Websites| General analysis |Carbon trading |Energy|Transport |
Building|Food|Agriculture|Procurement
In the list below, icons of PDFs and Word documents, report covers and logos will, where available, link to the relevant report/information. Links within the text will also link to relevant webpages as well as to PDFs etc.
A huge number of organisations, from government and international agencies to NGOs and universities focus in one way or another on food policy and to provide a comprehensive list would be impossible. It is also difficult to separate out food policy from other subject areas. The following list represents a tiny fraction of the institutions dealing with this issue and other pages on this website will also list organisations who will have useful policy-related information. However, as a first port of call, it might be worth looking at the websites of the following organisations:
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Defra - the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. For details of Defra's work on sustainable consumption and production see here. |
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The NETREGs website – www.netregs.gov.uk – is run by the Environment Agency and provides information on regulations affecting industry sectors, including agriculture and food. |
| Institute of European Environmental Policy (deals mainly with agricultural policy reform and fisheries) | |
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International Food Policy Research Institute (focuses heavily on food security). |
General climate policy analysisBack to top
| Added: 08.01.08 | Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided world
The United Nations' latest Human Development report argues that the world is drifting towards a “tipping point” that could lock the world’s poorest countries and their poorest citizens in a downward spiral, leaving hundreds of millions facing malnutrition, water scarcity, ecological threats, and a loss of livelihoods. It calls on developed countries to demonstrate leadership by cutting greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% of 1990 levels by 2050. The report advocates a mix of carbon taxation, more stringent cap-and-trade programmes, energy regulation, and international cooperation on financing for low-carbon technology transfer. Regarding adaptation, the report draws attention to extreme inequalities in adaptation capacity. According to the report, total current spending through multilateral mechanisms on adaptation has amounted to $26 million to date—roughly one week’s worth of spending on UK flood defences. It say that Northern governments should allocate to the developing world at least $86 billion annually by 2015 (around 0.2% of their projected GDP). Read the press release and find links to the full report here. |
| Added: 27.11.07 | Apocalyptic vision of a post-fossil fuel world On 22 November, 2007, Richard Heinberg, author and former advisor to the National Petroleum Council, gave a speech at the Soil Association’s annual Lady Eve Balfour lecture. He warned that warned that the lives of billions of people were threatened by a food crisis caused by our dependence on dwindling supplies of fossil fuels. Higher oil prices, the loss of farmland to biofuel crops, climate change and the loss of natural resources would combine with population growth to create an unprecedented food shortage, he claimed. The only way to avoid a world food crisis was a planned and rapid reduction of fossil fuel use – oil, coal and gas – and a switch to more organic methods in the growing and delivery of food. It would mean a return to living off the land not seen for 150 years. You can read the speech here. |
| Added: 6.11.07 | Plans for strengthened Climate Change Bill On 29 October 2007, the Environment Secretary, Hilary Benn announced that the Government will amend its draft Climate Change Bill. When originally published in March 2007, the draft Bill set out clear legally binding targets for reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the UK by at least 60 per cent by 2050, and from 26 to 32 per cent by 2020. This is to be based on a new system of “carbon budgets” set at least 15 years ahead. It also proposed the creation of a new independent, expert Committee on Climate Change to advise on the best way to achieve these targets. The changes to the draft Bill, set out in new paper entitled ‘Taking Forward the UK Climate Change Bill’ published on 29 Oct, . For more information see here. |
| CarbonLimited Interim Report The RSA has published an interim report from its CarbonLimited project which finds that personal carbon trading could be up and running by 2013. CarbonLimited was established in 2006 as a 3-year programme to analyse the effectiveness, feasibility and public acceptability of the concept of personal carbon trading (PCT). Under the RSA’s proposals, UK citizens would be allocated a free carbon allowance. If they wanted to emit more than their cap, they would have to buy “carbon credits” from other citizens who had emitted less. The scheme would initially be voluntary and individual caps would be set by the independent Committee on Climate Change proposed in the draft climate change bill. The report suggess that the IT infrastructure – such as credit cards, loyalty and pre-pay cards – is already in place to develop an effective scheme, and would “cost relatively little to re-use”. This would also remove the need for a central government database. The RSA says that PCT would be fairer than carbon taxes “which would disproportionately affect the least wealthy”. Concern nevertheless remains over the types of emissions to include, the possibility of ‘double counting’ – and the possibility that if the UK took this initiative alone it would end up at a competitive disadvantage. |
