cardigan river & food festival 2012
11 & 12 aug 11-5 (Sat) and 11-3 (Sun)
Our commitment
FEW/FECB believe that we have a responsibility to care for and protect the environment in which we operate. Â We are fully committed to increasing our understanding of our environmental impacts and through continual monitoring, aim to improve our environmental performance throughout all out business activities. Clients, business partners and the wider local community will also be encouraged to participate in our continual efforts to minimise our environmental impact upon the immediate and wider environment.
Ongoing monitoring of our activities will enable us to identify key environmental impacts and through an increased understanding of relevant environmental legislation, we will endeavour to reduce those impacts and even eliminate where possible. Â We believe that our commitment to protecting our environment will also help to significantly reduce overall running costs through better energy use and reduced raw materials which will help to increase our organisations efficiency.
In the short term we aim to recognise our impacts and monitor them over time to ensure that our environmental targets are being reached. Currently we are looking into applying for Green Dragon environmental standard level 2 and progress to higher levels as monitoring data becomes available.
Below is a list of areas in which our activities have an impact on the environment. We aim to address these key items that relate to both office based and event management activities.
Key impacts:
Each key area has been sub-divided into objectives set by FEW/FECB that we feel are necessary steps towards minimising our impacts. Top of page
Energy use:
- We aim to reduce our current energy consumption by using only energy efficient computer systems and hardware. All hardware items to switch on only when required and to be turned off at the end of the working day. We wish to avoid having items left on standby.
- Change our current electricity supplier to a renewable energy tariff. Currently ecotricity have the best rating with regards profits being re-invested into future renewable projects.
- Lighting supplied by energy efficient bulbs only. We will also look into the latest LED lighting technology.
- Print only when necessary. Avoid printing email messages, as these are the most wasteful in terms of paper use in the modern office. This will reduce our paper waste output and our paper purchasing levels. We will also encourage others to reduce unnecessary paper use by adding environmental information on our email signature.Top of page
Resources:
- Purchase sustainable products office consumables. Only recycled paper will be used and will meet the highest environmental standards. Only paper that has been manufactured and accredited by FSC, NAPM, EMAS, Nordic Swan and equivalent schemes will be used.
- Purchased environmentally friendly cleaning products.
- Purchase fair trade / organic food and drink items for office and event use.
- All consumables will be recycled and replacements environmentally sourced, using only specialised and proven companies providing recycled component parts, cartridges and toners. This will greatly reduce items normally destined for landfill.
- We aim to create a ‘resource pool’ consisting of a wide range of items for event use and make these available for hire, which will encourage and allow small to medium sized businesses to participate in events that would normally be too expensive to attend.Top of page
Waste:
- All paper generated through office activities to be recycled but ultimately we aim to reduce paper consumption significantly in the short term and therefore reduce office overheads.
- All consumables will be recycled. Less printing will result in significantly lower printing costs.
- In some cases ‘out of house’ local environmental printing services will be employed.
- Festivals and events have the potential to produce significant levels of waste. We have and will continue to use local businesses that have a proven track record with environmental services such as www.litterpickers.com. This is an essential part of our recycling policy to ensure all festivals and events have a minimal environmental impact.Top of page
Transport:
- Transport issues are high on our priority with regards festivals and events. We have and will continue to provide alternative transport arrangements to ensure that carbon emissions are kept to a minimum. We have already provided on all our events a successful park and ride scheme where the transport provided is run on vegetable oil, thus greatly reducing emissions and reliance upon fossil fuel, whilst increasing environmental awareness to the general public.
- Staff will be encouraged to cycle, walk or lift share where possible.
- FEW will provide support services for local businesses by representing small to medium sized enterprises at events and festivals, greatly reducing travel requirements.
Procurement:
- We have already and will continue to minimise our impacts regarding promotion and advertising of our festivals and events. We have scoured environmentally sensitive graphic design, print and photography services.
- Our printed promotional material is now designed using a local environmental design company. Their studio is powered by 100% renewable energy and only environmentally sensitive and approved recycled papers are used on final print products. All visuals and final artwork are supplied as PDFs eliminating the need to print.
- The graphic design company uses a vehicle powered by recycled vegetable oil and local journeys are made by bike.
- All our material has been printed on recycled stock using vegetable based inks by printers that have the highest environmental standards and accreditation such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, FSC and PEFC.
- We have utilised a wide range of printing processes to suit various promotions by using digital print technology that greatly reduces paper wastage and eliminates the use of solvents, chemicals and aluminium plates. All of our printed material is 100% recyclable and non-toxic.
Our commitment:
- We aim to achieve the highest environmental standards in all areas of operation, meeting and exceeding all relevant legislative requirements. We will maintain a record of new and existing legislation.
- Continually assess our activities and identify areas where we can minimise our impacts.
- Minimise office waste and event waste through sound management and careful use of material, energy and local environmental/recycling services.
- Continual research into developing solutions to environmental problems.
- Include environmental and ethical considerations in investment decisions.
- Continue to manage our environmental transport policy by providing alternative, greener transport solutions for festivals and events.
- Train our employees, volunteers and business partners in good environmental practice.