Port of Felixstowe holds ‘Environment Week’

The Port of Felixstowe, in conjunction with several of the East of England’s top environmental organisations, will be holding an Environment Week from 28th April – 2nd May 2008.  

The week will focus on raising awareness of the environmental issues facing society, and will highlight the actions that the Port’s employees, and the Port as a whole, can take to lessen the impact of climate change.

A number of initiatives will be launched during the week, including: a ‘Turn-Off’ campaign, reminding dockside and office staff to switch off unused equipment; and a Green Travel Plan, encouraging co-workers to lift-share, use public transport, or cycle to work. 

Chris Lewis, Chief Executive Officer of the Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited, which owns the Port of Felixstowe, said:

“There is greater pressure than ever before, upon both businesses and individuals, to look at the way we live our lives and to reduce the impact we have on the environment.  In addition to the actions we are taking as a company, and as a sign of the Port’s commitment to this initiative, we will be giving each of our 2,800 employees in Felixstowe a free low-energy light bulb to use at home to help reduce their individual impacts upon the environment.  I hope that Environment Week will be merely the start, that everyone at the Port will engage with the initiative, and that we will continue to work together towards a ‘greener’ future.”

Other facilities available during the week will include a series of ‘Lunch and Learn’ sessions, where spokespeople from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Carbon Reduction Suffolk (CRed) and Suffolk County Council’s ‘Creating the Greenest County’ team will give presentations to staff highlighting the many ways in which they have an impact on their surroundings. 

In addition, temporary recycling points will be located on the Port to encourage the recycling of household waste, whilst permanent recycling points will be installed near vending machines to maintain the port’s recycling commitment beyond ‘Environment Week’ itself.  

The Port is also progressing various other projects to improve its environmental performance.  These include working with the Carbon Trust to develop its carbon management programme, and to reduce energy used in buildings, lighting and equipment, as well as increasing the amount of waste sent for recycling.

It is hoped that running an Environment Week will encourage the Port’s employees to come together to develop a shared interest and, ultimately, reduce the carbon footprint of the Port as well as their own households.

Source: Transportweekly