6 May 2005

The Met Office is an environmental organisation proud of its credentials, and is delighted to announce that this week it has been awarded ISO 14001 accreditation.

This official recognition of quality, awarded by the British Standards Institution, was achieved through the implementation of an Environmental Management System (EMS) which demonstrated how the Met Office manages its business activities, products, services and environmental impacts.

This award complements the BREEAM Excellent Award, which was received in recognition of the environmentally friendly design and construction of Met Office headquarters in Exeter.

As part of its responsibility to the environment, the Met Office headquarters has some interesting design features, including:

• collecting rain water from the site, treating it with UV light and then reusing it to flush the toilets;
• using the large amount of heat from the site’s generators to warm or cool the rest of the building as the seasons and weather dictate;
• a fully automatic lighting system that responds to occupancy and natural light levels.

David Smith, Head of Health, Safety and Security at the Met Office said: "The Met Office works hard to reduce its impact on the environment and to provide a safe place in which to work. By having systems that are certified to British Standard, this effort is recognised and rewarded. We are delighted with this accreditation."