Transcript Introductions - Aberdeenshire

Applying Sustainability to
the Council’s Plans and
Policies
The Sustainability Charter and Best
Value
What is the Sustainability Charter?
•Launched in February 2004
•Describes the Council’s commitment to
sustainability
•Defines ‘Our Principles of Sustainability’
•Responsible management of natural,
built and community resources
•The need to care for both present and
future generations
•Environmental responsibilities and
community well-being
Action
What we will do
Reduced use of key resources
Energy and Water Consumption: We will seek to reduce the consumption
of energy and water in all Council buildings by 5 percent between 2004 and
2007
Waste Production: We will produce a waste audit to analyse all the types
of waste produced within the Council and improve recycling and waste
reduction measures
Travel: We will cut the business mileage of Council staff, and reduce drive
alone car commuting by staff by 1 percent by 2006 / 2007
Raising Awareness
We will introduce a training programme to help Council employees play
their full part in delivering this action plan
We will encourage all staff to develop initiatives in support of sustainability
issues at work and at home – for example, through providing advice on how
to conserve energy, cut back on transport and reduce waste. Where possible,
we will also help staff to implement improvements.
Guidelines for buying goods
and services
We will produce guidelines to help staff source and select goods ad services
which have been sustainably produced or managed
Reducing our footprint
We will assess the environmental footprint of Aberdeenshire and
incorporate measures to introduce it into policies and decision making at all
levels
Encouraging Consultation
The Sustainability Working Group monitors the work carried out in
Aberdeenshire on the Sustainability Charter
The Council has agreed to co-opt external representatives from
environment and related groups to share their experience with the
Sustainability Working Group
Reducing Greenhouse Gases
We have a long-term goal to significantly reduce the production of
greenhouse gases by 2050. Every three years we will monitor progress
made in the Action programme.
How is the Charter Monitored?
•The Sustainability Officer’s Working Group are a group
of representatives that progress projects under the Charter
– meets every 2 months
•The Sustainability Working Group are a group of
councillors, officers and co-opted representatives that
discuss sustainability across the Council
•A new Sustainable Environment Theme Forum will
engage Aberdeenshire-wide organisations in a Forum to
progress best practice across a range of organisations with
an interest in sustainability
•A Sustainability Charter Annual Report is published
each year
•Sustainability outcomes monitored through the Strategic
and Service Plans
Boosting the case for sustainability – Some
other plans and policies
•Strategic Plan – Sustainable Environment
Theme
•Community Plan – Sustainable Environment
Theme and Theme Forum
•Service Plans
•Local Plan
•Travel Plan, Renewable Energy Strategy,
Integrated Sustainable Waste Management
Strategy, Sustainable Purchasing Policy
Best Value
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The duty of Best Value is to make arrangements to
secure continuous improvement in performance
(while maintaining an appropriate balance between
quality and cost); and in making those
arrangements and securing that balance, to have
regard to economy, efficiency, effectiveness, the
equal opportunities requirements and to contribute
to the achievement of sustainable development;
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The duty to observe proper accounting practices;
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The duty to make arrangements for the reporting
to the public of the outcome of the performance of
functions.
Aberdeenshire gearing up for BV Audit later this
year
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The duty to achieve break-even in trading
accounts subject to mandatory disclosure;
Local Government Act (Scotland) 2003
The duty of Best Value in the Local
Government Scotland Act requires that:
“The local authority shall discharge its
duties….in a way which contributes to the
achievement of Sustainable Development”
Although decisions how to implement
Sustainable Development should be left to
individual local authorities AUDITORS WILL
BE LOOKING FOR EVIDENCE THAT THE
AUTHORITY IS TAKING ITS OBLIGATIONS
SERIOUSLY.
The Advice of the Best Value Task Force
The key aim of the BVTF accompanying advice
to the act is that Sustainable Development
should be ‘mainstreamed’ into the Council. It
should work toward integrating SD into:
-The political management structure
-Corporate planning and derived service plans
-Consultation processes
-Communications with staff and others
-Codes of governance
-Allocation of resources
-Review practices
The BV Task Force suggest local authorities
can:
•Aim to use products and services that make the most positive
contribution to sustainable development
•Take action on waste minimisation. Aim to reduce, re-use and
recycle resources within all services.
•Review energy usage, with an aim to tackle fuel poverty, reduce
energy demands and use renewable resources
•Use recycled products and specify them in contracts
•Reduce the impact of transport on people, communities and the
environment
•Seek to safeguard and develop clean, safe and healthy
environments for all
•Aim to reduce carbon emissions and their effects on climate change
•Develop indicators
•LAs can also use the Power to Advance Well Being to benefit the
communities they serve – partnerships for action
Think About What You Can Do.
