February 27, 2013 · 9:15 am

Travel plans can benefit your business

Businesses implementing travel plans are finding widespread benefits, including lower costs and a healthier, more productive workforce.

A travel plan is a tool to deliver a package of measures to promote, encourage and enable a variety of travel options. It can be a simple device assessing current travelling practices, conducting a staff survey and identifying opportunities to change peoples’ travelling habits. Those that have encouraged a move out of the car and onto public transport, bikes or onto our feet have found a reduction in absenteeism, lower staff turnover rates and improved productivity and morale among the workforce.

Travel action plans have generated significant cost savings for businesses – how much did you spend last year advertising and recruiting for new staff, in time and money – as well as  contributing to  a reduction in carbon emissions.

Encouraging staff to walk more has helped improve their health

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Photo: sattva

There are any number of options to choose from, including car share schemes, providing secure parking for bicycles and changing facilities to introducing walking programmes, at the beginning and end of the working day or during a lunch break. To encourage greater participation in cycling many offered bike doctors on site as well as refresher adult cycling training to gain confidence on today’s busy roads. The British Medical Association says 40 minutes of physical activity per week can reduced workplace absenteeism by 50%

Like many ideas we discuss on this blog it’s good to start small and gradually build into a bigger programme. You could begin by not using the car to travel to work for one day or provide the option to work from home one day a week. There isn’t a specific manual of what to do and the plan needs to be flexible to fit in with your business. But it is essential to talk to staff to see what they would like to see and provide regular communications via all channels to keep the message fresh and in peoples’ minds.

While there are differing opinions on whether to use the carrot or stick approach, all staff need to be included in the plans, from juniors to directors. Equity is integral when encouraging people to change their habits and if a few individuals are not expected to participate your plan will fall at the first hurdle.

If you’re implementing a more sustainable approach in business don’t forget to look at the impact of travel. Encouraging physically active travel modes can form part of your sustainable commitment and demonstrates how you’re reaching your green goals.

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February 20, 2013 · 10:20 am

Time to start thinking about energy efficiency

As energy prices are about to rise again, following imminent cuts in UK power production, it’s time to look at how much we consume and identify ways to improve efficiency.

Older power stations are closing at a faster rate than renewable energy and other technologies can replace them, and the first rises are expected by April when there will be a 10% fall in capacity. The country will be increasingly reliant on importing energy, competing with the likes of China and the Far East.

With prices on the up now is a good time to review energy consumption and see how it can be reduced. There are many simple low or no cost initiatives you can introduce into your business that can help bring your bills down.

Just boil enough water to make the drinks you need

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Our top 10 tips:

  • Open blinds to use natural daylight where possible
  • Turn off lights and equipment when not in use and at the end of every  day
  • Monitor energy consumption – see when the most energy is being used
  • Keep the thermostat at 19 deg – each degree rise increases costs by 8%
  • Install sensor motion lighting in areas infrequently used
  • Consider replacing light bulbs with LED lighting
  • Check electrical appliances, such as fridges, are working at their most efficient
  • Only boil water in the kettle for the drinks you need to make
  • Put on a fleece or jumper rather than turn up the thermostat
  • Use printers when you need to – print in batches, than have the printer on all the time

Lulu Consulting provides help and guidance to small businesses looking to implement energy-efficient measures. Email janerayner@luluconsulting.co.uk to set up a meeting today.

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February 12, 2013 · 9:33 am

What are your plans for Climate Week?

Implementing waste reduction initiatives, smarter travelling and reducing energy consumption are just some of the ways businesses and residents can get involved in Climate Week in the Bournemouth and Poole area.

Climate Week, which runs between 4-10 March, is a nationwide campaign encouraging different activities to help create a sustainable future. Each year, half a million people attend 3,000 events around the country, showcasing practical solutions from every sector of society. Events are run by schools, businesses, charities, councils and many others.