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The Climate Change Levy and Climate Change Agreements. The purpose of this report, which was prepared by the National Audit Office for the House of Commons Environment Audit Committee, is to understand and consider
The report concludes that while the levy and CCAs have been effective in encouraging businesses to improve their energy efficiency, they have delivered fewer emissions cuts than anticipated. It estimates that by 2010, the levy will have delivered emissions savings of 3.5MtC, while the CCAs will have delivered only 1.9MtC. In 2004, the targets under the CCAs had been tightened so they would deliver 2.9MtC. The NAO urges the EAC to look into tightening the targets for the final period of the agreements. |
The Quality of Life Report – Blueprint for a Green Economy The Quality of Life Policy Group, commissioned by the David Cameron to recommend policies to the Conservative Party, has published its report: Blueprint for a Green Economy. The remit of the Group was to consider holistically the issues of the built environment; rural life; food, farming, fishing and the marine environment; transport; energy; waste; and water. The Group was led by Zac Goldsmith and John Gummer. See here for the press release. |
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 Added: 6.9.07 |
Risk & Policy Analysts Ltd. (2007). A review of recent developments in, and the practical use of, ecological footprinting methodologies: A report to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. is a study, published by Defra in September 2007 which reviews recent developments in ecological footprinting methodologies, its practical application and its usefulness as a policy making tool. The ecological footprint provides a measure of the extent to which human activities exceed two specific environmental limits; the availability of bioproductive land and the availability of forest areas to sequester carbon dioxide emissions. An FCRN summary is available here. |
Added: 6.9.07 |
A new report by Cambridge Econometrics predicts that the UK will fail to meet its carbon dioxide emissions reduction target for 2020. The forecasts indicate that UK CO2 emissions will amount to 136.3 million tonnes of carbon in 2020, just 15% lower than they were in 1990. The draft Climate Change Bill has set a goal of cutting emissions by between 26% and 32% by 2020. The forecasts also suggest that the UK will miss its renewable electricity targets for 2010 and 2015 by a wide margin. |
| Added: 13.8.07 | Sustainable development indicators in your pocket 2007 is the latest set of pointers to the state of the nation across a range of issues including health, housing, jobs, crime, education and the environment. The set of 68 cross-government indicators within the booklet includes 'traffic lights' to signal where things are getting better, worse or staying the same. More than half the official measurements show improvement.
You can download the booklet here. |
| futu[r]e investment: a sustainable investment plan for the power sector to save the climate was published in July 2007 Greenpeace and the European Renewable Energy Council published .
It argues that with rising fossil fuel prices the use of renewables would not only cut our global CO2 emissions from the electricity sector in half by 2030, but would also cost 10 times less than a ‘business as usual’ fossil-fuel future would, translating into savings of $180 billion a year. The report says that this could be used to provide the extra aid needed for us to reach the Millennium Development Goals by their target date of 2015. The goals are to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; universal primary education; gender equality and women’s empowerment; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability; and develop a global partnership for development. You can read the press release here. For the full report click on the PDF icon. |
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| Added: 13.7.07
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The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) published its report zerocarbonbritain in July 2007. This report sets out a blueprint for how Britain could reduce its carbon emissions to zero by 2027.
The report begins by defining the overall contextual issues: a changing climate, fossil fuel depletion and the need for equitable global development. An FCRN summary of the report is available here. For the press release see here. The report itself can be downloaded here. |
| Added: 6.7.07 | The Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has published its report on the Draft Climate Change Bill. This, you will remember, commits the UK to achieving 60% CO2 reductions by 2050, and proposes a series of five-yearly target reductions.
