Sustainability in the workplace

In May The Elsie Whiteley Innovation Centre and Halifax Opportunities Trust have signed a new printing contract with a company that specializes in sustainable printing. This new agreement is a step forward for us in our journey to reducing our Carbon Footprint, as we will be offsetting all our paper usage by planting trees and other shrubbery within our Outback Garden and the Park Ward area. Not only this but we now have printers that use a lower amount of energy, as we have a number of printers across the Trust this will be a big drop in our overall energy usage.

During our journey we have found out a lot about sustainability and the different things that can contribute to businesses and individuals Carbon Footprints. Did you know that short unnecessary emails contribute as much CO2 to the environment per year as 3,334 diesel cars?

Other factors that can contribute a business’s carbon footprint are things such as staff travel, waste management, supply chain, energy usage etc. right down to a company pension scheme. In fact, studies have shown that if a person makes their pension ‘Green’ this can be more effective at cutting their carbon footprint than changing their energy supplier or giving up travelling by plane.

A lot of food for thought when it comes to sustainability and the steps we can do within our own businesses to support our planet. A lot of businesses around the world have incorporated sustainable practice within their business model by training their staff, creating policies and procedures and creating ‘green’ business strategies.

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

Jane Goodall