News
Scottish Local Authorities: May Sustainability Round-Up
Published 10 July 2012 in Local Government
Glasgow City Council Receives Award for Flood Prevention Scheme
Glasgow City Council announced on 30 May that its £53million White Cart Water Flood Prevention Scheme was awarded the top prize in the Flood Risk Management category at the 2012 Waterways Renaissance Awards. The White Cart scheme was officially opened in October 2011, and has reduced the risk of flood damage to around 1750 homes and businesses along the river. The scheme was praised by the judges for seeking “a solution that was not constrained by local authority boundaries” and for maximising the scheme’s “positive environmental outcomes”. More.
Aberdeenshire Council Launches Car Club
On 28 May, Aberdeenshire Council announced the launch of a new Commonwheels car club in the Mearns area. The club will operate three cars and is being led by the Mearns Area Partnership (MAP) with support from Aberdeenshire Council. More.
Successful Trial of Hydrogen Vehicles at Aberdeen City Council Car Club
Aberdeen City Council announced on 24 May that the trial of two hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles in the Council’s recently established Commonwheels car club had been successful. The Hyundai ix35 FCEV vehicles were driven by 40 people over the course of the four-day trial, which also involved clean fuel firm ITM Power who provided a mobile hydrogen re-fuelling station. Aberdeen City Council are also involved in a project that will introduce up to 12 hydrogen buses in the north east. More.
IPads to Cut Paper and Costs at City of Edinburgh Council
City of Edinburgh Council announced on 22 May that it was seeking to save £200,000 and 1million sheets of paper per year through moving to a paperless system at council committee meetings. The scheme will see the introduction of iPads to councillors and senior officers who regularly attend committees. At a total cost of £18,000, the introduction of iPads is expected to easily cover its costs within the first year. More.
City Building Wins Major Sustainability Award
On 2 May, Glasgow City Council announced that its arms-length construction firm, City Building, had won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development in recognition of its social and environmental work. City Building, which was featured at SSN’s 2011 Annual Conference, has constructed four prototype energy-efficient, affordable homes in the city centre in partnership with Glasgow Housing Association. CityBuilding also incorporates the UK’s largest and most successful supported factory, Royal Strathclyde Blindcraft Industries (RSBi), and runs Scotland’s largest apprentice centre with training programmes that focus on the importance of sustainability in construction through its pioneering ‘renewables apprenticeships’ scheme. More.