News 30 May 2018 News from SKAO
Ministry of Infrastructure and Water management: “With the CO2 Performance Ladder we contribute to the solution to climate changeâ€
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (I&W) acquires level four of the CO2 Performance Ladder. On Tuesday the 29th of May, state secretary Stientje van Veldhoven received the certificate. Read the article below for the (photo) impression of the certification ceremony.
By acquiring the fourth level of the CO2 Performance Ladder, both the ministry as well as Rijkswaterstaat, the executive organization of I&W, are certified on the CO2 management system. During the certification ceremony, the state secretary passed on the symbolic relay race sticks to the Dutch municipalities of Barneveld, Harderwijk and Bronckhorst. By accepting the relay race sticks, the municipalities commit to the implementation of the CO2 Performance Ladder and follow the example of the ministry of I&W in systematically and effectively reducing their carbon emissions. The government institutions say that later this year they will obtain their first certificate on the Ladder.
Reducing CO2 with electrical vehicles and CO2 monitoring
Richard Hovinga, project leader of the CO2 Performance Ladder at I&W, explained at the start of the ceremony about the three pillars on which I&W will focus upon in the coming years. These pillars are the own energy consumption, the consumption of energy within projects and the reduction of the carbon footprint of the entire organization including supply chains. The CO2 Performance Ladder fits perfectly in the sustainability ambitions of the ministry. After Hovinga’s speech, the efforts of I&W towards reducing its carbon emissions was shared with the audience Rudy van Mierlo, energy advisor and CO2 monitoring at Rijkswaterstaat.
The executive organization of the ministry has recently purchased 100 new electrical vehicles to slash its carbon footprint. The electricity consumption in the buildings of I&W are being monitored via dashboards, after which effective measures are taken to reduce the consumption of the green energy. The ministry either purchases renewable energy that is generated in the Netherlands. Moreover, I&W has relocated to an office building where 99,7 percent of the building materials are reused. With these steps, the ministry managed to acquire level 4 of the CO2 Performance Ladder. The state secretary claims that this will not be the end of the ministry’s efforts towards sustainability. I&W aims higher.
Reducing 1 megaton of carbon emissions structurally
“We are on our way, but we have not yet finished”, says the state secretary. “That means that we are going to aim at even more reduction of carbon emissions in our supply chains and businesses, especially within our suppliers of the infrastructure sector. This is where we have the greatest influence on the market!”
Van Veldhoven: “It is my ambition to not remain at the fourth level of the CO2 Performance Ladder, but to continue our journey towards level five, which is the highest level. And in order to do this, I call upon every one of you to work hard at achieving the highest level. My ambition for this cabinet is to structurally reduce 1 megaton of carbon emissions by collaborating with all other governments in sustainable purchasing and procurement. That is why I call upon you, all governments in the Netherlands, to take all the necessary steps that we can take. If we can do it, other governments will follow. Together, we can really make a difference. I am counting on you.”
“Bit by bit we contribute to a solution to climate change, a problem which we ourselves created. The CO2 Performance Ladder helps us reach the necessary solutions and actions. For this reason, the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) mentioned the Ladder as a best practice. In my opinion, other governments should follow our example and the CO2 Performance Ladder should become more crowded.”