We all have a part to play in the fight for our planet.
Organisations have a big part to play. These organisations include schools, shops, companies, local government, community groups, places of worship, sport clubs, and more.
What can these organisations do? Well, there are 2 main branches:
An organisation will do everything that it can to encourage the people within the organisation.
This involves sharing information, creating systems and challenges for the people to participate in sustainability themselves
The organisation will do everything that it can to be kind to Our Planet.
This includes the buildings, transport, systems, food, and everything that the organisation does.
This might sound like a lot of work.
It can be helpful to create a team to lead sustainability actions in your organisation. This might be a newly recruited team. Or this might be people who are in the organisation already who are part of the team as well as their orginal role.
For example, in a church, the sustainability team might be made up of a representative from the office, a representative from the vicar team, a representative from the cafe team, a representative from the children's and youth team, and some representatives from the churchgoers.
Why?
To protect our High seas we need to dispose of things responsibly. When we recycle and reuse, we also give our Forests space to live.
How?
Educate people about the High seas and the Forests; waste; and how to separate it.
Provide suitable bins.
The bins should have a lid that is clearly coloured and labelled with pictures and words. This forces people to think before they put something in the bin. This means that they can choose the right bin to put their rubbish in.
A system of colours and labels is logical. It is used consistently across the organisation. This makes it easier for people so that they do not have to put effort into separating rubbish.
Provide enough bins.
There must be facility to send paper, wood, hard plastics, metals, textiles and electrical waste to recycling.
There must be facility to send food waste, biodegradable waste, and compost to be composted.
There must be facility to send confidential documents to be shredded and recycled or composted.
There must be facility to send soft plastics to Terracycling.
There must be facility to send hazardous, chemical or clinical waste to be safely repurposed or put into landfill.
There must be facility to send any other waste to be repurposed or put into landfill.
There must be several bins located across the site, including in toilets.
Repurpose items within the organisation.
There must be scrap paper trays that can be used by anyone for any sort of notes or messages or origami.
Resources for any projects or activities are reused or repurposed for other projects or activities. For example, open day maps, banners and guides for a university does not have a date on it such that any leftovers can be used the at the following open day if possible. Or pens and notepads from a conference are saved to be reused at further meetings.
Things that are no longer useful to a team or the whole organisation are given to another team or elsewhere. For example, if a physiotherapy clinic no longer offers an exercise class, they can give their exercise bikes to a local hotel or to a stroke rehabilitation unit.
Buy and sell things in less packaging.
Only buy what is necessary. For more information, take a look at the post about buying and disposing.
Use the tips about the High seas and the Forests for more ideas.
Examples and Services
Sanaway Washroom Services collect sanitary waste and generate electricity from it. They also sell energy and waste efficient toilet appliances such as hand dryers.
Veolia collect a large variety of waste types. They aim to separate and reuse, recycle or generate electricity from as much as possible. For example, they sell bedding for farm animals that is made from the paper that they recycle.
Suez collect a large variety of waste types. They aim to separate and reuse, recycle or generate electricity from as much as possible. They work across the world.
The Green Salon Collective works incredibly hard to recycle waste from the beauty and hairdressing industry. For example, they collect hair from hairdressers and barbers. They use the hair in many different ways, including to clean up oil spills in the ocean. This is amazing. https://www.greensaloncollective.com/
Why?
To save our Fresh waters from destruction.
How?
Educate people about the Fresh waters; how the water cycle works; how to use less water; and what is dangerous for the water systems.
Provide free, potable drinking water so that people can fill up cups or water bottles.
Provide facility for minimising water use. For example, provide dishwashers instead of hand washing and install efficient toilets.
Source water from a company that is sustainable.
Dispose of wastewater with a company that is sustainable.
Use environmentally friendly cleaning products.
This means products for whatever the organisation does and whatever the people in the organisation need to do. This may include washing hands and body, washing textiles, washing cooking and eating equipment, cleaning surfaces, cleaning toilets, cleaning floors and carpets, sterilising equipment and rooms.
