AVOW's Environmental Committment

What is Green Dragon?

Green Dragon is a certified environmental standard run by Groundwork Wales. Its aim is to create an Environmental Management System (EMS) specific to AVOW. As an organisation we will be hoping to be certified up to level 2 which looks at AVOW’s commitment to environmental management and understanding its environmental responsibilities.

What is an EMS?

An EMS will provide AVOW with a framework through which its environmental performance can be monitored, improved & controlled.

The Green Dragon Standard Certified EMS will help AVOW to:

  • Comply with environmental legislation
  • Increase pollution prevention
  • Increase overall environmental performance
  • Ensure continual environmental performance
  • Identify opportunities to reduce resource consumption and waste

Future Ideas

After conducting an initial environmental review AVOW have come up with a few small key recommendations which put into place could save AVOW money and help reduce the organisations environmental impact.

Environmental Improvements:

  • Environmental notice board – the purpose of this is to act as a focal point for environmental practices within AVOW and to help disseminate information on appropriate environmental management
  • Introduce sensor lighting in all toilets
  • Replace all light bulbs with energy saving compact fluorescent lamps (CFL)
  • Introduce time switches to photocopiers
  • Introduce a recycling station located beneath the notice board to recycle I.T waste (cd/dvd’s), batteries, cardboard & plastic

Environmental Best Practice – What Can You Do?

To help minimise the organisations ecological footprint and reduce energy costs there are a number of simple but effective ways in which AVOW’s staff and Licences are helping AVOW to become that little bit more environmental:

  • Only boil as much water as you need (but remember to cover the elements)
  • Don’t leave appliances on standby, remember "switch off when not in use"
  • Become more resource efficient and follow the waste hierarchy - reuse, reduce, recycle
  • Carry on recycling paper and biodegradable waste
  • When charging mobile phones/cameras and electrical equipment only charge them for 4 hours – Brits waste 85,000 tonnes of COâ‚‚ each year by overcharging mobile phones

AVOW's Environmental Policy:

Environmental Policy