Climate change is happening and it’s time to do your bit to help stop it. To follow on from our recent Sustainable Futures post, we thought we'd look at ways of becoming greener. We know tackling climate change is daunting, and sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. To help you on your eco-warrior journey, why not start in the office? Here’s some of the changes we’ve made in our own office, to inspire you!
Eco materials to look out for as alternatives to plastic: stainless steel, wood, bamboo, glass, recycled paper.
Reusable crockery and food storage
First things first, let’s tackle lunch time. Instead of chucking away takeaway containers or plastic sandwich bags, try using reusable food containers. You can pair them up with your own super eco wooden cutlery - something you've carved at the weekend maybe! Disposable cups are a big problem, so why not use it as a marketing opportunity and get some branded reusable ones for your staff? If you have a sink at work, you can wash up then and there. If not, you’ll have to take it home with you. Not a big cost to save the planet though hey?
Think of the trees!
How about going paperless? With flexible working more and more popular and most systems working towards a digital transformation, is there really any need to print out all of your paperwork? Gone are the days of printing emails to show them to your colleagues or the papers for your next meeting. Just forward the email and bring a laptop to your meeting. Not only will you be saving the trees and using a lot less electricity, you’ll also be helping save money now you don’t have to keep buying fancy multi-purpose printers and ink. Why is ink so expensive anyway?!
Just call them
We understand how important meetings are. At least 50% of our work is involved in engaging in meetings and facilitating training, so we do get it. But with Skype, Zoom and GoToMeeting, it isn’t necessary to see everyone face-to-face every time. Save your money on transport and airtime, as well as reducing your CO2 emissions, by utilising these great conferencing facilities. Your colleagues will be happier and the planet will be even better for it.
Turn your idle switches off
Another big negative impact to our climate is our energy consumption. Those red standby lights and idling computers actually drain a lot more energy than you think. Not only is that racking up the energy bill, but it’s also doing some damage to our home. Get in the habit of switching off lights when you leave rooms, turning off your computers when you’re not using them (i.e. in a meeting or working elsewhere) and turn off all of the sockets when you leave the office. These small habits will make a big difference.
Switch to a planet saving search engine
This one is one of our favourites and the easiest step to take. How often do you google it? We do! We’re not going to pretend we’re waking encyclopaedias. Now what if we told you that every time you search the internet, someone will plant a tree? It’s true! For over a year now, we’ve committed to using the search engine Ecosia that does exactly that. Trees are a wonder of nature that have many healing powers to clear our air and help neutralise pollution. So, let’s plant some trees!
Did you know around 51% of our waste is still being sent to landfill?In Wales, there's only 7 years of landfill space remaining!
The 3 Rs
Remember being taught the 3 Rs in school? Well, they’re still important now - but we mean reduce, reuse and recycle. We’ve already covered a lot of reducing and reusing so let’s talk about recycling. Get recycle smart and make sure you are using the correct bins. If you don't already have recycling bins, then talk to your building manager about getting some sorted. You'll be surprised at how much can get recycled.
What are we doing?
Here at Lucidity, we're committed to taking action to make sure we're as green as we can be. We don't have a central office, instead working from home offices, 50% of which are powered by renewable energy. We use Zoom, Slack and Trello, all great online tools to help us keep in touch. We make sure our coffee and tea is Fair Trade, our paper recyled (we get through a lot of flipcharts!) and our cups reusable. We've also just opened a business account with Triodos Bank, a bank that uses its services to support a positive environmental and societal impact. We know we can do more but we're confident we're making small steps in the right direction.
It’s easy to get climate smart in the office once you make it a habit and encourage your co-workers. Why not host a climate week to share your newfound knowledge or a training meeting to get everyone on board?
We’re really passionate about sustainable living and working, so if you’re after any more tips or recommendations, get in touch with us. Or similarly, if you have your own tips to share, let us know!