HOW WE REDUCE OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT
AS A BUSINESS AND AS INDIVIDUALS
As a business:
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We take the train/bus rather than drive as much as possible
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We don’t print out drawings very often, practically no paper filing
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We use old print outs as sketching paper
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No office = no commute = less fuel used
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Flexible working means we can travel when there is less traffic = less fuel used
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We share books and journals = less paper consumed
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Because we work from home a lot, we can make our own lunch at home rather than buying takeaway = less packaging waste
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We carry our own reusable coffee mugs or just drink in = less packaging waste
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We use aptops rather than desktops (good for changing office, but also save energy as desktops use more energy to run) = less energy
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Our appointment T&C’s only require a reply to an email, not printing and signing required = less waste
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We promote collaborators with a similar ethos eg Green Building Store, Ecological Building Systems = encouraging green business ethos
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We attend regular conferences and seminars to stay at the forefront of sustainable design, such as AECB (Association of Environment Conscious Building), The Green Register, Passivhaus Trust, STBA (Sustainable and Traditional Buildings Alliance).
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We only work on jobs further afield if we can get a train there = saving time (can work on a train) and fuel
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Because we work from home, the closest person to a project can attend the meeting = saving time and fuel
- We don’t use branded builders hats and hi-vis jackets so that they can easily be re-used
- We use recycled paper notepads
As individuals we each do some or all of these:
- Buy second-hand clothes (by doing this you are recycling and supporting a charity!)
- Grow your own vegetables
- Walk/cycle where possible
- Plastic-free lifestyle as far as possible!
- Buy refillable shampoo to reduce plastic waste
- Buy soap bars instead of soap dispensers to reduce plastic waste
- When buying new, we buy natural fibres as tiny synthetic fibres end up in the ocean when fabrics are washed. Natural fibres will also decompose naturally in the soil. Synthetic fibres do not decompose naturally.
- Use sunscreen that doesn’t damage coral reefs
- Retrofit insulation to our cold leaky home
- Grow native plants in our gardens for bees and butterflies
- Compost instead of throwing away
- Almost zero food waste
- Use ethical and/or renewable energy suppliers for our homes
- 2/3 of the team are vegetarian or eat meat only once a week
- Use cloth nappies
- Use Olio (a food reuse network) if you think you won’t be able to use all the food you have bought
- Use the same bathwater consecutively with others in the household to save on energy required to heat the water as well as the water itself
