Ways discussed to cut carbon emission

LAHORE
WWF-Pakistan organised an awareness raising seminar at Sundar Industrial Estate plant site on Tuesday.
The seminar also included a training workshop on the Green Office Initiative and its role in promoting conservation and sustainability. WWF-Pakistan’s Green Office has been working since 2011 to reduce carbon emission and minimise their impact on environment. Officials said the WWF Green Office Initiative was a practical and simple Environmental Management System (EMS) developed by WWF, specifically for office conditions.
Nazifa Butt, Coordinator Green Office/Environmental Assessment, WWF-Pakistan, said the WWF Green Office Initiative was helping industries in cutting their carbon emission and conserving natural resources consumed in offices. The success of any programme lies in the employee’s commitment of the organisation. The WWF Green Office engages employees in robust environmental awareness training workshops where they not only learn to help organisation cut natural resource consumption, but this also brings a positive behavioural change in them which further contribute to reduce their ecological footprint, she added.
Jawad Ahmed, speaker at the seminar, said everything we did was driven by a simple promise. The commitment relates not just to ensure the safety of the food we eat and drink. It is also about minimising our impact on the environment.
Farah Rashid, Programme Officer, Green Office Initiative, WWF-Pakistan, discussed ways to cut carbon emission in key performance indicators such as energy, paper, waste, water and travel. Issues of energy and water scarcity faced by the country were discussed and better practices were highlighted that could help reduce their ecological footprint and contribute to become responsible citizens of society. A brainstorming activity was also organised where participants engaged in group discussions and gave solutions to tackle water scarcity and contribute towards conservation of the environment at an individual level.
The Green Office Initiative was launched in Pakistan in 2010. Over the years, 41 offices have joined the programme and are working actively to reduce their environmental footprint and educate their employees to become responsible citizens and understand their civic and environmental responsibilities. The implementation of Green Office helps organisations to cut energy costs, reduce wastage and make better procurement choices. In addition to cost savings they also benefit from a newly motivated and environmentally aware personnel as well as an improved corporate image.