The Bournemouth and Poole Climate Week has a set of themed days which businesses and the community can participate in. Business students at Bournemouth University have worked with Bournemouth and Poole councils to develop the different themed days.

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Watch Your Waste Monday – focuses on recycling and reducing waste. See how you could reduce costs, for example, by providing branded mugs you remove the frequent cost of purchasing plastic/polystyrene cups and increase awareness of your brand.

Travel Together Tuesday – promotes car sharing as a carbon reduction initiative. Motor vehicles produce the highest proportion of CO2 emissions and very simple procedures can be adopted in order to tackle this issue.

Woolly Pully Wednesday – This is fun and simple. If employees wear a jumper, the heating can be reduced slightly. This theme can easily be adopted by most businesses and is very simple to implement – plus, it can make a positive impact on both the working and external environment. Give a new lease of life to all those Christmas jumpers you’ve hidden at the back of the wardrobe.

Smarter Transport Thursday – aims to reduce business travel and promote working from home, as well as using public transport, cycling or walking to work.

Pull the Plug Friday – aims to reduce the amount of energy consumed by leaving on electrical equipment, such as computer monitors. Most companies are guilty of doing this and it is known that by carrying out the smallest changes, a large difference can be made.

You can find out more about Bournemouth and Poole’s plans for Climate Week on their Facebook page.

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February 6, 2013 · 8:19 am

Check out some benefits of cycling

We all know cycling is good for  you. Here are some reasons why:

cycling_benefits

Thanks to EU Climate Action for sharing

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February 5, 2013 · 8:24 am

What’s the waste hierarchy all about?

The Waste Hierarchy has been the foundation for the way waste should be treated for years. Set up through the European Union framework it provided a guide on our approach to managing waste. But under the revised Waste Framework Directive businesses now have  to demonstrate how they have considered the waste hierarchy when disposing of waste.

Under the hierarchy, which has waste reduction at the top, followed by re-use and recycling, businesses have to show that they’ve thought about whether they need to use materials or products in the first place. Asking the following questions can help – do I really need this product, will it last a long time and can it be easily repaired, can it be recycled once I’ve finished with it? Buying fewer materials, using them for longer and recycling at the end of their life will help save money and  improve the overall efficiency of your business.

The regulations require businesses to declare they have followed the waste hierarchy when choosing specific waste options on their waste transfer or hazardous waste consignment notes. They will need to demonstrate they have considered prevention or it could be re-used or recycled.

The Waste Hierarchy

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Measuring the amount of waste that’s generated in your business will indicate areas where you can cut down or eliminate entirely, saving not just on disposal costs but also the purchase price in the first place.

A useful exercise is to calculate how much paper is used on a weekly basis in printers, photocopiers and fax machines. A simple review of the costs of paper and ink cartridges will demonstrate how much is used. Compare this to how much paper is left at the photocopier, put straight into the bin because a document was printed twice or only printed on one side. A quick calculation should show where you can make savings.

Items to consider when applying the waste hierarchy to your business

Stages Include
Prevention: Using less material in design and manufacture. Keeping products for longer; re-use. Using less hazardous materials
Preparing for re-use: Checking, cleaning, repairing, refurbishing, whole items or spare parts
Recycling: Turning waste into a new substance or product. Includes composting if it meets quality protocols
Other recovery: Includes anaerobic digestion, incineration with energy recovery, gasification and pyrolysis which produce energy (fuels, heat and power) and materials from waste; some backfilling
Disposal: Landfill and incineration without energy recovery

 

The phrase waste prevention will become increasingly familiar over the next few years. By the 12 December 2013 the Government is required to publish its National Waste Prevention Programme, covering details of a co-ordinated national approach to waste prevention, including specific targets and policies.

In the current climate costs are ever increasing while we have fewer pounds in the pocket. Rethinking the way we view our waste – regarding it as a resource – automatically implies it has some sort of value, either to you or to the person who can find another use for it. It’s time we started to think more along these lines, to ensure our finite resources go much further and to improve efficiencies across our businesses.

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