Organisations that achieve the Standard are judged to be taking real action to reduce their direct impact on climate change. The council is one of only three London boroughs to have been given the award.

• The organisations are judged on three criteria;
• they must accurately measure their carbon footprint,
• they must reduce this footprint and they must have systems in place to successfully manage future carbon emissions.

The council has a clear commitment to tackling carbon emissions borough-wide, and has identified tackling climate change as one of its priorities in the area’s long-term ‘blueprint’, Our Wandsworth 2018.

Over the past two years, the council reduced its carbon emissions by 4.5 per cent and has recently signed up to stringent new targets of ten per cent by 2015, and 20 per cent by 2025. A full carbon reduction plan covering all council premises and operations will be produced next year.

Executive member for environment and leisure, Cllr Sarah McDermott, said she was delighted the council’s efforts had been recognised, “We are asking our residents to cut waste and reduce their carbon footprint, so we think it is only fair that the council does the same. Unlike many other local authorities, we have been working hard for several years on reducing carbon emissions, and believe we are in a good position to meet these tough new targets.”

November 17, 2009