly.
The topics cover fundamental issues such as spill control, invasive species, protected species and NJUG guidance. Feedback from staff suggests that this kind of training has not been done so regularly and in such depth on other projects.
We created a schedule whereby all permits were linked to their activity and a timescale that gave all of the teams an overall view of the task rather than focusing on one task. Early meetings were set up between design, construction, planning, health and safety, environment and senior
This education has improved environmental performance on this contract and will enhance any subsequent projects that the staff will work on. We have also run a number of campaigns, such as the reduction of plastic bags. A considerable effort was made to educate the staff about
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
131
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 the pollution and damage plastic bags cause the natural environment. Therefore, cotton bags were issued to all staff in the hope that these would replace the plastic bags which are used so often to bring in lunch.
CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS LEARN FROM THIS PROJECT? The Lee Tunnel is the first of two tunnels proposed to improve the London sewer system. The proposed Thames Tideway Tunnel will be able to review and adopt our best practice and innovative construction methods; learning from what has been achieved on the Lee Tunnel.
we will take away from this project and learn from in the future. The Lee Tunnel has won, amongst others, two awards from the Institute of Civil Engineers – the Infrastructure Award for the diaphragm walling technique and the Greatest Contribution to London Award, in which 13 other major projects were shortlisted This emphasises the scale of the work we are doing and the legacy with which it is leaving London. ◆
Our visitor centre is regularly used, ensuring the construction feats on this project are cascaded to other relevant parties (such as potential clients, other construction projects, MPs and significant investors around from the UK and overseas). Community liaison has been paramount at our Abbey Mills site, where we are directly opposite residential housing. Prior to work starting on site, we carried out a letter drop and have held three information open days where senior engineers, planners, environmental staff and project managers were on hand to answer any concerns of the residents. We have liaised with the residents’ committee to keep the neighbourhood updated throughout construction. Providing the community with a positive experience of our project paves the way for future contractors to also interact well with local stakeholders. A knowledge sharing session has already taken place between the planners on the Thames Tideway Project and the environment team on the Lee Tunnel. In this session we gave advice regarding community liaison, environmental training of site staff and engineers, and our involvement in both procurement, and implementation of the Environmental Management System.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN? A learning point for us on the Lee Tunnel is to engage with subcontractors prior to contract signing so as to gain commitment regarding sustainability issues. Acquiring information such as carbon consumption and material life cycles has been challenging and is something
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
132
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 NATIONWIDE SOLUTIONS GROUP GREEN FIRE INITIATIVE PROJECT AIM Our aim is to create a direct and tangible link, based on symbiotic relationships with our customers and suppliers, hand in hand with education and the community as a whole, in order to achieve long term environmental improvement and regeneration within the UK from normal business practices. This is achieved through the actions of the Green Fire lnitiative, a scheme created and financed entirely by Nationwide Solutions Group Ltd. The focus of all environmental projects undertaken through the Green Fire lnitiative and implemented via brownfield Branching out: plan to plant 500,000 trees nationwide sites, industrial and damaged land, will be biodiversity, ● Established with Nationwide Logistics Solutions the first, flood reduction, environmental sustainability and carbon and only, haulage company that offsets ALL of its carbon offset, as well as the overall aesthetic value of the land. by planting trees in the UK The target is to plant a minimum of 500,000 native trees by ● Established supplier partnerships which enable us use their waste materials, which would otherwise be land 2020 throughout the UK. All of our trees are grown, from filled, for active re-use in the nursery UK seed by Nationwide Forestry Solutions Ltd in our on● Though our internal market place, waste materials from site nursery and plant lab. The resulting woodland is then the companies within group are pooled for active reuse. left to develop naturally into a mature and bio-diverse state. This covers everything from old pallets to polystyrene packaging. All materials that cannot be reused such as Membership of the scheme is based upon normal contract paper, card and metals, are recycled business dealings with any or all of the companies within ● Planted over 6,500 trees since 2012 in the UK on waste the Nationwide Solutions Group, and the benefits of are and damaged land, covering eight project sites and passed back to our customers. three counties, with over 270 people involved.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS We have: ● Established the Green Fire lnitiative as an active, no extra cost contract element for all customers of the companies in the Nationwide Solutions Group ● Established Forestry Live on Facebook (the public end of the project). An environmental page showing our work and passion, which currently has 2500 followers. ● Established the Peel Nursery in September 2012, which currently holds 29,000 saplings, covering 43 species of native and naturalised trees, all grown by us from seed. All of these will be planted on behalf of the customers of Nationwide Solutions Group
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? The statement that is too frequently asked when climate change, destruction of the forests and the dramatic decline of habitat and species are discussed is: “Why doesn’t someone do something?” Whilst the solution rarely lies with one man’s actions, that is no excuse for inactivity in my opinion. In effect, this application comes to you from someone who decided to do something. My name is Jon Murcott and l am the managing director of the Nationwide Solutions Group. My
133
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 passion has always been directed towards the field of environmental biology. In 2003 l was made redundant from the Fire Safety sales role I held at the time. Starting with just £4,000 and a garden shed I designed a business model and it is this that l have been working on since then. With no support or no funding, the whole process has been completely self-financed. The model revolves around creating an effective and sustainable channel for money to pass from business, through normal business practices, and into environmental and habitat restoration and development. This is based around symbiotic partnerships where all parties benefit equally but at no additional cost. In order to achieve this I designed a 15 year plan, split into three five-year trimesters: Years 1–5 ● Create a national fire protection company with honesty, integrity and professionalism at the core ● To be seen as quality, dealing only large nationals and major industry. To create a brand and identity. Year 6–10 ● Move this into a group structure, dealing in different markets and revolving around an internal market place that supplied admin, sales, marketing and environmental benefits to the rest of the group through Nationwide Forestry Solutions ● We would create a new way to do business, where planting trees throughout the UK at no extra cost to the customer was supplied as the standard contract norm. Year 11–15 ● Expand this model through symbiotic and sustainable relationships throughout designated business sectors and into the general psyche. Thus bringing industry, environment, community and education into alignment in a way not yet seen. We are now in our 11”‘ year and this is the current structure: Nationwide Solutions Group Ltd, Nationwide Fire Solutions Ltd, Nationwide Fire and Security Solutions Ltd, Nationwide Logistics Solutions Ltd, Nationwide Forestry Solutions Ltd. Our customers are spread nationally over the relevant sectors, from heavy industry to food production and retail. Money through normal business dealings flows through the
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
company into Nationwide Forestry, which runs the Green Fire initiative and issues “Tree Credits” to the customers of the relevant group/company. The more the customer spends, the more “tree credits” are earned and the more trees are planted on their behalf. A certificate is then issued to them showing the status of their membership (supporter/ patron), with another stating the number of trees planted and the amount of carbon that they will absorb. This pack is designed to be slotted into their company environment policy documentation, showing their commitment to environmental improvement.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? Our minimum short term target is to plant 500,000 Native trees in the UK by 2020. The trees are gown in our nursery which currently has a standing stock of 29,000 trees. The nursery is sited around the ten industrial units that we have which was originally waste land. We grow all our own trees from locally collected seed. The structure and workings of the nursery is based entirely on recycled and reused waste materials from the other companies in the group. Because this has been entirely self-funded throughout, absolutely everything is reused and recycled.
WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? All of the innovations, solutions and designs, all using waste materials, that we have developed exist no-where else. The reduction in waste is as a result extensive. This reduction extends, through our partnerships, to other parties, saving on their waste disposal and landfill costs by supplying specified waste materials to us.
CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT? This model is designed to be copied! We want everyone to be planting trees as part of normal business practices. This model shows it doesn’t need to cost if we work together and think slightly differently. This has to be the case in order to avoid a terminally damaged environment being the single largest legacy that this generation leaves for the next one. The benefits of this model are easy to see: ● Active involvement across all age groups, huge
134
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
â&#x2014;?
reduction in waste materials, little or no additional cost burden, all parties benefit equally (symbiosis) and therefore all parties hold it together The net result is thousands of UK trees growing on damaged land (therefore the environmental benefit is maximised), which results in carbon being offset, increased natural habitat and flood reduction.
Planting projects to date include 1500 trees in Barnsley covering four different waste ground sites. Over 70 people from the local community joined us for the tree plant. Another 2,700 trees were planted to establish Edmondsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wood on waste land at the Saint Gobain Glass factory at Goole. Over 60 site personnel and 20 schoolchildren were involved. 250 trees were planted at the Lakeland Green Fire Reserve at Wakefield and we aim to plant another 25,000 there by 2018. Another 600 trees were planted around the Westthorpe Fields Business Estate. The passion, dedication, sacrifice and investment from everyone in this organisation is absolute. This is not a business with an environmental policy tagged on, this is a group of organisations with environmental improvement at its core and is the reason for its existence. â&#x2014;&#x2020;
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
135
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 NETWORK RAIL/PARSONS BRINCKERHOFF CROSSRAIL KENT PROJECT AIM The Crossrail Kent project encompasses the design and build for works on the two-mile stretch from Plumstead to Abbey Wood in south-east London. Construction activities and the widening of the railway corridor have resulted in the loss of a number of mature trees that lined the old railway boundary fence. Network Rail has an obligation under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 to conserve biodiversity. This duty includes the restoring and enhancing of species populations and habitats, as well as protecting them. The scope for restoration of vegetation will be limited by Network Rail’s policy on the Management of Lineside Vegetation. This policy does not permit planting within five metres of the outer running rail, but gives guidance for what is permitted in terms of planting in the zone five to ten metres from the outer rail, and greater than ten metres from the outer rail.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The Network Rail Crossrail Programme at Plumstead to Abbey Wood is going beyond this duty and has committed to a target of No Net Loss for biodiversity. The Network Rail Crossrail project is one of the first schemes of its kind in Europe to calculate the net score of biodiversity on an infrastructure scheme. This target will be robustly calculated and reported using the DEFRA offsetting accounting methodology and managed using the Balfour Beatty Site Restoration Scheme document. Community and environmental engagement are essential to the project as they are an effective way to establish a positive relationship with the public and to improve the local environment. As part of the ‘no net loss’ target, a wider tree planting replacement programme was established and has been
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Track stars: no net loss for biodiversity scheduled to be undertaken towards the end of the project in 2017 when the civil works are nearing completion. However, the team realised that an opportunity to plant new trees earlier than planned would be beneficial and show the public the importance the project attributes to environmental protection and to residential neighbours. A voluntary tree planting day was arranged to plant 26 semi-mature trees nearby a housing estate within sight of the railway.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? As stated, the Network Rail Crossrail project is one of the first schemes of its kind in Europe to calculate the net score of biodiversity on an infrastructure scheme. The area of vegetation to be cleared has been calculated and an arboricultural assessment was prepared in April 2013 to identify all trees to be removed as part of the project. All areas cleared by vegetation will be restored to their former condition, seeded and planted or provided elsewhere within the vicinity of the project. Native species will be provided where possible to enhance visual amenity and provide a visual buffer within adjacent property
136
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 boundaries. As part of the ‘no net loss’ target, a wider tree planting replacement programme was established and has been scheduled to be undertaken closer to the end of the project in 2017 when the civil works are nearing completion. ◆
Plant life: tree replacement scheme is under way
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
137
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 NORTH KESTEVEN DISTRICT COUNCIL SLEAFORD LEISURE CENTRE REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT AIM There has been a history of swimming at Eastbanks Sleaford since 1886 when the Bristol Swimming Baths opened. By 2010 the existing swimming pool and ancillary extensions were becoming dilapidated with significant repairs required and it was difficult to maintain standards, resulting in declining customer use. A study was undertaken to look at building a new leisure centre on the site of the old facility. However, it became clear that a new build would not be financially viable. A second study undertaken in 2011 investigated how essential improvements could be made to the existing building, but also to include enhancements to meet customer expectations. The further study showed that, while the building form and visual appearance were externally unattractive, there was an opportunity to use the space more imaginatively, create more attractive and revenue generating facilities and improve the energy efficiency of the centre The design philosophy was to create the look of a new building encapsulating the old blockwork, with the addition of a new double height entrance, feature canopy oversailing the River Slea and brightly coloured cladding. The sustainability aim was to halve the site running costs through negotiation and provision of renewable heat for the centre. The leisure centre is the first of its kind in the UK to be fully heated by a sustainable district heating system, powered by excess heat from a Renewable Energy Plant (straw burning power station).
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The Sleaford Leisure Centre Redevelopment provides a successfully demonstration of what can be achieved in refurbishment of existing leisure facilities as opposed to a
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Great lengths: leisure centre has been refurbished new build for half the budget cost. The public and the NK Youth Council were consulted and asked what the most important aspects to feature within the facilities. There was a strong consensus to introduce a child friendly area. The project team worked hard to meet the needs of everyone and incorporated a Woodland Splash Zone. After a year in construction, the refurbished Sleaford Leisure Centre, constructed by RG Carter, provided the community with swimming and fitness facilities of an equivalent standard to a new centre and also significantly extended its life span. The project was delivered on time to budget and exceeded all expectations of the public and stakeholders, at a construction cost of ÂŁ2.85m, which is approximately 50% of the cost of a new centre. The combination of intelligent architecture, community engagement and a committed team was the key to the success of the project. The project highlights how the public and private sector can work together to form mutually beneficial agreements to deliver renewable objectives and support the creation of
138
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Great lengths: the new swimming pool new technologies through the straw burning power station and district heating provision to community buildings. The sustainable heating at the heart of the project promotes the benefits and awareness of sustainability to facility users and younger generations who have embraced this project. The client, community groups and general public have been overwhelmed by the new facilities and this is evident in the increased usage and positive feedback.
Stylish design: a big hit with visitors
The community contributed to the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lasting legacy, with more than 300 volunteers helped piece a community mosaic together that flows from the banks of the River Slea into the centre itself. The project team worked hard to create the effect of a new facility that blends and extends into the natural surroundings of the river and adjacent nature reserves. â&#x2014;&#x2020;
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
139
Explore, Exp plore, Discover, Experience p E p
N North h Keste Kesteven... even...
Local heritage, beautiful countryside walks, intimate venues, stunning artworks, aviation history, theatres and sporting facilities can all be found in abundance in North Kesteven. $ $ $ $ $ $ $ !"#$%&''$()*$+",-./&)0$."$+#&.$-1-23$ interest and budget. Enjoy trails, museums, historic houses, heritage and visitor centres, aviation, arts and crafts plus much more!
Witham V Valley alley Countr Countryy P Park ark
Navigation House
T
E
01529 308146 !!!"!*'#%.0%11$23%&4",("54 ! !!"!*'#%.0%11$23%&4",("54 !*'#%.0%11$2,36+74$-'$0$+"8(0"54 !*'#%.0%11$2,36+74$-'$0$+"8(0""54
T W E
Natural World World Centre
T
E
01522 688868 ! !!"+%'5&%1!(&19,$+'&$",("54:: !!!"+%'5&%1!(&19,$+'&$",("54:: ! #*-;26<1*=$ $",("54 !#*-;26<1*=$",("54
01529 305904 ! !!"+%0*8%'*(+#(5-$-1$%=( (&9",("54: !!!"+%0*8%'*(+#(5-$-1$%=(&9",("54: navigationhouse@n-kesteven.gov gationhouse@n-kesteven.gov..uk .u navigationhouse@n-kesteven.gov.uk
National Centre for Craft & Design
Whisby Nature Reserve, Thorpe on the Hill Enjoy a walk round the nature reserve, delicious food at the Broadwalk Cafe, unique gift shop, Little Darters play area plus exciting exhibitions and events. W
North Rauceby Rauceby,, Sleaford Discover the fascinating history of RAF Cranwell, ++)%&#,*+&3'2'+-,4&-',& )%&#,*+&3'2'+-,4&-',& academy in the world.
