North York Moors National Park
 

Authority Services

The Green Team

 

The Authority is committed to making the National Park a greener place to live and work. The National Park Management Plan and Business Plan state that we will reduce the environmental impact of our activities and work in a way that considers the environment and sustainability.

The Green Team was established in 1996 and plays a vital role in advising the Authority on green issues and helping implement action. It includes members from each of our five Sections along with the Chief Executive. Key issues worked on include:

  • Energy use – reducing energy consumption and improving energy efficiency 
  • Transport – reducing the need to travel and the use of fossil fuel 
  • Purchasing – buying products that are created and disposed of in an environmentally friendly way 
  • Recycling and waste management – reducing what we use and increasing re-use and recycling

Key achievements

The efforts of the Green Team and other members of staff have already helped reduce the Authority’s impact on the environment:

  • We recycled 28,600 litres of plastic in 2005. This is collected by a local scheme and reprocessed locally by Econoplas Ltd.
  • We also recycled 57,000 litres of paper, batteries, stamps, cans, and glass and composted green waste. 
  • All our old IT equipment is donated to ‘Refurbit’. This social enterprise recycles and refurbishes it before donating it to charities and voluntary organisations.
  • Our energy use was audited by Action Energy and we have introduced low energy light bulbs, thermostatic radiator valves and stickers to remind staff to save energy.
  • We actively promote car sharing and travel to work by bus and bike.
  • We received a prestigious EAST award in 2005 for our green transport fleet, including biodiesel Ranger and staff vehicles. We now have two additional dual fuel electric cars and two biodiesel cars.
  • We have introduced a ‘green’ purchasing policy that incorporates green credentials in decisions about what we buy.
  • The Sutton Bank National Park Centre is working towards achieving Eco-centre status through the Eco-centres award scheme run by Encams.
  • Staff sweatshirts have been introduced to help reduce heating costs.

We purchase a wide range of recycled products and work hard to reduce and recycle our waste but are taking our commitment to recycling one step further by working with Recycling Action Yorkshire. By working together, we hope to purchase an even greater percentage of recycled items and to encourage our suppliers to stock recycled products.

If you would like to know more about any of our initiatives or have any suggestions please contact our Sustainable Development Officer on 01439 770657 or email greenteam@northyorkmoors-npa.gov.uk