Workplace “WIMPs” hurt economy and environment
£12.7 billion and 7.1 billion tonnes of CO2 wasted nationwide
27th June 2008
Research from E.ON, one of the UK’s leading power and gas companies, reveals that WIMPs at work are causing British businesses to leak energy and profits.
The research highlights conflicting energy conservation behaviours within homes and workplaces, with HEROs (Home Efficient, Recycles, Offsets) more prevalent at home and WIMPs (Work Inefficient, Minimises Power Savings) taking over the workplace.
Further, more than three-quarters of workers (78%) fail to transfer basic energy saving behaviours learnt at home into their places of work. And every pound wasted means needless carbon emissions affecting both the environment and UK businesses’ financial performance.
The E.ON research highlights the need for Government and businesses to be more innovative in the way they encourage workers to follow green initiatives in the workplace. In fact, almost two thirds (65 per cent) of staff currently ignore company policy on environmental initiatives, a trend especially pronounced amongst SMEs. A poignant fact when an average office wastes £6,000 a year and 3.36 tonnes of CO 2 by not taking the basic energy savings steps taken at home. This adds up to a staggering £12.7 billion and 7.1 billion tonnes of CO 2 nationwide .
HEROs and WIMPs
E.ON’s research reveals two distinct patterns of behaviour that the majority of British workers swap between when at home and at work. Dr Peter Clough, Behavioural Psychologist at Hull University, classifies these as HERO and WIMP mentalities.
· Home Efficient, Recycles, Offsets (HERO)
The majority (87 per cent) of those surveyed are HEROs in their own home. 85 per cent recycle, 76 per cent switch off electrical devices when not in use, and 68 per cent have energy efficient lighting installed.
· Work Inefficient, Minimises Power Savings (WIMP)
Unfortunately once we get to work we become WIMPs. Afraid to ask permission (56 per cent) and with a lack of financial incentive (55 per cent) and worries about being ridiculed by co-workers (26 per cent) the majority (78 per cent) of us struggle to replicate our environmentally friendly practices when at work.
Dr Clough said: “Whilst business conventions such as the bowler hat have been consigned to history, employees are still reluctant to stand out in the workplace as environmentally conscious. Within many organisations a degree of bravado and desire to flaunt rules can see those abiding by sensible green policies labelled ‘jobsworths’ or worse. Without significant incentive, such ingrained behaviours can be hard to overturn.”
Jim Macdonald, Commercial Director of E.ON, said: “Collectively Britain’s businesses account for 35 per cent of the UK’s carbon emissions and these emissions are still rising, in contrast to the energy savings carried out in our homes.
“The resultant carbon footprint from staff failures to switch off the lights and computers overnight for a typical small business is equivalent to a roundtrip long haul flight. Our study shows that the right training and incentives can help change behaviour.”
Businesses can visit www.eonenergy.com/efficiency for practical advice, action plans, case studies and information on funding for energy schemes.
Local HEROs
The polling identified a strong regional variation with employees from the South West revealed as the least likely to have difficulty in bringing energy saving habits to the workplace. Employees from the East Midlands and those from the North East emerged as the most likely to change their behaviour.
Computing With
A Conscience
By Sarah Minns
On behalf of GO IT Greener.com
With all the current awareness of climate change and the move of many consumers towards more eco-friendly purchases it seems that the computer industry is finally waking up to this change in demand.
It can be argued that the IT industry has not ignored the issue of environmental impact but that, as consumers, we have never asked the right questions. While we discuss energy saving light bulbs and water saving washing machines, the computer equipment in our office or spare room has been ignored.
Your home computer system can use upto 20% of your homes energy output. It is (after your television) the most power consuming equipment you own. It is also fast becoming the most frequently redundant. Advances in just the last five years have meant the four fold increase in processor power (with Intel launching the new ‘quad’ core processor this year) with plans for 120gb pen drives just around the corner. Systems that used to squeeze under your desk can now fit in the palm of your hand.
We are all victim to the new age of consumer envy, we can all justify these purchases by claiming that we need them in order to keep up with advances in technology. The reality is somewhat different.
Of cause the IT industry wants us to all buy a new computer regularly. That is why they estimate an average desktop pc’s life at just three years. There is no other reason than money, the faster they produce new technology the faster we need to buy it. The problem is that many consumers are not aware of the huge impact that this high turnover of equipment is starting to have on the environment.
The estimated landfill levels for last year stand at approx. 1 million tonnes of electronic equipment being dumped in the UK annually. This figure is due to double within five years. While the government signed up to the EU’s EEE scheme in 2006 (which sets regulations for UK businesses to dispose of their IT equipment responsibly) there has been little or no campaign to enforce it. We are heading for a national landfill problem, computer equipment doesn’t naturally discompose all it can do over time is leak component chemicals into the earth.
The time is right to start looking at this problem before it mounts up too high. It’s very easy to blame the manufacturers and suppliers. They claim that they are just following consumer demand and I have a feeling that we cannot afford to dismiss our involvement in this issue. We don’t make the products but we do buy them, without a second thought to their impact. It is time for the consumer to stand up and demand a more responsible approach.
It is on that dark note that I can offer a glimmer of hope, while you may not know about them there are green computing products out there. There are also major manufacturers who have working green policies and are taking action to ‘green up’ their products. The problem is where to find them and how to know how green they are. A computer system can be energy efficient without being environmentally friendly. So, next time you go shopping for any kind of computer equipment, whether for your home or business, think Green.
