As the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently published its starkest warnings yet. The latest report’s authors said that ‘this is the decade of action, if we are going to turn things around’.
CRM has committed to becoming more sustainable and reduce our impact on the environment. Our specialist on sustainability and recently fully qualified accountant, Loren Forbes, outlines the short and longer term goals that CRM is working towards and offers some guidance on how businesses can do their bit to cut carbon emissions and ‘go green’.
Loren says: “An interesting outcome of the change in many companies’ working practices during the past couple of years has seen fewer cars on the road as more people work from home. At CRM, we embraced this change and continue to offer a hybrid system of flexible working for our staff.
“Another effect of the pandemic is that we are less reliant on paper and printed documents. We significantly reduced our paper consumption and the energy for printing by moving our work to a secure private server to share files internally and with clients.
“We have become much better at turning off our computers at night and using lower-energy LED lighting where we can, as well as turning off the lights and air conditioning in meeting rooms and filing areas unless they are in use.
“We also made some changes to our building to make it more energy efficient – a new heating/air conditioning system using an air source heat pump is much more efficient, and we upgraded our windows to ensure we keep more heat inside the building.
“We are making use of our local authority’s kerbside collections to recycle our paper and plastics and we’re looking into the use of recycled paper, toilet paper and kitchen towel. It’s important to look at the supply chain of office supplies to try and limit our use of single use plastic.
“We have a limited car parking area but this year we would like to include some more plants around the outside of the building to attract pollinators and support local wildlife. We’re looking into car charging points in the car park too.
“None of these changes are that difficult to implement and I’m pleased that we’re doing our bit at CRM to be more sustainable. With a little thought and planning, carbon savings and cost savings can go hand in hand.”
If you need advice on how taking the greener path can benefit your business, speak to Loren and the experts at CRM on 01865 379272 or visit www.crmoxford.co.uk