An FCRN summary is available here. See here to read the press release and for links to the full report . For the summary see here. |
| Government's draft Climate Change Bill was published in March 2007. An FCRN summary is available here. The Defra press release and David Miliband's statement are available here. |
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| The Stern Review examines the financial, human and other costs of failing to tackle climate change and concludes that this could amount to trillions of pounds, equivalent to shrinking the global economy by a fifth by 2050. An FCRN summary is available here. Supplementary documents released after the publication of the report can be found here. |
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The Tyndall Centre's report Decarbonising the UK sets out a series of energy scenarios which map out a variety of different ways in which we might achieve the UK goals of a 60% CO2 reduction by 2050. The scenarios set out a varying mix of demand reduction and alternative/cleaner fuel supply options. An FCRN summary is available here. |
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The Friends of the Earth / Co-op Bank report by Tyndall Centre for Climate Change The future starts here: the route to a low carbon economy identifies and addresses three key issues:
The report is based upon and summarises extensive the research that the Tyndall Centre has undertaken into climate change and energy issues. |
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Recent evolution of the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP): state of play and environmental potential, Gay S.H., Osterburg B., Baldock D. Zdanowicz A. MEACAP WP6 D4b, Federal Agricultural Research Centre, Braunschweig and Institute for European Environmental Policy, London, March 2005 gives a very useful overview of the key elements of the 2003 CAP Reform and briefly outlines its possible implications for meeting Kyoto committments.
This report, published by IEEP is part of a series of reports in conjunction with the Sixth Framework Specific Targeted Research project entitled 'MEACAP - impact of environmental agreements on the Common Agricultural Policy'. Click here for an FCRN summary of the above report, or here for a summary of the report series. |
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I will if you will, published by the Sustainable Consumption Roundtable (an initiative co-hosted by the Sustainable Development Commission and the National Consumer Council) makes recommendations for government and business to take radical action to help people tackle climate change and environmental problems and get damaging products out of shops.
An FCRN summary of the report is available here. |
| For an analysis of existing producer responsibility initiatives in the areas of packaging (of relevance to food), electronics and vehicles, see the Green Alliance report Return To Sender: Producer responsibility and product policy, Green Alliance, London, March 2005
The report concludes that 'if more is to be delivered through producer responsibility it is within the context of a much broader agenda that addresses products' impacts across their whole life-cycle. The ultimate aim is to transform the way we use resources to reduce impacts to within environmental limits.' A summary of the full report is available here. |
Carbon Rationing/TradingBack to top
| Added: 04.06.08 | Personal carbon trading report published Findings from the Government study into personal carbon trading were published by Defra in May 2008. The report finds that, while personal carbon trading remains a potentially important way to engage individuals, and there are no insurmountable technical obstacles to its introduction, it would nonetheless seem that it is an idea currently ahead of its time in terms of its public acceptability and the technology to bring down the costs. Defra says that it remains interested in the concept of personal carbon trading and, although it will not be continuing its research programme at this stage, it will monitor the wealth of research focusing on this area and may introduce personal carbon trading if the value of carbon savings and cost implications change. See here for the press release and here for the full report. |
| Added: 28.03.08 | More details on the Carbon Reduction Commitment The government has published more information on its proposed mandatory emissions trading scheme for large organisations like supermarkets, hotels, water companies and local authorities. The carbon reduction commitment (CRC) is due to begin in 2010, and will apply to around 5,000 large, non-energy intensive organisations that have half-hourly electricity meters and use more than 6,000 kWhr of electricity per year. In order to demonstrate leadership, all government departments will be included in the scheme regardless of whether they meet the inclusion criteria. Defra has allocated £30 million, spread over three years, to provide interest-free loans to departments and other public bodies, like local authorities and hospitals, to invest in energy saving measures. You can read the Defra press release here. |
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The Institute for Public Policy Research's paper: European Emissions Trading at the Crossroads: Developing proposals for Phase III and beyond by Tim Gibbs and Simon Retallack considers the key issues that will shape the future of emissions trading in the EU, including how to ensure the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) achieves emissions reductions, expanding the EU ETS to new sectors, and the EU's role in establishing a global carbon market. |
| Application of the emissions trading directive by EU Member States (Technical report No 2) from the European Environment Agency presents information on the introduction of the European Emissions Trading System as reported by the Member States (in accordance with Article 21 of the Emissions Trading Directive). It covers the period until 30 April 2005. Since the reports from Member States only cover the first four months of the first trading year the information is limited, especially concerning the real emissions and the verification procedures. However, they contain information on competent authorities, legislation and experience gained in the allocation process. | |
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The Green Alliance and the Institute for European Environmental Policy have jointly published a report Business action on climate change - Where next after emissions trading?
