Green Number 10

It's time to act

Tony Blair has said that climate change is the biggest threat facing us in the 21st century - but we can all help combat it by making small changes to our lifestyles. Staff at Number 10 are doing their bit in the following ways.

All Number 10's electricity is now generated from renewable sources, cleaning is done using environmentally friendly products and any new furniture bought comes from a sustainable source.

The Number 10 offices use recycled paper for photocopying and general waste is sorted for recycling. There are also additional on-site recycling facilities and a wormery will soon be installed to compost waste from the Downing Street café.

The café is further playing its part by supplying all ready-made sandwiches in biodegradable packaging.

To conserve energy, staff are encouraged to turn off lights and PCs when not in use and energy-saving light bulbs are used wherever possible. Number 10 is also working with the Carbon Trust to look at ways of saving further energy and has applied for Energy Efficiency Accreditation.

The fleet of cars used by Number 10 includes hybrid fuel cars, which run partly on electricity, and there are plans to introduce shared bicycles for staff to use to travel to meetings. All government flights made by the PM, ministers and officials are carbon-neutral.

In addition, as the world faces increasing water shortages, which may be made worse by climate change, staff at Number 10 are also taking steps to save water.

The amount the garden is watered has been reduced and mains water is no longer used to do so. Hanging baskets have been removed from the street and in future drought-tolerant plants will be planted in flowerbeds and displays.

Mulching - adding a protective layer on top of soil to conserve moisture - will further cut down on water use in the garden. More ways of reducing water consumption will be identified when water meters are soon installed.

And as well as all of the above, there is a sustainability working group to promote green issues and to keep thinking about how Number 10 can help save energy, water and the planet.