Environment Dept going greener
2008-06-02 20:18
Cape Town - The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism has "drastically reduced" the number of flights officials have to take both nationally and internationally.
This, said Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk, was one of the notable initiatives that the department had taken to reduce the amount of energy they used and to reduce its 'carbon footprint'.
The minister told Ruth Rabinowitz of the Inkatha Freedom Party in a written reply to a parliamentary question on Monday that other initiatives included scheduling meetings to allow for use of one vehicle instead of separate ones.
"In terms of its energy efficiency programme, the department is one of the forerunners with regard to energy efficiency measures which indirectly benefit the environment," said Van Schalkwyk.
Going the green route
"In its efforts to reduce the use of paper, the department has introduced electronic filing and routing systems. This has drastically reduced the amount of paper required for the department to attend to its administrative duties.
"Additionally, meeting documents are circulated electronically and accessed during meetings via the internal system installed for this purpose.
"The department is also investigating the use of recycled paper and the introduction of printers that would facilitate this process."
He added: "It implemented video-conferencing technology that facilitates linkages for meetings between Cape Town and Pretoria offices."
The minister also said his department was implementing 'greening'
initiatives across the country such as town beautification and green gardens.