FEATURE
GLOBAL
ACTION PLAN
The role of a facilities manager has fluctuated and the offices in Plymouth and London.
greatly in recent years, with environmental
The Environment Champions created three
months of action looking at energy use,
issues making their way up the priority list as
paper consumption and recycling.
more companies take strides to become
In energy month, the group built an
exercise bike that generated electricity to
sustainable.
highlight energy efficiency messages and
placed energy reminders on people’s
A
t Global Action Plan we help of the organisation and with varying screens if they left their monitors on
businesses become more degrees of seniority, is established. The overnight. In paper month, the group
sustainable and save money team is then facilitated through an initial created a sculpture of empty paper boxes in
through reducing resources. training session in which they meet, learn the office reception that represented the
We work with many facility the aims of the programme and carry out amount of paper used in a few hours. In
managers, as they often are an initial audit of the organisation’s recycling month, the TV character ‘Dusty
most aware and concerned about how the environmental impacts in the chosen area. Bin’ was brought to life to walk the offices,
building is run, and how the people within This audit may involve weighing the waste communicating the 3 R’s of reduce, reuse
the building use the resources available produced in offices or establishing energy and recycle.
to them. usage with the facilities manager. Thanks to their efforts, the Leek office
Global Action Plan is the practical The facilitator then compiles an audit cut paper consumption over six months by
environmental charity, helping people report detailing the organisation’s 2.25 million sheets, which stacked up
throughout the UK to make positive environmental impacts. The team is would stand over twice the height of Big
changes at home, at work, at school and in reconvened for a second meeting where it Ben. Energy use was cut by almost 3 million
the wider community, running a selection of designs a strategy to reduce impacts. These footballs worth of CO
2
, avoiding over
programmes that teach people how small strategies generally have two main parts - £3,000 in energy bills in the first months
everyday changes can add up to make a establishing the structural changes required after their campaign. In London, paper
big difference. such as getting recycling bins, installing recycling and plastic recycling increased by
Environment Champions is a year-long low-energy light bulbs, etc., and planning a 59% and 32% respectively and the number
programme that involves enlisting a communications campaign directed of monitors left on overnight was reduced
number of volunteers throughout an towards the rest of the employees. by 44%. In Plymouth and London paper
organisation to encourage change amongst Campaigns have historically involved content of the waste sent to landfill
their colleagues. The Champions then face-to-face communication; displays and decreased by 46% and 59% respectively.
measure the environmental performance of events; email and intranet messages and A survey of staff attitudes at the Leek
their organisation, set improvement targets putting up posters. Some campaigns have Head Office showed the far reaching effect
and encourage their colleagues to help had creative elements including glass of the campaign with 73% of employees
achieve them with fun and positive painting workshop at the GLA to encourage saying they had changed their habits at
communication techniques. The Champions employees to reuse drinking glasses. The work and 30% had changed habits at
are each awarded a United Nations implementation of the strategies generally home.
Environment Programme certificate at the lasts for between three and five months For more information on Environment
completion of the programme. during which time the facilitator meets with Champions and Global Action Plan
These organisations come from across the team on a monthly basis for progress please visit www.globalactionplan.org.uk
the UK, represent both businesses and local meetings designed to iron out problems or call 020 7405 5633.
authority/civil service organisations and and maintain momentum.
range in size. At the end of the
Businesses that work with Global Action campaign a second audit
Plan to reduce their waste reduce their is performed using the
waste to landfill by an impressive 38%. For same methods as in the
those organisations undertaking energy first and the facilitator
reduction, an average saving of 12% compiles a report detailing
is achieved. the changes made and the
Environment Champions focuses on environmental savings achieved. The
one or two areas of environmental impact, team then meets again to celebrate
such as waste and/or energy. Once an their success and plan the next steps.
organisation has decided to take part, a Britannia Building Society
team of volunteer ‘Environment recruited a team of employees who
Champions’ consisting of up to about 20 measured the environmental impacts
employees, who ideally represent all parts of the two Head Office sites in Leek
38|
SUSTAINABLE FM | NOVEMBER 2007
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