Issue 5 - Sept/Oct2007 - South London Business

4 News
South London Business
South London Business
7/f Cygnet House, 12-14 Sydenham Road,
Croydon CR9 2ET
Tel: 020 8666 0221
Fax: 020 8681 5330
www.southlondonbusiness.co.uk
Editor
Ross Feeney
020 8256 1281
ross.feeney@southlondonbusiness.co.uk
If you have a story you would like to
feature in the magazine, send it to
magazine@southlondonbusiness.co.uk
Croydon Chamber of Commerce
Suite 60, Capital Business Centre,
22 Carlton Road,
South Croydon, Surrey CR2 0BS
Tel: 020 8916 2345
www.croydonchamber.org.uk
Kingston Chamber of Commerce
The Enterprise Zone,
River Reach House,
High Street, Kingston KT1 1LF
Tel: 020 8541 4441
Fax: 020 8541 4445
www.kingstonchamber.co.uk
Merton Chamber of Commerce Ltd
and southlondon.biz
Tuition House, 27-37 St George’s Road,
Wimbledon SW19 4EU
Tel: 020 8944 5501
Fax: 020 8286 2552
www.mertonchamber.co.uk
Sutton Chamber of Commerce
16th floor, Quadrant House,
The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS
Tel: 020 8642 9661
chairman@suttonchamber.biz
www.suttonchamber.biz
South London Business is
published by Imprint Publishing,
a division of Excel Publishing Co Ltd.
Imprint Publishing
Houldsworth Mill,
Reddish,
Stockport SK5 6DA
Editorial
Roisin Kiernan
0161 661 4194
roisin.kiernan@excelpublishing.co.uk
Production editor
Elgan Bruce
0161 443 5051
elgan@imprintpub.co.uk
Production
Sam Al-Hamdani, Tracey Alexander,
Vanessa Armitage, Carl Barton, Peter Foley,
Joanne Murphy, Adrian North
Sales
Gina Forshaw
0161 443 5073
gina@imprintpub.co.uk
Mayor urges Richmond businesses
to reduce carbon emissions
Ken Livingstone, the
Mayor of London, urged
local businesses in the
London borough of
Richmond to change their
workplace habits in order reduce
their Co2 emissions.
On a visit to Richmond in June, the
Mayor spoke at a panel discussion on
Sustainability in a World Class City at
Kew Gardens with Councillor Serge
Lourie, the leader of Richmond Council,
Professor Stephen Hopper, director of
Kew Gardens, and members of the local
business community.
During his opening address the Mayor
told local business that adopting the
range of measures set out in the London
Climate Change Action Plan – Action
Today to Protect Tomorrow – would save
them money in the long term by making
their businesses more energy efficient, as
well as cutting carbon emissions.
Livingstone said: ‘‘Richmond employers
and residents don’t have to reduce their
quality of life to tackle climate change,
but we do need to change the way we
live in order to protect the environment.
Simple changes like switching off lights
and IT equipment and unplugging
mobile phone chargers can make a real
difference to the environment and cut
energy bills.
“Good employers want to play their
part in tackling climate change and they
recognise that this makes good business
sense – helping cut energy bills as well
as creating the right sort of reputation to
attract and retain the best staff.
“Globally, cities cause three quarters of
the world’s carbon emissions so we are
a big part of the problem and a key part
of the solution. What London does to
cut its’ emissions, and by working with
other cities to do the same, will make a
real difference to tackling climate change
around the world.’’
Councillor Lourie said: “Global warming
is the key challenge facing the world today.
It is simply not good enough to sit around
and wait for someone else, either in central
government or another country to do
something about it.
“A year ago our council set out to make
the environment our number one priority.
We said that we would put it at the heart
of everything we do. Our ground breaking
CO2 emissions based parking policy
which was introduced earlier this year,
is a statement that we are serious about
combating climate change.
“The only way we can really improve
our local areas and effect real change
is by working closely with our residents
and businesses and also other councils
and national leaders. I welcome the
Mayor of London’s Climate Change
Action Plan and look forward to
working with him to make London the
most sustainable city in the world.”
London’s employers in both private and
public sector are responsible for 33 per cent
of the capital’s emissions. If all of London’s
employers introduced simple changes like
turning off lights and IT equipment at night,
emissions would be cut by over three million
tonnes a year.
Modest improvements to the energy
efficiency of London’s commercial and
public buildings would cut emissions by
a further two million tonnes. If all of the
actions in this plan were implemented they
would save employers up to 20 per cent on
their energy bills.
The plan also shows that, without
action, London’s carbon emissions will
grow from 44 million tonnes to 52 million
tonnes by 2025.
From left: Richmond Cllr Serge Lourie, Ken Livingstone and
Prof. Stephen Hopper, director of Kew Gardens highlighted the environmental
responsibilities of businesses at a local level during a visit to Richmond’s famous gardens