Countryside Council for Wales

Carbon and ecological footprinting

The Countryside Council for Wales is a champion of the landscape and environment and a statutory advisor to the Welsh Government. The organisation aims to be a national leader in tackling climate change, and has set challenging carbon reduction targets.

Best Foot Forward has had a long relationship with CCW - carrying out the first analysis of its carbon and ecological footprint in 2004. In 2009, Best Foot Forward updated this baseline and developed “invaluable” reduction scenarios to help the organisation cut its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. 

At the time of the 2009 study, the CCW had already taken significant steps to reduce its footprint; however Best Foot Forward found that further initiatives in areas such as business travel could lead to additional GHG reductions of between 19% and 42%.

Electricity, business travel and heating were three carbon hotspots for CCW and Best Foot Forward modelled the potential effectiveness of strategies to tackle all three. 

Reductions scenarios quantified the effect on business travel emissions of increasing the efficiency of fleet cars, using videoconferencing and encouraging public transport. The effects of rolling-out eco-driver training, installing speed limiters in cars, and using biodiesel were also quantified. 

To tackle energy-related emissions, improvements in IT and lighting efficiency were modelled as well as the impact of encouraging staff behaviour change. 

To support ongoing measurement and reporting of its footprint over time, Best Foot Forward also supplied CCW with its Footprint Reporter tool – as well as training on its use.

CCW has achieved the biggest carbon savings by making changes to its vehicle fleet and the way that staff travel on business: it has increased the proportion of business travel by train while reducing its grey fleet mileage (travel by employees in their own vehicles). It has also purchased low carbon vehicles for times when car travel is unavoidable: cars which emit 135 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre have been replaced by Fiesta ECOnetics, which emit just 98. Eco-driver training is expected to save a further 5% on fuel.

CCW plans to refurbish its headquarters, leading to big savings in gas usage. It is also installing photovoltaic solar power in the building, which is expected to save 25,000 kilowatt hours per year.

By March 2012, at the end of the 5 year carbon action plan, the organisation had achieved a 40% reduction against its 24% reduction target.

Carl Wannop, Environmental Manager at CCW said “The Best Foot Forward report and carbon reduction scenarios were invaluable to us. They enabled us as an organisation to produce our carbon plan and convince our senior management of the benefits.”