Goldholme Stone Environmental Policy

At Goldholme Stone we manage our extraction operations to ensure that they are wherever possible, the least damaging to the environment. We comply with all relevant environmental legislation, and adopt responsible standards as the basis of our sustainable environmental policy which is an integral part of our strategy for future business.

Our Environmental Policy established the procedures to be implemented by the Company. These principals ensure we operate to the highest environmental standards for the benefit of our community. Method Statements for each section set out the operational standards to ensure compliance with the aims of the Environmental Policy.

1. To determine the environmental effects of its operations, which include Noise Pollution Dust Recycling Visual Impact and Power Consumption and monitor and record these, as appropriate?
   
2. To comply with current environmental legislation and where this is absent or inadequate to adopt current good practice standards to manage environmental effects.
   
3. Our aim is to develop operational method statements and, through this, ensure that procedures are put in place to control all operations which have an impact on the environment and to improve our environmental performance.
   
4. It is part of the environmental management system to set targets for environmental performance in key areas, including noise, vibration and dust emissions and provide staff training and adequate resources for these targets to be achieved. To this end, we have instigated training of senior staff to NVQ 4/5 in environmental issues in relation to extraction industries.
   
5. We monitor our environmental performance including energy and water consumption, and audit on a regular basis.
   
6. As part of our Environmental management system we extract stone in the least damaging way. By using excavators not blasting or mining.
   
7. To identify and respect features of nature conservation value within and around the quarries and to develop a strategy for maintaining or enhancing these, where appropriate, working with the relevant authorities.
   
8. To implement plans to restore the quarry to an area of conservation and monitor that land to ensure it is providing the correct habitat for limestone soils.
   
9. To manage our waste and ensure that all practices are relevant to our duty of care and codes of practice.

2.10.2006

Check out our specially commissioned study A Comparison of the Environmental Impact of Various Building Materials and see how the experts rate stone as an environmentally sound building material.