As much as possible, products should be biodegradable; fairtrade; free from chemicals that may cause eutrophication, harm or death to any living organisms (except that which the chemical is intended to kill); free from cruelty and animal testing; free from non-sustainable substances such as coconut or palm oil.
Reduce use of water and harmful chemicals in production and use of substances. For example, clothing companies are efficient with water use in production and use non-harmful dyes. Or schools use chemicals sparingly for experiments and dispose of chemicals safely.
Reuse water where appropriate (such as gardening, https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03913-6).
Use tips on the page about the Fresh waters for more ideas.
Examples and Services
Veolia helps companies and communities to provide drinking water to people and manage wastewater. They work on making the systems energy efficient. They help to protect each local environment.
Thames Water works on many different projects to make supplying water and removing waste from communities better. For example, they use the sludge collected from toilet waste to fertilise plants and to produce energy.
Delphis, Greenscents and Sesi are excellent examples of cleaning products that are not harmful. Greenscents also produces concentrate cleaning products in order to reduce packaging.
Why?
To be kind to our Frozen worlds and to encourage people to exercise, be together and be outside in nature.
How?
Educate people on the Frozen worlds and transport.
Provide information about environmentally friendly travel to the organisation. This might include a simple map of walking and cycling routes or sharing the local bus or train timetable.
Provide secure bike and scooter parking.
Provide showers so that people who cycle or scoot to the organisation can refresh themselves before starting the day.
Enforce a 'no-idling' policy. This means that vehicles are not allowed to leave the engine on for more than 20 seconds when stationary on the premises of the organisation.
Re-evaluate how transport for the company is done. For example, if a school does an outing, could this be done via public transport rather than a bus? Or could a delivery service use cargo bikes?
Convert company vehicles to electric or Liquified Natural Gas vehicles.
Create a 'car free day' once a month. This means that no vehicles are allowed on the premises of the organisation for one day. You could even use the space, that would have had vehicles parked, for a barbecue or to work outside or a football game.
Make some events and meetings remote. This means that people do not need to travel in order to attend examinations, meetings, conferences, open days and other events.
Use tips on the page about Frozen worlds for more ideas.
Examples and Services
Co Cars and Co Bikes is a company that set up cars and bikes around a city. Members of the 'club' pay a subscription that enables them to borrow a car or bike from its station and go on their journey. When they are finished, they return the car or bike to any Co Cars or Co Bikes station.
Abbey Logistics Group is a company for transporting products. They work hard to train their drivers and plan their routes carefully. The drivers use fuel efficiently and drive less miles. Some of their vehicles also use liquefied natural gas. This is less harmful than petrol or diesel. They also use trains and boats as alternatives to road transport.
This is a proposal set forward by a council in South England: https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/commonplace-customer-assets/surreyltp4/Surrey%20Transport%20Plan.pdf. It outlines plans for reducing carbon emissions caused by transport in the area. The document is long but skip to the ‘Vision’ and ‘Policy Areas’ to see some fantastic and holistic ideas for reducing transport impact in a community.
Bikeworks is a company that offers many initiatives to help people to cycle. They run cycle safety and skills training. They run a cycle taxi. This is a specialise bike that can transport up to 4 people in a 3-mile radius. The cycle taxi is a great way to meet new people, to exercise and to travel.
Why?
To save our Grasslands, Jungles, and Coastal seas.
How?
Educate people on our Grasslands, Jungles and Coastal seas; the role of food, how to reduce food waste and how to grow and eat for the environment.
As far as possible, provide food that is locally sourced, sustainably sourced or fished, in season, organic, healthy, affordable. Provide plant-based options.
Provide food in as little packaging as possible. For example, buy products in bulk. Or serve food on crockery, napkins and cutlery that are washed and reused. Or give people the opportunity buy food and drink and put it in their own crockery or tubs and cutlery from home.
Only order as much food as is required. For example, if an office has 20 employees, do not ask the catering company to provide 20 sandwiches, 20 cakes, 20 pieces of fruit, 20 bags of crisps, 20 bottles of juice and 20 salad boxes for a single lunchtime. Instead, ask the employees what they would like to order and order only that.
