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The Scottish Government today underlined its commitment to delivering a Greener Government, with the publication of its Carbon Management Plan.

Developed in conjunction with the Carbon Trust (the independent body which works with organisations to reduce the environmental impact of their activities), the Plan sets out a number of actions which aim to reduce the organisation's carbon footprint.

The Plan is published on the same day as the Scottish Government's Environmental Annual Report for 2007-08, which shows a reduction in waste produced by the Scottish Government, high levels of recycling and an increase in video conferencing. It also shows a six per cent increase in business travel emissions.

Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Stewart Stevenson said:

"This Government is determined to play a leading role in global efforts to reduce emissions. As part of our drive to create a Greener Scotland, we must lead by example and put our own house in order. That is why we are putting in place this Carbon Management Programme which includes specific measures to help cut our emissions.

"Leading by example extends to the whole of the public sector - collectively we can make a big difference. In practice, this means scrutinising our own performance and adapting our work processes wherever we can to deliver essential carbon savings. The Carbon Management Programme will ensure the Scottish Government and other public bodies are moving in the same direction - towards a sustainable future for Scotland."

Permanent Secretary Sir John Elvidge said:

"Our Carbon Management Plan can make a major contribution to improving our environmental performance. While we have undertaken a range of work to drive down our carbon footprint - with initiatives on travel, waste and energy - this Plan gives us the scope to accelerate our progress towards a Greener Government.

"We have worked closely with the Carbon Trust to produce this Plan. The emphasis quite rightly is on specific actions which will deliver real carbon savings. It targets the projects with the potential to deliver a 20 per cent reduction in our emissions by 2014.

"We all have to take responsibility for our environmental impact and I am personally committed to ensuring the organisation makes the best possible contribution to a Greener Scotland. The Scottish Government is leading the way and I am chairing two high-level groups to drive this work forward - one to make the Scottish Government as a whole greener; and one to engage the wider public sector in the same goal."

The Carbon Management Plan sets out the activities that will enable the Scottish Government to reduce its carbon emissions and meet its targets.

The Scottish Government Environmental Performance Annual Report outlines the progress the Scottish Government made during the period April 1 2007 - March 31 2008, towards delivering on its targets to provide a sustainably managed estate. The report covers the 14 main buildings in the Scottish Government's estate which, during 2007/08, represented 90 per cent of the estate's total floor area and provided accommodation for 96 per cent of core Scottish Government staff.

The main findings are:

• 17 per cent less waste produced than in the previous year
• 76 per cent of waste was recycled
• 29 per cent increase in use of video conferencing
• 2.5 per cent increase in CO2 emissions from energy use in buildings
• 6 per cent increase in business travel emissions

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