Navigation Wharf, Sleaford Restored former canal company !!"#$%&'(&)'*+!,'$& "#$%&'(&)'*+!,'$& Navigation Wharf.
W Witham itham m Valley Valley Country Park A number of high quality green spaces situated within Lincoln and its Southern and W estern e Western surrounding area. Beautiful, unspoilt countryside rich in wildlife and history history.. W
Cranwell Aviation Heritage Centre
T W E
01529 488490 or 308102 !!!",&%+!$11%0*%'*(+",("54: !!!",&%+!$11%0*%'*(+",("54: ,&%+!$11%0*%'*(+6+74$-'$0$+"8(0""54 ,&%+!$11%0*%'*(+6+74$-'$0$+"8(0"54
Cogglesford Watermill Watermill East Road, Sleaford Historic, restored & working watermill in picturesque setting by the River Slea.
Carre Street, Sleaford Visit the home of British craft Visit --(.&.%*'/(0&#1%&/-22%,'%*& (.&.%*'/(0&#1%&/-22%,'%*& showing world-class exhibitions, a year-round, all-age learning & events programme, designer craft shop & cafĂŠ. T W E
01529 308710 ! !!"+%'*(+%1,&%='%+99$-*8+"(&8"54::: !!!"+%'*(+%1,&%='%+99$-*8+"(&8"54::: *+=( (6+%'*(+%1,&%=''%+99$-*8+"(&8"54 *+=(6+%'*(+%1,&%='%+99$-*8+"(&8"54
T W E
01529 413671 or 308102 !!!",(881$-=( (&9!%'$&.*11",("54: !!!",(881$-=(&9!%'$&.*11",("54: ,(881$-=( (&9!%'$&.*116+74$-'$0$+"8(0"54 ,(881$-=(&9!%'$&.*116+74$-'$0$+"8(0"54
For more information on the attractions listed in this advert or the district itself, call the T Tourism ourism ouris Unit on 01529 308102 308102,, email discovernk@n-kesteven.gov.uk discovernk@n-kesteven.gov.uk or log onto !!!"#$%&'()*+,-",(. !!!"#$%&'()*+,-",(. @discover_nk 150327-JA1
//#$%&'()*+,#$%&'()*+,-
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 NMC/NOMENCA STOKE BARDOLPH STW PROJECT AIM Stoke Bardolph STW comprises an inlet screw pumping station, preliminary treatment, primary settlement tanks (PST), Activated Sludge Plant (ASP), final settlement tanks (FST) and sludge handling including digestion. Most of the flow arriving to site is via Sneinton pumping station, which only incorporates storm tanks, and the remaining flow arrives by gravity. Raw sewage is gravityfed into the inlet sewage chamber. The raw sewage is then pumped into the inlet channel via fourscrew pumps. Stoke Bardolph Sewage Treatment Works has been included in the AMP 5 programme under the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD) for phosphorus removal.The site must achieve a consent of1 mgll total phosphorus.(Centrate Plant built at a later date to meet this target.)
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The ground around Stoke Bardolph is made up of sandy gravels, so we set about setting up an on-site recycling programme to provide the site with reusable materials. A total of 85,000 cubic metres of sieved material was removed equivalent to187,000 tonnes to give us the following streams of material: ● 50,00 ton of sand: used for laying ducting and landscaping ● 70,000 ton of10mm gravel: used as pipe bedding ● 40,000 ton of 20mm gravel: used as pipe bedding and for landscaping ● 17,000 ton was the remainder: used both as backfill land also to provide a wildlife bund which also gives permanent noise and visual screening for the local residents. This resulted in a product saving of over £1.2million. Total fill removed in the excavation was 85,000 cubic metres. This reduced the number of vehicle movements,which enabled a reduction in carbon. No material had to be
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Action stations: cleaning up the environment removed from site and therefore nothing was sent to landfill, again reducing the carbon footprint and vehicle movements and also no disturbance was caused to the local residents.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Stoke Bardolph STW comprises an inlet screw pumping station, preliminary treatment primary settlement tanks (PST), Activated Sludge Plant (ASP), final settlement tanks (FST) and sludge handling including digestion. Most of the flow arriving to site is via Sneinton pumping station, which only incorporates storm tanks, and the remaining flow arrives by gravity. Raw sewage is gravity fed into the inlet sewage chamber. The raw sewage is then pumped into the inlet channel via four screw pumps. Stoke Bardolph Sewage Treatment Works has been included in the AMP 5 programme under the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UW\NTD) for phosphorus removal The site must achieve a consent of 1 mg/I total phosphorus (Centrate Plant built at a later date to meet this target.)
141
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 Stoke Bardolph is to benefit from a significant programme of investment in AMP5 and beyond. In order to outline a long term strategy for the works, a “Blue Skies” approach has been taken which strives to look at the various projects. drivers, needs and investment programmes in a holistic way The aim is to develop a strategy not only for AMP5 but for the next 20 years or more. Stoke Bardolph STW serves a population equivalent of 614,374 (by June Return 2007 data), within the city of Nottingham and surrounding area. The estimated future population by 2016 will be 638,627 and by 2026 will be 659,238 Stoke Bardolph STW must achieve a discharge consent of 1 mg/I total| phosphorus by March 2014. This is measured as an annual average over a calendar year. As part of the project numerous open days and educational visits were arranged for the residents and public along with visits from the local university. NMCNomenca collaborated with Severn Trent Water to organise an Open Day and Public Exhibition at Stoke Bardolph Sewage Treatment Works. The purpose of the event was to provide an opportunity for customers living near the site to view the work being carried out by Severn Trent and NMCNomenca in a £40m-plus strategy to improve the efficiency and performance of the works. Two separate sessions were required to cater for the number of responses to invitations to the Open Day. Visitors were welcomed at the main works reception and after introductions and refreshments, they were treated to a presentation providing information on the services Severn Trent provides to its 8m customers across the region, and how NMCNomenca help provide these services. The presentation was followed by an educational DVD explaining the sewage treatment process, and a series of slides giving aerial overviews of the Stoke Bardolph works layout, with the project team providing details of the improvements being carried out, and how they would bring lasting reductions in operating costs and energy use for the works. The visitors then donned their PPE before boarding a personnel trailer which transported them to the working
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
areas to see both the existing and the new structures recently constructed. They were amazed at the size of the ASP lanes under commissioning trials, and the FST’s nearing final M&E installation. On their way back to reception, they stopped off to view the new centrate treatment building in construction, an 11m high structure destined to house the phosphate and ammonia removal equipment. Almost 60 customers took part in the visit, and they all left with a greater understanding of Severn Trent, North Midland Construction and the major investment taking place on their doorstep. All agreed that it had been a thoroughly interesting and enjoyable experience. Second year Civil Engineering students from Nottingham Trent university were welcomed to the construction site at Stoke Bardolph as part of the drive by NMCNomenca to assist the future engineers to understand the application of civil engineering on site. The uptake was such that the sessions were split over two days, with the students using the visit to gain the knowledge and insight needed to complete coursework requirements. The sessions started with a presentation which focused on the engineering challenges faced during the design and construction of the new works. Each challenge and solution was set out in such a way to enable the students to make the connection from the engineering principles learnt in lectures to real life problems on site. The students then had a tour around site which again incorporated the final built solutions already spoken about. Finally there was a Q&A session in which the students asked a range of questions from commercial aspects of the project to technical questions about the structures. The final follow-up to the visits will be in the spring when members of the site are to visit the university to answer a number of questions which have since been posed. Other companies could use this example of how much can be saved by forward thinking and the reuse of natural materials. ◆
142
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 PEEL MEDIA MEDIACITYUK
PROJECT AIM The Peel Group had an aspiration to create a digital hub and vibrant community in the north of England that would be centred on broadcast media. This concept had modest beginnings with media content first being produced in a redundant pie factory on Salford Quays, which incidentally still operates to this day. The catalyst for the £600 million development that now exists was a desire from the BBC to move a number of their broadcast functions out of London and to the north. Dock 10 in Salford Quays was a brownfield site owned by the Peel Group, upon which a concept was developed for MediaCityUK. This was given the approval by the BBC and along with the University of Salford, they became the anchor tenants for the MediaCityUK estate. The development has been undertaken as a joint venture with Salford City Council. Private funding has been put in place for the majority of the scheme, with £30 million of grants contributing towards the new footbridge across the Manchester Ship Canal and a dedicated Metrolink stop into the heart of the estate.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS We are immensely proud that we have laid the foundations for a sustainable city, with inspiring architecture and efficient buildings, excellent transport links and sustainable and secure energy provisions. We are equally proud that a thriving community now exists in which people can visit, live, work and play. During the construction of the project, £481 million was invested, with approximately 54% of this value going into e local economy through the appointment of Greater Manchester contractors. A further £95 million has been invested since base-build, with the total number employed through this phase reaching 3,250. Despite recent trends in the UK economy, we have seen
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
North stars: creating a digital hub in Salford continuous growth in the development of the MediaCityUK community. Most recent additions are the Future Skills Academy, which provides an opportunity for school leavers to progress towards a career in media, and plot E2, which will be a hotel/office development. We are therefore able to observe that MediaCityUK is having a very positive impact on the local economy through the attraction and creation of new businesses and, by doing so, is realising the original aspirations for the estate.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? MediaCityUK is now a thriving hub of activity located within the heart of Salford Quays and home to over 150 businesses, residential, retail and leisure facilities. The vision outlined in the Project Aim has taken eight years; to develop the concept, charter through the design and construction phases and arrive at the multi-faceted operational facility that now exists. Sustainable, economic growth is central to that development and has required commitment from the
143
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 developer, the tenants and construction teams alike. A sustainable approach was adopted in the construction practices that took place in developing MediaCityUK. Examples of this include; ● A reduction of waste to landfill by more than 35% from 2008 figures ● Use of the Manchester Ship Canal as lower carbon producing means of material delivery ● The project achieving FSC certification for reuse and recycling of timber products.
Sound and vision: the brownfield site (above) becomes a media hub
The development and construction teams worked closely with BRE to establish the criteria for the first model in the communities category. This commitment saw a number of key buildings such as Orange Tower achieve a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’ with all other buildings achieving a minimum of ‘Very Good’.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? Of significant benefit to the community, this has been a regeneration of a brownfield site into a mixed-use facility that is used by 9,000 people daily.
incorporation of a Tri-generation district heating scheme is a key part of this and since October 2012 when the combined-heating & power (CHP) operated consistently, 7,832MWh of electricity has been produced, equating to a 4,237 tonne carbon saving when compared to grid supplied electricity.
MediaCityUK is not just home to internationally recognised companies such as the BBC, ITV and SIS, it also provides space and opportunities for over 80 SMEs, with more start-up SMEs joining almost weekly.
The operational FM model has also delivered a reduction in electricity consumption by 968,801kWh between 2012 and 2013.
In the longer term, the placement of the University of Salford’s media related courses and facilities on site, alongside the under construction MCUK UTC, will see Salford and the north west become a home for a new digital generation to progress.
Planning stage decisions can be seen to have benefited the construction stage and operational phases alike. Perhaps the greatest example of this is the decision taken to centralise the electricity, heating and standby generation plant for the estate in the ground floor of the MSCP.
During construction over 50% of the 3,200 workforce was from local labour ensuring the local community benefited.
This decision gave birth to the concept of the Trigeneration scheme; a low-carbon form of electricity generation and district heating.
From the beginning of construction through to the daily operation, the estate has yielded CO2 savings that total over 10,000 tonnes, compared to traditional buildings. The
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
It also negated the requirement for the BBC buildings to have basement plant rooms, thereby reducing the quantity
144
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 of concrete used and also realising CO2 savings as well as significant benefits in the build programme. Good use is made of the surrounding environment with the canal water from the shipping canal proving an ideal source of ‘free-cooling’ through the Tri-generation scheme. The design of the Tri-generation is such that it has been future-proofed for potential energy crisis that may occur in coming years. Existing high efficiency gas-driven plant can be replaced with biomass equivalents with relative ease. The concepts of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) have also been applied through making use of the existing assets on site. The water collection systems, installed as part of the original dock construction were utilised, allowing surface water collected from the site to be used to maintain Manchester Ship Canal levels, thereby reducing the demand on the public drainage systems.
CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT? The techniques used in the development, construction and operation of MCUK have garnered widespread attention. International delegations from Sweden, Norway, Denmark and as far away as Japan, alongside bodies such as CIBSE, IET and UCLAN have visited MCUK to gain an appreciation of the successful methods that were adopted.
facilities and safe segregation from pedestrians are all key, if this form of sustainable transport is to be encouraged and therefore suitably catered for. Since the completion of the first phase, the MediaCityUK boundary has been expanded to now include the Lowry Theatre, the Imperial War Museum and the Lowry Outlet Mall. These give added retail, cultural and also leisure & fitness options that further benefit the local community and estate attractions.
ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENT? Future development is planned, with a mixed-use office/hotel facility about to commence construction. This forms part of a long term development for MediaCityUK, which over the next 20 years will develop a further five million square foot, working in conjunction with Salford City Council, to create a new town centre for Salford Quays. Key aspects of the future development will include improved pedestrian/cycle access and public transport and the creation of an ecology corridor. MediaCityUK was proud to be awarded the world’s first ever BREEAM Sustainable Communities award by the BRE. The operational FM model that has been established to serve the estate has more recently been recognised in 2013, by BIFM, when it was named winner in the Sustainable and Environmental Impact Award category. ◆
Internally, the unique integrated model between construction, utilities and FM, which has been pioneered at MCUK, has been taken up at Peel Group level, where it is now used as the approach to achieve sustainable development. This integration is adding significant benefit to the efficient operation of the estate and proving to be a cyclic process that inputs into the development of future plots. The BREEAM framework has also proven to work in the creation of the vibrant community and this is now adopted as the framework model that is best suited to the Peel Group’s aspirations for future developments. Schemes already in the pipeline include Trafford Quays and Wirral Waters. A further lesson learned from the development is the importance of cycling provisions, both in terms of adequate access routes through the estate and facilities upon arrival at the destination. Cycling security, storage, changing
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
145
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 POWER YOUR FUTURE SOLAR FOR SCHOOLS PROJECT AIM Power Your Future is a programme that focuses on implementing free solar power systems in schools and educating young people about the importance of sustainable resources. We believe that introducing real sustainable energy programmes into schools is the best way to encourage better understanding of environmental issues that future generations will be faced with, and ways to combat them. With increased financial pressure on schools in the current economic climate, we have partnered with Eco-Schools and Keep Britain Tidy, with the aim of reducing the impact schools have on the environment and also improving their financial position by reducing the money spent on electricity. This enables them to put funds back into the classroom, be it with extra teaching staff, resources or whatever other improvements the schools may require. The schemeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s goal is to help schools gain access to resources they would otherwise not be able to afford and additionally create better learning environments for children by introducing new practical ways of learning about the concepts and benefits of sustainability, through tangible actions. Our belief is that being a sustainable school is not only about educating pupils, but also looking at practical ways of changing the way they operate.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The Power Your Future scheme has successfully implemented solar panels in 110 schools across the UK to date, which has collectively saved over 1,300 tonnes of CO2 each year. This has provided these schools with their own renewable solar energy generation free of charge. This allows them to no longer be fully reliant on gridsupplied power, with all the costs for the projects covering installation, insurance and ongoing maintenance covered by the investors. The schools have been able to offset their electricity bills with the solar energy they have created, at
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Power point: bright future for schools below market energy rates. With the renewable energy prices linked to RPI rather than energy price inflation, the schools have been able to protect part of their electricity bills from price rises introduced by energy companies. Upon implementation of the system, the schools also gain access to solar generation software that can be integrated into their teaching and learning programmes, in addition to other educational materials that encourage children to take a more hands on approach to understanding sustainability. The projects have achieved a liability free way for schools to become more environmentally friendly and sustainable.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? We believe that sustainability is a necessity, not a luxury. With energy costs rising and natural resources declining, sustainability and renewable energy are fundamental to tackling the problem. Unfortunately, the reality is the majority of schools in the UK are unable to self-fund projects to increase their sustainability and cut down their energy consumption. Schools are faced with the daunting costs of electricity bills with tight budgets. Our core aim is to offer the schools a solution to this problem, providing them with the opportunity to acquire a green energy source at no cost.
