Environmental Information on Council's Civic Office and Administrative Buildings - Find a freedom of information request

Request

Please could you answer as many of the following questions as possible.

1. Could you provide the following environmental information on the council's civic office and administrative buildings (this does not include operational depots, libraries and leisure centers), as well as identifying if this information is based on actual or estimated data.

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

Environment Indicators

* Electricity (MWh) of which renewable electricity

* Heating natural gas (MWh)

* Water consumption (m3)

* Business travel (km)

  • Total all activities (tCO2e)
  • Total per FTE (The staff involved in the activities)
  • Carbon offsetting commitment (tCO2e)
  • Net carbon commission (tCO2e)

 

2. How much of the energy the council purchases come from renewable sources ?

 

3. Please could you also provide the split in percentage terms between renewable and non-renewable energy to Question 2 ?

 

4. Does the council have an energy-efficient LED system, controlled by automatic presence detectors and perimeter dimming to take account of daylight levels ?

 

5. Does the council have Photovoltaic panels on rooftops to supplement the supply of purchased electricity ?

 

6. If yes, how much energy does the council generate in this way ?

 

7. Does the council have a complete greywater system, whereby non-contaminated waste water is harvested from plant machinery, hand basins and rainfall ? Therefore, allowing to reduce consumption of mains water.

 

8. Does the council have recycling awareness campaigns across its main office locations ?

 

9. Does the council have facilities to separate out paper, glass and plastics used in its offices for recycling ?

 

10. Are non-recyclable materials from council office locations sent to a special processing plant, where they are used to generate heat and power, reducing waste that is sent to landfills.

 

11. In internal cafeterias, does the council refrain from providing single use items and provide employees with reusable crockery and cutlery ?

 

12. Does the council offer a discount to customers with reusable coffee cups in their cafeterias ?

 

13. Does the council send food waste to an anaerobic digestion plant where it can be used to produce electricity as well as organic fertiliser ?

 

14. How much has the council invested in video conferencing across its offices.

 

15. The number of video conferences held in a typical month ?

 

16. To help cut paper consumption, has the council replaced any ageing office printers across its locations with new Eco-friendly photocopiers ?

 

17. Do employees engage in an active 'Sustainability Network' of volunteers that, among other activities, decides which project to support as part of a carbon offsetting program ? This can include investments in renewable energy, community infrastructure, and conservation and reforestation initiatives.

 

18. Please could you provide information on any new environmental initiatives you have introduced.

Decision

1.

Year 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Electricity (MWh) 2,802 2,950 2,961 2,907 2,320

Of which renewable electricity

100%

 

* Heating natural gas (MWh)

Year 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Gas (MWh) 3,276 3,164 3,032 2,941 3,099

 

* Water consumption (m3)

Year 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Water (m3) 10,555 12,901 12,428 14,131 6,855

 

* Business travel (km)

Lincolnshire county council does not hold this information

Total all activities (tCO2e) ? as don’t know the business travel, Utility TCO2e = 6,121

 

Total per FTE (The staff involved in the activities)

Approximately 3000 people work flexibly across our main sites

Carbon offsetting commitment (tCO2e) Reducing carbon emissions by 20 per cent – Lincolnshire County Council’s

Carbon Management Plan outlines a series of projects to be delivered up to 2023, which will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 5,700 tonnes.

 

2. As per electricity data above

 

3. As per electricity data above

 

4. Yes – building dependant

 

5. Yes

 

6. 131,000 kWh / year

 

7. No

 

8. Yes

 

9. All dry mixed recycling is separated out by Biffa into their own waste streams

 

10. Any waste that cannot be recycled is sent for incineration and generates energy from waste. This not only includes the general waste collected by Biffa but also the feminine hygiene products.

 

11. Yes

 

12. Yes

 

13. We ran a trial food waste collection project in Boston, which sent the waste to an anaerobic digestion plant. Further work is being undertaken on looking at how this could cover the whole county.

 

14. We purchased Teams Room devices and they are in the process of being implemented. We have 5850 Microsoft E5 licences that provide the facility for video conferencing amongst other rights. Therefore the video conferencing cost cannot be determined.

 

15. This cannot be determined because everyone is using MS Teams

 

16. All of our networked printers/MFD were replaced between Sept 2016 and April 2018. If there are any non-networked printers, we have no record of them

 

17. LCC does not have a network of volunteers that has input to a carbon offsetting programme.

 

18. Please see https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/green-masterplan

Reference number
1641617
Date request received
16 April 2021
Date of decision
28 June 2021