Eco-friendly staff at the City of Edinburgh Council are due to celebrate their commitment to reducing their carbon footprint by launching a pledge tree at the Council headquarters on Thursday 29 July.

Jenny Dawe, Council Leader and Brendan Dick, Director of BT Scotland will mark the success of the Carbon Club pilot launched earlier this year by adding their environmental pledges to the tree in Waverley Court. The initiative will allow staff across the Council to suggest new ways to save energy at work, with the most original idea winning a prize.

Council Leader Jenny Dawe, said: “We are committed to reducing Edinburgh’s carbon footprint to zero by 2050 and I am delighted to see that our staff are making positive steps in this direction. The launch of the pledge tree will not only remind people of their responsibility to the environment, but also hopefully encourage new and exciting ways to cut both waste and costs.”

Brendan DickBrendan Dick, director of BT Scotland, said: “We are very pleased to support the carbon club initiative at The City of Edinburgh Council by sponsoring the pledge tree. It is a highly visible reminder to people to think about the environment in their day to day lives and take simple steps to reduce their impact. Our research clearly shows that good environmental practises in the workplace are often replicated at home – whether it’s unplugging your phone charger, switching off electrical equipment, recycling materials or thinking about how you travel. BT employees have made more than 14,500 pledges to take action on the environment, and we hope this new initiative will encourage even more people to make a positive commitment.”

In January of this year, the City of Edinburgh Council was the first local authority in the UK to launch the Carbon Club pilot in partnership with BT. Eleven different clubs were set up to tackle environmental and climate change issues, raising staff awareness of unnecessary waste in the workplace. The more successful clubs managed to cut corporate taxi use, introduce paperless meetings and encourage staff to add ‘Avoid Printing’ signs at the end of every email. Over 500 pledges from members have been received since last November; a clear sign that staff are committed to greener living.

The pledge tree will be in residence at Waverley Court for two weeks from the 29 July and staff will be encouraged to pledge innovative ideas on saving energy at work.

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