Environmental policy
Environmental Policy (G11:V6:20/05/08:CP)
1. Introduction
The Vale Housing Association manages homes in a beautiful area and we are proud of our local environment. We are conscious that quality of life results from more than bricks and mortar. Our aim is to provide residents with quality homes and services in sustainable communities whilst safeguarding the environment in which we all live and work. Central to our environmental work are projects that help to reduce residents’ living costs and improve their comfort and wellbeing.
We employ over 180 staff and manage approximately 12% of the homes in the Vale of White Horse District. We have recently become part of an alliance with Sovereign Housing Group and have as a consequence taken on close to 1,000 more homes across Oxfordshire and into surrounding districts and our development programme will continue to grow as a result of our alliance. Our environmental responsibility is therefore large and set to increase further. It is our hope to lead by example and encourage our staff, residents and partners to value and protect the environment. We promise to do our utmost to pass on the environment to future residents and local people in an even better condition than we find it today.
2. Aims and Objectives
2.1. Reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and climate change by:
- Continuously improving the energy efficiency of the buildings we construct, own or manage.
- Maximising the efficient use of transport by staff and tenants.
- Introducing the use of renewable energy sources where possible.
- Alleviate fuel poverty for our residents through the implementation of our Affordable Warmth Strategy.
2.2 Discourage the wastage of finite resources by:
- Reducing the unnecessary consumption of new resources by re-using products and purchasing recycled goods.
- Encouraging our residents to recycle household waste.
2.3 Conserve water resources by:
- Promoting the efficient use of water in all the buildings we construct, own or manage.
2.4 Reduce air pollution by:
- Cutting fleet vehicle emissions and reducing the number of unnecessary journeys.
2.5 Protect the visual charm of villages and towns by:
- Renovating and building properties so they are visually attractive and complement their surroundings.
2.6 Protect the natural environment and wildlife by:
- Preserving and protecting green open land where possible. Maximising the use of existing and previously used sites for new development.
- Protecting against the loss of wildlife and avoiding building on sensitive habitats.
3. Activities
In order to achieve our aims and objectives we will:
- Monitor and continually improve our environmental performance, adopting the approach set out in the British standard ISO14001.
- Draw up an annual programme of activities which aim to meet and where possible exceed the environmental standards set down by law.
- Foster staff awareness of our environmental impact and their responsibility for reducing it.
- Encourage staff to achieve environmental best practice.
- Consult residents about the environmental improvements they would like to see.
- Ensure that our contractors and partners apply environmental standards equivalent to our own.
- Publish our environmental performance in a public statement, outlining how we are seeking to manage and improve our environmental impacts.