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Carbon Neutral
A large majority of the population now agrees that reducing CO2 output will help to slow down global warming, and lmost 80% of FTSE companies consider climate change to be a business issue, and seen as a greater priority for companies and government than terrorism or competition from the developing world.
Everyone can do something to help, from switching to low-energy light bulbs and making sure the television isnt left on standby all night through to industry-wide schemes. Most involve reducing energy used which gives individuals and companies an immediate financial payback.
Use carbon neutral as the search criteria on Google and it will come up with over 4 million pages! We havent gone that far, but have included a list of websites worth visiting if you would like to find out more about the problems we face, and more importantly, what we can do.
Ten Green Tips to Help Reduce CO2 emissions.
The CarbonNeutral Company has put together some tips to help you reduce your carbon footprint, this will not only help save the environment, makes good business sense and long term potentially could save you money.
1 - Look after your car (personal or company car): Check your tyre pressure. Driving with under-inflated tyres decreases your fuel efficiency and the lifetime of the tyres. Driving for 100 miles with your tyres at the correct pressure could save 1kg of CO2.
2 - Watch your speed: Watch how fast you are travelling at: keep your speed at a lower level and be consistent with your speed. If you rapidly accelerate then this will directly increase the amount of CO2 emissions and you will also use more fuel.
Driving at 70mph will use up to 25% more in fuel compared with 50mph,
Driving at 85mph will use up to 25% more in fuel compared with 70mph,
Driving at 50-60 mph will minimise your CO2 emissions.
(Statistics from the Centre for Alternative Technology)
3- Switch to a greener energy supplier: Research and use local sustainable energy providers such as those that use fossil fuel. Monetary savings can sometimes be made; you are encouraging local trade and also helping to protect the environment.
4 - Look at alternative greener fuel options: When you are purchasing your next vehicle you should switch from a petrol solution to a more fuel-efficient vehicle such as a diesel engine or an electric city car these alternative vehicles will reduce your CO2 emissions. Longer term you will also save money through purchasing cheaper fuel.
A 1.4 litre vehicle for 50 miles per week fuelled on:
Petrol will produce 0.8 tonnes of CO2 emissions per annum,
Diesel will reduce this to 0.6 tonnes of CO2 emissions per annum and,
An LPG vehicle will reduce this further to 0.5 tonnes of CO2 emissions per annum.
5 - Look at reducing the size of the engine that you drive: Vehicles with smaller engines are not only cheaper to purchase, save money on fuel but also help the environment by producing less CO2 emissions. Decreasing the size of the vehicle will directly decrease the amount of CO2 emissions produced:
A 2 litre petrol vehicle will produce 1.2 tonnes of CO2 compared to,
A 1.4 litre petrol vehicle which will produce 0.8 tonnes of CO2.
6 - Long or short haul flights? Take a look at your business travel plans and see how you can improve them - can you reduce the amount that you fly through investing in video conferencing, plan shorter flights or schedule a number of meetings back to back?
By forfeiting one long distance flight you will save 1 tonne of CO2.
7 - Should you fly or take the train? Depending upon your destination taking the train instead of flying could be an alternative and think of all that extra work you can do on the train!
If 10 people from your business took 10 train trips instead of flying, 10 tonnes of CO2 would be saved.
8 - Revise your supply management chain: Use CarbonNeutral companies in your supply chain, introduce environmental questions into your procurement policy. For examples some delivery companies now grade their vehicles according to the CO2 emissions and then if a vehicle is used which is lower than the benchmark CO2 a financial contribution has to be made.
9 - Insulate your premises: Do you realise how much heat you lose through a badly insulated building? Check with your Local Authority about grants to encourage local businesses to make their premises greener through loft insulations and solar powered energy schemes.
10 - Use more technology within the workplace: Instead of travelling to a business meeting why dont you use video conferencing facilities instead. If your audience is not based in the same building or office and you are planning a conference or workshop then webinars are a good alternative.
After just 4 half-mile return trips you will have saved 1kg of CO2.
Further information.
The Carbon Neutral Company
Global Warming early warning signs
The Pew Centre on Climate Change
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
United Nations Convention on Climate Change
BBC on Climate Change