Parliament aims for 30% smaller carbon footprint

The European Parliament has decided to set out bold new plans to cut the institution's substantial carbon footprint by 30% by 2020. The leaders of the main political groups in Parliament have committed it to a review of its output of greenhouse gasses in a bid to meet the future target.

Around 2/3 of the Parliament's footprint comes from the use of electricity, gas and transport. Buildings and IT equipment make up 19% of the footprint according to an in-house study commissioned for the Parliament's key leadership body - the Bureau.
  
The study highlights various emission reduction strategies including increasing energy efficiency, using renewable energy and offsetting emissions.
 
The main opportunities suggested would require action in the areas of energy use, IT, building infrastructure and transport.
 
The Chair of Parliament's new Environmental Policy Working Group, Green MEP Gérard Onesta believes big changes are imminent: “The present situation is not very good but when you travel a lot, you spend a lot of energy. We are at the very beginning of a green revolution. We want to be an example - it is not only about voting but applying.”
 
Speaking at an Environmental Committee hearing on 6 November Liberal MEP Magor Imre Csibi supported Onesta's views saying: “Instead of wasting millions of sheets of paper for each committee meeting, we should have screens in the meeting rooms.”
 
Socialist MEP Guido Sacconi also spoke at the same hearing. When referring to the Parliament's Hemicycle Chamber he said: “Look at all this heating and cooling and lighting in this room”.
 
He went on to suggest that a difference could be made “if we could offset at least for international flights...which many of us are already doing this voluntarily.”
 
Also speaking at the meeting was John Bowis of the centre right EPP-ED group who believes that revenue can be raised from charging for the privileged of parking as well as championing the benefits of natural light: “Using daylight also improves the air quality. That's a question of health as well” he said.
 
Two recent parliament offices that have opened in Brussels - the Willy Brandt and József Antall buildings - have been built with the environment in mind.
 
They have a basin with a capacity of 145,000 litres which catches rainwater for flushing toilets. They also have eight rotating solar panels to heat water and offices presence detectors which automatically switch off lights, heating and ventilation when an office is empty.
 
A proposed new building for the parliament in Luxembourg will benefit from green measures. According to Mr Onesta it will have “solar panels, thermo energy from the soil, biomass heating and a fleet of hybrid cars”.
 
Since 2008 the EP has only been using “green electricity” in its three places of work and has already reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 17%.
 
The Parliament is also the only EU institution to hold an Environmental Management Scheme (EMAS) certification for its work in the promotion of efficient energy, water and paper usage.