Pictured: Keith Sexton and Coun Tim Huxtable have both been
named Green Leaders - while the city's new LED streetlights have
won Amey and Birmingham City Council recognition from the Green
Business Awards
Amey, working in partnership with Birmingham City Council, has
been highly commended for its environmentally friendly credentials
at this year's Green Business Awards.
The partnership, which runs the Highway Maintenance and
Management Service in the city, was honoured in the energy
efficiency category.
And, as further evidence of the innovative green focus of the
partnership, Amey's Keith Sexton has been named one of
Sustainability West Midlands' Green Leaders for the work he does
across the region. He is joined on the Green Leaders list by Cllr
Timothy Huxtable, Birmingham City Council's cabinet member for
transport, environment and regeneration.
The Green Business Awards' commendation recognises the
groundbreaking programme to replace more than 95,000 street lights
in Birmingham with state-of-the-art Light Emitting Diode (LED)
technology.
LED lights will reduce carbon emissions in Birmingham by up to
50 per cent and will also enable operators to control and adjust
their levels remotely according to what is happening in the
surrounding area. The replacement work is part of a £2.7
billion contract which will upgrade and maintain the city's road
network over the next 25 years.
Once all the LEDs have been installed, Birmingham City Council
will benefit from a reduction of over 50 per cent in its energy
bill for lighting - saving over £1.6 million in annual energy
cost.
The city of Birmingham has approved and published the Birmingham
Declaration on climate change which contains an ambitious target of
reducing CO2 levels in the city by 50 per cent by 2026 compared to
1990 levels. In addition the declaration states that by 2015, the
City Council's energy consumption will be reduced by 25 per cent -
an ambition which the LED lighting is helping towards.
Keith said: "It is fantastic that we have been recognised for
the work we are doing, not only in equipping the city with this
innovative technology, but in supporting the city council in their
aim to cut energy consumption by a quarter."
Keith's Green Leader recognition comes after his extensive work
in managing Amey's overall strategic response to climate change,
which included working closely with the manufacturer of the LED
lights.
He has also developed environmental management systems on all of
Amey's contracts within the West Midlands, including the Birmingham
partnership.
Keith, who is chairman of the Birmingham Environmental
Partnership, played a significant part in helping Amey become one
of the first public service companies in the UK to generate its own
hydrogen fuel on site at its Hereford depot, as part of a national
trial of hydrogen powered vehicles.
In Keith's bid to cut Amey's carbon-footprint, Amey used the
hydrogen vehicles in exactly the same way it would have used its
regular fleet in and around Hereford. The trial was to assist in
creating a business case for the promotion of hydrogen
vehicles.
Coun Huxtable said: "It is great to see that individuals from
companies such as Amey are leading the way in terms of helping to
make our city and our region a more environmentally-friendly
place.
"The partnership between Amey and Birmingham City Council has
resulted in some truly innovative work across the whole city, with
the LED streetlights being one of the most visible outcomes. These
two awards are further recognition that the work we are doing is
making a difference to the environment now - and that it will
continue to do so in the future."
Keith is also an external member of Birmingham City Council
Cabinet Committee on Climate Change and Sustainability and
continues to contribute considerable time to the sustainability
issues of the West Midlands region.
Green Leaders are being named by Sustainability West Midlands in
a bid to identify the individuals who will play a key role in
leading us towards a more sustainable future.