Top London businesses share carbon reduction tips ahead of Copenhagen

The findings, from a survey of Green500 members – the Mayor of London’s premier carbon club – show that over 60% believe employee engagement is vital in their efforts to reduce both costs and the environmental impact of their businesses. The study reveals how Green500 members are tackling the challenges faced by industry ahead of Cop15 and as the new Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) legislation is introduced.

Other key findings of the research include:

* Over 90% of members agree strong climate leadership in London will motivate individuals and organisations to get involved in the fight against climate change.

* The same proportion also believe cutting carbon is of equal, if not more importance in today’s economic climate.

* Additional top tips for carbon reduction and cost savings include energy efficiency monitoring.

Alexander Nicoll, Director of Corporate Responsibility at Liberty International PLC states: “As employees of London-based organisations and businesses we all have a clear role to play in helping to reduce our environmental impact and help demonstrate London’s leadership in this area. As a business, we are taking this message on board and harnessing our most powerful tools – our people – to help tackle this issue. We urge others to do the same.”

Victoria Hands, Environmental Sustainability Manager at London School of Economics adds: “By engaging our staff and students in sustainability issues we have managed to cut both costs and carbon emissions. For us, it’s a decision that makes economic and environmental sense.”

London alone emits as much CO2 as a small European country; equivalent to about 8% of all the CO2 in the UK. Since over one third of London’s carbon emissions are generated by the commercial sector, it is now more important than ever that business and government come together to reduce their environmental impact.

The Mayor of London’s Green500 scheme has challenged London’s largest and most prestigious companies to help cut the capital’s emissions by 60% by 2025. Members of the scheme are committed to saving 642,000 tonnes of carbon, and have already saved over 146,000 tonnes of CO2 to date – the equivalent of a years worth of emissions from over 27,000 vehicles. To put this in perspective, it would take a year for approximately 25,000 football fields worth of pine trees to sequester the same amount.