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Top tips to helping your business reduce its carbon footprint

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In a landmark report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – published in October 2018 – the world’s leading climate scientists warned that there are only 12 or so years for global warming to be kept to a maximum of 1.5C, beyond which even half a degree will significantly worsen the risks of drought, floods, extreme heat and poverty for hundreds of millions of people – as reported by Theguardian.com.

It’s thus more imperative than ever that businesses do their utmost to improve their green credentials (whilst also saving money on energy overheads). Here some small but significant ideas:

Use Renewable Energy: Fossil fuels — coal, petroleum, and natural gas — are the main source of energy, producing the vast majority of fuel, electricity, and heat used by people across the globe. It’s these fossil fuels that are the primary contributors to the global warming epidemic. Renewable energy is one of the most important solutions to global warming. You might not be able to build an entire solar field (like Google) but you can ensure that your energy company has you enrolled in the ‘greenest’ programme possible.

Go Paperless – large-scale deforestation is also one of the major contributors to global warming, so why not go paperless (wherever possible)? We have the technology to run businesses on as little paper as possible; embrace this with e-receipts, digital job applications, e-signatures etc!

Recycle and USE Recycled Products – most businesses are on top of recycling, with plastic, cans and paper slotted into the appropriate bins…but what about buying post-consumer recycled products (boxes, cups, packaging, paper etc.) for business use?

Reduce Energy Use – use LED bulbs instead of light bulbs, upgrade appliances to ones that have an Energy Star rating, switch off systems at close-of-day and use a programmable thermostat to keep the office temperature steady – for example. The little things have a cumulative effect and can make a big difference.

It will take everyone doing their bit to combat global warming! Lead the way by reducing the environmental footprint of your business.

For all your energy related questions, feel free to contact the CH Systems team on 0208 302 8149 or info@chsystems.cc.

Sources: “How to improve your green energy credentials” – Britishgas.co.uk; Renewable Energy Is Critical To Stopping Global Warming” – Cleantechnica.com; Energy and Global Warming – Biologicaldiversity.org

Could your business benefit from an Energy Manager?

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What is an Energy Manager and might your business need one? Both fair questions – and definitely worth answering, as sweeping environmental, social and business trends force energy to climb the corporate agenda. Harvard Business Review describes the ‘megatrends’ that are changing the context in which businesses operate, as; climate change and global carbon regulation, increasing pressures on natural resources, rising expectations about corporate environmental performance, innovations in energy technologies and business models, and plummeting renewable energy prices.

Many forward-thinking companies have bought into the concept of an Energy Manager, who is expected to use any and all tools at his or her disposal – from auditing existing measures to incorporating the latest technologies – to identify inefficiencies, shape energy best practices within the organisation and optimise the relationship between energy use and the bottom line.

Panpwr.com describes the objective of an Energy Manager as follows:

An Energy Manager’s main role is to improve an organisation’s energy productivity by planning, monitoring and improving energy use across all operations, while ensuring that all efforts have a positive impact on the business’s bottom line.

The Energy Manager’s influence is felt in a number of areas of an organisation, including resource management, budgeting, operations, sustainability efforts, corporate responsibility, government or industry compliance, and energy efficiency.

Ultimately, an Energy Manager is there to save your business money within the parameters of a contemporary operational axis. To find out more about the job responsibilities and requirements of an Enery Manager, as well as other considerations, read “The Definitive Energy Manager Job Description” on Panpwr.com.

If you’d like further information, feel free to contact the CH Systems team on 0208 302 8149 or info@chsystems.cc.

BT campaign encourages sport fans to champion sustainability in the workplace

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As a business owner, it’s one thing adopting sustainable energy practices in the workplace but another thing entirely is getting employees to buy into it…but there is a way!

According to a poll taken in a recent meeting between telecoms giant BT and delegates from the sports industry plus sustainability experts from around the world, more than half (55 per cent) of those present agreed that sports fans and team mates are the best way to influence others to take action on climate change.

If businesses can turn their resident sports fan into a sustainability champion, they’ll be on their way to meeting target reductions, savings on costs and achieving sustainability goals.

In an effort to encourage sports fans to ‘fight the good fight’, BT has teamed up with Olympic and America’s Cup sailor Sir Ben Ainslie to launch “100% Sport” – a global campaign aimed at inspiring sports fans around the world to take action to tackle climate change and reduce carbon emissions by using renewable energy.

