Print version Recommend this page Press release
41/ 2008
Bonn, 07.10.2008
Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training increases climate and environmental protection activities
The Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) has committed itself to climate and environmental protection: With immediate effect, BIBB is an "ÖKOPROFIT-Betrieb" (ECOPROFIT Business). This award was conferred by the Lord Mayor of the City of Bonn, Bärbel Dieckmann, at the closing session of the ECOPROFIT project. A total of 17 Bonn-based institutions from both the private and public sectors participated in the one-year project. ECOPROFIT stands for Ecological Project for Integrated Environmental Technology. Using anticipatory environmental protection, this project not only helps improve the environmental situation on a long-term basis, it also strengthens the participating institution or business financially.
With its decision to participate in this municipal environmental protection project, the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training set itself the goal of developing measures for husbanding and making efficient use of natural resources, using climate-friendly and environmentally-friendly materials and reducing the amount of waste it generates. From now on, climate protection and environmental protection will play an even larger role in all of BIBB administrative and planning decisions. The aim of these activities is to steadily optimize BIBB's environmental management system.
BIBB employees are actively incorporated into climate protection and environmental protection activities. Thus, a wealth of measures has already been implemented on the basis of ideas and suggestions for improvements from BIBB staff members. For example, it has been possible to reduce the amount of electricity used at the BIBB office building by nearly 50,000 kilowatt hours a year by using so-called power strips, by optimizing the timers on the lights in the hallways and stairwells and by installing energy-saving modules on all computers. This benefits not only the environment, it also reduces costs - in this case more than € 6,000 per year.
The ECOPROFIT award does not mark the end of environmental protection measures at BIBB. The Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training is now working to earn EMAS certification (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme, EC Directive No. 761/2001). EMAS is a European environmental management system in which participating businesses and institutions are regularly audited by independent experts. BIBB plans to use EMAS to steadily reduce harmful environmental impacts even further.
Point of contact at BIBB for further information:
Karin Faßbender, Tel.: +49 (0)228 107-1747; E-mail: karin.fasbender.@bibb.de
