Global warming is indeed a very complex issue. Often thought of as the bugbear of large organisations only.
This problem is universal and as such it is everyone’s responsibility. Small enterprises can positively contribute to the reduction of waste and carbon emissions, through minor changes in everyday behaviours, actioned on an ongoing basis. Together, we can make a difference.
With the right knowledge, skills and technologies, all companies – regardless their size – can work to reduce the use of fossil fuels, ease deforestation and cut harmful emissions in the battle to protect our planet earth.
At BeeBrilliant! Marketing we make a conscious effort to pay attention to those details that have an impact on the environment.
What do we do?
1) GO DIGITAL – CREATE A PAPERLESS OFFICE
As a digital marketing agency, we store all details of our work in secure digital format. We don’t print all our invoices, contracts or emails ‘just to be safe’. All information is stored on our PCs, mobile devices, external hard drives and on cloud storage. We are taking regular backups and retaining electronic copies in more than one location (on hardware and in the cloud).
2) RECYCLE
All office items like envelopes, letters, tins, bottles are sorted for recycling.
Sounds like a no-brainer, right?
Well shockingly, 90% of UK businesses still do not have a recycling policy in place.
DID YOU KNOW: Recycling only 1 drink can could save enough energy to power a TV for 4 hours!
3) HOME BASED OFFICE
We’re lucky, we’re a small family-run business and therefore it suits our model to have our office at home. This cuts our commuting emissions dramatically and minimises the carbon footprint used to heat a single property, far smaller than your typical office.
Larger employers can also take advantage of home working by building a more productive, loyal and engaged workforce, whilst reducing overheads and cutting energy wastage.
4) POWER DOWN
At the end of the business day all our equipment is powered down at the wall socket. Unfortunately, there are plenty of establishments that leave their equipment on standby all the time. This may save 30 seconds at the start and end of the working day, but it’s surprising just how much additional power is required to keep computers and TVs on standby all night.When it comes to energy consumption lights are equally important. We are using only energy efficient equivalents and it’s always ‘lights out’ when not in the room.
DID YOU KNOW: By turning all your lights off when not needed, you can reduce energy consumption by up to 25%. Switching computers off at the end of the day can save you an additional 50%!
5) WE GET INVOLVED
In addition to living by eco-friendly rules, we take the time to get involved with charities fighting for the same cause. Devoting one workday each quarter to helping green causes can not only raise money and awareness but be a great people motivator.
6) BUY SUSTAINABLE PALM OIL PRODUCTS
Deforestation in tropical rainforests adds more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere than the sum total of cars and trucks on the world’s roads. According to the World Car-Free Network (WCN), cars and trucks account for about 14% of global carbon emissions, while most analysts attribute upwards of 15% to deforestation.
Pay attention to the products you buy and choose those which use sustainable palm oil from Chester Zoo’s shopping list.
7) USE ECO-FRIENDLY CLEANING PRODUCTS
The chemicals used in the majority of cleaning products aren’t friendly for either the environment or your health. When you use these chemicals in your toilets, sinks, dishwashers, or other appliances, the chemicals are eventually rinsed down the drain. The water heads to waste water treatment facilities, but not all the contaminants from these chemical products are removed. Some compounds accelerate plant growth, which can lead to dense vegetation that interferes with animal life and eventually decays in equally massive quantities.
We switched to natural products like “Smol” which uses fully recycled packaging.
8) REDUCE PLASTIC
A typical single person throws away an average of 329 plastic items a year and a couple 658, but a family of four use an average of 2,764 plastic items per year.We decided to pay attention to every single shop we do, to reduce the use of plastic.
First of all, we always use non- plastic, reusable bags to carry our shopping. We buy loose fruit & veg instead of the packed equivalents.
Recently we discovered a plastic free shop in Chester (Just Footprints), which helps us significantly reduce the amount of plastic we buy.
9) GREEN ENERGY SUPPLIES
We changed our energy tariff for an eco-friendly alternative. Here, suppliers agree to purchase the equivalent energy usage of your home solely from green energy sources.It’s quick and easy to switch, and in our experience only adds a small amount to the monthly bill.
We believe that businesses that make a sustained effort to reduce their carbon footprint will benefit in many ways, not least of all helping to save the planet!
If you are looking for a green digital marketing company, we would love to hear from you.
This article can have been published in:
Business News Wales & West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce
Joanna Tracey