This report reviews the incentives that have been put in place to encourage business and industry to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide including the emissions trading scheme, the climate change levy and agreement and the renewables obligation. It concludes that despite strong Government messages on climate change, there is currently little link between the messages and the policies that have been introduced and that the EU emissions trading scheme will not be strong enough to persuade business to reduce emissions. The report puts forward recommendations for a strengthened package of policies to encourage business action. |
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The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research's report Domestic Tradeable Quotas: A policy instrument for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from energy use (Technical Report 39 by Starkey R and Anderson K. (2005)) evaluates the feasibility of DTQs and their appropriateness as an instrument of public policy. The three evaluation criteria used were equity, effectiveness and efficiency.
Key findings are summarised here. |
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Living in a low carbon world: the policy implications of rationing is a report summarising the discussion and outcomes of a one day seminar which explored the implications of carbon rationing for key sectors of society and the economy.
The seminar brought together politicians, civil servants, academics, business experts and NGOs from across the UK and the debate covered issues such as healthcare, housing, opportunities for new types of business activity and employment, and the future of transport and air travel. Note that the concept of carbon rationing is envisaged, initially at least, to cover only domestic energy use and travel. It does not include food simply because at present a system of ascribing carbon value to the food we consume has not yet been developed. However, in future it would be desirable to include food and other areas of personal spending into the scheme. Additional briefing papers produced as part of the event are available here. |
Energy reductionBack to top
| For a general overview of work underway to tackle energy reduction see the UK Energy Research Centre website.
The UKERC is a major interdisciplinary research programme set up, among other things, to lead in UK energy research and provide a focal point for international collaboration. The UKERC research programme has six major themes, including those addressing future sources of energy and energy infrastructure and supply. Of most relevance, perhaps, to the food issue is the research theme addressing demand reduction (see here). |
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Of interest, although not strictly related to food, is a European Environment Agency report: Climate change and a European low-carbon energy system (EEA Report No 1/2005). This report presents an assessment of possible greenhouse gas emission reduction pathways made feasible by global action and a transition to a low-carbon energy system in Europe by 2030. It analyses trends and projections for emissions of greenhouse gases and the development of underlying trends in the energy sector. It also describes the actions that could bring about the transition to a low-carbon energy system in the most cost-effective way. |
Transport PoliciesBack to top
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See the DfT's Eddington Report Transport's role in sustaining UK's Productivity and Competitiveness: The Case for Action – for the press release see here. |
Building PoliciesBack to top
| Government has published plans for overhauling the planning system. You can read it here.
Its four main elements are, in Government's own words, as follows:
The Confederation of British Industries welcomes the announcement, saying that it 'introduces necessary reforms to help deliver the major projects, particularly in transport and energy, which the UK is crying out for if it is to remain competitive' It also 'welcomes the government's acceptance of Kate Barker's findings that local authorities need to give more weight to economic development through the planning system, rather than simply concentrating on development controls.' See here for more infiormation. However, eEnvironmental groups such as the CPRE have concerns. In particular CPRE notes that 'Despite calls from a wide variety of conservation and civic charities for the Government to reconsider its proposals for speeding up the planning and building of major infrastructure – such as motorways, big power stations, runways, ports, waste incinerators and reservoirs – these proposals are going ahead without significant changes.' See here for more information. |
Food PoliciesBack to top
| Added: 19.08.08 | Best Before: How the UK should respond to food policy challenges Britain must take urgent steps to secure a safe and sustainable food supply according to a new report published by the Institute for Public Policy Research North (ippr north). ippr north says that food is a major determinant of the UK’s social, economic and environmental wellbeing and that greater priority and coordination is needed on food rather than applying a static food policy. The report identifies four key areas for action: Food security, food poverty, food citizenship and food communication. |
| Added: 18.07.08 | Strategy Unit food report published
A ten-month Strategy Unit project looking at food policy across Government was published by the Cabinet Office in early July 2008. Food matters: Towards a strategy for the 21st Century concludes that rising demand, climate change, and trade and productivity restrictions must all be addressed. Commissioned by the Prime Minister, the report focuses on food issues in the UK and puts them in a global context. It draws together evidence about long-term trends in food production and consumption, and how food safety and nutrition impact on the health of the UK. The report makes several recommendations, including that building on the Stern Review and drawing on the UK’s world class science base, the UK should take a leadership role in looking at how the world can meet the twin challenges of climate change and global food security. The Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser is commissioning a major new project on this, which is announced today. It will explore how the food system and its associated policies will need to mitigate and adapt to climate change. You can read the press release and follow links to the full report here. |
