The purpose of this Policy is to ensure that Rochford District Council can achieve its goal of becoming Carbon Neutral by 2030.
It covers all of our activities and estate. Rochford District Council is a large employer and a significant resource user and we recognise that by setting an example we can encourage businesses and residents in the District to follow our lead.
In addition to fulfilling our statutory environmental responsibilities and complying with all legal and other requirements, we will use our powers and influence to further protect and improve the environment, while encouraging and supporting others to do the same.
We will:
- Reduce the consumption of energy and water across all of our activities
- Purchase energy from renewable sources wherever possible.
- Minimise our impacts of travel by using more sustainable travel solutions or alternatives to travel.
- Improve our performance to prevent all types of pollution and reduce CO2 and other harmful emissions from our activities.
- Work with and where possible require our suppliers and contractors to reduce the impact of the goods and services by considering whole life costs and ending our use of single use plastics.
- Minimise the production of waste from our own activities and adhere to the principles of the waste hierarchy.
- Protect, conserve and enhance our District’s high quality natural environment and its biodiversity whilst improving our parks and open spaces, public rights of ways and green corridors.
- Ensure environmental risks and opportunities are managed positively.
In order to achieve this, we will operate an environmental management system that will be integrated into the corporate management framework to:
- Apply to all activities undertaken by us, including contracted out services as new contracts are negotiated.
- Set objectives and implement action programmes in order to minimise the negative environmental effects and increase the positive effects of our activities.