Let's talk about some of our grassroots environmental principles:
Okay, it's time for us to do away with the flashy website and get a little grounded here.
CNM is not about embedding our sustainability objectives into our business plans, but rather we are all about embedding our business plans into our sustainability objectives. And we believe that unless a company is able to do that from day one: they ought to remain a little humble instead of bragging about how much (publicised) good they are doing for the environment.
Which is why you won't find us talking about any "future proof" sustainability plans or so-called "ambitious targets". We are serious about our commitment to offset 200% of our carbon footprint, and we've been committed to doing things right by the environment from the very beginning.
Our Carbon Management Plan takes us to BSI PAS2060 specifications and beyond. We are always seeking new ways in which we can carry out our activities without leaving any carbon footprint. We're so careful about what we do, some people might even see us as being obsessive.
For the things that are completely unavoidable, we use an accredited programme to offset double the amount of greenhouse gas emissions generated by our activities.
You can find our certificate which acknowledges the carbon credits we have purchased in advance of this year's operations right here:
We figured that anybody really interested in a detailed report of our carbon footprint outlining how we have calculated our carbon expenditure would be bothered enough to contact us directly so that we could send it to them rather than shove it in their faces on this page.
Having said that, we would still like to kindly ask you for a tiny bit more time to tell you a little more about some of the other ways in which we are helping the environment:
How we go about our business:
Office Supplies: We only use environmentally friendly products sourced from environmentally friendly companies. We reuse and recycle everything we are
able to.
In the event of ordering any supplies, we always choose the option of offset delivery if available. The more offsetting we can do at source the better, as this reduces our total operational CO2.
Here's an exclusive peek at one of our desk spaces, complete with recyclable pens and calculator:
Paper: We strive to achieve a paperless office environment. That's made so much easier these days with the advent of computers and the internet. Any paper we do begrudgingly have to use, we do so on 100% recycled paper using Rymans Eco: a beautifully sustainable font.
All of our accounts are set up so that we are receiving paperless invoices and statements. But what happens if we receive some paper in the post?
Simple. We offset it (junk mail simply gets returned to the sender, unfortunately...).
It takes 122ml 0f water, 6.8g of CO2 and 0.5g of landfill waste to make a single A4 piece of paper.
Alternatively, looking at an A4 document on a laptop screen for 5 minutes consumes 0.7g of CO2. Bit of a no-brainer for us, really.
We always use laptops in preference to desktops simply because they are more environmentally friendly. A laptop produces 50% - 80% less CO2 than a desktop. They're also pretty cool in the sense that you can take them places without looking like you're moving offices.
Energy: We do not use any gas and insist on only using electricity supplied by Ecotricity.
We switch all of our lighting and electrical equipment off when it's not in use and we try not to implement the use of standby mode unless absolutely necessary. We take the plugs out of the wall socket, as many electrical items continue to draw 'phantom power' even when switched off.
We always seek to reduce our energy expenditure not only for the environment, but also because it makes really good business sense.
Eco-Friendly Web Hosting: The servers, offices and data centres supporting this website are 100% powered by wind energy.
For every kWH of energy which is used to bring this website to you, triple the amount of wind energy is purchased and fed
back into the grid: ensuring that even our presence in cyberspace is strictly conforming to the Carbon Neutral Media standard.
You can click on this cute little banner if you are interested in our Green Certificate:
Transport: We reduce the need to travel by promoting the use of video/telephone conferencing wherever possible. But of course we still need to get around, which is why we provide all of our staff members with a free bicycle and helmet. Granted, they may not always be the best bicycles on the market, but they will get us from A to B in an eco-friendly manner.
We like using electric vehicles too. They don't cause local emissions and provided they are charged using renewable energy, they won't contribute to smokestack emissions either. This makes them the most environmentally friendly method of getting around after walking and cycling, and this will always be our next preferred choice. We don't want to pay depreciation costs on an electric vehicle, so we hire them as and when we need to use them. We choose the Renault Zoe because it is practical, well-equipped and looks pretty cool too:
Only when there are no practical alternative modes of transport available will we look towards other choices, and so we've devised a very simple chart to help us along the way:
This chart really causes us to stop and think. Do we really need to make that journey? What are the pros and cons if we decide not to?
Asking ourselves the right type of questions doesn't just help reduce our carbon footprint and overheads, but it also makes sure that we're on the right track. In more ways than one.
(*Sources: DEFRA, DfT, NAEI and National Geographic's Green Guide)
Making the most of what we've got.
Waste: We adopt the 3 R's approach to 'Reduce, Reuse and Recycle':
We don't buy things we don't need. For the things we do need, we take a very careful look at whether or not there are better and more efficient options available.
"Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin." ~ Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Remembering the Future: The new generation is entirely savvy, they can tell the difference between a company which merely jumps on the green bandwagon and a company which is wholeheartedly committed to making a difference.
That's just one of the many reasons why at Carbon Neutral Media we don't so much reflect sustainability as decree it.
It's a choice which we believe will benefit each and every one of us just as much today as it will tomorrow. We don't have to sacrifice effective communication for a healthy environment. The two can go hand in hand in a state of harmony.
After all, the environment is where we all have a mutual interest. Isn't that always going to be the greatest starting point for all communication?
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