About the Nottingham Declaration

South Bedfordshire District Council has made a public commitment to tackling climate change by signing up to the Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change. By doing so it joins many other local authorities which have promised to reduce their CO2 emissions. Areas where local councils can make the greatest impact on climate change include investment in infrastructure, buildings and waste management. Other areas for action include purchasing, renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable development and the promotion of cycling, walking and public transport.

The Corporate Projects and Performance Team at South Bedfordshire District Council co-ordinate the Environmental Agenda and can be contacted by telephone on 0845 849 6090 or e-mail councilplan@southbeds.gov.uk

What actions are we taking?

During the early part of 2008 the Council will review our 2007/08 Environmental Improvement Plan and begin to develop and maintain a Carbon Management Plan.  This will detail how we, as a local authority, seek to reduce our energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, use more renewable energy sources and reduce our impact on the environment. 

We will also be working with Cranfield University to find out how large our current carbon footprint is and get an external view of the actions which might usefully be incorporated within the Carbon Management Plan to achieve our goals.

The Council has been committed to improving its environmental performance since 1999.  That is when we began working towards the European EMAS (Eco-Management Audit System) standard which we were delighted to achieve a year ago.  We intend to make further improvements in areas such as how we maintain and refurbish our office, housing and leisure stock and monitor our energy usage; how we provide energy management advice to tenants and grants for private householders; how we evaluate tenders and monitor contracts; by increasing our household and office recycling rate; by encouraging alternative modes of transport for our employees; and by researching models of high energy efficiency in preparation for the planned future growth across our district.

Where can I find out more?

You can find out more about the declaration and see our signed copy by using the links below:

• The text of the Nottingham Declaration
• http://www.nottinghamdeclaration.co.uk/ is the official Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change website and is run by the Energy Saving Trust.  It includes a list of all the councils who have signed up.

Contact

If you would like to find out more about our Environmental Agenda work, or, if you have ideas or comments, please contact:

Corporate Project and Performance Team,
South Bedfordshire District Council,
The District Offices,
High Street North,
Dunstable,
Bedfordshire, LU6 1LF

Telephone: 0845 849 6090

Email:councilplan@southbeds.gov.uk