Any surplus food is sold or given away to people within the organisation or to the public. For example, via apps such as Too Good To Go or Olio.
Food waste, compost and biodegradable waste is collected and composted on site or externally biodegraded.
Use tips from the pages about the Grasslands, Jungles, and Coastal seas for more ideas.
Services
This website has lots of guidance for catering companies. It also has lots of guidance for schools to work with their catering companies to meet high standards of sustainable catering. Businesses and other organisations can also use this. https://www.foodforlife.org.uk/schools
This is a guide for schools to create a farmers' market: https://www.foodforlife.org.uk/~/media/files/general/eight-weeks-to-bronze_farmers-market.pdf
You could start a small growing space in your organisation to grow food and connect with nature. Thrive.org.uk supports individuals to join gardening projects and help professionals and organisations to create therapeutic gardening spaces. This charity is very skilled in helping everyone and anyone access the wonderful world of gardening, regardless of any difficulty that you may have.
If you would like a free guide on gardening for the environment for small and big spaces, please email jennilouwright@gmail.com.
Why?
To keep our Frozen worlds alive.
How?
Educate people on our Frozen worlds, how energy works, energy efficiency, and how we can save money and protect our planet by saving energy.
Use as much natural resources as possible. For example, use windows for natural lighting instead of light bulbs.
Improve the efficiency of the infrastructure. This includes double glazed windows, LEDs or other efficient light bulbs, and insulation.
Turn off the lights when rooms are empty. If people forget to turn off the lights, install automated lighting.
Turn off and unplug all appliances when they are not in use.
Switch to a renewable energy supplier. This could be solar panels, hydroelectricity, wind power, sewage sludge energy, incinerated landfill energy.
Use the heating system less. This means that the heating system can be controlled in each room. If people are warm enough, they can choose to turn the heating off. Also, if certain months are very cold, consider closing for a couple of weeks during that period.
Use the air conditioning or fanning system less. This means that the air conditioning or fanning system can be controlled in each room. If people are cool enough, they can choose to turn the air conditioning or fan off. Also, if certain months are very hot, consider closing for a couple of weeks during that period.
Install curtains or blinds over windows. This allows people to keep the cold air out during cold months and to keep the hot sun out during hot months. This also allows people to use natural light instead of light bulbs.
Use tips from the post about the Frozen worlds for more ideas.
Why?
When you alter how you work in order to be more sustainable, you are modelling sustainability. That is so powerful for encouraging others.
How?
Re-assess and re-assess. It is so helpful to constantly check what you are doing and why. When you step back and look at the activities of your organisation, you can see where things are going well and where things can improve. Report on observations and what your plans are to continually do better.
Be transparent- publish your policies and what you do.
This includes publishing your finances, your policies such as Modern Slavery and accessibility, and reporting on how things are going.
Here are some excellent examples of sustainability reports: https://i.s-madewell.com/is/content/madewell/MW_DoWellReportpdf, https://www.dbsustainability.co.nz/approach
Make sure that your production methods and any activities are using resources in the best way that you can.
For example, the Royal College of Radiologists has an online platform that provides radiologists with guidelines for making decisions. This means that radiologists can know when to avoid conducting a test like an x-ray or CT scan and when these tests are necessary. This avoids unnecessary radiation of patients, encourages appropriate use of scans, reduces costs, reduces environmental costs.
Encourage people by educating them. This might be posters or telling someone as you walk past them. Or it might be training or group meetings. Try using engaging activities such as these: http://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/our_planet_their_future___educator_pack.pdf
Think about how you market sustainability in your organisation. This article explains some interesting ideas about the power of language and presentation when encouraging people to be sustainable: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03913-6
Hold competitions and challenges for the people in your organisation to encourage each other, have fun and connect.
Outdoor activities and challenges are especially good. Connecting with nature is so important. This could be as simple as doing some work outside on a bench.
Work together to do something positive in your community such as giving surplus food from the cantine to people who need it. Or collect old clothes to give to charity.
