Earth Day 2021: UK HEMS charity focus
As Earth Day 2021 (22nd April) approaches, Essex & Herts Air Ambulance (EHAAT) has announced the steps taken to date, as well as further plans to reduce its impact on the environment
In what EHAAT believes is a first for a UK air ambulance charity, it has carried out a thorough review of its carbon footprint and sustainability, and is now looking at how it can achieve a net zero impact.
The first stage of this process was to engage a carbon consultant and work with them to calculate the charity’s carbon footprint for the year 2019-20. This involved capturing the data on the fuel used under Scope 1 of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (fuel used in aircraft, vehicles, heating buildings etc.) and Scope 2 (Fuel used indirectly as a result of the charity’s activities, such as in the production of purchased electricity).
Making the right environmental sustainability choices
James McInroy, EHAAT’s Head of Workplace and Infrastructure, said: “EHAAT is committed to making the very best choices for the environment, our people and the community. We have reviewed all areas of the charity and calculated our Carbon GHG (Green House Gas) footprint. With long-term sustainability and carbon impact forming our decisions across all areas of the charity, our objective is to reduce our carbon footprint and achieve a net zero impact.”
One of the first beneficiaries of this trailblazing work is EHAAT’s new airbase at North Weald, which will become operational this summer. The building was designed with environmental considerations as a priority.
These include:
- The building has been designed to current BREEAM ratings and has achieved an energy performance certificate (EPC) grading of A, the highest possible.
- Photovoltaic panels on the roof means that the building generates more electricity than it uses. The excess is sold to the national grid.
- Electric vehicle charging points enable users of electric vehicles to charge them.
- Motion sensor lighting inside the building means lights are only active when areas are occupied, reducing electricity consumption.
- Additional steps such as improved waste segregation and recycling and Eco boilers are also being installed at the charity’s airbase and its headquarters in Earls Colne, as well as its charity shops across Essex and Hertfordshire.
Over the coming year, EHAAT will take steps to further improve sustainability and the organization’s carbon footprint. Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) provides a cleaner source of fuel to power rotorcraft and decreases the environmental impact of general aviation, and recently, Bell has introduced SAF into its training academy aircraft.