Environment Agency launches new tool to help reduce carbon footprint from construction projects
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Author: |
National Press Office |
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Date published: |
22-Oct-2007 |
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Keywords: |
carbon calculator, construction |
A new online tool that will help construction companies plan carbon-wise projects and reduce their carbon footprint has been launched today (Monday) by the Environment Agency.
The spreadsheet-based tool, which from November 2007 will be mandatory to use during the planning stage on all major Environment Agency construction projects, is now being made available to other construction companies, government bodies and consultants.
Andrew Powell, Technical Advisor at the Environment Agency, said: “At the Environment Agency we are always looking to ways of reducing the environmental impact from our own construction projects. We spend around £200 million a year on construction projects, which accounts for about 3% of the construction civil engineering sector.
“With this in mind over the past year, together with Jacobs Consultants, we developed a new tool for calculating the carbon footprint from construction projects. We have been trialling the tool as part of environmental audits on the building of new flood defences schemes.”
Features of the new tools take into account:
- estimating the CO2 in the raw materials used
- direct emissions from personal travel by employees and transportation of raw materials
- emissions from site activities such as earthworks and excavation
- allows comparison of waste management options
The tool provides a way to find where significant carbon savings can be made during the planning and design process and can be also used to audit the carbon footprint of a completed project.
Andrew Powell added: “As an environmental regulator, our role is to lead by example and demonstrate what sustainable construction means in practice. Promoting resource efficiency and reducing carbon emissions from our construction projects is an important part of that.”
The Carbon Footprint Calculator can be viewed and download via the link under "See also..."
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Doc reference: |
162/10 |
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Contact: |
