To celebrate Plastic Free July, we wanted to pull together a guide to help you and your company reduce emissions and waste. Here’s six steps that you can take to help save the environment.
6 ways to reduce emissions
- Measure your emissions…and track them every year.
Knowing your company’s footprint helps you to understand what is driving emissions within your company. From here, you can work to reduce the frequency of some activities (like taxis) or remove the highest emitting categories (like flights). It’s important to measure your emissions so that your company can track the impact of changes you make to see what is most effective.
2. Recycle your waste (and use less plastic)
Your company can put in place policies to recycle your waste and remove plastic from around the office. Lots of companies now have recycling sections, along with paper and waste bins. Not only do these remove waste from our rivers and oceans but also have an effect on reducing Scope 3 Emissions.
3. Switch to renewables
Switching to renewables is an easy way to make all of your energy use carbon neutral. If you work in a co-working space, your office manager should be able to tell you if they run on renewable energy. If not, there are plenty of providers that are now 100% carbon neutral and can be easily switched over to.
4. Upgrade to energy saving products
Switch off all lights and computers at night to avoid ‘Standby culture.’ Monitors and lights that are left on all night are responsible for millions of tonnes of CO2 being released into the atmosphere every year. Make sure to switch off all laptops and lights to not only save the environment but also save thousands on energy bills each year.
5. (Continue) To use video conferencing
This has been easier to achieve with a global lockdown…but the effect of not flying has led to a drastic reduction in CO2 emissions. Flying can account for over 60% of total emissions for some companies. The last few months have proven that people can be successful at work without having to fly to conferences and meetings around the world.
6. Be water conscious
Water treatment and distribution can be energy and emissions intensive. You should be able to see how much water your company used in your last utility bill so that you can work out your baseline. From here, you can reduce usage by installing water saving taps and checking the efficiency of your appliances.
Want to calculate your emissions?
If you’re a company that’s interested in reducing the environmental impact of your business, we’d love to help you on your journey. Reach out to us at hello@dodo.eco!
Originally published at dodo.eco
