Posted: 17th January 2022
We’ve recently been on a journey of discovery, along with our clients, about how to do better for the planet. In this article, our Business Development Manager, Eva McConnell, reveals the big misconception we had about our environmental impact and shares a few simple ways to start being more sustainable today.
In October last year, the WHO’s COP26 report declared that climate change is now the biggest threat to humanity – more dangerous than the pandemic.
Our clients’ priorities changed virtually overnight. Sustainability moved from an afterthought to the forefront of conversation. Carbon neutral and net-zero targets were set, and they turned to us to find out how IT & AV can help them reach their ambitious goals.
Seeing our clients take such bold action led us to examine our own behaviour. Where were we falling short? And what were we going to do about it?
Blacktip Consultancy is privileged to be working with some huge organisations that have the potential to change the world. Our decisions could have an enormous impact on the effort to fight climate change.
Because we work with businesses larger than ourselves, we fell into the trap of thinking our own environmental impact was inconsequential. But we were wrong.
Climate change requires everyone to act. Every business, big or small. And every individual, everywhere on the planet.
At Blacktip, we’re determined to be on the right side of history. That’s why our new year’s resolution is to incorporate sustainability into everything we do going forward.
If you’re looking to be more eco-friendly this year, read on. We’ve discovered some simple things that will help you build momentum and start making an immediate difference.
Where do you start?
Building sustainable commercial real estate typically requires a larger investment up front. And it takes time to see the results, though they are worth it, both environmentally and financially.
In the meantime, here are some small actions you can take right now to be more sustainable. They’ll help you build momentum as you set your sights towards bigger goals.
Swap emails for Slack
We were surprised to discover that text-based emails emit about 4 grams of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent). And an average year of emailing emits about 136 kilograms of CO2e, which is about the same as driving 200 miles in a gas-powered car[1].
So, we decided to ditch those long lengthy email chains for the faster, less formal and more environmentally friendly Slack app. In today’s remote working setup, teams need a way to communicate quickly. And Slack is the digital equivalent of turning to the desk behind you to ask a quick question.
Be a little less social on social media
Greenspector studied the carbon impact, consumption of energy and data exchanged across 10 popular social media platforms across the world — Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Reddit, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitch, Twitter, and YouTube.
Greenspector, an energy company specialising in energy-resource efficiency, conducted an independent study on the carbon impact, consumption of energy and data exchanged across 10 popular social media platforms.
The results were shocking[2]. They discovered that TikTok — the worst offender — generates around 2.63 gEqCO2 per minute. That’s the carbon footprint equivalent to using 0.27 litres of water or 1.88 m² of land. Reddit wasn’t far behind at 2.48 gEqCO2 per minute. Pinterest, Instagram and Snapchat take the next three places, followed by Facebook, LinkedIn Twitter and YouTube.
These figures paint a grim picture for our planet when you consider that each of us spends an average of 2 hours and 24 minutes on social networks every day.
For many businesses, social media is an essential part of our marketing strategy and it’s a great way to stay connected to your network. Ditching it would be detrimental to business. However, we could do a great deal of good for the environment if we all spent a little less time scrolling and cut our number of posts down.
Join 1% for the Planet
Only 3% of total philanthropic giving in the US goes to environmental causes. 1% for the Planet is on a mission to change that. Their global movement is inspiring businesses and individuals to support environmental solutions through a simple premise: donate 1% of annual sales or salary to environmental causes.
Head to https://www.onepercentfortheplanet.org to find out more.
Consider setting up satellite offices
At Blacktip, we have resources and people abroad trained in our way of doing things who we can contact to carry out tasks such as audits or site visits.
Not only do these satellite offices save our London team having to travel hours to complete a task that may only take a few hours, they also avoid jumping on a plane, which cuts the emissions down.
Written by Eva McConnell / Business Development Manager
FOOTNOTES
[1] https://www.greenmatters.com/p/do-emails-leave-carbon-footprint
[2] https://www.indulgexpress.com/tech/2021/dec/17/heres-how-social-media-scrolling-is-damaging-the-environment-37813.html
