Information on Loughborough

Loughborough gets top marks for environmental management

Posted on 18/07/2007
Loughborough Newsdesk

environmentINSPECTORS have given Charnwood Borough Council top marks for its environmental management system.

The Authority is the first in Leicestershire to gain the ISO14001 standard following an extensive inspection by external auditors " and is one of only a handful in the East Midlands to achieve the target.

ISO 14001 is an internationally accepted specification for an environmental management system (EMS) to help organizations minimize how their operations negatively affect the environment (cause adverse changes to air, water, or land), comply with applicable laws, regulations, and other environmentally oriented requirements, and continually improve on the above. It specifies requirements for establishing an environmental policy, determining environmental aspects and impacts of products/activities/services, planning environmental objectives and measurable targets, implementation and operation of programs to meet objectives and targets, checking and corrective action, and management review.

It means Charnwood is meeting all of the relevant environmental legislation, is committed to reducing pollution and that it demonstrates continual improvement in its environmental performance.

Charnwood has gained the standard for three key buildings " The Council Offices, in Southfield Road Loughborough, Loughborough Town Hall and South Charnwood Swimming Pool " as well as sites managed under contract on behalf of the Authority.

Cllr David Snartt (Conservative, Forest Bradgate), Charnwood Borough Councils Climate Change Champion, said: "This is a major achievement. Officers from the Council have worked hard in order to ensure that, as an organisation, we are meeting all of the relevant environmental legislation and that we are setting an example for others to follow.

Karl Letten, Charnwood Borough Councils Change Programme Support Officer (Environment), said: "Achieving the ISO14001 standard is a demonstration of our commitment to improving our performance and minimising our impact upon the environment.

"Gaining the standard isnt the end of the story however. Each year, we will be visited by external auditors to ensure that we are continuing to achieve the high criterion demanded by the ISO14001 standard.