I’m obsessed, in the good way. Obsessed with sustainability, obsessed with finding new ways in which to limit our impact on the environment, and obsessed with leaving the planet a better place!
Remember, there is no Planet B, so here are some top tips that you can start bringing to your office space to instantly up your eco game.
1. Choose a green electricity tariff that uses and invests in renewables.
In Cornwall, Good Energy has 1 wind farm and 2 solar farms. If you don’t want the hassle of finding the best prices, speak to a local energy broker, like Total Energy Solutions, who will do the searching for you.
2. If you need to print on paper, choose recycled paper.
It takes less energy and resources to produce. The quality is just as good as paper made from trees and you’re saving trees from being chopped down. Talking of trees, change your search engine to Ecosia – it spends 80% of its click advertised services profit on planting trees around the world!
3. Have an easy-to-care-for plant on every desk.
They act as air filters making the indoor air cleaner, plus they brighten up the office. The Idenna team have had some wow moments where they’ve taken various plants home to look after, forgotten about them (oops!) but then remembered to get them back on track – the transformation from almost a goner to blooming wonderful has a definite feel good factor! We recommend Trevisker Garden Centre for all your potted pretties.
4. Making a cuppa? Don’t overfill the kettle.
Only boil enough water for the number of cups you’re making – saving energy and water. Other top tips include:
- using any leftover water (once cooled) to give the plants a drink
- opting for plastic-free teabags so you can pop them in a garden compost (Cornish Tea have plastic free teabags and a subscription service, so the office will never run out of tea again!)
- finding your local milk refill point and buying milk in reusable glass bottles.
5. Avoid buying from Amazon.
Why? It’s not an ethical company; it generates huge revenue in the UK but pays very little corporation tax by funnelling money through its holding company in Luxembourg. Amongst many other unethical practices, its not so kind to their workforce either. We believe it’s always best to source local products or use a local supplier and, if you still can’t find what you’re looking for, go straight to the brand! One of our faves is using Hive to buy any books we need as they support an independent book shop with every sale. If you want to know more about where and who to buy from, check out ethicalconsumer.org
We’re always looking to do more to protect our environment. If you have any hints and tricks to share, we’d love to hear them!