The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) today announces that it has reduced the carbon footprint of its London HQ building by almost 60 per cent, cutting 420 tonnes of its annual CO2 emissions from the 2006 level.
As part of its commitment to combating climate change, the Institute has recently implemented a number of environmentally friendly measures intended to cut carbon emissions. These include only using energy from renewable sources at our HQ, by switching to electricity provider Greenenergy UK and introducing a new process which enables 100 per cent of all cardboard used to be recycled. The RIBA already recycles over 1.6 tonnes of waste paper per year as well as glass, plastics and aluminium, but the new system to recycle cardboard has alone reduced the RIBA's waste to landfill by half a tonne a week.
Richard Hastilow, Chief Executive of the RIBA said:
"Tackling climate change clearly requires concerted action by all organisations and businesses. The RIBA's 'Combating Climate Change' programme is already providing architects with key information and tools -- to help them and their clients reduce carbon consumption in all types of projects. Alongside this, RIBA members and staff have been determined to reduce the Institute's own carbon footprint. These latest figures show that we are making very substantial progress."
In addition to these measures, the RIBA has an ongoing programme dedicated to raising awareness about climate change and helping practices become more carbon aware. Most recently the Institute launched CarbonBuzz, an online platform which allows practices monitor their projects' carbon emissions. Climate change was also the focus of the RIBA Trust's Annual Lecture, this year delivered by Lord Stern in November 2008.