| Added: 04.06.08 | RELU report - Land to mouth: Exploring the links between sustainable land use and the food we eat'
RELU is a £24 million interdisciplinary research programme into the challenges facing rural areas today, funded by the UK research councils, the Scottish Government and Defra. This report, published in March 2008, draws on the findings of seven food-chain related RELU projects to examine how a fresh look at land-use could facilitate the production of healthier and safer food. Four key questions are addressed; first, can the way we use land make our food healthier and safer? Secondly, can consumers help the environment? Thirdly, is a healthy and environmentally friendly diet compatible with innovation and sustainable business? Finally, how can policy-makers best respond to these links between sustainable land-use and food quality to deliver effective sustainable farming and food goals? You can download the report here (Briefing paper 8). |
| Added: 07.03.08 | SDC Supermarkets report published In 2008, the Sustainable Development Commission conducted a review of government’s role to enable supermarkets to deliver a sustainable food system in the UK. The review focuses on the role of government in supporting sustainable supermarket food in the UK. It the effectiveness of government policies towards the food system and supermarkets and the extent to which these policies are helping or hindering progress towards sustainable development. The report focuses on six priority areas of concern: Climate Change; Waste; Water; Ecosystems; Nutrition and obesity; Fair Supply Chains. Research undertaken for the report indicates that supermarkets are frustrated by a perceived lack of long-term government strategy on how the food sector can and must contribute to government policy goals. In the course of this review, supermarkets said they were willing to work with government to develop a coherent vision for a green, healthy and fair food system, with a roadmap that identifies priorities for retailers, continues to build the evidence base and implements the range of policy tools that will enable progress. You can read the press release and the report itself here. |
| Food prices – a US perspective
An article in the February 2008 issue of Amber Waves, an on-line magazine of the USDA’s Economic Research Service, covers, among other things, the impact of rising corn prices on US consumers and of general food prices on food security in the developing world. You can download the issue here. |
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Added: 16.01.08 |
Food: an analysis of the issues
Run by the UK Government Cabinet Office Strategy Unit, this project examines current and emerging trends in the production and consumption of food, the key drivers of those trends and the implications for the wider economy, society and the environment. It is looking at the opportunities and challenges facing the food system, including issues such as diet's contribution to public health, food safety, changing consumer tastes and preferences, and environmental sustainability. The results of the first, analytical, phase of the work are provided in the discussion paper that is available for download here. Comments and contributions are welcome |
| Added: 22.6.07 | Another of the FISS champions groups – the CSR – published its report in June 2007, called Plough to Plate. The work was undertaken by Business in the Community. The report provides a framework for identifying and prioritising the challenges of running a responsible business and highlights examples of best practice. Those challenges can be divided into risks – areas of high priority to Consumers and Opinion Leaders where industry performance falls below expectations - and opportunities – areas of high priority to Consumers and Opinion Leaders where industry performance exceeds expectations, or where competitive advantage can be gained. The report highlights what industry is already doing to address these challenges, where the industry needs to continue to improve its performance, and where the sector can better communicate existing good practice. Areas explored cover a range of issues including nutritional labelling, advertising to children, labour standards and animal welfare. |
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Defra has published the results of a review it commissioned of the various food chain initiatives that it has been supporting. These include the English Farming and Food Partnership, the Food Chain Centre, the Red Meat and Cereals Industry Forums, Food from Britain, the International Agriculture Technology Centre and the Agriculture Development Scheme. The aim of the review was to take stock of what had been achieved so far and to identify what more needed to be done, and the structures that needed to be put in place, to ensure that the industry takes action to benefit both from the tools and techniques that had been developed, and from working together more collaboratively. Defra also wanted to ensure that Exchequer funding was directed to achieve SFFS (Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food) priorities over the next three years.
The review concludes: there can be little doubt that the work carried out is providing valuable learning and experience and that all the bodies under review have made useful contributions towards SFFS food chain goals. However it does note that: Environmental considerations have been seen as incidental to this agenda though it is recognised that as waste gets stripped out this benefits the UK economy by making us more competitive and also cleaner. We need to know how to identify and measure win, wins through food chain work. This could be explored through future piloting and study. |
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The Sustainable Farming and Food Strategy (SFFS) has been renewed for a further three years, with the publication of Facing the future by Defra. The report sets out the key areas that will be taken forward as part of the Strategy. These include improving the environmental performance of farming and sustainable consumption and production. Supporting economic and statistical analyses, details of the indicators used to measure progress, and other materials can be found here.
