Renfrewshire Council cuts CO2 emissions by almost 30%.

Renfrewshire Council has been hailed as one of the greenest local authorities in the country after cutting its carbon footprint by almost 30 per cent.

The council is one of only two in Scotland to meet an ambitious 25% target to reduce its CO2 emissions.

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A report going before councillors this month explains how the 2007/8 figure of 43,899 tonnes of carbon emissions from council buildings a year was reduced to 31,454 tonnes by March 2014, a reduction of 28.5% – ahead of the target of 25%.

All council services contributed to the reduction, which was achieved through means including energy efficient lighting, building management systems, voltage and boiler optimisation, energy awareness campaigns, insulation and efficient transport.

Councillor Terry Kelly, convener of the council’s Planning and Property Policy Board, said: “We recognise that climate change is a serious issue with the potential to affect us all.

“The worst effects of that may well be felt hardest by the generations belonging to our children and grandchildren.

“With that in mind, we feel a responsibility to lead the way by doing what we can to set an example for other large organisations.

“Not only that, but we expect this will deliver significant cost savings for the council – important in an era where squeezed central government funding leaves us needing to make budget savings.

“Of course the hard work doesn’t stop here – we will be presenting a new carbon management plan later this year which will cover the period 2014-2020 and will hopefully build on the good work to date.”

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