City goes for green

TACKLING global warming has led to big targets being set around the world, most notably the Kyoto Treaty – and even at a local level the situation is no different.

Sheffield Council wants to make the city the greenest in the country and aims to reduce its own carbon dioxide emissions to 30 per cent below 2004 levels by 2012.

But question marks hang over whether such ambitious pledges are achievable.

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For example, although the Kyoto Treaty pledges to reduce global production of greenhouse gases to 5.2 per cent below 1990 levels by 2012, countries such as China are opening coal-fired power stations at an average rate of one per week.

But Coun Mary Lea, Sheffield Council's cabinet member for sustainable environment, believes the authority can meet its obligations – and is hoping other city organisations will adopt a similar target.

In 2004, the authority produced 308.024 tonnes of carbon emissions - or 95.119 excluding council housing.

Now, to reduce this by the required amount, Coun Lea has revealed a series of initiatives she hopes will make the council's target a reality – and reduce greenhouse gas emissions elsewhere in the city, too.

They include:

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Action within the authority such as reducing wasteful use of electricity, buying energy from green sources, powering its fleet of almost 800 vehicles with greener fuels, and promoting use of public transport by staff.

Using the council's position as one of the city's biggest organisations to show Sheffield businesses how they, too, can take similar action to help the environment.

Encouraging developers to design new buildings in a more environmentally-friendly way, through better insulation to reduce heating costs, and use of green building materials.

Providing 50 million to make houses more energy-efficient – with work being carried out on council properties, and grants available for improvements to private properties.

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Coun Lea, whose role involves scrutinising the work of all council departments to ensure they are implementing green policies, said the council hopes to reduce the amount of rubbish sent to landfill by a third, from 15 per cent to 10 per cent. This will partly be achieved through a second kerbside recycling collection, which Sheffield has been obliged to introduce by the Government, but details of which have not yet been finalised.

Coun Lea is also in favour of action by retailers to remove unnecessary packaging. And she also backed The Star's campaign for a tax on plastic bags – many of which end up in the bin once shopping has been brought home.

"We have developed an excellence strategy to tackle climate change, which we hope will make Sheffield the greenest city in the country. The aim is to take a lead by putting our own house in order, then influencing others.

"I think a reduction of 30 per cent in greenhouse gas emissions is a reasonable target," she said.

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One of the main ways the council is taking action is by reducing its dependency on fossil fuels, and it hopes other organisations will follow suit. Rubbish burned at the Bernard Road incinerator, rather than buried as landfill, currently produces enough energy to heat 140 sites in the city centre, including council offices and civic buildings, as well as a number of houses - and Coun Lea said there is sufficient capacity to expand the number of properties served.

Energy purchased from elsewhere is bought from specialist companies which only take their electricity from renewable sources, Coun Lea said.

About 400 more homes are heated through wood-burning boilers, and council vehicles are being converted to run on biodiesel. This helps reduce overall carbon emissions because the fuel comes from plants which soak up existing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which is simply re-released, instead of further carbon being emitted from coal, oil or gas, which has been buried below ground for millions of years.

Coun Lea believes promoting the message that being environmentally friendly is also much cheaper is central to ensuring businesses and residents jump on board the environmental crusade.

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Making buildings more energy-efficient, for example through improving insulation, turning off electrical appliances rather than leaving them on standby, and switching to energy-saving lightbulbs, can dramatically cut fuel bills – making economic sense.

"Raising awareness of this is crucial," Coun Lea said.

Sheffield Council also sees itself as taking a lead in green building design at new schools being built around the city.

One method is the incorporation of green roofs at facilities such as the new Darnall Children's Centre, which provide insulation, a wildlife habitat and helps filter pollutants from the air.

Meetings are taking place between the council and leading companies and organisations based in Sheffield, through the Sheffield First for Environment Partnership, to discuss joint strategies and commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

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The council is also encouraging organisations investing in Sheffield to create environmentally-friendly buildings as part of its Economic Masterplan, which sets out the city's development strategy for the next few years.

Promotion of green policies to members of the public has included events such as Sheffield Is My Planet Week, held earlier this year, where there were showings of former US presidential candidate Al Gore's film on climate change, tree planting, and information events where people could find out information about how they can make a difference.

Why a radical revamp of care homes is necessary despite the heartache for residents, and how Sheffield is helping refugees: See The Star next Monday.

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