World Environmental Day 2019

History

Today is World Environment Day. The international day was established back in 1972 by the United Nations Assembly. Each year a different country hosts and this year China is hosting with the theme of Beat Air Pollution. The day aims to raise awareness whilst encouraging others to face up to climate challenges. A now infamous topic within the news headlines; air pollution continues to damage the health of our planet by driving climate change.

Key Facts about climate change

Did you know that 9 out of 10 people around the world breathe in polluted air? Therefore, 90% of people are being exposed to levels of air pollutants which exceed the World Health Organisation safe levels.

The WWF has stated that Air Pollution comes from 5 main human sources: Household, Industry, Transport, Agriculture and Waste.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), air pollution prematurely kills 7 million people every year. Following exposure at a young age, people are more suspectable to suffer from respiratory diseases, cancer, heart attacks, lower IQ’s, strokes and cognitive impairment.

What is NATTA doing to help the environment?

Excellent environmental performance and stewardship are high on Natta’s list of corporate priorities. We recognise that the protection of the natural and built environment is of paramount importance not only to current generations but also to future ones.

At the start of any project, Natta aims to recycle, substitute and minimise the environmental impact of all our building activities. Each project has a specific environmental management plan produced prior to works commencing.

The Natta Group take climate change seriously and on projects, we frequently have to handle complex environmental issues. In 2019, Natta achieved the ISO 14001 (Environmental Systems Standard) and in 2013 we were accredited with STEM Gold level: 1001141. Natta seeks to be at the forefront of environmental care within the sectors that we operate in.

Our training centre building (CISTC) is a fantastic example of Natta’s sustainable construction ethos and values. It is a zero-carbon building constructed using structural insulated panels and utilising renewable energy sources and energy efficient products. The building is heated by a 200KW wood chip biomass boiler and a 46KW PV array provides electricity. When the building was officially opened back in 2017, the new facility won ‘National Gold Winner for Energy Efficiency’ at the 2017 Green Apple awards.

Natta recycles all of our surplus hard landscaping products. In-house, we recycle 95% of our paper, 100% ink cartridges and 80% of files. We also continually invest in new fuel-efficient plant to reduce our fuel impact and meet the new Transport for London emissions requirements.

If you would like any further details of Natta’s Environmental responsibilities and pledges read our policy here.

How you can make a difference

There are several steps to beat air pollution. The UN Environment advises people to:

1. Plant more trees.
2. Clean up rubbish and reduce the amount of waste and single-use plastic generated.
3. Do not burn any waste.
4. Use public transport and/or car share.
5. Utilise clean and renewable energy.
6. Finally, raise awareness with colleagues, friends and family.

“The Earth is 4.6 billion years old. If you scale that to 46 years, humans have been here for 4 hours, the industrial revolution began 1 minute ago and in that time we have destroyed more than half of the world’s forests.”

That being said, World Environment Day should not be something we only focus on today. Consider what you can do to beat air pollution.