What is the BMA doing?
The BMA and British Medical Journal Publishing Group (BMJPG) recognise that we have a responsibility to both promote and adopt good environmental practices. The Senior Management Group (SMG) have set up an informal group to look at practical ways of reducing the BMA’s carbon foot print, and have issued internal guidance to all BMA and BMJ staff on how they can make a difference (eg by switching off lights and electronic equipment, recycling office stationary etc).
A number of initiatives have implemented in line with the BMA/BMJPG environmental policy:
- Stationery
The BMA has a single source agreement with their stationary supplier (who are themselves fully certified to ISO 14001 and in 2006, gained the Green Apple Award for Environmental Best Practice in Fuel, Power & Energy – Gold Winner) to only purchase approved paper grades which are either 100 per cent recycled and/or non-recycled grades which are from sustainable sources. The recycled grades are manufactured in a UK ISO 14001 and Eco-management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) accredited paper mill, in Kent, which has a low carbon footprint. Together with the appointed stationery supplier, the BMA promotes, and monitors the use of, environmentally friendly products when ordering. - Waste minimisation
The BMA uses a registered recycler for office recycling (including paper recycling) and works in partnership with them to put in place, monitor and report on a comprehensive, cost effective, sustainable waste management scheme. In the future, there are plans to introduce a battery recycling facility. - Estates
The BMA Estates department has implemented a number of measures including:- replacing switch start high energy fluorescent fittings with new low energy/high frequency fittings
- installing passive infra-red (PIR) light sensors in all newly refurbished toilet and kitchen accommodations
- recycling all fluorescent low energy lamps
- providing additional electrical and plumbing services to kitchens, in order to accommodate the new, more environmentally friendly plumbed-in filtered water systems
- installing versa twin toilet roll dispensers to minimise paper waste
- using only environmental friendly produced toilet and tissue paper.
- Information Management and Technology
The BMA Information Management and Technology (IM&T) department has implemented a number of measures including:- replacing cathode ray tube (CRT) computer monitors with more energy efficient flat-screen monitors
- recycling and disposing of old IT equipment through charities
- reducing the number of printers in use throughout the BMA
- implementing server virtualisation to reduce the number of physical boxes that use energy and require cooling
- lobbying IT suppliers to adopt green initiatives and policies – Martin Kelmanson (Head of Information, Communications and Technology Services) is a founding member of an Environmental IT Leadership Team (EILT) whose membership includes the BMA, CQSM, Sony UK Ltd., E.ON, John Lewis Partnership, Lloyds TSB, Peterborough City Council, and the University of Cumbria. The group has established a green group that will tackle climate change by publishing best practices for sustainable IT.
- ensure stable videoconferencing (VC) facilities and encourage their use to reduce travel
- upgrade equipment so it lasts longer, and only replace equipment when needed
- ensure new machines have the ‘Energy Star’ label and as such, are certified ‘Energy Star’ compliant
- investigate the use of virtual desktops (machines that work off the server thereby needing less power to work and lasting lot longer than the traditional computer)
- investigate the use of software to ‘wake up’ machines at night to for maintenance and updates installation, thereby removing the need to keep computers switched on over night
- implement archiving of computer drives and electronic mail boxes to reduce the length of time it takes to perform nightly backups
- monitor developments in legislation and best practice.
- Catering and hospitality services
The BMA contract caterer has, where possible, reduced ordering and thus packaging and deliveries to only three days a week. Recycling systems are in place for all cardboard generated from packaging; all glass bottles from refreshment sales; and plastic containers from items such as milk. A system for on site water filtration using refillable bottles has also been introduced. Within the kitchen itself, there is a “switching off” of appliances policy. In the future, the BMA will be considering the possibility of composting waste food and waste oil recycling. The packaging used for take away items within the staff restaurant, café and members lounge will be biodegradable, as will the takeaway cutlery. - British Medical Journal
The BMJPG is looking at using recycled high quality paper for the journal publication. Currently the BMJ is printed on a light weight coated paper that is a mixture of virgin pulp and washed pulp. The wrapper is biodegradable and the BMJ will be investigating in lower weights of biodegradable polythenes that take less time to break down. The BMJ Journals will also use biodegradable wrappers. The mills used to produce the paper for all BMJ products are certified as having good environmental practices and take their wood from sustainable forests situated in Europe, thus avoiding long transport times. All BMJ printers are signed up to standards of environmental practice.