Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
www.fao.org
HQ: Rome, Italy
Number of staff: 2800 HQ
Number of locations: 106
Key Figures
Total emissions: 31,865 tonnes CO2 equivalent
Emissions per staff member: 11.4 tonnes CO2 equivalent
Emissions from air travel: 26,066 tonnes CO2 equivalent
Air travel as a proportion of total emissions: 82%
Air travel per staff member: 9.3 tonnes CO2
Building-related emissions: 51 kg CO2 equivalent per square metre
NB: This inventory does not include FAO's field offices.
“We cannot credibly advise others if we do not at the same time look in our own backyard: FAO’s workplace and work practices…FAO wants to stand up and be counted as a champion of the drive towards a Climate Neutral UN.”
Jacques Diouf, Director-General, The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Director-General's Message
“Agriculture, sustainable management of natural resources and food security are fundamental to the challenges of climate change. FAO, through its expertise in agriculture, forestry and fisheries, facilitates an integrated approach to climate change adaptation and mitigation. We cannot credibly advise others, however, if we do not at the same time look in our own backyard: FAO’s workplace and work practices. Consequently, in 2008, I commissioned a project for an organisation-wide Environmental Management System, along with a strategy to measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from our facilities management and travel. FAO wants to stand up and be counted as a champion of the drive towards a Climate Neutral UN.”
Jacques Diouf
Mission
The FAO spearheads international efforts to defeat hunger and build a food-secure world for present and future generations. As the lead agency for agriculture, forestry, fisheries and rural development, it seeks to alleviate poverty, hunger and malnutrition by promoting sustainable agricultural development, improved nutrition and the targeting of food security. Serving both developed and developing countries, it acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy.
Experience so far
Highlights:
1. Plastic water bottle awareness campaign: multimedia involving giant art installation in central atrium (70 plastic bags suspended from ceiling containing one day’s worth of FAO’s plastic bottle waste), poster, handouts, rolling clip on TV monitor, electronic distribution of FAO data and related advice, business case to install refrigerated sparkling and flat water fountains throughout HQ premises, with the objective of halving by June 2010 FAO’s use of approximately 2,500 half liter water bottles per working day – a first step towards phasing out of plastic-bottled water.
2. Formation and growth of staff Going Green Group: active in Knowledge Share Fair, World Earth Day, World Environment Day, European Mobility Week, Green Tips, GGG website, films, etc.
3. Rolling out of Green Tips for FAO staff: based on FAO data, target office practices. Tips released to date have focused on reducing plastic water bottle waste, reducing paper consumption (environmentally-friendly printing and encouraging use of recycled paper), commuting. Other tips on waste differentiation, energy, catering and air travel are planned.
Challenges:
1. Competing senior management priorities, exacerbated by massive FAO reform process
2. Complexities of effective communication with staff in a world of information-overload
3. Funding
Reduction efforts
A selection of measures implemented are: electric battery charger installed in FAO parking lot for electric scooter commuting, enhanced flexi-time policy, reserved car parks for car pools, advice to FAO Credit Union for launch of Eco-Transport loans, active FAO Cycle Community, 100% renewable energy in 2009 (up from 25% in 2008), environmental checklist in place since late 2008, applied and (where possible) improved for all major FAO-hosted meetings; questionnaire on eco-friendly hotel management sent to hotels in vicinity of three Rome-based agencies and green ratings included in list of hotels distributed; empirical studies of FAO’s procurement practices for office paper, IT, furniture, cleaning and waste service plus recommended actions; differentiated waste bins, bio-cups or 100% biodegradable cups only in one bar and use of crockery/glass supplies again in the main bar (in bars and the cafeteria pending return to use of crockery/glass supplies).
Offsetting
FAO’s focus is on reducing its emissions before formulating a policy for offsetting remaining emissions. That policy will ultimately be a political rather than a technical decision, so it is important to approach it responsibly and have a credible audit trail in place. In June 2008, FAO gained experience in offsetting in making its ‘High Level Conference on World Food Security: Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy’ a climate-friendly event. Conference-related emissions were offset for delegates from the Low Income Food Deficit Countries by purchasing CERs from a small-scale hydro-electricity project in Honduras with sponsorship from the UK Department of International Development. The emissions generated by 434 LIFDC delegates were calculated to be 1’360 tonnes of CO2 equivalent; cost of offsetting was USD 48,600.
Next steps
In the course of 2008, FAO has gathered and analysed data for an Environmental Management System consistent with ISO-14001 for its Headquarters premises. Together with data on FAO-purchased travel, this will provide the empirical, policy and behavioural foundations for FAO’s Emissions Reduction Strategy. FAO will be able to measure the emissions reduction impact of specific environmental improvement actions, primarily in the area of reduced energy consumption but also reduced water consumption and enhanced waste management (measures programmed over 2009/2010) and in the area of travel. FAO’s base year for this ongoing process will be 2008. Pending the formulation and adoption of a revised FAO travel policy and UN system guidance on the nature of targets to be adopted, FAO has not yet devised a time or target- bound emissions reduction strategy, but thanks to the comprehensive base-year data now available, is well placed to do so. As elsewhere, the Organization’s budgetary priorities will of necessity affect the pace of implementation.
Concrete emission reduction measures planned include: user-friendly labels for differentiated waste bins, plus more bins; photocopying paper choice reduced to two: recycled and ecologically produced; rationalization (virtualization) of computer servers; banning use of virgin paper at HQ, retrofitting of HVACs to phase out use of refrigerant gas R-22, upgrading HQ and Regional Offices’ video-conferencing equipment to HD; centralized monitoring of office lighting via electronically controlled light bulbs, installation of rooftop mini-windmill energy generators or photovoltaic panels (with sponsorship), extension of corridor light-timers and bathroom presence-sensors, installation of water flow reducers in bathrooms, replacement of bathroom paper towels by energy efficient electric hand driers, new travel policy.
