Mental health trust signs up to cut its carbon footprint (From Your Local Guardian)

Mental health trust signs up to cut its carbon footprint

2:32pm Friday 23rd May 2008 in

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South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust is set to cut its carbon footprint and reduce its energy bills by joining phase three of the Carbon Trust's NHS Carbon Management programme, launched earlier this month. It is one of 18 NHS trusts taking part in the latest phase of the programme, which will see participants collectively cut their carbon footprints by 60,000 tonnes and energy costs by £7 million per year.

The NHS Carbon Management programme enables NHS trusts to assess the risks and opportunities posed by climate change and develop a robust strategy to drastically reduce their carbon emissions over a five to ten year period. South West London and St George's, along with other participating NHS trusts, also expects to benefit from significant cost savings in its energy bills.

The NHS in England currently emits approximately 3.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year from its buildings alone and must cut this by 15 per cent by 2010 if it is to meet Department of Health targets. NHS trusts aim to meet their targets through such measures as: improving pipe work and roof insulation, replacing obsolete boilers, and installing better heating controls and automatic lighting controls.

Rex Cassidy, Head of Facilities at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust, said: "Through working in close partnership with the Carbon Trust on its NHS Carbon Management programme, we will establish an energy strategy and identify a set of practical actions that will help us to save cash and carbon. We are looking forward to reducing our energy bills, cutting our carbon footprint, and helping to combat climate change."