Zeeland provincial authority has been using the Envirometer for years

Anne-Marie Mol, on Zeeland provincial authority's environmental policy team, has been using the Envirometer for years in the context of the province's Sustainable Business projects. This is what she has to say: 

The Stimular Envirometer saves a great deal of time. It gives government officials rapid insight into the environmental  data and it saves entrepreneurs a lot of time and trouble.

Companies have no trouble at all recording their data, but what they do want is clarity about what local authorities require of them. This unequivocal tool for use by firms and local authorities provides just that kind of clarity.

Firms see an advantage in comparative analyses and the Envirometer is an ideal tool for the purpose. By comparing their performance with that of other companies working in their sector, they can exchange know-how and experience.

Those responsible for enforcement at the local level are wildly enthusiastic. They use the Envirometer to monitor the environmental impact of their own organisation.

Government agencies and the Envirometer

Government agencies play an important role in encouraging businesses to save energy and in promoting sustainable business practices. The Envirometer is an excellent tool for helping businesses in your municipality or region reduce the environmental impact of their activities and so give tangible form to your climate policy. Stimular is keen to collaborate with local and regional governments to promote dissemination of the Envirometer.

Below you can read about the various options available to government agencies for promoting energy conservation and sustainable business practices by using and disseminating the Envirometer.

Interested? Then email us or phone us on 0031 10 - 238 28 28. 
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Contents

• Providing Envirometer scans  
• Promoting the Envirometer
• Sectoral benchmarks (instigation/support)
• Using the Envirometer yourself

Providing Envirometer scans

In the Netherlands many local authorities are using the Envirometer to encourage businesses to save energy and to promote sustainable business practices. By doing so, they can help flesh out their policies on climate change and/or energy, waste and transport, the latter identified as 'prevention themes' in the (Dutch) Environmental Management Act. One of the ways this can be done is by offering to go out to a firm to carry out an Envirometer scan, filling in the Envirometer, drawing conclusions and elaborating an action list at one visit.
Practical experience: Zeeland Provincial Authority, Municipal Authorities of Breda, Deurne, Rotterdam, Schiedam, Vlaardingen, Ridderkerk, Maassluis, Hellevoetsluis and others.

Promoting the Envirometer

Government agencies are promoting the Envirometer in many different ways: in articles and presentations, on their websites, in folder hand-outs, by personal recommendation and so on. Choose the means that are best in line with your targets and organisational structure. We will be more than happy to assist you in these endeavours.
Practical experience: the websites of two regional Environmental Protection Agencies (in the Netherlands), a market on sustainable business in Hellevoetsluis, recommendation of the Envirometer to businesses by permit issue and enforcement staff at the Zeeland Provincial Authority.

Sectoral benchmarks (instigation/support)

In a benchmarking exercise companies from one and the same sector can compare their Envirometer scores. Entrepreneurs are always keen to compare their performance with others and in practice benchmarking inevitably identifies new issues that need tackling. As part of the government apparatus you can instigate and facilitate this kind of project.
Practical experience: SenterNovem (government offices), Zeeland Provincial Authority (schools, care centres, concrete suppliers), Breda (printers) and others.

Using the Envirometer yourself

By yourself using the Envirometer as a government agency, you can pursue several goals simultaneously:

• You measure the environmental performance of your organisation and gain insight into the priorities for in-house environmental care.
• You give a good example to businesses.

Practical experience: over 100 government agencies.