At DM PR & Marketing we are very aware of our and our client’s environmental impact. As climate change impacts all our lives it is time businesses took their responsibilities seriously and develop ways in which they can reduce their carbon footprint.
One of the biggest causes of global warming today is the amount of CO2 being released into the atmosphere, which can be attributed to everyday items such as cars and electricity consuming fossil fuels. With something as overwhelming as climate change it can feel like what you do will have little impact, but that is far from the truth. Out of all the things that are causing the Earth’s temperature to rise, there are many simple steps that you can take to reduce the effect that your everyday work has on global warming and which will make an impact not only on your footprint but on those around you too. By setting an example you encourage others to follow, this may be your employees, clients and even other businesses.
Making noise about your company’s efforts to reduce their carbon footprint through social media and other media opportunities can also lead to effective brand engagement that people are willing to support and emulate, rather than letting climate change be an obstacle work with it, help save the planet and grow your business at the same time. You can lead with setting viable examples to others, making it easier for us all to understand that we can make a difference when we work together.
Here are just some of our suggestions which you can consider implementing in your workplace.
- Reduce waste – reducing waste at every opportunity with education and encouragement makes good business sense and good environmental sense too. Being known as a company that cares about their people and the planet is a great way for a business to stand out from competitors and make a name for itself.
- Make recycling and waste separation central and accessible for your employees by keeping it in a strict and central place. Employees will be more likely to do it if they can see easily what can be recycled and what can’t.
- Consider where you purchase your office materials from including coffee, milk etc. Look for local, environmentally friendly suppliers. Consider using refill shops and local milk companies that recycle glass bottles.
- Consider offsetting more carbon by planting a tree per sale with Just One Tree You can also encourage employees, and clients to use apps like Treekly and possibly set up a team on the app. This app registers the amount of footsteps you take each day and will plant a mangrove in Madagascar tree when you hit their target of 5000 or more steps a day for 5 days in a week. Mangroves are vital to our eco system if we are to limit flooding, unfortunately many are being destroyed for shrimp and fish farming.
- Other useful apps include Giki Zero. It is a step by step guide to having a lighter footprint on the planet. On the app you can calculate, track and reduce your environmental footprint. There are options for an individual account but you can also set up a team. The app records your carbon use and it gives tips on actions you can take to reduce your carbon footprint. There is also a pro version specifically aimed at businesses. Additionally there is Treeapp on which you can plant a tree for free by watching the advertising.
- Sometimes a little bit of friendly competition goes a long way and having teams on Treekly and Giki might help encourage employees, but be careful not to alienate others in the process, it needs to be as inclusive as possible.
- If you use plastics consider if there are better choices. If there aren’t consider if the plastics can be reused. Recycling is great but cutting down and reusing is even better.
- Keep on top of emails ensuring deletion, when they sit in your inbox they have a footprint. Check they are deleted as some systems though deleted still hold them elsewhere. If reducing the number of incoming & outgoing items via email, organising documents becomes even more important. Having well-defined and carefully organised filing systems can help reduce the time needed to find a needed document, which in turn reduces the amount of energy used.
- Print less and consider the type of paper and ink used when printing. Put in restrictions/security codes on printers to ensure people have to think before they print. Have just one good printer in an office, people consider printing more if they have to move to get it!
- Reuse paper or use recyclable paper – Producing and using recycled paper is much more environmentally friendly than using paper which comes from deforestation, because when forests are cut down, the CO2 in their atmosphere is released into the air. Businesses should encourage employees to reuse old paper for printing drafts or take steps to make paper available from recycled products. Most printers will also allow you to add a large banner across the top of each printed page stating something like “This page contains 100% recycled stock. Use both sides of the paper where possible.
- A programmable thermostat is a great way to reduce energy usage during office hours because it can be set to automatically adjust thermostats during non-business hours when your business is closed.
- One little known way to reduce carbon footprint is by installing faucet aerators on your bathrooms, kitchen, and anywhere else in the office where running water is used. These small devices can increase pressure when added to a faucet, which reduces consumption by an average of 50 percent. Faucets with aerators do not require any changes in plumbing, yet they can result in significant savings for your business
- You could consider water reduction further by installing something like a SMARTi urinal. These use no water and so can save up to 100,000 litres of water per urinal per year and 105Kg/Co2 carbon per urinal per year.
- Put a Hippo in your loo – A Hippo is a water saving device which helps conserve water in toilet cisterns. It can save up to 3 litres of water a flush saving you money and reducing that carbon footprint.
- Install automatic shut off devices on water heaters, toilets and showers. These devices turn off the water source when not in use, thanks to a motion detector that senses if anyone is nearby and will only turn the water back on once it is needed for consumption (otherwise known as a water sensor). These devices are inexpensive and very easy to install, but will reduce energy usage by a significant amount
- Consider turning down all of the lights, TVs, computer monitors and other appliances that use electricity. Also ensure they are off and/or unplugged when not in use
- Using paperless billing is another low-cost way to reduce energy usage in office. Electronic invoices have a much lower carbon footprint than travelling through the postal system. Even if you only use e-bills for part of your office, they can reduce energy usage.
- Consider purchase of renewable energy sources. Wind and solar power are two such sources that will help you reduce environment impact as well as save on electricity bills over time. The installation of a small solar panel on your business roof or the addition of four wind turbines at strategic locations can result in big savings. However, even if you just use a mix of renewable and traditional energy sources, it will have a positive impact on your environment
- Obvious but amazing how many still don’t do it – consider low energy light bulbs and making the most of natural light. Are there better options available like individual lights if one person is in the office rather than having them all on?
- Consider how you and your employees travel to work. Look into cycle to work and car share schemes. Is working from home an option to help reduce this? What public transport is available in your area.
These are just a few basic steps you can take, there are many more! By following these initial steps your business will be more environmentally friendly and it will send a positive message to employees and clients alike.
Businesses should be careful not to implement these changes too quickly. In order for any change to have a positive effect there needs to be time given for people in your office to get used to it. If they are forced to make changes before they are ready, this will decrease their productivity as well as the quality of the work that they produce.
If you want your business to reduce its carbon footprint, then you should implement a series of small changes over time rather than making one big change that might affect your business in a negative way.
If you would like more advice and information on the changes you can make and a personalised assessment and step by step plan for your business get in touch with DM PR & Marketing.
