A poll conducted by Binnenlands Bestuur (Domestic Governance) magazine shows that 80 percent of civil servants think the government could do more for the environment and should organise their workplaces in a more sustainable manner.

The magazine today publishes the findings of a poll of 937 civil servants working at national, provincial and local level. The results contrast with the image the public sector likes to project: 85 percent of the respondents' employers claim to be working towards a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly society.

The civil servants are particularly annoyed by the waste of paper involved in printing and copying documents and the waste of energy represented by unnecessary lighting and heating. Most government premises are still using non energy-saving light bulbs.

They also complain about the environmentally unfriendly way in which their rubbish is collected and processed.

A recurring comment is that official cars should be smaller and more fuel-efficient and that politicians and administrators should cycle to work or use public transport more often.

The respondents in the poll believe the government has no right to impose increasingly stringent environmental legislation on citizens and companies until it puts its own house in order.

Finance Ministry by Pieter Musterd (Flickr)