146
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 Power Your Future to date has implemented solar arrays into 110 schools around the UK. We supply investors who fund the panels, so schools can invest the money saved on energy back into their schools. The schools are able to use the energy created to power their schools before having to resort to the grid supply. The average reduction in energy bills is approximately 30%. Our project involves co-ordinating with the local councils, diocese and schools and putting a lease in place. We undertake engineering desktop surveys of schools to assess viability and establish the best solution for implementing the panels. We organise site visits, structural, electrical and EPC surveys. Bespoke support packs are sent out to the individual schools, giving them in-depth knowledge of the project, how the technology works and how it saves them money. We then co-ordinate with the investors, engineers, installation company and schools to install the panels, a process which can be done during term time without disruption.
WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? As the projects are funded entirely by our investors, the schools receive the systems free of charge. All installation, insurance and ongoing maintenance costs are covered by the investors, meaning the schools are able to benefit from the system, without the onerous cost. The upfront capital from the investors is returned through the feed-in tariffs and RPI power purchase agreement. This delivers a low-risk investment allowing them a good rate of return. The wider benefit is that it encourages profit seeking investors to invest in projects that have traditionally been only profitable across large scale commercial projects or high quantity domestic initiatives.
WHO HAS BENEFITED? The environmental benefit of solar power is enormous; it is a clean, renewable source of energy and does not produce global warming emissions, unlike fossil fuels. The 110 schools that we have installed thus far have saved 1,300 tonnes of carbon each year. It is completely
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Sunny outlook: solar panels save schools money sustainable and with advances in solar panels and solar power storage being constantly developed, it is fast becoming one of the most widely used forms of renewable energy on both a domestic and industrial scale. It is one of the most reliable and safe sources of renewable energy developed in response to the rapidly declining fossil fuel crisis. The benefits for the schools however are much further reaching. By installing the solar panels they are able to add a tangible element to their teaching of sustainability into their academic programmes. The children are able to see the direct effects that this source of energy has on their own school, using a specific software that we provide to monitor this. With sustainability becoming increasingly important in the school curriculum, they gain insight into how solar power works and why it is important. Furthermore the money saved can be reinvested into the school for improvements such as more teachers in classrooms, improving equipment, increasing the amount of extra-curricular activities and so on. Our staff are fully committed to the scheme and the benefits that it provides for the schools. We orchestrate the process from signing up schools, the legal process to implementation and take great care to focus on the educational side of the scheme. Everyone involved, from managers to engineers, go into the schools doing presentations and teaching days to explain how the projects work and why we believe
147
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 enabling schools to be more sustainable is so important. This includes getting the students to design posters promoting solar which we display on our website, and doing team business study projects where we teach the children about the financial, PR, engineering and environmental aspects of solar power.
WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? Given the length of the lease on the solar panels installed, the schools are able to gain long term benefits from taking part. They continue to lower their energy consumption and costs over the course of 25 years, which is invaluable because the energy costs are linked to inflation rather than power prices, making them much lower and more stable. They are also able to use it as a starting point for continuing improvements to the sustainability of the schools.
ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS? Having enjoyed such success with our solar scheme, Power Your Future is now looking at ways to increase the scope of environmentally friendly options for schools. At present we are looking into introducing LED lighting, which dramatically reduces energy bills and eliminates maintenance costs. It has also been shown in studies to improve academic performance in pupils. We are also looking into ways to integrate biomass technology as well. Again our aim is to formulate a programme which enables schools to benefit from the best green technology available without additional costs. With approximately 25,000 schools in the UK, there is huge scope for increasing the size of our project. Provided that the structural requirements of having the panels are met by the schools, there is an infinite potential to replicate the success of our first 110 schools up and down the country, who through the Power Your Future programme have been empowered with green energy. â&#x2014;&#x2020;
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
148
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 PHOENIX PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT (PROPELAIR) PROPELAIR PROJECT AIM Propelair has developed and patented in all the major markets a new type of water saving toilet system called Propelair.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The Propelair uses an innovative air-based operating principle and only 1.5 litres of water per flush, which allows it to comply with existing building regulations. In addition to significant water savings, which provide a fast payback for customers, the Propelair toilet is more hygienic than conventional toilets as it is proven to remove 99.939 per cent of waterborne contaminants and reduce the creation of aerosolised contaminants by 95 per cent. The Propelair has a quick refill which reduces queuing time and it has an excellent performance using a powerful and consistent single air flush. It incorporates an easy-off side hinge system to aid lid removal and cleaning, which is
Flushed: Propelairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s water saving system much more robust than traditional hinges, and it produces less sewage so less treatment is required. This reduces carbon emissions, and there is less emptying of holding tanks, which saves money. The Propelair toilet system achieved certification and was launched in 2013. To date there have been initial sales to a number of major organisations including Anglian Water, Arup, Brighton & Hove City Council, London School of Economics, McDonald's, the Peacock Theatre, Royal Borough of Greenwich, the Royal College of Physicians, University of East Anglia and Victoria Palace Theatre.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? A growing world population, urbanisation and waterintensive lifestyles mean that many parts of the world are now water-stressed, with others facing water supply and wastewater disposal problems. There are now more than 60 million people in the UK, using on average of 150 litres of water per day, double the amount used 70 years ago. Water supply is stressed at times of drought and water rates are significant for large water users. The Propelair toilet helps mitigate these effects. Since the company was founded in 2001, it has raised aggregate external finance of just over ÂŁ3.4 million from 135 private
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
149
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 investors. The money has been spent on developing the technology, certification, registration of patents and tooling for manufacture. The Propelair® toilet system completed its testing and certification by The British Standards Institute in 2013 and will now carry the BSI kitemark. It has also been tested and approved under the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS), which is a requirement for any product connected to the public mains water supply in the UK. WRAS testing took six months and involved 200,000 complete cycles which is equivalent to 27 flushes per day for 20 years. In addition to these two approvals, Propelair® is CE compliant and can be marked as such, which is mandatory for products placed on the market in the European Economic Area. The product was launched in 2013 and there have been initial sales to a number of major organisations. Water savings have been considerable and the reduction in water charges ensures that there is a short payback period. ◆
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
150
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 SALIIS LTD TACKLING FUEL POVERTY
PROJECT AIM SALIIS is proactively tackling the issue of fuel poverty here in Northern Ireland by offering a FREE Solar PV system to those who may otherwise not be able to afford it. The innovative element of our free Solar PV Scheme is that it allows domestic and commercial property owners the opportunity to benefit from major savings on their electricity bills through the installation of solar PV panels. We arrange the supply, installation and maintenance of a solar PV system on their roof, which is maintained and insured for a 20 year period, all free of charge.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS SALIIS has installed 667 free solar PV systems on properties within Northern Ireland, generating around 3.5 megawatts of free electricity. ●
● ● ● ●
The current average PV system installed by SALIIS is 5kw A 5kW system will generate 4100 kWh per annum 4100 kWh * 667 installations = 2,734,700 kWh (total) 1 kWh = 0.523 kg of CO2 2,734,700 kWh * 0.523kg CO2 = 1,430,249 kg CO2 or 1,430 tonnes of carbon saved.
WHO OR WHAT HAS BENEFITED? The innovative concept behind the offering is a ‘rent a roof’ arrangement between the funder and the customer and is commercially feasible because of the NIROCs and the returns from feeding back to the grid. There are no restrictions on the use of electricity generated by the free PV system allowing the customer to use 100% of the generated electricity for free. In August 2013 SALIIS installed the largest free commercial Solar PV System in Northern Ireland. Argyle Business Park Units 33-4412 systems @ 16KW = Total Size 192KW and 768 panels used Our diverse customer base includes domestic homes,
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Bright idea: SALIIS is offering free solar PV system commercial buildings, schools, hospitals and public buildings such as non-profit organisations. At SALIIS, we believe that as well as being a success within its own right, the free PV project will lead to the development and delivery of additional free renewable schemes such as biomass and thermal heat pumps. With this in mind SALIIS will continue to invest in new technologies and find ways to improve our service and delivery systems, as we will continue to seek improvements in all aspects of our work. More than 20 schools were fitted since July 2013 and the programme is on course to have 1MW of Solar PV fitted by the end of March 2014 (its first year of operation) SALIIS’ export sales have grown from less that £250,000 in 2012 to a turnover in excess of £1 million for 2013 and this is projected to more than triple in 2014. The measures SALIIS delivered in the past 12 months will result in excess of 75,000 tonnes of carbon reduction over the next 20 years. On top of the current installation contracts SALIIS has secured long-term operation and maintenance contracts for a number of high profile clients and now manage
151
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 ongoing monitoring and maintenance of solar PV systems for over 3,000 properties throughout England working for, among others, Soventix, Oxford Capital Partners, Homesun and Aviva. In order to maintain market share in export renewables, SALIIS has established premises in Preston and Belfast and continue to expand both our scope of services and client base. â&#x2014;&#x2020;
Panel beater: Argyle Business Park Units
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
152
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 SINDICATUM SUSTAINABLE RESOURCES THE RENEWCO PROJECTS PROJECT AIM The RenewCo Projects (“the projects”) are designed to: ● Contribute to the sustainable development of South and South East Asia by meeting the growing demand for energy in a socially, economically and environmentally sound manner; ● Prevent the emission of large volumes of methane gas and convert this into valuable clean energy ● Co-operate with governments and authorities in order to promote green energy sources ● Inspire the movement of entities towards greener technologies ● Improve the quality of life for local communities and develop and stimulate the local economy ● Implement state-of-the-art, replicable, methane capture techniques which enhance clean power generation ● Upgrade existing waste disposal standards by practicing world-class waste management. The projects are located in emerging markets that are short of reliable power. Our projects provide clean energy to communities whilst delivering significant social, economic and environmental benefits. RenewCo’s longterm vision is to develop, own and operate 2,000 MW of distributed, profitable clean energy projects worldwide from the utilisation of sustainable natural products and waste.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The RenewCo Projects have a tremendous beneficial impact on the environment and on sustainable development within emerging markets, but they also ensure international standards of health and safety, introduce new technologies, provide skills transfer and propagate the important message that green projects can be profitable. The RenewCo Projects have exported over 573,000 MWh of clean power to the grid to-date. They have abated 2.6 million tonnes of CO2 – equivalent to taking 550,000 cars off the road annually or mitigating the consumption of six million barrels of oil. RenewCo’s Thai projects are the only
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Asian venture: sutainable development successful Landfill-Gas-to-Energy (“LFGE”) projects of their size in South East Asia and therefore they represent landmark clean energy projects in a region where such initiatives are undeveloped. Our project sites are maintained to international environmental, health and safety standards; this is particularly pertinent in Asia where safety at site is often inadequate - sometimes with dangerous consequences. As the first company of our kind in South East Asia, one of RenewCo’s most important achievements is demonstrating that sustainability projects in emerging markets can be profitable and have strong potential for wider application. The success of our projects in Asia has driven plans to expand RenewCo’s clean energy capacity from 290 MW now (either operational, under construction or under development) to 500 MW by 2016 and 2000 MW in the longer term.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Sindicatum Sustainable Resources (“Sindicatum”) is a developer, owner and operator of clean energy projects worldwide and a producer of sustainable products from natural resources and waste. In 2008 Sindicatum raised a
153
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 USD 230 million fund, against which many sustainability projects – including RenewCo – have been built. Sindicatum Renewable Energy Company (“RenewCo”), a subsidiary of Sindicatum, focuses on renewable energy projects in South and South East Asia that have been operating profitably for several years.
●
●
●
Emerging markets like South East Asia and India are perennially short on reliable power. They have increasing magnitudes of waste and lack optimal waste management practices. In response to this, Sindicatum’s suite of RenewCo Projects successfully reuses waste to generate clean electricity, reduce fuel consumption and mitigate Greenhouse Gas (“GHG”) emissions via cutting-edge technologies, highly experienced management and successful local partnerships. The resultant environmental and community benefits have proven to be scalable worldwide. The RenewCo Projects engage primarily in biogas and sustainable biomass projects in Asia: Sustainable biomass Thai landfill-gas-to-energy (“LFGE”) projects: ● Generate the most clean electricity of all Thailand’s very small power producers (“VSPP”) ● Supplied over 60,000 homes per year with clean energy ● Exported more than 416,000 MWh of clean electricity ● Abated more than 2.5 million tonnes of CO2e to date Indonesia ethanol biogas project: ● Captures methane produced during anaerobic process in the in-ground digester ● Utilises biogas to generate clean electricity and heat ● Abated more than 107,000 tonnes of CO2 to date. Indian bagasse co-gregation projects: ● Produced 157,000 MWh to-date of clean power for use in-house by the sugar mills to meet their heat and electricity requirements ● Expected to produce 355,000 MWh of clean power annually ● Expected to abate 30,000 tonnes of CO2 annually.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? The RenewCo Projects yield multi-dimensional benefits: 1) Environmental: ● Over 573,000 MWh of clean power generated to-date ● GHG emissions reduced by 2.6 million tonnes CO2 to date
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
SOx and NOx emissions (by-products of conventional electricity generation) reduced, hence improved local air quality Sites maintained to international environmental, health and safety standards – particularly pertinent in Asia where safety at site is often inadequate, sometimes with dangerous consequences An Initial Environmental Examination report confirms improved environmental conditions and living standards for local residents, e.g. improved odour, noise, water and air pollution.
