The British Embassy, Consulate-General and Regional Posts believe that all our operations should be managed sustainably and that environmental considerations should be at the heart of our work. This should contribute to reducing both our individual and global carbon footprints, encouraging efficiency savings.

We also need to practice what we preach – making progress globally on developing low carbon high growth economies is one of the Foreign Office’s four policy goals. To gather support for this and enhance our credibility, we need to make continual improvements in our environmental performance.

We have large compounds in our Embassy and Consulate-General.  And UK based staff are lucky enough to live in modern apartments.  We need to look after these assets collectively, and take steps to reduce our environmental footprint in our day-to-day activity. The Embassy was chosen as one of twenty pilot posts worldwide and we are now looking to make Turkey an example of best practice.

In 2007, we recognised that we needed to deal with our environmental footprint in a more systematic way. As a first step, we began recording our energy, water, transport and overall carbon footprint.  We then introduced recycling schemes in the Embassy and Consulate, improved staff awareness (particularly on water saving measures), and installed a solar-panel heating system for our Embassy pool.  We have also employed a full time Environment Officer to manage our greening work Turkey wide.

In 2009/10 we will step up our efforts.  Specifically we will:

• systematically record energy and water meter readings (by installing new meters if necessary), fuel usage, and all official travel;
• integrate environmental criteria into all decision-making processes;
• regularly circulate environmental tips, news and useful websites;
• monitor the performance of environmental initiatives;
• recognise and reward greening ideas;

Water

• reduce water consumption by 5% this year on our 2008/9 baseline by:

1. applying for funds to install a rainwater collection system for the Embassy Residence;
2. fitting water saving devices (i.e. pressure taps, dual flush systems).

Energy

• reduce energy usage by 5% this year on our 2008/9 baseline by:

1. reviewing boiler / generator maintenance procedures to ensure maximum efficiency;
2. targeting staff electricity usage (particularly lights and electrical equipment) through poster campaign;
3. making changes to our lighting systems in buildings and compounds;
4. introducing measures to better monitor and control AC usage.

Travel

• reduce vehicle mileage by 5% this year on our 2008/9 baseline and take steps to reduce air travel by:

1. calculating and publishing carbon footprints for different journey options to Istanbul;
2. encouraging video conferencing with training session for staff;
3. using alternative modes of transport (e.g. airport shuttle services instead of taxis).

Waste and Procurement

• reduce our waste output and improve our procurement standards by:

1. further promoting recycling system and changing printing habits;
2. ensuring new office equipment meets minimum energy efficiency and recycling standards;
3. introducing energy efficient products when setting up residential accommodation.

Carbon Footprint

• reduce our overall carbon footprint this year by 5% on our 2008/9 baseline

We recognise that this strategy focuses on short-term practical changes during this financial year.  We will however evaluate our progress every quarter, and consider setting long-term targets to ensure this work is sustainable in the future.