Many organisations in Peterborough are already taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint. Here are some simple steps you can take which will make a real impact on the environment and your bottom line.
- Keep the temperature at 19°C and wear an extra jumper if you get a bit chilly instead of cranking up the heating: Unless it’s just too cold for comfort, try to keep your thermostat at 19°C. Your heating costs will go up by 8% each time you increase the temperature by just one degree. A 2°C increase in office temperature creates enough CO2 in a year to fill a hot air balloon.
- Switch off the lights when you leave the building: Office lights left on overnight use enough energy in a year to heat a home for almost 5 months.
- Look for the potential in your rubbish. Eastex is the materials exchange scheme for the East of England. Through the website www.eastex.org.uk users can list materials they would like to re-home, whilst others list items they are looking for. The scheme is based on the idea that one business’s waste is another’s raw material. If you need to get rid of office furniture, old computers or even a ton of potpourri, Eastex can help. Since its set up three years ago, Eastex has saved local firms over £1.5 million in waste disposal and procurement costs and diverted 10,000 tonnes of goods from landfill.
- Turn off your computers when we leave the office: Leaving a computer on overnight for a year creates enough CO2 to fill a double decker bus.
- Turn off photocopiers, printers and other electrical equipment at the end of the day: A photocopier left on standby overnight wastes enough energy to make 30 cups of tea.
- Ask for help. If you are struggling to kick-start your environmental management you might want to seek outside help. Peterborough has a wealth of support available for city firms wanting to go green (some of which is free). Business Envestors is a good place to start.
- Go green for your away days. Do something environmentally friendly for your team building – why not help a school build an outdoor garden or set up a vegetable patch by registering with the Volunteer Exchange. Not only will you be giving something back to the local community, you’re helping the environment too.
- Open a window instead of resorting to the air-con: Air conditioning an office for one extra hour a day uses enough energy in a month to power a tv for over a year.
- Make a sustainable choice for travelling to work: Try walking, cycling, public transport or car sharing. Car sharing to work 10 miles away will save you and your colleague £250 a year - more if there’s three of you! Visit www.travelchoice.org.uk to find out about sustainable travel in Peterborough.
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