Date: 27/07/2009
High Peak Borough Council has again had its "green" credentials recognised by a European watchdog.
Back in 2000, the council was only the 12th UK local authority and 99th organisation of all types to sign up to an Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) introduced by the European Union.
The scheme encourages employers to reduce their harmful impact on the environment.
And certified environmental auditor Bureau Veritas has just given the council a clean bill of health in its annual EMAS inspection for the ninth year running.
Assessors were impressed that environmental concerns were given high priority across the council in services that included grounds maintenance, planning, and waste and recycling.
For the fifth successive year, the council had achieved its target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by three per cent. In fact, the authority had exceeded its target by 77 tonnes in 2008/09.
The council had also awarded grants totalling £10,000 to environmental projects managed by schools, village halls and other community groups. The auditors saw the grants as evidence of the council's shifting of policy to support household and business efforts to protect the environment.
The inspectors welcomed the council's strategic alliance with Staffordshire Moorlands District Council as an opportunity to shrink the environmental footprint of both organisations by encouraging home working and tackling problems together.
Said John Haken, executive councillor for the environment: "I'm pleased that we've again passed our EMAS audit, not because of the achievement itself but because the process encourages us to keep finding new ways of protecting the environment".
The auditors recommended that High Peak and Staffordshire Moorlands should now work even more closely to look after the environment.