Come clean

It is a phenomenal achievement to get close on 500 businesses to commit to cutting their carbon emissions. Many of those taking part have ambitious plans as our feature this month reveals.

The control of CO₂ emissions is arguably one of the most pressing issues facing the planet today. And with buildings contributing around 50% of the UK's total CO₂ emissions, this means it is also one of the most pressing issues facing property owners and occupiers.

The government has shied away from tackling emissions from existing buildings because it is a difficult nut to crack. In the past four years parliament has used legislation, including the recent changes to Part L, to increase the energy efficiency of new buildings. But that still leaves something like 98% of the total building stock unchanged - which is why this campaign is so important.

It is true that when it eventually does come into effect, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive will help raise awareness of the energy consumption of existing buildings. Particularly now the government has committed building owners to display their actual energy consumption and through the inclusion of energy reports in homebuyers packs as our news story reports. Of course, the directive would be even more effective if the government were to give a clear timetable for its implementation

It would be disingenuous for BSj to criticise firms for not signing up to the 100 Days of Carbon Clean-Up campaign without actually doing anything about our own carbon footprint. Which is why we are proud to announce that BSj has persuaded the facilities department at the offices where we devotedly put together this journal to take part in this campaign. Over the coming months, you will be able to follow our progress, and that of others, in the pages of this journal and on our website as we attempt to clean up our carbon footprint.