Social and economic RenewCo recognises that high levels of local involvement will improve the long-term stability of its operations and therefore we invest in the local community through job creation, local supplier contracts and fundraising support for local schools. The largest socio-economic beneficiaries of our projects are the surrounding communities who profit from increased job opportunities not just at RenewCo sites but also at the other local businesses that arise to support the needs of the project and its staff. 3) Technology and skills transfer Through continuous training RenewCo has developed a highly skilled local team, supplemented by foreign knowhow, who understand the technology and also how to run the project. We place high importance on the development of local employees and conduct numerous training courses to provide staff with relevant knowledge and skill enhancement opportunities. In Thailand, for example, we support the local community by running an internship program that has seen six interns join our teams since 2013 and we are finalising a scholarship program for five students each year in partnership with two local universities. These initiatives allow students to develop their skills and learn more about the renewable energy industry and its technologies. These benefits will multiply by 2015 when total installed capacity of RenewCo projects reaches 294 MW.
WHAT WAS INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? The development of waste-to-energy management solutions requires both in-depth know-how in technology
154
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 and sophisticated management strategy. The wealth of experience behind the RenewCo projects has contributed to its successful management and created a solid base for future growth. Innovative points in technology and management include: ● Optimum Biogas Collection (“OBC”) technology - a gas collection system, developed by RenewCo’s parent company, Sindicatum, allowing higher landfill gas collection efficiency and greater clean energy production and emission reductions ● Proprietary SCADA system – a real-time round-theclock monitoring system allowing identification and prompt resolution of performance deviations ● By partnering with leading sugar producers in India, RenewCo secures ownership of a captive agricultural waste (bagasse) which is vital for solid growth and development.
CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT? The success of RenewCo’s business model is evident in its application in four countries of distinctive cultural, economic and political backgrounds; India, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. Such projects and technologies are not uncommon in developed countries such as France (Albioma) and Australia (Energy Developments). However, RenewCo is unique in that it is the first company of its kind in South East Asia, proving not just that wasteto-energy projects can be implemented in emerging markets but, more importantly, that they can operate profitably. The requirement for improved waste management and clean energy production across Asia has spurred RenewCo to expand its success in a range of new initiatives which will see our clean energy capacity almost double by 2016 and quadruple in the longer term. With this expansion, the multi-dimensional benefits of our projects will increase significantly. ◆
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
155
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 D S SMITH, LIVINGSTON WASTE WATER TREATMENT UPGRADE PROJECT AIM The project aim was to install a new waste water treatment plant, taking into account current technology for improvements in health and safety and environmental aspects, with twice the current capacity. This will also give us the necessary headroom required for future growth, which is in line with our objectives for the business. The main benefits of the proposal are: ● Changing the pumps from air driven to peristaltic for this installation will reduce total site air consumption by around 18% ● Savings will arise due to the elimination of tankered, untreated waste off-site ● Treated waste is now fully traceable. The elimination of tankers will also reduce our transport carbon footprint ● The new plant is far more efficient and will mean a significant reduction in the chemical/substances used in its operation ● Being able to return supplier IBC’s, as currently these are being used to contain effluent system overflows which then renders them useless and cannot be returned, Special hazardous waste disposal is then required ● The new system allows us to use treated water in the actual treatment process as opposed to fresh water currently, using newer technology and processes ● Health and safety benefit through the reduction in manual handling in the treatment process. The water treatment plant that was unable to cope with current productivity requirements with a newer, larger more efficient plant. The alternative to not replacing the Effluent plant is that an increasing amount of tanker uplifts will be required, which are not guaranteed to be available at the time required, and therefore poses a real risk of the Livingston production operation having to be shut down until a tanker is available. If we continued to run the current equipment to its full capacity, there was also an increased risk that the extra
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Waste not: water treatment upgrade pressure on the drain infrastructure would result in sealing joints failing and untreated water contamination the surface water drains which would have been be a major problem for us with the water authorities.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Liquid waste from the production process is treated by a JLJ/Alar Effluent treatment plant. The previous plant could process less than 30 cubic metres waste water over 24 hours and struggled with the volumes of waste water produced due to an increase in productivity of over 150% since it was installed in 1999. The plant also suffered from component obsolescence, and unless replaced would have been a source of major concern for the efficient operation of the production facility. New Production machinery recently installed is projected to increase water consumption by a further 25% in the next year. As a result of the capacity limitations of the treatment plant, we regularly have to supplement the plant by removing untreated liquid waste via tankers for treatment off-site. A total of ten loads have been removed from site in the
156
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 period 01/05/2013 to 31/12/2013. Future removals were projected to increase due to the new machinery. The project aim was to install a new Waste Water treatment plan, taking into account current technology for improvements in health and safety and environmental aspects, with twice the current capacity. This will also give us the necessary headroom required for future growth, which is in line with our objectives for the business.
WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? ●
● ● ● ●
Supply and install a JLJ – Euro 9018 Treatment Plant £154,314 Automatic wheeled/tipping skip £2,300 Vacuum bag Lifter £8,100 Contingency sum for Air/Power supplies £3,286 The £168,000 total cost of the proposal is to be paid for from capital expenditure £168,000.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED?
The new plant is far more efficient and will mean a significant reduction in the chemical/substances used in its operation. The supplier (JLJ Effluent Engineering) advise that a reduction in Diatomaceous Earth (FW14) use of 44% can be expected. This is possible from the reduced number of mixes and the larger filter drum area of the new equipment. The savings, based on our current annual spend of £86,000, are £37,800 per annum. Savings arise from being able to return supplier IBC’s, as currently these are being used to contain effluent system overflows which then renders them useless and cannot be returned, Special hazardous waste disposal is then required. A saving of £2,700 per annum is expected. Savings will also arise from being able to use treated water as opposed to fresh water currently, using newer technology and processes, in the actual treatment plant vacuum pump. The investment cost of this capex includes an upgrade to the vacuum pump to allow this to happen and will save 137 m3 per week, which will be worth £9,864 over the year.
As air is one of the most expensive type of energy, we have also implemented this in our purchasing procedures for new equipment and are assessing current equipment for upgrading to peristaltic.
Health and safety benefits will come from the reduction in Manual Handling in the treatment process. A future development from the machine manufacturer is a new filter material which will have a calorific value, allowing us to recycle the waste through a waste to energy incineration plant and reduce our waste direct to landfill to zero. We will be conducting trials in the near future to determine the efficacy of this new product. Total savings should be £109,244 per annum.
Savings will arise due to the elimination of tankered, untreated waste off-site. Annual savings are calculated at £38,000 based on the above-mentioned ten tankers used in the 8 month period to 31/12/13, but are forecast to increase by25% following the recent machine investment.
The installation took place over two weeks, with the old plant being removed for refurbishment and re-sale by the manufacturer in week one, as well as the area being cleaned up and preparation for the new plant. Installation and training was completed in week two. ◆
Previous projects to improve energy use have taught us that changing the pumps from air driven to peristaltic for this installation will reduce total site air consumption by around 18%.
Another Environmental benefit is treated waste is fully traceable. Previously, waste tankered off-site is mixed with waste streams from other producers, so the resulting cake is not fully traceable. The elimination of tankers will also reduce our transport carbon footprint. Weekend overtime is necessary at the moment to run the effluent plant seven days a week in order to keep up with processing. This represents a cost of £20,880 per annum.
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
157
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 SPACEVAC TECHNOLOGIES HIGH LEVEL CLEANING EQUIPMENT PROJECT AIM To develop the brand name Spacevac to be synonymous with innovation and safe methods of working at height and to continue research and development through trial and usage which will drive the business into key market sectors crucial to its growth and expansion around the UK, Europe and worldwide.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The equipment is already being used by blue chip companies such as Asda/Walmart, Mitie, Rolls-Royce and Astra Zeneca where it has reduced costs and improved efficiency. It has also increased dramatically the health and safety of their operators in terms of reducing the requirement to work at height from other less safe methods ie ladders, scaffolding or MEWPs. We have attended the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest cleaning show, ISSA Amsterdam, this year and have interest from 46 countries to distribute this machine on our behalf, with some very large businesses taking a strong interest in our brand and product. Emerson have invited us to the USA with a view to becoming partners, as they view the health and safety aspect of the equipment as crucial to their long term strategy.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? The project involved designing and building a piece of equipment that would solve the way end users clean at height, ensuring their complete safety whilst being able to carry out the task in a more cost effective and efficient manner. We did this at the request of the local council who had a particular problem accessing a high piece of guttering that was not accessible by platforms or ladders, so a solution to this problem was developed. From that point over six years ago, we have developed and used the equipment
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Cleaning up: head for heights ourselves and tested its application rigorously, and arrived at the point where we have decided to market and sell the products for other people and companies to use and benefit from.
WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? In terms of cost it has taken many man hours and trials to perfect the equipment. The project has been self-funded from the R & S side of the business, with no outside capital required. We are now though at a stage where there is a lot of outside interest in investing in Spacevac that will provide the funding necessary to make the product a worldwide brand.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? The list is endless! There are no ladders, no scaffolding and no hydraulic platforms, so there is no transporting of this equipment back and forwards, which hugely improves the carbon footprint of user. Safety has been increased as all work is evidenced by the wireless recordable camera systems, and we are now just beginning to export and have been branded research and
158
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 development intensive by UKTI, who are fully behind us in our drive to export from our base in Northampton to all areas of the globe. At Spacevac we are all fully committed to helping the UK's drive to becoming a manufacturing superpower once again. Everybody we sell to is absolutely amazed at the benefits they get in terms of efficiency, cost savings and safety, and our ambition is only limited by our ability to drive this project forward as fast as is humanly possible.
WHAT WAS INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? Innovation is the key to this technology, as you are able to see what you are doing 50 feet in the air while having your feet firmly planted on the ground is a first in the cleaning industry, and being able to record and show clients the end result is a very satisfying end to any cleaning task. Cleaning interiors of building at height without disturbing the occupants, clients or customers again is a huge bonus to the end user, so cleans can take place while the building is in use rather than out of hours as is normal practice. As we sell the equipment, anybody can benefit from this system, be it a start up business or a huge FM business. Everybody will get the same benefit of being able to work higher, faster and safer than ever before. There is a policy of continuous development, in fact we have just redeveloped the interior equipment to ensure it is ready for the more litigious US market. We are in the process of developing an ATEX version which will be the only one of its kind in the world. This equipment will be able to vacuum up explosive dust from facilities such as flour mills, wood mills and breweries. At present we are working with BICSc to develop a recognised accreditation and training module. This started off when we approached the prison service with a view to helping in the rehabilitation of offenders, an area we are looking to work within as it fulfils a part of the social enterprise side of our business. â&#x2014;&#x2020;
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
159
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 ST ALBANS DISTRICT COUNCIL WESTMINSTER LODGE LEISURE CENTRE PROJECT AIM The original local authority Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre (WLLC) opened in 1971 and the dated facilities were costly to operate, manage and maintain. The aims and objectives of the redevelopment of the centre were to: ● Develop a more strategic range of facilities that by consultation reflected supply and demand issues ● Improve quality of facilities and management ● Improve revenue position ● Improve participation/attendance ● Incorporate community involvement ● Create a sustainable and robust leisure centre ● Improve sustainable urban regeneration ● Create an entrance hub to the historic Verulamium Park by the formation of new public spaces linking to the existing Abbey Theatre and the Verulamium Park with new cycle and pedestrian routes to encourage greater use of the Verulamium Park by the whole community ● To celebrate and respect heritage and create exceptional views of the Verulamium Park and adjacent St Albans Cathedral. The project involved the demolition of the existing leisure centre and the construction of a new leisure centre with cycle and pedestrian routes to Verulamium Park, public transport links and more efficient parking.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS? The new WLLC was located to allow the existing WLLC to operate during the construction period but primarily to create an entrance hub to the Verulamium Park by the formation of new public spaces linking the existing Abbey Theatre, the Athletics Track and Mini Golf to the expansive historic Verulamium Park with new cycle and pedestrian routes to encourage greater community use of Verulamium Park. A new bus stop was provided and the parking facilities made more efficient.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING? In 2001 St Albans District Council initiated a series of feasibility studies to address the ageing portfolio of sport and leisure facilities in the area. In 2007 it was agreed that
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Model lodge: leisure centre is state of the art there was a need to rebuild and rationalise the local facilities at the WLLC. The new facilities included: ● 25m x 10 lane pool with moveable floor and seating for 250 spectators ● 17m x 10m learner pool with moveable floor ● Confidence water/toddler splash area and poolside viewing area ● Village style changing ● Health and fitness gym (200 stations and spinning studio) ● Day spa and café ● Climbing wall and youth gym ● Crèche/soft play area ● Two studios and a four court sports hall.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT COST? The total project cost was £24.7million and was funded from capital reserves, S106, sale of property, enabling development and Prudential borrowing.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? Quantifiable sustainable achievements in terms of the development include: ● A CHP which generates on average 689,850kWh/annum of electricity and
160
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
●
●
876,454kWh/annum of ‘waste’ heat which is used to heat domestic hot water, the pool and space heating. The electricity is used on site and the CHP offsets 181,469kgCO2 /annum Photovoltaic panels which deliver 25,141kWh/annum of electricity and offsets 14,280kg CO2/ annum. Pool water management system which controls water treatment by monitoring water quality/bather load operating on average at 80% reduced output leading to a 51% reduction in electricity consumption of the order of 188,095kWh/annum and offsets 79,376kgCO2 per annum.
WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? ●
●
●
● ●
●
●
A more strategic range of facilities that reflect supply and demand issues Increased participation: there has been an increase in 27% of sport and leisure visits Memberships have exceeded predictions. From opening the membership levels achieved year three of the business plan and after16 months reached year eight of the business plan Radically improved quality of facilities and management A greatly improved revenue position: a previous £337,750/annum deficit has now achieved a surplus Now delivering the needs of stakeholders and the community An iconic facility that enhances the park and wider city and district.
