1. See what money saving help you can get to use less resources, cut waste and save energy by contacting the Carbon Trust, Envirowise or the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (www.carbontrust.co.uk, www.envirowise.gov.uk, www.nisp.org.uk)
2. Find out about the motivational and morale-boosting benefits of offering staff ‘volunteering' opportunities at www.volunteering.org.uk
3. Send round an email (or stick up a notice) reminding colleagues to switch off unnecessary lights and appliances (introduce a prize for the most energy efficient employee!).
4. Look into sourcing local (ideally organic) food and drink for the workplace - providing local fruit and vegetables will help keep colleagues well, reduce ‘food miles' and support fellow local businesses. Find your local producers at www.localfoodworks.org
5. Do staff need to travel as much as you do? Think about homeworking options or even using tele-/video-/web-conferencing facilities - it will save lost travel time and carbon emissions.
6. Boost staff energy levels by encouraging walking or cycling to work. If your business is ‘car dependent' - consider car sharing schemes, to avoid car parking fees and help protect the environment.
7. A happy workforce is a productive workforce!: reduce stress in the workplace by considering how you could introduce access to ‘green space', relaxation/'chill out' areas etc
8. Energy from fossil fuels is polluting and is becoming increasing scarce and expensive - choose a local ‘green' energy source for security of supply and price for the longterm: see www.uswitch.com
9. Customers are increasingly turned on by responsible businesses - coming up with ways to publicly celebrate your ‘sustainability successes' could create future business opportunities!
10. Undertake a quick straw poll. Staff may have some great ideas about what you can do to make your company more sustainable. Getting them involved could strengthen commitment to sustainability and the success of your business!
Finally... further help, support programmes, management tools and guides for sustainable business can be found at:
www.oursouthwest.com/SusBus/Intro.html
