Green Policy

Environmental Policy

The Board believes that all businesses are responsible for achieving good environmental practice and operating in a sustainable manner. The Board is therefore committed to reducing its environmental impact and continually improving its environmental performance as an integral part of its business strategy and operating methods.

We recognise that our activities have an impact on the environment and we are committed to minimising that impact through seeking continually to improve our environmental performance by:

• rigorously attempting to meet all relevant legislation, regulations, Government guidance and industry codes of practice on environmental issues
• ensuring all our staff have a good understanding of the environmental impacts of the project and our work
• making efficient use of natural resources by minimising waste, recycling office paper & other materials
• keeping transport to a minimum
• saving energy by turning off electronics when not in use
• encouraging the use of innovative materials to be incorporated where possible including energy efficient and sustainable materials

It is the Board’s priority to encourage visitors, suppliers and all business associates to do the same. Not only is this sounds commercial sense for all; it is also a matter of delivering on our duty of care towards future generations.

We are working to make the museum more eco-friendly, but we need your help. Download our visitor charter for 7 ways you can help save the planet.

Our leaflets are printed on 100% recycled paper.

http://www.florence-nightingale.co.uk/cms/images/pdf/visitor_charter.pdf

We are accredited as a member of the Green Tourism for London scheme, a part of the nationwide Green Tourism Business Scheme. This means that our eco-credentials have been independently assessed.

Some key facts about rubbish and recycling:

•  24 tonnes of rubbish is produced every year, from the home.

•  We have almost halved (it’s at 54.8 %) the amount of rubbish going into landfills; 20 years ago 90 % of waste was in landfills.

•  It is expected that by 2020, 50% of our rubbish will be recycled.

•  Recycling aluminium cans is well worth it as aluminium can be used again and again. Recycling it only uses 5% of the energy it would take to supply more.

•  Glass can also be reused many times, but paper can’t. Every time it is recycled it loses fibres and becomes weaker.

•  Drink cans have started to be made thinner after the European Union put demands on can manufacturers in 2000 to reduce the amount wastage.

•  Glass bottles have also been made thinner, except for milk bottles because they are reused so many times.

•  At the Material Resource Facility (MRF) the materials are sorted using wind to blow light materials like plastic away to leave heavy objects like metal and glass.