In the swim: the revamped centre is a big success
The project demonstrates value for money and the trading surplus is enabling opportunities to refresh other leisure and culture facilities in the district – for example a new state of the art tennis and judo centre within the district
CAN OTHER COUNCILS LEARN FROM THIS EXPERIENCE? This project can and has been used as a case study and template for other similar projects. The UK’s leisure stock is made up of increasingly ageing public leisure facilities. Current data suggests that over 52% of the 2,200 existing centres are beyond their 25-year design life. Each centre requires an average revenue subsidy of c£250k/annum. This means there is an increasing pressure to close poorly performing centres. The full national rebuild would cost is approximately £4.5bn and would save £0.5bn revenue per annum. ◆
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
161
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 SUBANG JAYA MUNICIPAL COUNCIL, MALAYSIA ENVIRONMENTAL BEST PRACTICE – THE BIOMASS WAY PROJECT AIM We established our biomass centre at bandar Bukit Puchong in 2013 with the following aims: ● Serve as pivotal support for our waste disposal management programme ● 22% reduction of waste disposal by the year 2020 ● Transforming our municipality into Biomass City by 2020 ● Pursuing the concept of waste to wealth.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The results of the projects and feedback from the public have been very positive. The project is not only friendly to the environment but it also reduces was disposal costs and prevents landfill sites from filling up too quickly. The cleanliness of the local fresh markets have improved with 55% of the organic wases successfully processed.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Our community generates 55% of organic waste, 30% recycled waste and 15% other wastes. About 40% of our revenue was spent managing waste disposal. Success in waste disposal management is our only option since environmental sustainability is the ultimate trophy. We are constantly facing challenges in trying to continously improve community living, while keeping the environment sustainable. As we recognise those challenges and the painful price of managing them, our main focus is to reduce the staggering cost of waste disposal and the damage inflicted on our environment. In 2012 we conducted special research into finding new and innovative ways of managing organic waste disposal. This led us to participate in a strategic collaborative effort with a local university – Universiti Putra Malaysia, and Japan’s Replication Project on Biomass City, thanks to the initiatives by our Ministry of Housing and Local Government and Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Market forces: biomass project a success We have embarked on several strategies in our ongoing effort to effectively manage waste disposal. The one we chose was our biomass project. As a local authority, we need to equip ourselves with the resolve to initiate and promote within our people and community the will and action to preserve and sustain our environment.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? The biomass project is our green project since it is designed to create products through environmentally and socially conscious means. The project is also in line with our strategic aim to transform our city into a lively, highly spirited and truly green community by 2020. Essentially, the project is centred on two distinct platforms – one is our technology and knowhow platform and the other is our collaboration and engagement platform. The language is simply “Managing Waste”. We established our biomass centre at Bandar Bukit Puchong in 2013 with the following aims: ● Serve as pivotal support for our waste disposal management programme ● 22% reduction of waste disposal by the year 2020 ● Transforming our municipality into Biomass City by 2020 ● Pursuing the concept of waste to wealth.
162
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 We started looking into efficient technologie that will utilise the targeted wastes, and to produce clean energies. The chosen technologies need to satisfy the three widely acceptable metrics – sustainable, alternative and renewable. We chose the methodology using vermicomposting and anaerobic digestion biogas. Future biomass projects include anaerobic digestion biogas and a rabbit garden. Substantial time, effort and funds are spent in acquiring relevant skills and knowhow to make sure the biomass project hits the ground running. We collaborate with University Putra Malaysia, a leading local agricultural university, and with the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. We also participate in Japan’s Biomass City replication project. Our effort is also adopted to be the test case at international level by the Asian Productivity Organisation. As well as working with local universities and ministerial departments, the project would never have got off the ground without the community and relevant players’ engagement, participation and active support. No effort was spared to educate the public to ensure their high level of awareness on the biomass project and its contribution to a sustainable environment. Their simple roles were to ensure the proper separation of agriculture, food and fresh market wastes. In return for their engagement, the disposable services are granted free of charge.
WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? We are fully committed to engage the biomass concept in all the planning efforts of the municipality. We continually strengthen our 3R effort and use green initiatives as our working buzzwords to collaborate across all levels and departments. Our wider innovation initiatives are continually focused on reducing waste management costs and reducing dependency on limited waste dumping ground. All these initiatives are part of our strategic plan to cater for a cleaner and more prosperous community living. At a national level, one of our townships has been recognised as Serdang Green Town. It has also been
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
selected as a green model at local government level. As a consequence, it has become the green benchmark for other municipalities and agencies. We initiated a random survey which involved a small sample of biomass activity at two local fresh markets that were using vermi-composting and anaerobic digestion. The results were encouraging and showed that 55% of the markets’ organic waste had been process successfully. As a result, complaints about waste were significantly lower. ◆
163
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 TEAM VAN OORD MEDMERRY MANAGED REALIGNMENT
PROJECT AIM The Medmerry scheme has transformed the flood risk situation for previously vulnerable communities on the coast south of Chichester in West Sussex. In the past coastal flood risk management for this threatened frontage was maintenance of the 3km shingle embankment at Medmerry. Despite major works each winter, the bank remained unstable and was regularly breached causing damage to the properties behind it. As a result of rises in sea levels, internationally important coastal wetland habitat is being lost across the Solent. Maintaining and renewing defences for major cities including Southampton and Portsmouth requires replacement habitat to be found. Medmerrry is one of very few sites in the local area with the potential to create intertidal habitat on a large scale. The 183ha created at Medmerry will unlock the potential for further flood risk management projects, protecting a further 25,000 properties. Local communities were concerned about their vulnerability to coastal flooding, and the coastal management options in the area. Addressing these concerns was essential to successful completion of the scheme. To reflect the multiple needs of the scheme, we worked with stakeholders and agreed three broad objectives which remained throughout development and construction: ● Sustainable flood and coastal erosion risk management ● To maximise habitat gains ● Community involvement.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Environmental ● 183ha intertidal habitat, ensuring resilience for other losses in the Solent ● 300ha habitats of principle importance (UK BAP) ● 1000 reptiles were moved to safe new habitat ● Resilience protecting existing and new habitats’ long
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Ebb and flow: coastal flood risk has been tackled term sustainability. Formation of a fish nursery, to sustain the local fishing fleet. Sustainable construction ● 3D model of site produced linked to a detailed materials management plan ● Realtime GPS data on plant optimised all excavation activities ● 100% excavated material reused on site ● 60,000 tonnes of rock delivered by sea minimising impact on the local road network ● 20,000 tonnes of recycled aggregate used to construct access tracks. Social ● Improved public health associated with access to countryside and wildlife ● Giving people the opportunity to influence the creation and development ● 10km of new access routes ● Opportunities for green tourism ● Improved knowledge of the history of site through archaeological excavation.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Medmerry has long faced problems with flooding from the sea, with regular breaches of the shingle bank, most
164
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 recently in 2008, when more than £5m of damage was caused. We spent several hundred thousand pounds annually repairing and maintaining the shingle bank. Medmerry is the largest managed realignment of the open coast in Europe, and the first in the UK, on the stretch of southeast coast most threatened by coastal flooding. Medmerry maximises the creation of intertidal habitat, replacing vital areas being lost in the Solent, allowing new defences to be built protecting thousands more properties. The scheme is recognised locally, nationally and internationally as an exemplar scheme and is one of the most sustainable projects the Environment Agency has delivered. In planning and constructing this challenging scheme we: ● Protected 348 properties, sewage works and the main Selsey road, serving over 5000 residents ● Created 183 hectares of intertidal habitat ● Realised maintenance savings of £300,000 p.a. ● Incorporated extensive public access and economic growth opportunities. Recent extreme weather events serve as a reminder of our changing climate. Medmerry defences stood up to the worst storms for 20 years, fully protecting the areas that would previously have faced extensive flooding.
WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? The scheme was delivered for £20m, with direct economic benefits of £90m, not including the road to Selsey and protection enabled to other areas in the Solent. The project was funded by central government Flood and coastal erosion risk management Grant in Aid.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? When formulating the coastal strategy for the Selsey coastline, we identified concerns about the idea of a
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
managed realignment. Residents doubted the scheme would work and leave the community open to tidal inundation. Addressing these concerns head-on, the project team devised a new strategy for engagement: ● Specialist independent facilitation ● Forming a Medmerry Stakeholder Group (MStAG), with self-elected member representation ● Agreeing the project objectives to ensure all interests included. Planning approval was granted with unanimous committee vote and over 100 comments of support. With MStAG’s advice, we included a network of new footpaths, bridleways, viewpoints and car parks in what will be the new RSPB nature reserve. We are part of initiatives using Medmerry as the catalyst for further green links, connecting communities. Environmental legacy Working in partnership with the RSPB during the early stages maximised the habitat delivery, integrating it into the design and scheme construction. Prior to the scheme, Medmerry held protected wildlife, careful steps were taken through the scheme’s design and
165
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 construction to ensure their future was guaranteed. For example 10km of new freshwater wetlands were created and 1,000 reptiles were moved to safe new habitat. During construction we carefully monitored activities with a detailed Environmental Action Plan and an Environmental Clerk of Works. No environmental incidents occurred on the project. Sustainability During construction we took many steps to plan and minimize material movement and waste, with 100% of excavated materials reused on site. Examples of this included: ● Clay for the new embankment excavated from the site, saving 40,000 lorries and over three years delivery time by road ● Reusing 25,000 cubic metres of material for additional viewpoints ● Translocating reeds on site avoiding import and providing part established plants.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT? The key learning points: ● Good planning required to fully understand a large site, ensure surveys are specific from an early stage, understand the difficult areas in detail ● Good communications internally and externally are essential, consider using a RACI tracker for large project teams ● Involve archaeology fieldworks as early as possible to understand risk and investigation techniques such as GPR and intrusive works.
CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT?
masters and PhD students undertaking research that includes Medmerry. There is also the potential to include Medmerry in core environmental and wetland modules. Lessons from translocating water voles have been published in In Practice to ensure good practice is circulated amongst professionals. This includes specifications of water vole exclusion fencing; for example, the mesh size formerly recommended in the water vole conservation handbook proved to be too large, allowing juvenile water voles to pass through. A full lessons learnt exercise and an CIWEM site visit are planned for the summer of 2014.
ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS? Rising sea levels and the economic challenges of maintaining sea defences will make coastal realignment an increasingly sustainable option in the future. The uniqueness, scale and innovative ecological approaches implemented on this scheme are influencing Environment Agency policies on the economic and environmental benefits of managing coastal flood risk through managed realignment. Innovative ecological mitigation techniques developed during this project, including the problems encountered and solutions adopted, have been documented and can therefore inform the design of future managed realignment schemes, reducing cost and increasing the chances of success.
We were keen to share our successes and experiences, nationally and internationally. We hosted a knowledge day with colleagues from around the UK, to advance engineering understanding, and hosted a visit from the Japanese Ministry of Land.
To determine the success of the scheme's objectives and strategies for ecological mitigation, a suite of environmental and physical parameters are being monitored for at least five years after the breach being undertaken and the site flooded.
Medmerry has been presented as a case study at NCE, ICE and CIWEM conferences and appeared in trade publications, reaching as far as an article in the American Society of Civil Engineers journal.
Above all, the pro-active work to publicise the scheme has really shown and convinced people that it is possible to complete ambitious realignment schemes such as Medmerry, protecting people and working with nature. ◆
We have worked with voluntary groups and universities, to involve students in long-term monitoring of the habitat and species establishment. Brighton University currently have
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
166
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 TELFORD SHOPPING CENTRE PROJECT ZERO: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT AIM ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
To manage waste using best practice, in accordance with DTZ’s own environmental policies and those of retail tenants To ensure that only cost effective and efficient solutions are implemented To divert landfill bound waste, reduce costs and ultimately achieve Zero to Landfill status To work closely with facilities management partners to build a competent team with a passion for the challenge To reduce the volume of all waste collections to save transport costs and relative carbon footprint To identify all waste streams with an associated recyclable value To provide the appropriate equipment and systems to separate waste streams To provide practical guidance and training for the relevant staff at all 170 retail units and offices to ensure that they understood and complied with the project aims To appoint an experienced recycling manager to provide day to day guidance, direction and critical measurement data To engage support from staff, retailers and the general public.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Zero to Landfill status achieved! How did we manage this? Firstly, internal staff and facilities management were trained to embrace the project aims. This combined passion was conveyed to all 170+ tenant managers and their relevant staff members. A dedicated part-time recycling manager was appointed to liaise with retail tenants and to police waste disposal practices. Within 22 months the centre continued to improve its processes achieving Zero to Landfill by adopting a firm waste hierarchy policy including reduction, recycling and waste to energy methods. All staff and retail tenants are fully aware of and compliant
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Zero waste: Telford Shopping Centre cleans up with the Centre’s waste management policies. New tenants are briefed immediately.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Telford Shopping Centre is large 40 year old town centre scheme comprising 1,000,000 square feet of retail space on a 55 acre site. Its 170 tenants include Debenhams, House of Fraser, M&S, Zara, Next, Primark, Boots, Wilkinson and Iceland. The centre is the largest retail venue in Shropshire and attracts 12.5 million shoppers a year. It achieved ISO14001 in 2010 and is managed by DTZ. Motivation ● To exceed ISO14001 waste management expectations, industry best practice and individual stakeholders’ own corporate environmental policies ● To achieve ‘Zero to Landfill’ status and reduce costs ● To elevate TSC as a responsible organisation with sincere environmental policies ● To promote environmental awareness in the community. Methods ● To engage support from all staff and individual retail tenants. Success would depend upon sound working relationships to optimise co-operation
167
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Agreed that only cost effective and efficient solutions would be implemented ;all thoroughly researched by the project planning team The entire centre management team received formal training sessions and ongoing guidance from partners, Initial Services who also provided a dedicated (parttime) recycling manager All centre management and contracted staff were actively encouraged to develop a competitive attitude to the challenge to achieve Zero to Landfill status. This was achieved by cascading regular updates of progress and setting realistic achievable targets which they frequently exceeded Radical improvements, renegotiation of leasing contracts and simplification in all service areas. Specific recycling areas were created and a new colour coded bin system was introduced to facilitate quick and easy waste sorting for tenants and staff. Facilities were introduced to accommodate all recyclable materials Two additional compaction units were introduced for dry mixed recycling. This significantly reduced landfill waste and also lowered disposal costs Much smaller general waste bins were issued to retail tenants to subtly increase recycling segregation at source Each retailer received a one-to-one explaining the project. They were also given a comprehensive information pack detailing the new procedures and the necessity to separate waste streams at source. Regular progress updates were delivered to retailers at meetings and via bulletin communications All stakeholders had been advised in advance and all new equipment was ready at the project launch date (July 2, 2012). The transition was very smooth and therefore benefits commenced almost immediately.
Financial Implications ● Waste management operations for shopping centres are funded by annual service charge contributions from retail tenants (based upon rateable value) ● The budget set when the project commenced in 2012 was no greater than it would have been under the previous waste management arrangement ● A new contract was negotiated with an enlightened and experienced contractor to include almost all equipment required for the project including the provision of a parttime recycling manager at no additional cost.
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
●
●
●
The compactor contract was retendered to add two more compactors (for dry mix recycling) at a substantial discount. Costs increased by £5,296 per annum. There is a modest income for recycling cardboard and polythene which has easily covered the cost of associated baling equipment Budget saving achieved – £20,000 plus during 2013. The schedule below provides a summary:
On April 1 2014 a waste-to-energy method was introduced. All unrecyclable waste has since been diverted from landfill to create energy via a pioneering specialist disposal contractor generating energy in the form of electricity and/or heat from controlled incineration of waste in Holland.
Even the carbon residue is recycled and used to provide ballast in Dutch road laying processes.
168
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? The results satisfied all corporate waste management policies. Huge volumes of waste were diverted from landfill. Telford Shopping Centre generates approximately 800 tons of waste each year, so the environment benefits from a reduction of harmful chemicals and greenhouse gases released from landfill waste. Waste disposal operational costs were reduced. There was enhanced communication between stakeholders due to regular distribution of positive data and this produced a healthy competitive staff teamwork. Ultimately, retail prices are affected by retailer overheads and any savings eventually pass to consumers.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT? ● ●
●
● ●
Expert advice and appropriate research is paramount Results are achieved by well trained, well informed, organised and trusted teamwork Rallying support from all waste generator; particularly retail tenants is essential Cautious investment and consistent effort is a must. Sharing regular data motivates competitive staff to exceed targets and share achievement.
ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS? Telford Shopping Centre is currently reviewing food waste recycling using a process which converts food waste into ‘grey water’ which can be used for flushing cisterns etc. The new technology is to be installed by September 2014 to reduce volumes of non-recyclable waste further. A public awareness campaign commences later this year and will include the introduction of additional recycling banks within the malls. A junior recycling area with novelty bins will encourage participation from the next generation. We are also launching a schools campaign featuring educational visits and competitions to reiterate the recycling message in a very entertaining and stimulating way. ◆
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
169
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 THE HEART SHOPPING CENTRE ZERO WASTE TO LANDFILL PROJECT AIM At The Heart we understand that our activities affect the environment and the community in which we operate. We have a responsibility to identify and manage these impacts effectively. We are committed to improving our environmental performance and moving towards best practices in corporate sustainability Our goal has always been to achieve and sustain zero waste to landfill whilst maximising recycling efforts. This would be achieved through Waste-to-Energy (WtE), biomass-to-energy (BtE), cardboard recycling, glass bottle recycling and metal recycling. For the period January 2013 to January 2014 we wanted to achieve a figure of 50% in recycled waste, with the remainder being recovered via the WtE route. It was also an aim to reduce the overall annual figure of waste produced by the shopping centre. We had a financial aim too as we wanted to reward the retailers with a revenue stream of more than £5,000 which could be passed back into the service charge.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS In 2007 our general waste to landfill alone stood at 261.4 tonnes. Through careful on-site management initiatives we reduced this to 156.5 tonnes in 2012, a saving of 104.9 tonnes or 40.14%. This equates to a financial saving of £3,480.70. Since 2012 we have seen zero waste to landfill after the introduction of waste-to-energy and our other recycling initiatives.
All Heart: centre zeroes in on waste able to show a revenue stream back into the service charge of £7,191.59.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? We worked very closely with our waste and recycling provider Saica Natur in our attempts to achieve zero landfill and further advance our recycling efforts. It was important to have an understanding of our current situation and where we need to be in terms of doing our bit. So a full audit and review of our current setup was crucial to further identify areas we could improve. We also spoke with local schools and arranged classes to come on site in an attempt to create a feeling of community and how we all can do our bit. The children were set the task of coming up with novel and new ideas to help us achieve our goals, and the results were imaginative to say the least. But the desired effect was achieved and that was awareness and interaction.
Between January 2013 and February 2014 we produced total waste of 337.81 tonnes, of which we recycled 169.13 tonnes or 50.06%. This is broken down into 56.09 tonnes of food waste, 111.25 tonnes of cardboard, 1.78 tonnes of mixed metal and 0.01 tonnes of fluorescent tubes 0.01t. This is compared with the recovered general waste of 168.68 tonnes (49.93%).
The children who live and shop in Walton will now hopefully have not only an understanding but also are aware that their local shopping centre is striving to achieve zero landfill and increase recycling efforts.
For the period January 2013 to February 2014 the recycling of cardboard and mixed metal meant we were
Initially we had to divert our landfill waste to the local RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel) plant, which would be the start of
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
170
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 our efforts in achieving zero landfill. We then had to meet with our food retailers and engage with them to help us separate food waste from general waste so that food recycling could become a viable option. We were then able to have our food waste collected for a process that makes bio-fuel, the residual waste going into a biomass-to-energy process; producing green energy that goes back into the national grid. The Heart has always wanted to set benchmarks rather than follow them. It was important to us that we achieved zero waste to landfill as we have an obligation and responsibility to our retailers, residents and the local community. Leading by example so that we can inspire others to think about how they use items and more importantly how the dispose of them. There are always growing pressures on businesses to be greener and adhere to environmental policies. As such we wanted to make sure we were doing all we could to reduce our impact on the environment.
WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? There was no real cost implication as we merely diverted our existing waste stream. There have been rises in transportation and disposal costs but these are offset by the revenue from cardboard recycling. So rather than additional costs, we are still receiving revenue each year in recycling cardboard.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? The project achieved what it set out to do and that was to achieve a figure of zero waste to landfill and a figure of over 50% of the waste produced being recycled. The project will be forever evolving with new strategies and technologies as we strive to do more to reduce our impacts on the environment. It was important that the project was supported from the top down – everybody in the business needed to be part of this and fully engage with one another to achieve its goals. Meetings were held with cleaning and security staff to promote the aims of the project. A new section within The Heart’s business plan developed
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
from this. Local businesses will benefit through reductions in service charge, the cost savings that we can create are passed backed to the retailers. The same can be said about the residents: any cost saving is passed back to them. More important than financial benefit is the positive impact on the environment and local community. The environmental protection is enhanced by reducing to zero, hazardous and solid wastes to nature and by reducing the need for energy generation and hydrocarbon extraction. There is another benefit as we are prolonging the life span of the compacting equipment in turn this also dramatically reduces the carbon footprint of the site as maintenance repairs are fewer.
WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? In the longer term the mere fact that we will not be using landfill anymore will greatly reduce landfill emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas 24 times more potent than carbon dioxide. By using the biomass to energy in our food recycling we will be able to produce substantial green energy to go back into the national grid and over time this is something everybody can benefit from.
CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT? All organisations can benefit from implementing these relatively simple steps. The costs to implement these recycling initiatives are low in comparison to the economic and environmental gains, especially if you can offset your costs by receiving an income for recycling of plastics or cardboard. One of the things you always learn when heading into a project like this: is how can we do more and do it better? It’s not good enough to sit back and admire what we have achieved; we need to be planning the next initiative and the next project.
ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER INITIATIVES? Looking to the future, The Heart is investing time and resources into researching solar energy and the new Government feed-in tariff electric car charging ports in our multi-storey car park and we will be keeping up to date
171
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 with advances in technology and new streamlined processes as they develop. We are in the early stages of polythene recycling and have gathered approximately six tonnes of polythene for recycling. We have also begun to look at a food waste biodigester and this would remove the need for food waste recycling as the food is simply digested and turned to “grey water” which could now be used in the flushing of our public toilets. The Heart has achieved a number of awards in recognition of our recycling efforts and zero waste to landfill. We were delighted to win the Letsrecycleit.com award for zero waste in 2012 and 2014. ◆
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
172
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 TRG PEST CONTROL TREE BEE ADOPTION PROGRAMME PROJECT AIM The Tree Bee Adoption programme has five key environmental and social aims: ● To educate the general public and homeowners about the positive environmental benefits of leaving Bombus Hypnorum (Tree Bee) nests undisturbed ● To work with and persuade the British Pest Control industry that saving Tree Bee nests is a more viable, environmental, social and financial option than simply destroying the nests ● To save Tree Bee nests from being destroyed wherever practicably possible by relocating nests that are in conflict with humans to volunteer adopters ● To fundraise in order to conduct research into Bombus Hypnorum to facilitate informed decision-making when educating the public reporting conflict Tree Bee nests ● To secure donations and grant funding that will be allocated to supporting low-income families re-home conflict Tree Bee nests as an alternative to destroying the nest.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS The project has achieved the following goals: ● Raise public awareness of the issues and dangers that Bombus Hypnorum are causing themselves by choosing to live in close proximity to mankind ● Raise public awareness through educational media and seminars into the positive environmental benefits of not disturbing Tree Bee nests located on their property ● Provide and make available printed and digital information that has been authored from quality research projects into the issues, available solutions and alternatives to destroying Tree bee nests ● Provide the British Pest Control industry with a commercially viable option to spraying and destroying Tree Bee nests and to work with industry leaders to achieve that goal ● When conflict situations do occur and Tree Bee nests are under threat of destruction, as a last resort attempt to remove and re-home the nest wherever practicably possible with volunteers who have registered with us.
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
True bee-lievers: TRG helps to preserve nests
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? We at TRG Pest Control are professional pest controllers with a very strong environmental, social and ethical conscience. When we started to receive calls in 2013 to treat wasps nests that were invading people’s bird boxes and homes, we were surprised to find that our site survey’s revealed that they were not wasps at all but a new species of bee to the UK called Bombus Hypnorum or the Tree Bee. TRG Pest Control’s environmental policy is not to treat any beneficial species as such so we refuse to treat/kill all bees. Our primary advice to everyone is that these bees are harmless and are a valuable environmental resource. We have found that these bees are literally at home with mankind and we have found them in the soffits of houses, in cavity walls, in central heating vent pipes, in tumble dryer vent pipes, and most commonly, in bird nesting boxes. Some of these situations have common sense solutions – the soffits and cavity walls just need to be left alone as the bees are normally at a height that will not bother anyone. However bees in people’s attics, central heating vents, tumble dryer vents and bird boxes attached to people’s
173
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 homes or garden sheds can and do cause the bees to come into conflict with mankind, thereby threatening the viability of the colony. Traditional beekeepers will not normally attend a feral tree bee nest, but our colleagues in the pest control industry will happily attend and our research has discovered that they are regularly destroying Tree Bee nests. Through our own research we have discovered that Tree Bee nests are being destroyed for the following reasons. ● Ignorance of the species ● Nesting in close proximity to mankind ● Assumption that they are invasive and aggressive ● Fear of swarming ● Fear of honey running into cavities or through ceilings ● Peer pressure on homeowners from neighbours. ● Homeowners unable to use their gardens for leisure pursuits such as sports with the children or having a barbecue. Pest controllers provide a solution by destroying multiple nests in any one day. Tree Bee numbers are increasing and by default the number of conflict situations leading to their destruction will inevitably increase. In addressing a solution to the project, we decided that realistically we had three real options: ● Educate home owners to leave Tree Bees alone and enjoy them ● Destroy the nest! (Not an option because we refuse to do this) ● Relocate the bees to a new location where they will not be in conflict. As a management team we came up with the idea of a Tree Bee Adoption Programme to re-home conflict bees to people with an environmental conscience who were willing to adopt Tree Bees. We identified stakeholders willing to support our programme, including wildlife trusts, traditional beekeepers, local sustainability groups, schools, allotment societies, universities, local councils and individuals. Abigail then wrote to all of the stakeholders, started a Facebook and Twitter campaign and had an article published in the local newspaper. We created a website
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Checking in: Tree Bee Hotel used for relocation due to the overwhelming public support and then set up the Tree Bee Society of Great Britain to help educate and home owners. These successes were financed by our organisation without any external support. We now have over 80 people and organisations registered with us to accept bees that would otherwise have been destroyed. We received a request from a householder who had a flood in the attic caused by a fault with the central heating. The heating engineers refused to enter the attic because of the bees. We designed our own Tree Bee Hotel around the experiences we had gained from getting to know the habits of the Tree Bee. The hotel needed to mimic the natural lifestyle of the bee to stand a chance of being successful.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? Locally, we have received 46 calls asking us to deal with, remove or treat Tree Bee nests. We have convinced thirtyfive householders to leave the nests alone. We have had to re-home ten conflict nests that would have been destroyed if we had not intervened with our Tree Bee Adoption Programme. We had one customer that despite us offering to re-home three nests, called in another pest controller to destroy all three nests for £25. We have no idea of how many bees we have saved so far, so we chose a very conservative figure of only 200 bees per nest. With 35 householders educated and agreeing to not move or destroy Tree Bee nests, it represents 7,000
174
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 bees saved and ten nests re-homed to volunteer adopters accounts for another 2,000 bees saved from possible destruction. We have had over a thousand hits on our websites from people seeking information about Tree Bee nests and this has helped to educated some of these people to the positive environmental impact that Bombus Hypnorum provides as a harmless pollinator.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT? We have a proven technique that can be passed onto others ensuring that nests can be left alone to thrive and the conflict nests can be moved in a safe way for handlers and bees. Our intentions are to operate and replicate this scheme as a sustainable not for profit community interest company, using the income generated to benefit local communities and the environment across the UK. â&#x2014;&#x2020;
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
175
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 TUSKER TUSKER’S GREEN SCHEME PROJECT AIM At Tusker we manage fleets of cars for organisations large and small and for employees we're pioneering an easier and more cost effective way to run a car via our market leading salary sacrifice car scheme. We aim to make our customers’ lives easier and less complicated. We also genuinely care about preserving the environment and help our customers to do the same. Following a thorough review of what we do and how it impacts the environment, we implemented various initiatives to reduce our environmental footprint. Tusker has reinvested some of its profits into the Green Scheme, meaning it is 100% funded by Tusker with full backing and buy-in from the senior management team.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Offset 30,000 tonnes of tailpipe carbon emissions during 2014 (target of 60,000 tonnes for 2015) Reducing our carbon footprint as an organisation – we’ve offset 16,000 tons of carbon in eight months Recognised as a green champion/electric vehicle expert who can help customers reduce their carbon footprint Tusker customers can claim the carbon offsetting of their employees as part of their carbon management plan under business travel Reduced operating costs for our customers due to lower mileage re-claims and less fossil fuel consumption Unique benefit to customers – our carbon offsetting and ULEV campaign is not available from any other leasing companies Educating thousands of drivers about the benefits of choosing an ultra-low emission vehicle/going electric Drivers save an average of £500 per annum in fuel by switching to a more fuel efficient car Promoting the current government grant policy.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? Tusker’s Green Project comprises the following initiatives:
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Green for go: Tusker makes life easier ● ●
●
●
●
●
● ●
PAS 2060 carbon neutral status Carbon offsetting of all new cars delivered (tailpipe emissions) Relocation into a green office park and installation of charging points Awareness campaign to aggressively promote ultra-low emission vehicles Providing long term loan electric cars to customers free of charge Partnering with the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges Working towards ISO14001 accreditation Company directors all switching to electric company cars.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? ●
●
●
●
Significantly reducing our carbon footprint as an organisation – we’ve offset 16,000 tonnes of carbon in the last eight months Recognised by our customers as a green champion/ electric vehicle expert who can help them reduce their carbon footprint and provide advice Tusker customers can claim the carbon offsetting of their employees as part of their carbon management plan under business travel Reduced operating costs for our customers due to lower mileage re-claims and less fossil fuel consumption
176
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Unique benefit to our customers – our carbon offsetting and ULEV campaign is not available from any other leasing companies Educating thousands of drivers about the benefits of choosing an ultra-low emission vehicle/going electric Drivers save an average of £500 per annum in fuel by switching to a more fuel efficient car Promoting the current government grant policy and incentives Long term benefits Ultimately have a carbon neutral fleet and continuing to reduce our footprint by an average of 3,000 tonnes per month Increase penetration of electric and hybrid vehicles as a % of our fleet from 2% to 8% in the next three years Continue to be recognised by our customers as a green champion/thought leader in environmentally friendly fleet practices.
ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS? ●
● ●
●
●
●
●
Offset 30,000 tons of tailpipe carbon emissions during 2014 (target of 60,000 for 2015) Achieving ISO14001 accreditation by September 2014 Continue to achieve PAS 2060 carbon neutral status on an annual basis Current electric vehicle and hybrid penetration of total fleet is 2%. We aim to increase this by 2% per annum over the next three years 12% current electric vehicle penetration of company cars, which we aim to increase to 15% by end 2015 Continue to provide guidance and support to our customers to assist them in reducing their carbon emissions The project will be reviewed and assessed at the end of 2014 with new objectives set for further developments in 2015.
WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM BENEFITS? 1. Carbon neutral status (PAS 2060) Through our partnership with Carbon Footprint Ltd, Tusker completes an annual carbon appraisal recording all electricity, water and waste usage, along with all travel based on transportation type to calculate our footprint. Various measures are then implemented to make reductions in highest footprint areas i.e. more car sharing, more conference calls etc. We’ve reduced Tusker’s Carbon Footprint for five years running and have targeted to continue to do so for at least the next five years.
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
2. Carbon offsetting This initiative is unique in our industry. It allows our drivers to offset the carbon emissions of their chosen car free of charge against an offsetting initiative of their choice, thus allowing them to have a carbon neutral car for the duration of their agreement. 3. Relocation into a green office park. Tusker recently moved offices to a green business park which has supported our carbon reduction through various environmental schemes. In early 2014 we also had four charging points installed in the office car park so employees could take advantage of an electric car by having access to a charge point at work. 4. Awareness campaign to promote ULEVs Following months of development we’ve launched a new awareness campaign to promote ULEVs to all potential salary sacrifice car drivers. A new microsite, which is found on our main website where employees go to choose their car, is packed with information to educate our customers on ULEVs, including common myths, tools to assist in determining if it’s right for an individual, cost and CO2 comparison tools, an educational video, FAQs and charging information. We also have a comprehensive electronic communication plan in place to promote the campaign. 5. Electric cars to customers for free Tusker’s passion for electric vehicles plays a big part in Tusker’s Green Scheme, so much so that we wanted to share our enthusiasm with our customers. We’ve achieved this by supplying ten of our key customers with a pure electric Nissan Leaf. The cars will be used as pool cars for all employees who can experience the benefits of going electric first-hand. We hope to circulate the cars to all our key customers to further educate them and their employees about the many benefits of choosing an electric car. 6. EAUC partnership Eighteen months ago we partnered with the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC). This partnership allows Tusker to engage with their members whose criteria is centralised on green initiatives. Through the partnership we’ve won two new green customers and have a number of environmentally focused prospects in the pipeline.
177
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 7. Tusker directors in electric vehicles As ambassadors of the Tusker Green Project our directors all recently moved from traditional combustion engine company cars to pure electric cars and use them for all daily commuting and any business travel. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve also committed to stay in electric cars for the foreseeable future. The buy in of our senior management team has been instrumental in shaping the Tusker Green Project and demonstrates a level of commitment and priority to our customers and employees. â&#x2014;&#x2020;
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
178
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS, LONDON WIMBLEDON COLLEGE OF ARTS STUDIO BUILDING
PROJECT AIM The aim was to deliver the University of the Arts London’s (UAL) first and most sustainable building by achieving BREEAM ‘outstanding’ status. UAL wanted to send a statement to our students, staff, researchers, funders and supporters that it could support sustainability through its day-to-day operations and not only it what it teaches and researches. UAL considers itself to be a global brand and had become aware that poor environmental stewardship was hurting its reputation (36% of our students are from overseas). The university's estate is located within urban communities and an important and valued member of those communities. The university has not built anything new since 2010 and an opportunity existed to show internal and external audiences how seriously the university felt about environmental sustainability in 2014.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS ●
●
●
●
●
The first BREEAM ‘outstanding’ building for the university. (We believe only 45 ‘outstanding’ buildings have been delivered within the Higher Education sector since BREEAM was launched) The building will provide a revenue cost savings of circa £236,000 over 25 years or £71,000 over ten years when compared to a standard building regulations compliant solution It has prompted the institution to become more sustainable in other areas – sustainable catering, reduced utility consumption (down from £5m to £4.1m per year) Increased recycling by 45% across the organisation and appraising the intuitions supply chain for their own sustainability credentials. (We are using the Charted Institute of Procurement Specialists Sustainability Index, the first London university to do so). All of these things contribute positively to our Environmental Management System Improved student experience by including students in the design process. Their views and wishes have been respected and were a key deliverable of the project. We
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
BREEAM team: outstanding building delivery view sustainability as a people issue as well as a technical issue at UAL.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? The Wimbledon College of Art BREEAM ‘outstanding’ building consists of a new, two-storey 536 square metre art studio. The ground floor accommodation consists of two large art studios, an office, communal toilets, a disabled toilet and a small boiler room. The first floor consists of one large studio. The building has achieved a BREEAM score of 93.96%, confirming the ‘outstanding’ status at the design stage. The ‘post construction stage assessment’ has not been started, but data and relevant evidence has been collected in parallel with the design stage assessment. The building will be fully occupied ahead of the new academic year 2014/2015. Once funding had been secured for the new studio, UAL proactively decided to deliver a sustainable outcome as well as a sustainable building. UAL had recently recommitted itself to improving its own sustainability credentials. In 2013, UAL was judged poorly in terms of sustainability and was assessed to be only 127th out of 137 in the league table of higher education institutions (out of 137). This was deemed unacceptable to our Strategic Development Department especially as UAL includes
179
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 sustainability as part of many course curriculums and is home to the Centre for Sustainable Fashion.
concerning Sustainable Procurement and Low and Zero Carbon Technologies.
Activities to improve sustainability included the introduction of an Environmental Management System which, in turn, led to the adoption of the UAL Design Brief for Sustainability.
In March 2013 Penoyre & Prassad Ltd were selected as UAL's preferred architects and the Estates Department set about commissioning the design team to progress the building design through to planning.
This document accompanies all future new—bui|d projects and refurbishment schemes. The Design Brief was signed off by the newly created UAL Sustainability & Environment Project Board which reports sustainability performance directly to the UAL Executive Board.
A formal planning application was submitted in early July 2013 following positive dialogue with the London Borough of Merton, who expressed enthusiastic support for the development and was widely praised as being a positive addition to the borough, with particular acclaim directed towards the building's sustainability credentials.
The Design Brief committed the University to delivering BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ with all new-build projects as well as embracing the principles of low carbon design in the built environment. UAL was one of the first organisations to use a simplified version of BREEAM, principally as the total build costs were not to exceed £1.8M of internal funding.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? The building adheres to bioclimatic architectural principes by being orientated to maximise electricity generation from a 12.5m2 PV array whilst avoiding solar shading in an urban environment. There are also no thermal bridges. The studio has a high performing building envelope with high thermal efficiency requiring minimal heat in winter and provides a cool environment in the summer (exposed precast concrete walls and floors on timber frame). The glazing is also high performance and has automatic actuators on windows which react to building occupancy. Rainwater harvesting and LED motion—controlled lighting are also included. A life cycle costing exercise was undertaken. The studio will provide a revenue cost savings of circa £236,000 over 25 years or £71,000 over 10 years when compared to a standard building regulations compliant solution (a notional light weight structure requiring mechanical cooling). Pleasingly, traditional ‘hard to achieve‘ BREEAM credits have also been achieved. Under the materials section, we've secured 78% of the credits on offer. lt's a similar story under the innovation section, specifically
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
WAS THERE ANYTHING INNOVATIVE ABOUT THE PROJECT? We believe that the new studio building delivers innovation in the following ways. Firstly, we have shown that sustainability can be delivered in modest size buildings, with modest sized budgets. Secondly, the building users made a conscious decision to alter their behaviour to facilitate the low carbon principles included as part of the design. The students will no longer display their work on the walls of the building as this will adversely affect the thermal efficiency of the wall, potentially leading to overheating and generating requests for mechanical cooling. For a creative institution, this change in behavioural has only been made possible because our students believe in sustainability. Key to this change was our Consultation Plan which detailed the consultation process and how feedback was incorporated into the final design. It is also demonstrates the main stakeholder’s approval of the design through our Design Intent document. We believe we really listened to the building users and they have responded positively. This altered behaviour is being replicated in our other buildings. Electricity consumption at our Lime Grove site was reduced by 20% by staff and students as they have a better understanding that their actions have on their environment (this has been recognised via a nomination for a 2014 Green Gown award). All of these positive actions are being captured via our
180
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 Carbon Dashboard initiative that shares utility consumption in the reception area of each building). Lastly, we believe we have educated small and medium enterprises who have been involved with the building. Normally, BREEAM and sustainability is the reserve of higher profile projects that have far larger budgets. There are only a limited number of suppliers involved meaning sustainability can often be overlooked by a significant majority of the UK supply chain. We ran BREEAM dedicated design team meetings to education those involved about sustainability, showing them how to build it and how to maintain it. We fully intend to retain BREEAM ‘outstanding‚ rating during the 12month post design phase which begins as students start to use the building. We believe all higher education and further education institutions can replicate our Design Brief but also the processes that were involved in delivering UAL’s most sustainable building. The studio will be used by our international students as well as our EU-based students, by those that attend evening classes from around London and by organisers of external, local events who will use the studio as a venue. In November, the building will be used as the venue for the university to receive gold accreditation from the Soil Association under their Food for Life scheme. It is not an exaggeration to say that the building has given confidence to the university that sustainability is an opportunity rather than something that should be avoided. This should be the launch pad for UAL to progress further still as it aspires to become the most sustainable university in the UK. ◆
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
181
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL OF N. MIDLANDS NHS TRUST WATER REDUCTION PROGRAMME PROJECT AIM The University Hospital of North Midlands (UHNM) is an acute NHS Trust in Stoke-on-Trent. Each year we care for 700,000 people who require emergency treatment, planned operations and medical care. The Trust has 1,150 in-patient beds and employs over 7,000 people. In 2007, UHNM embarked on a major change programme, to consolidate clinical and staff activity spread across three sites into a single site, the City General. As part of this process the City General site was redeveloped to accommodate more clinical services. The planned redevelopment initiated the start of a programme to reduce water use within the Trust. The project consisted of the following three elements: 1. Leak reduction The water reduction programme worked to identify and replace leaking water infrastructure. This involved completing surveys of infrastructure and close working with the local water company, Seven Trent. 2. Staff engagement In 2010, the Trust started a green champion network and, as part of this, facilitated water reduction activities. 3. Clinical Innovation As part of the development of the new clinical estate, the ability to reduce water consumption began to be incorporated at the design stage. This particularly related to the design and construction of the new renal unit.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS This project has benefited the Trust in its sustainability strategy and economic contribution. Since a baseline of 2007, the Trust has reduced its water consumption associated with its three sites by 37%. During this time, although bed numbers have reduced by 109, improved standards have increased the number of single bedrooms with dedicated en-suite facilities from 8%
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Tapping into success: NHS trust is saving water to 30%. On the City General site alone, where clinical activity has now been consolidated, water consumption has reduced by 6%. This is a remarkable achievement as the Trust can still demonstrate a reduction in water consumption despite constructing a 540 bed PFl hospital, 117 bed maternity and cancer centre and 80 bed renal unit on this site. ln economic terms the project has represented a recurring saving of ÂŁ210k per year. This is set alongside increasing tariffs of around 3.1% a year. The project has saved 140 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per year.
WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? The programme required capital investment of ÂŁ40,000 over the six years between 2007 and 2013. The funding was secured as part of the capital investment to achieve the site consolidation. In addition, the Trust committed recurring revenue to employ a permanent sustainability manager.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? The Estates Department took a proactive approach to finding and repairing leaks in the water distribution
182
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 infrastructure, particularly on the City General site, where all clinical activity is now based. The first step was to brief all estates operational staff to actively seek out and report potential water leaks during the course of their routine maintenance activities. This led to the detection of a major leak on an underground water pipe. Repairing this leak and reporting the savings were used as justification for commissioning a specialist contractor to carry out a site-wide leak detection exercise. This identified a further three underground leaks, which were quickly repaired. In particular, the Sustainability Manager took responsibility for establishing and developing a green champion network. The network was developed to provide a forum for staff to engage and collaborate with the sustainability agenda. A specific training programme was developed and delivered so that champions were equipped with the skills to contribute to the Trust's sustainability strategy. The Trust now has a network of more than 80 champions. Reducing water consumption formed a key section of their training, with champions challenged to generate practical ideas for saving water. Ideas generated included prompt reporting of dripping taps to estates and getting them fixed sooner, with signs above taps reminding people not to leave them on. Other ideas were sensor taps and installing water boilers instead of kettles. The involvement of the champions has been important in ensuring that any issues within the clinical/office areas are reported as soon as possible, and many of the ideas continue to be implemented. in 2010, the innovation generated by clinical engagement formed an important part of the design of the Trust's new renal unit. Clinicians identified that kidney dialysis services use proportionately more water/patient/recurrent treatment than other therapy. Historically, this highly filtered reverse osmosis (RO) water had been discarded, despite being re-useable as it has not come into direct patient contact. As part of the design process the clinical team identified the opportunity to reuse the high quality R0 water within the grey water system.
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
The kidney unit design consisted of a 32-bed in-patient ward and a 48 bed dialysis unit with associated outpatient and supporting accommodation. A reuse system was installed and has been in operation since January 2013. In the first 12 months of operation, this system has reduced the water consumption within the kidney unit by 20%. As a result, the unit has been awarded an excellent rating by BREEAM.
WHAT ARE THE LONG TERM BENEFITS? The project has provided a clear contribution to sustainable development. Based on the current trends of an increasing UK population, more households and increasing use per household, there is insufficient water available to meet long-term demand. This is set within the context of less water being available in future as climate change reduces rainfall. Within Stoke-on-Trent new home construction has returned to pre-recession levels of 500 homes/annum. Based on an annual household consumption of 165 m3/year, UHNMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reduction in water consumption is equivalent to 810 homes, offsetting 18 months of new home construction within the local area.
WHAT LESSONS HAVE YOU LEARNT? The Trust has learnt that reducing water consumption is more effective when several different workstreams are implemented simultaneously and co-ordinated as an overall programme. Historically, measures to reduce water consumption were considered the responsibility of the estates team. Within UHNM, the combined approach of estates operations, staff engagement and clinical innovation were co-ordinated to bring significant reduction in consumption. The Director of Corporate Services was instrumental in ensuring commitment and ongoing resources were made available to support the project over several years. The true impact was in developing an approach that was tailored to the interests of wide variety of staff. Central to this approach has been in learning to listen for opportunities and actively translate these into action.
CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT? These techniques are is now being applied to other sustainability workstreams within the Trust (eg energy) and would be directly relevant to other Trusts and/or large
183
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 organisations. The programme has been a resounding success and the Trust is continuing to review water efficiency measures in future development projects, and to meet the 2020 carbon reduction targets associated with the 2014 NHS Sustainability Strategy. ln particular, a second phase of site changes is planned over the next three years, which will enable further water reduction technologies to be incorporated within new developments/refurbishments. The Trust is also working on a Phase 2 Green Champion programme, which will seek to bring water consumption reductions through enhanced clinical engagement and aim to replicate the success from the Trust's renal team within other specialities. â&#x2014;&#x2020;
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
184
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS FIFE PARK DEMOLITION PROJECT AIM To minimise the environmental impact of demolishing existing student accommodation and to encourage reuse as well as recycling of as much of the building and contents as possible. We wanted to ensure that the residents of our student accommodation received the benefit and value of any materials suitable for reuse rather than them being recycled or put into landfill. We recognise the value what many might consider waste and want our community of students to receive the benefit. Money saved will be able to be spent on other projects which might have had to wait for sufficient funding without this reuse.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS This project is still ongoing but to date we have reused carpet tiles, kitchen cabinets, fire detection equipment, door closers, white goods, bedroom furniture, curtains and telephone equipment. Our shower supplier (Taplane) is going to remove shower pods and these will be melted down and recycled at their factory. Sir Robert McAlpine will carry out the demolition and will recycle glass and wood. The structure will be broken down and used for foundations and temporary road surfaces. We are also investigating recycling plasterboard into cat litter. Students are going to dig up bulbs from areas which will be affected by the demolition and construction and will replant these in other areas of the site so that we do not lose valuable habitat for local wildlife.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? The University of St Andrews has accommodation for approximately 3,000 students over nine sites, ranging from purpose-built student accommodation with a BREEAM
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Degrees of success: recycling in St Andrews Excellent rating to 1970s purpose-built student accommodation and 15th century buildings converted to student accommodation. The university is committed to a phased refurbishment programme and long term maintenance programme as well as ongoing furniture and soft furnishings replacement. Fife Park is one of the 1970s accommodation buildings and houses 250 students. The building itself is nearing the end of its life but in the last five to eight years, it has had new kitchens installed, a phased replacement of carpets and furniture, new fire fighting equipment and door closers. Fife Park will be closed in May 2014 and demolished the following month. 320 rooms will be built on the site and these will be completed by August 2015. In order to ensure that the previous investments in furniture and the fabric of the building were not lost and that students got as much benefit as possible, it was decided to try to reuse as much as possible before looking at recycling alternatives. This decision was made by the Director of Residential and Business Services and had the support of our colleagues in Estates, EHSS and other senior management in the University.
185
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 This had benefits in that students quickly received the benefits of the scheme and money saved was then able to be reinvested in other projects which continued to benefit the students. The first stage was to carry out a comprehensive audit of the existing buildings and contents and identify areas where reuse would be appropriate. This audit was carried out by Residential Services staff and our colleagues in Estates and Environmental Health and Safety Services. This identified the following items which would be suitable for reuse within Residential and Business Services: ● Carpet tiles ● Kitchen cabinets ● White goods ● Bedroom furniture ● Curtains ● Telephones ● Fire fighting equipment ● Door closers ● Emergency lights ● Smoke detectors ● CO2 Detectors ● Bulbs, plants and trees.
closers to bedrooms doors in David Russell Apartments of £500 per door, but there are over 900 doors at David Russell Apartments and we will be able to reduce the costs significantly by reusing the door closers on the 250 rooms in Fife Park.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS? The main benefits of the project are for future residents with Residential and Business Services as we have been able to replace older and in poorer condition furniture with newer better quality items. We have been able to do this much quicker than our normal budgetary process would allow. It has also reduced significantly items going to landfill, which has benefited the wider community. The University of St Andrews will certainly continue to use this process in any future developments as it has given us positive measurable benefits.◆
The following items were identified as being suitable for recycling either by the university or the contractor: ● Glass ● Wood ● Structural material (broken down and used for temporary road surfaces and foundations) ● Taplane shower cubicles (melted down at factory and used to make new shower cubicles) ● Plasterboard. Any items which are not required within Residential and Business Services will be put on the WARPit system and offered to other areas of the university, partner organisations and local social enterprises, including Frontline Fife a homelessness charity.
WHAT DID IT COST AND WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM? The main project costs have been on staff time, transportation and where required, storage of the items. The costs are not significant when compared to the savings made. For example we have a cost to install door
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
186
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 VAUXHALL MOTORS LTD RAISING ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS & IMPROVING PRACTICE
PROJECT AIM To raise the profile of environmental sustainability within the company and show the steps that we are already taking as an organisation. Vauxhall are committed to reducing the amount of the earth’s resources used in their operations, from increasing the amount of recyclates used in the production process to reducing the amount of waste generated. All four UK sites are already landfill-free. By showing what we are doing as a company, the aim is to promote awareness and show what we can all do to save energy and resources, minimise waste and have as little negative impact on our local environment as possible. project achievements Over the past 12 months we have implemented the following initiatives in the UK: ● Achieved landfill-free status at all of our UK sites ● Launched the Cycle to Work Scheme across all Vauxhall UK sites ● Launched the Vauxhall Forest whereby employees can plant trees by shopping online ● Created a Green Room area at Corp HQ with furniture made from recycled engine parts & wheels ● Targeted a 33% reduction in general waste through better recycling at Corp HQ in 2014 ● Participated in Climate Week to raise employee awareness of environmental issues ● Created a Green Space section in the Vauxhall internal magazine for environmental news. Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port won the 2013 EEF Sustainable Manufacturing Award. The plant won the award after changing from solvent-borne to waterborne paint, which reduced volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions by almost 90% in each paint booth. The new technology increased transfer efficiency of the paint to the car by 85%, reducing the amount of paint used by over one litre per car, and resulted in an increase in finish quality for the customer. Ellesmere Port Plant’s Wildlife Habitat Council Wildlife at
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Driving force: Vauxhall is leading by example Work programme was re-certified in 2013 for three years. Both manufacturing sites and the warehouse hold an IS0 14001 environmental management certification – Ellesmere Port Plant since 1995 and Luton Plant and Lut Warehouse since 2000.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? The project is ongoing and aimed at raising environmental awareness within the organisation and improving environmental practice at both a company and an individual level. We have published the Vauxhall CSR report for the past three years and each year has seen a decrease in waste and energy and water consumption over the four UK sites. While some of the decrease at our manufacturing plants is due to a reduction in volume in production brought on by the depressed European car market, all sites are committed to implementing resource saving measures to reduce costs at a business level and ultimately, our impact on the planet. Spending on the environment in these days of austerity can be hard to come by but the UK board allocated a budget to undertake some of these measures within Corporate HQ. We decided to take a bottom up approach to encourage green practices amongst the workforce.
187
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 Recycling is second nature to the workforce at the two plants and the warehouse as they are certified with ISO14001 for environmental management but we thought we could do better here at Corp HQ. Along with some of our undergraduates we used some of the budget to pay for an eco-friendly designer to create some tables made from old engine parts and alloy wheels. We also saved a redundant post cage from Luton plant from the skip to act as a repository for recent copies of car magazines to increase their usage (and employee knowledge) before they hit the recycling bin. Finally, we painted the walls green and put a couple of pictures of our extended-range electric vehicle, the Vauxhall Ampera, up on the walls. And so the Green Room was created. We have also increased the signage around the building and the number of recycling clusters and the MD has decreed that all general waste bins will be removed from under employees’ desks. This takes away the temptation to "bin" everything and encourages people to recycle as the general waste bin is next to a cluster of recycling bins. We have targeted a 33% reduction in general waste at Corp HQ by the end of 2014. Notwithstanding our recycling efforts, even our general waste is recycled for example through the waste to energy process and all four of our UK sites are now landfill-free. For the past two years we have participated in Climate Week to raise employee awareness of the issues surrounding climate change. For five days we focused on issues from energy and water to waste and our effect on the planet. Following positive employee feedback we intend to increase our activities and participation in 2015
We have launched the Government's Cycle to Work initiative across all sites in the UK. Employees can pay for bikes to cycle to work on through a salary sacrifice (taxfree) scheme and we have had almost 400 applications so far. It will not only improve our employees’ health and save them money but also cut down their environmental footprint by emitting less CO2 on a daily basis. Our Ellesmere Port plant won the 2013 EEF Sustainable Manufacturing Award after changing from solvent-borne to waterborne paint, which reduced volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions by almost 90% in each paint booth. The new technology increased transfer efficiency of the paint to the car by 85%, reducing the amount of paint used by over one litre per car, and resulted in an increase in finish quality for the customer. The Plant also had its Wildlife Habitat Council Wildlife at Work programme re-certified in 2013 for three years, indicating that it has a very strong programme of habitat conservation. In addition both manufacturing sites and the warehouse hold an IS0 14001 environmental management certification – Ellesmere Port since 1995, and Luton and Luton Warehouse since 2000).
ARE YOU PLANNING ANY FURTHER INITIATIVES? This is really just the start of the journey for us here at Vauxhall and there is a great opportunity to do more here, which we intend to do over the next few years. Parent company GM in the US has set some stringent targets for 2020 and we are looking to do more than our fair share here in the UK. ◆
On World Environment Day this year we also launched the Vauxhall Forest in association with the Green (PPP) Shopping Mall and the Green Organisation, whereby Vauxhall employees can have trees planted in their name when they make purchases through the shopping portal. Vauxhall started off the forest in the UK by offering to plant the first 333 trees. We also endeavour to increase employee health and wellbeing and promote the benefits of leaving the car at home when travelling to work, a idea that might seem a little strange for a car company.
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
188
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 VICKERS ENERGY GROUP ENERGY MANAGEMENT PROJECT AIM At Vickers Energy Group we are dedicated to saving businesses money. Through our advanced energy management systems and control software we can reduce energy costs by as much as 60%, increasing profitability and improving company’s environmental credentials. Energy prices have risen by 25% in the last 12 months and we are here to help reduce energy usage and costs.
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Over the last ten years we have: ● Won the Queen’s Award for Environmental Achievement ● Reduced our customers' gas energy usage by ten and a half billion kWh ● Cut our customers’ CO2 emissions by two million tonnes.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT?
Energy saving: Vickers reduces costs
raise our profile so that people start calling us in. The extra business will not only be for Vickers' benefit but also for the good of the UK as a whole. The energy and carbon reductions we deliver benefit the UK both economically and environmentally. ◆
Vickers Energy manufacture an energy management system for the control of industrial heating. We've been trading for over 20 years and have installed systems for leading companies such as Stagecoach, GKN, Boots, Arcelor Mittal and the RAF. Over the last ten years we have reduced our customers' gas energy usage by ten and a half billion kWh and cut their CO2 emissions by two million tonnes. Energy is clearly at the forefront of everybody’s mind and the rising costs have become politicised, but we are acting on the fundamentals – the consumption and dramatically reducing it for clients. Ours is a British product, and we have installed it in more than 4,500 sites in the UK and we are now starting to export our technology to Europe and beyond. Whilst the track record of savings should speak for itself, it has always been difficult to get the message out other than effectively canvassing door to door. We are looking to
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
189
Work
of
reference
on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 YEALANDS FAMILY WINES BECOMING THE WORLD’S MOST SUSTAINABLE WINE PRODUCER
PROJECT AIM Yealands Family Wines (YFW) was founded in 2008 with the goal of becoming the world’s most sustainable wine producer. While the company has won a number of international sustainable awards, we realise that sustainably has no end point and we must continue to refine our practices to maintain our leadership position. Through our leadership in sustainability, our goal is to demonstrate to others that business success doesn’t need to be at the expense of the environment. Recent accolades Include: ● 2014 – “Green Company Of The Year” - The Drinks Business (London) ● 2013 /12/11 – “Most Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices” – Great Wine Capitals Global Network. ● 2012 – “The Most Sustainable Medium Sized Enterprise” – International Green Awards (London)
PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS Our sustainability journey has featured a number of significant milestones which include: ● By incorporating solar, (including the country’s largest solar array), wind and biological renewable energy supply initiatives, YFW has become four times more efficient in energy utilisation than the industry standard (measured as energy used per litre of wine produced) ● The utilisation of smart technology has reduced power consumption by more than 750 kWh/annum ● The burning of vine prunings in preference to LPG has reduced CO2 emissions by of 161 tonnes per annum ● Through the development of an extensive composting programme, YFW has reduced waste from other industry going to landfill by 40,000 tonnes per annum. This has included grape skins from other wineries, untreated waste from sawmills and by product from aquaculture. In addition to the reduction of waste, the compost reduces chemical and nutrient application, rosion and soil compaction in addition to increasing soil water holding capacity and micro-organism activity. ● In the wine industry glass manufacturing is a leading contributor of CO2 emissions and YFW has acted to
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Cheers: wine maker is leader in sustainability
●
●
●
●
●
●
decrease bottle weights by more than 11% in the last three years 25 Wetlands have been developed and over 200,000 native trees planted to encourage wildlife and bio diversity A production prototype for a Bio Char unit has been designed, and is in the final stages of completion Initial trials using vine prunings and grape marc have proved successful The unit will be commissioned and installed prior to the 2015 harvest, which will allow some of the by-product from processing to be utilised Potential to claim “carbon negative” production as a result The benefits of the application of Biochar are widespread, but include improved water retention, reduced soil emissions of greenhouse gases, reduced nutrient leaching, reduced soil acidity, and reduced irrigation and fertilizer requirements.
WHAT DID THE PROJECT INVOLVE DOING AND WHY DID YOU DO IT? In addition to the earlier examples cited, YFW has commissioned leading research institutions to investigate crucial soil carbon retention in vineyards and the associated carbon-replenishing sequestration. Vineyard-wide innovative practices have been introduced
190
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
Going green : vine conservation work from the Yealands Estate in New Zealand to minimise pesticides, herbicides and diesel emissions. Following the three year closely-monitored certification period, YFW will have a fully certified organic product available for market after the 2014 vintage. This reflects our closely aligned core values of land-care and sustainability. Yealands Estate introduced a PET product range into the New Zealand market and some international markets, with a 54% lower carbon footprint than glass. The smaller bottle also allows up to 40% more product to be shipped in containers. We are also working with leading researchers to pioneer a fully biodegradable bottle based from plant material (PLA). Other packaging initiatives focus on utilising recycled materials, lightweight options and working with like-minded suppliers. We have created an annual marketing campaign called My Green Idea which encourages the public to come up with their own ideas for reducing their impact on the environment. Winners have included Lyttelton School in Christchurch which won $50,000 towards the greening of their school, which they utilised for insulation.
WHO AND WHAT HAS BENEFITED? In addition to the numerous community projects we are
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
involved with, this year Yealands has developed a campaign to raise the profile of people in the community who are doing great things for others. The campaign called Raise a Glass – www.yealandsraiseaglass.co.nz tells the story of six inspiring Kiwis doing outstanding things in the community – from raising awareness of male mental health to contributions to lower decile schools and reducing wood waste from the Christchurch Earthquakes. The campaign allows the individual’s profile and associated charity/cause to be raised, while raising funds for each individual through public voting. We plan to continue the campaign on an ongoing basis with the second edition planned for September this year.
CAN OTHER ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT? Mindful that sustainability extends far beyond our own vineyard boundaries, YFW has actively developed partnerships with the Department of Conservation and Sustainable Coastlines. Additionally, pursuing a wide range of community sponsorships, planting programmes and charitable work has always remained a priority. We welcome every opportunity to engage the public in their own environmentally responsible thinking. Yealands Estate contributes to a wide range of charitable organisations that include:Green Drinks New Zealand, CarboNZero, Ecology in Fifth, Keep NZ Beautiful – Mary
191
Work of reference on
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20 Brown, Wellington Children's Hospital, Mercy Hospital, Ronald MacDonald Charity, SPCA, Red Cross New Zealand, Hikurangi Trust. In the space of five short years, Yealands Family Wines has established itself as a global leader in sustainable wine production. With our passionate enthusiasm for continual improvement and imaginative innovation, we will continue to relish every opportunity to push the boundaries of sustainability to new heights. â&#x2014;&#x2020;
Environmental Best Practice Volume 20
192