This initiative offers a platform for individual sports fans, athletes like Sir Ben Ainslie, sports teams and clubs as well as partners, to speak out on a global scale in support of renewable energy – making it the new ‘norm’. Ainslie’s team, as an example, is now pioneering fuel-efficient boats made from recyclable composites, working with sustainability partner 11th Hour Racing. Its new team base is also powered through only solar and renewable energy sources.

Is there a sailing fan occupying a cubicle in your office? Someone who could be your company’s sustainability champion? You may never even know it, which is why Steve Malkin from GreenWise business has put together a five step programme that will help you to engage the sports fan in your business:

  • Take a survey – surveying your staff is great first step to unlocking the talent within your organisation to make change happen. Planet First’s ‘Sustainability Engagement Survey’ can help you find the ‘positive greens’ within your organisation. But remember to also ask them what sport team they follow and what their favourite sport is.
  • Make a pledge – sport is a great activity around which to launch a pledging campaign for a sustainable initiative. Do Nation, a Planet First partner, offers an online pledging app to enable individuals or organisations to do this.
  • Work in the community – explore how you and your staff could lend a hand to do something positive for your local sports club. Local councils demand that sports clubs get involved in their local communities, so they’ll probably bite your hand off if you get in touch and offer your services,
  • Reward positive action – make it worthwhile for those sports fans in your organisation who want to do something positive. In return for taking action on climate change, reward them with a ticket to see their favourite team play, for example.
  • Get in touch – with a sustainability engagement specialist who will help you make your engagement programme really take off.

Ben Ainslie says of the initiative; “I believe sport can extend far beyond the race course, the pitch or the court. We have a unique opportunity to harness the power of fans around the world. Because when we come together, we can have a huge impact.”

Rallying support for renewable energy in your company could not only change the way you do business (for the better) but it’s also one step closer to changing the world!

For more information on the “100% Sport” campaign, visit the BT Website and for more detail on how to get sports fans in your business involved, read “5 ways to turn the sport fan in your workplace into a sustainability champion” at blog.greenwisebusiness.co.uk.

If you’d like further information, feel free to contact the CH Systems team on 0208 302 8149 or info@chsystems.cc.

Businesses prioritise energy security when choosing providers, according to new research

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With the cold well underway and heaters assuredly on, there is one thing that is occupying the minds of business owners as tariffs tick over, and that’s energy security. According to new research by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), 73 per cent of 550 business leaders and 2,300 households rate security of supply as a crucial energy objective for the UK.

The majority of businesses (96 per cent) are concerned about keeping energy bills affordable and, interestingly, more than half of businesses (57 per cent) believe that the UK’s energy security is worse than it was five years ago. The resounding scepticism of UK business owners is emphasised by the fact that 53 per cent of respondents cite ‘energy company profits’ as the primary reason for price hikes. It’s thus no big surprise that a mere 38 per cent of businesses agree that energy efficiency is the best solution to ensuring that energy costs remain affordable (smaller bonuses, maybe?). Another solution hazarded by business leaders who participated in CBI’s research is; more competition in the market – if energy providers are vying for customers, they’ll have to offer the best deal in an effort to sustain their client base.

Perhaps a lesser known fact is that provider profits accounted for only 4.3 per cent of an average bill in 2012, which suggests that other than the solutions already highlighted by business owners themselves, it seems that industry players might benefit from an action prioritising greater transparency and honest conversation. Being real about energy objectives and how they relate to business is a good way to encourage a mutual support network between companies and energy providers.

And how do business owners feel about the UK’s aim to tackle climate change? In spite of the fact that change in policy and the practical implementation thereof might affect energy security, most businesses (70 per cent) support renewable energy initiatives and other such schemes that hope to minimise the country’s carbon footprint. While 60 per cent of business leaders believe that taking action now to cut carbon emissions will deliver long-term economic opportunity, one in three businesses disagree (32 per cent), suggesting more must be done to communicate the importance of, and opportunity presented by, the low-carbon transition.

The research does a great job of drawing attention to some very real concerns relating to energy efficiency – or lack thereof, according to various respondents. The good news is that there’s a lot to be done and everyone has a part to play.

For more information on how to make your business’s energy more efficient and more affordable, feel free to contact the CH Systems team on 0208 302 8149 or info@chsystems.cc.

Source: cbi.org.uk – “Short-term thinking on energy risks damaging investment – CBI”