Around the world, we have made environmental savings in our buildings during construction and refurbishment projects. These include ‘green building’ schemes, which have encompassed the greater use of natural light, such as the Atrium in Hibernian’s new head office in Dublin. Although there is limited scope for the retro-fitting of latest water usage reduction technologies in washrooms, we take advantage of such technologies where possible, and consider the collection and use of rainwater (greywater) in requirements for all new buildings. For example, two projects to harvest rainwater at our Delhi operations, established in March and July, have collected approximately 2.6 million litres of rainwater to date for use in WCs and gardens.

Aviva Australia is phasing in new printers and other equipment to reduce power consumption and emissions, and Morley’s Property team is working to reduce the environmental impact of our investment properties by improving recycling and making more efficient use of resources, especially in relation to energy consumption. And in the USA, our new office in Des Moines will be built to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standard providing a highly energy-efficient building.

Case study

Aviva goes solar

To help raise awareness of the need to reduce our transport emissions, the Aviva Southern Aurora solar car took part in the Panasonic World Solar Challenge in Australia in October 2007. More than 40 teams participated, driving the 3,000 kilometres from Darwin to Adelaide with only sunlight for fuel. The Aviva sponsored car finished third in its class, and sixth overall. Capable of reaching 75 kph, the car runs on less electricity than a toaster and emits no carbon dioxide.

For more information, visit
www.avivasolarcar.com and www.wsc.org.au.