Reasons to be Cheerful… and Cautious

One thing I notice time and time again whilst visiting or communicating with businesses is just how much work they have already done to reduce energy use. Often it has been done without an environmental focus, and it has rarely been communicated effectively to staff but let’s give credit where credit is due, efforts are being made to cut energy.

Eco-bulbs are Everywhere!

Business Carbon Reducing Actions (with Scores)

Many new members of the Low Carbon Alliance ask for ideas of actions or activities they can get involved with to help them reduce their business carbon footprint.

Kind people that we are, we have compiled a spreadsheet with over 200 actions/activities plus a score to show how highly we value those actions and activities (the higher the score the more points you will get towards our Low Carbon Awards). These are based on several criteria, which haven’t been included in the table below but we can provide more information on this.

Breaking Bad Carbon Habits in Business

Apologies for the lengthy gap between blog posts. I’ve been away from work on paternity leave following my second daughter’s slightly early arrival over the Christmas break. The good news is that, in between changing nappies and being woken throughout the night for the last few weeks, I have had some time to think about business carbon reduction: in particular how businesses can get started on the road to carbon reduction in 2011.

 

Can We Capture the Renewable Energy in Stirling?

Having previously run a small business myself (an organic food shop) I know that, unless environmental issues are a fundamental part of your business philosophy, it is very easy to think of sustainability as an add-on or nice-to-have. It is also very easy to get into bad habits, which you probably know aren’t the most sustainable way of doing things but which you justify somehow: maybe they offer a perceived time or cost saving (or the alternatives would take too much time or money to implement) so you carry on doing them.

Are Past Actions Eligible for a Low Carbon Award?

I received a query about the awards process, in which I was asked whether actions and projects carried out before a business became a member of the Alliance would be eligible for Low Carbon Awards.

 

You know you want one...

The answer to this is, essentially, a resounding yes!

Photos of Low Carbon Activities

Some photos of the team working alongside communities and businesses:

Top Tips to Save Business Energy Costs This Christmas…

Many businesses slow down over Christmas, particularly between Christmas and New Year. In Scotland we have four bank holidays to contend with, which for some of us is half our yearly quota. So we naturally wind down and start to think about slipping into something comfy and spending some quality time with the drinks cabinet our nearest and dearest.

Bye Bye Standby

With fewer staff on hand to carry out business duties and fewer clients/customers demanding that their every need is met, you might imagine that businesses see a big drop in energy use at Christmas. Not so dear reader! At least, not necessarily…

Join Us…

Right, here we go. Welcome to our new blog, set up to support the Stirling Low Carbon Alliance which we launched two weeks ago. I’m very excited about the Alliance because I know from previous work by the GCNS team that businesses in Stirling want to reduce costs and adapt to climate change, but they don’t always know how to do it. We want to make sure the right kind of knowledge is shared across a network of interested people so that the word spreads and carbon reduction remains high on the agenda.

Do you know your business carbon footprint?

 

The good news is that membership has been growing steadily since what was a relatively quiet launch and we already have a wide range of businesses within the Alliance. But of course, we want more!

If you run or work in a business in Stirling then please do think about joining. It’s completely free and has been designed to offer businesses a number of benefits including:

• Ongoing support and advice to help you cut carbon and cut costs.
• Members-only training events to keep you up-to-date.
• A membership certificate, window sticker and detailed welcome booklet full of ideas about how to get started on the journey towards a low carbon future.
• A Low Carbon Award scheme to recognise and reward your achievements.
• A unique chance to become part of a low carbon future.

Please contact us or fill in our online form to become a member.

To find out more about the Alliance please read our FAQ section. I look forward to working with you towards a low carbon future.