Incidentally the report states that the UK agricultural sector accounts for 7% of the UK's GHGs. This figure does not include the CO2 and N20 generated during the course of manufacturing fertilisers (although it does include soil N20 from natural processes and the application of fertilisers). If fertiliser inputs are added on the figure is higher at just over 8%. |
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The London Food Strategy entitled Healthy and Sustainable Food for London, published by the London Development Agency (LDA) can be read here.
The strategy provides an overview of London’s food infrastructure involving growers, producers, transporters, wholesalers, retailers and consumers. It looks at the existing social, economic, and environmental sustainability of the food sector in London and then sets out a vision of what a sustainable food system might look like. |
| The food industry has published its Food Industry Sustainability Strategy which, among other things, outlines the steps it proposes to take to address energy, waste, food miles and sustainable consumption issues. The strategy can be viewed on the DEFRA website.
On these pages you can also view minutes of the 'champions' groups each of which focus on a particular area of sustainability. These groups are examining best practice, looking at ways of working and identifying barriers which may discourage the industry from behaving in a more sustainable way. The champions groups should have completed their work and submitted a report to Ministers by May 2007. An FCRN summary of what it sets out as regard energy, waste, food miles and sustainable consumption can be found here. |
Agricultural PoliciesBack to top
| The EC has published in draft an environmental impact assessment of the impacts of the WTO's Doha negotiating round on three sectors, agriculture, forestry and distribution. The report, entitled: Sustainability Impact Assessment of proposed WTO negotiations: Overall project final report for sector studies agriculture, distribution services, forests, draft report prepared for the European Commission under Framework Contract No Trade 01/F3-1, Kirkpatrick C and George C. (Sustainability Impact Assessment of Proposed WTO Negotiations) Specific Agreement No. 3., 22 April 2005 can be found at here.
For a brief FCRN summary of the report's conclusions see here. |
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| The last two years have seen a major shake-up of the Common Agricultural Policy. The main thrust of the reforms is a move away from production-based and towards area-based payments. Farmers are eligible for area based payments provided they observe certain minimum agricultural and environmental management practices. In theory this shift in emphasis should help shape a more extensified, more sustainable form of farm. While it is still too early to assess what the true impacts will be, various bodies have undertaken analyses as to the likely effects. See for example the IEEP MEACAP report mentioned above in General Climate Policy Analysis. | |
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Another IEEP report which examines how the EU agricultural sector affects the emission of greenhouse gases is: The Kyoto Protocol and the Effect of Existing and Planned Measures in the Agricultural and Forestry Sector in the EU25. Francesco Bosello, Barbara Buchner, Jacopo Crimi, Carlo Giupponi and Andrea Povellato, FEEM, Milan, Italy, March 2005 (MEACAP WP2 D5). |
Public procurementBack to top
| Added: 29.6.07 | In June 2007, the Mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom issued an executive directive to permanently phase-out the purchase of bottled water by the city and county of San Francisco. This Directive is taken in response to the growth in purchases of bottled water and its rising environmental impacts. See here for the Directive itself. The mayor's Executive Directive runs as follows: Beginning July 1, 2007, there will be a prohibition from any city department or agency purchasing single serving bottles of water using city funds, unless an employee contract specifies usage. This prohibition will apply to city contractors and city funded and/or sponsored events. There will be no waivers from this prohibition. By September 30, 2007, all city departments and agencies occupying either city or rental properties will have completed an audit to determine the viability of switching from bottled water dispensers to bottle-less water dispensers that utilize Hetch Hetchy supplied water. City departments will work with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), Department of Real Estate (DRE) and the City Purchaser to conduct the audit. Staff from the SFPUC will contact you shortly to begin the audit for your department. By December 1, 2007 all city departments and agencies occupying either city or rental properties will have installed bottle-less water dispensers that utilize Hetch Hetchy supplied water. Waivers will only be granted by the SFPUC based on legitimate engineering, health and fiscal concerns. The Directive also refers to a report by the US Container Recycling Institute entitled Water Water Everywhere details of which can be found on the FCRN website here. You can find a comparison of the environmental impact of bottled vs tap water on the FCRN website here. |