•Sustainable Development should be reflected in
Plans, Policies, Strategies, Programmes and
Reports wherever possible
•Use the Sustainability Charter, Sustainable
Purchasing Policy, to guide your actions – e.g
consider sustainable options when buying goods
and services
•Use the Sustainability Implications section of
Committee Reports
•Let us know – Key reports to the Sustainability
Working Group, write key achievements into Best
Value self assessments –consult via the
Sustainability Officers Working Group
It’s not just another ‘initiative’
Potential rewards include:
• Potentially making a real difference
• Mechanism for connecting with communities
through Power to Advance Wellbeing
• A sustainable development culture shift
• A good audit
• Resource efficiency = longer-term financial
efficiency
• Best practice – innovation
• Clearly demonstrates we practice what we preach
Further Information
Arcadia
home>our council>environment>sustainability
Website
home/site directory/environment/green living
www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/green/index.asp
Aberdeenshire’s Ecological
Footprint
What is a ‘footprint’?
Definition:
“The Ecological Footprint is a resource
management tool that measures how much land
and water area a human population requires to
produce the resources it consumes and to
absorb its wastes under prevailing technology”.
(Source: Global Footprint Network)
From a footprinting point of view sustainability
is based on the recognition that when
resources are consumed faster than they are
produced or renewed, the resource is
eventually used up.
To understand the humanity’s footprint we
need to know two key things:
-Ecological Supply (the available biocapacity /
ecological capacity)
-Ecological Demand (our use of biolological
resources / the footprint).
Supply v Demand
Source: WWF, 2004
Put another way, we use about 21 % more of what is
available to us
That’s easy to fix – just use 21 percent less
Wrong! Some countries have a much larger
footprint than others.
10
9
8
7
6
Global ha per
person
5
4
3
2
1
0
UAE
USA
Kuwait
UK
China
Haiti
Somalia
Afghanistan
Source:WWF 2004
If everyone lived like we do in the
UK we would need 3 planets
How do we fare in Aberdeenshire?
Aberdeenshire main impacts
0.8
0.7
0.6
global hectares
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
Buildings
Food
Note: there are 32 additional
categories.
Electricity, gas and other
fuels
Domestic Energy
Consumption
Private transport (car fuel)
= 5.2 global ha
per person
The North East Global Footprint Project
The Global Footprint Project for the North East is a partnership
between Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council and
WWF Scotland. It will:
•measure our footprint
•develop a software tool to assess different policy options
•develop strategies and projects to reduce our footprint
•create education materials for schools in the region
The Project is funded by the Scottish Executive, WWF Scotland,
Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council, North
Lanarkshire Council, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), Scottish
Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) and Scottish Power.
Reducing our Footprint through Green
Procurement
We can reduce our footprint by altering what we buy.
-Energy efficient products use less CO2 (CO2
accounts for 66 percent of Aberdeenshire’s footprint)
-Re-using and recycling products can save on natural
resources and save on waste
-Buying local reduces transport miles
-Long-lasting products need replacing less
-Renewable energy is carbon neutral
-Vegetables have a much lower impact than meat
products
`
Aberdeenshire Council’s Sustainable Purchasing Policy
A) All purchasing will take the following considerations into
account:
The actual need for the product or service –is it essential? Does it need to
be replaced?
Can we re-use or recycle instead of making a purchase?
Does the product represent value for money or ‘best value’?
The end of life solution for material goods –can a product be re-used or
recycled at the end of its life?
Links to relevant Council policies and strategies
Any relevant legal requirements relating to purchasing
B) So far as is reasonably practicable, consideration will be given to:
The socio-economic, environmental and ethical implications of goods
and services purchased throughout the life cycle of the product
The way in which goods or services are transported (for instance, can fuel
miles be reduced?)
The whole life costs of goods and services
See the Policy on
www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/green/buying.asp
Aberdeenshire is holding a major conference to publicise the
Ecological Footprint to a global community. How would you
organise the conference? Fill in the table below to show what
you would purchase (or any ways you could avoid making
purchases) in order to have a low impact / good value
conference.
What
How
Why?
Example: Conference flyer
e.g. printed on recycled paper
Recycled paper avoids waste, uses
less energy, represents good value
Conference flyer
Letters to delegates
Transport arrangements for
delegates
Provision of hotel accommodation
Conference programme
Delegates pack / bag
Display materials
Tea and coffee
Lunch
Post event questionnaire
Dealing with waste from the event
Sustainable lunch – you decide
•Some fairly traded items
•Vegetarian items
•One or two organic items
•But
•Food miles (supplier Green City – Glasgow
based)
•Packaging
•Some meat based products – but local supplier