Lynas Engineers urges companies to go green sooner

Lynas Engineers is committed to becoming more sustainable across its business and hopes to inspire other businesses in the region.

Managing director Rob Lynas said: “It’s not a matter of if or when – it has to be now.”

Lynas Engineers has set strict targets after developing and adopting its own CO2 reduction plan.

To do this, the company must reduce its CO2 emissions by 5% year after year through a series of measures – from turning off the lights to minimizing employee travel to using drones to monitor construction progress. But Rob believes the biggest difference in decisions will come when working on a new contract.

He said: “What we are talking about is not the far-fetched plot of an apocalyptic film, unfortunately this is the reality of our times.”

“We are constantly putting pressure on you. We don’t tick any boxes. It’s a real driving force for this business.

“We need to do some things, but we are also finding ways to ensure that any type of development – ​​be it a new building or a new road – has minimal impact on the environment. This could be due to the choice of materials used or the measures taken to ensure the biodiversity of the site is maintained or enhanced.”

He added: “We are just a small company but we are doing everything we can. There is evidence of climate change all around us, so there is no time to wait. I would urge all businesses to go green sooner.”

Lynas Engineers’ approach is highlighted in the planning of a number of projects in the North East. These include:

• The new £200 million link road to Teesside Airport.

To manage the runoff water, kilometers of troughs are built instead of gutters and pipes. The hollows are planted with vegetation that both filters the water and improves the ecology of the area.

• A £3.7m project to create a 22,000m² extension to a concrete container yard.

The decision to reuse existing concrete for the foundations of the Bertschi container yard in Middlesbrough – and the choice of roller-compacted concrete for the surface – not only saved money, but also prevented thousands of wagon journeys and the need for waste to be sent to landfill.

• Mitigating future flooding problems at Lizard Lane in South Tyneside.

To absorb water, permeable blocks made of natural materials were installed instead of artificial materials.

• Solar roofs in Morpeth

A project designed by Lynas to install solar roofs for charging electric vehicles is part of a £3 million solar carport, storage and charging project for electric vehicles at Northumberland County Council’s headquarters in Morpeth.

The company has also developed a flood protection program to protect more than 300 new homes on the Saltersgill Estate in Middlesbrough.

Continue reading:

Rob believes that changing weather conditions, and in particular the increasing frequency of heavy rainfall, require this new approach.

“We need to take into account the likelihood of heavier rainfall in the future when planning,” he said, but stressed that it is not just new projects that need to be future-proofed.

“Take the A19 for example: the existing infrastructure is stressed because the water cannot drain away quickly enough. Design standards will need to change as we move forward.”

He calls on developers to get in touch so that sustainable options for new projects can be identified right from the start.