GO IT Greener.com
Copyright Remains the property of GO IT Greener.com
Tesco and Disney
start food range |
The first products will hit Tesco shelves next month |
Tesco and Disney are joining forces to launch a range of co-branded food products featuring some of the US giant's popular cartoon characters.
The product range will start with fresh fruits before expanding to include everything from yoghurt to breakfast cereals, milk and bakery goods.
Both firms stressed that none of the products will have any artificial flavours, colours or added trans fats.
The first items, the fruit range, will go on sale from next month.
'Healthy choices'
"At Tesco, we are determined to help our customers make healthier choices for their family," said Tesco's director of chilled foods, Kari Daniels.
"This relationship with Disney will offer parents an easy way to make healthier eating fun."
Disney said the announcement marked an important milestone for its growing UK food business.
"Disney Consumer Products is committed to giving parents food choices they can approve of while at the same time exciting their kids," said Dan Dossa, director of Disney Consumer Products, food, health & beauty UK.
BBC - 23/10/07
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Tech Companies Try Recycling
Raj Winder-Kaur dismantles and sorts computer and electronic components to be processed at Hewlett-Packard's recycling facility in Roseville, Calif., Feb. 13, 2007. The computer industry is ramping up its campaign against electronic waste, a dangerous byproduct of technology's growth. (AP Photo)
Inside Hewlett-Packard Co.'s cavernous recycling plant in the Sacramento suburbs, truckloads of obsolete PCs, servers and printers collected from consumers and businesses nationwide are cracked open by goggled workers who pull out batteries, circuit boards and other potentially hazardous components.
The electronic carcasses are fed into a massive machine that noisily shreds them into tiny pieces and mechanically sorts the fragments into piles of steel, aluminum, plastic and precious metals. Those scraps are sent to smelting plants, mostly in the Sacramento area, where they are melted down for reuse.
The computer industry is ramping up its campaign against electronic waste, a dangerous byproduct of technology's relentless expansion. HP and Dell Inc., which together sell more than half the country's PCs, are earning praise from environmentalists for using more eco-friendly components and recycling their products when consumers discard them.
"The computer companies are definitely embracing the idea that they need to deal with their products at the end of their useful life," said Barbara Kyle, who coordinates the San Francisco-based nonprofit Computer TakeBack Campaign. "There's been a complete turnaround."
But activists say far too much of the nation's electronic garbage — not only PCs but also TVs, radios, batteries and other materials — still ends up in landfills or gets shipped overseas to poor countries, where it pollutes the environment and exposes workers to dangerous chemicals.
"The United States is not responsibly managing this waste stream," said Sarah Westervelt of the Basel Action Network, a Seattle-based group that seeks to stop the spread of hazardous waste. "We're allowing it to go offshore and poison developing countries."
The push to recycle reflects a broader greening of the tech industry.
In addition to recycling and eliminating toxic chemicals, more companies are making their products energy efficient, using eco-friendly packaging and offsetting their carbon emissions to curb global warming.
"This focus is good for business," said Carl Claunch, a computer industry analyst at the technology research firm Gartner Inc. "There's a growing pool of customers who value environmentally friendly products."
Source - CBS News
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Visit your bank online
Do you get it?
Be Part of the Solution
and Spread the Word!
Citizens to lead
sustainability revolution
Scheme promoting business responsibility unveils tools to enable active participation of individuals
26th April 2008
The SEE Companies scheme has today unveiled new website tools that provide individuals the opportunity to promote best social, environmental and ethical (SEE) practice in business.
In order to inspire and empower individuals to act, www.SEEcompanies.com now enables visitors to sign a pledge to "do something…for the sake of a fairer, greener future". Visitors will also be able to compose and send emails to businesses they wish to see making similar commitments.
Michael Solomon of SEE Companies states: "We face a variety of social, environmental and ethical (SEE) problems that need resolving urgently. I believe that many people are prepared to act and make real changes in their lives in order to play their part. These new additions to the website provide simple, achievable actions that can empower people in making a real difference and help them live by their values. Key amongst them is a platform from which to express their views directly to businesses."
"If you consider what is at stake, it is perfectly reasonable to expect businesses to clearly state where they stand and demonstrate their response to SEE issues is more than tokenism. When businesses greenwash - or simply appear to spin eco-friendly or ethical credentials - they destroy trust. Individuals have a vital role to play in getting businesses to understand that. Businesses are not expected to be perfect, however they should be able to justify their policies and practices and show how they are addressing SEE issues."
Julian Oram, Deputy Head of the Trade and Corporates Team at ActionAid UK, one of the 16 NGOs, campaign groups and governmental organisations that co-created the SEE Companies accreditation requirements comments: "This is a great way for people to push companies to lock in ethical business practices. It enables individuals to cut through the layers of PR that shroud some companies' operations, particularly in poor countries, and insist that they take concrete action to respect human rights and protect the environment."
Sebastian Pole, founder of Pukka Herbs, a company accredited under the SEE Companies scheme comments: "The pace of change is incredible. We believe there are hundreds of businesses out there, like us, that are wholly committed to SEE best practice or are gearing up for real change. But we are also aware that many businesses are still greenwashing, or are perceived to be because they have not thought properly about how they are communicating. SEE Companies gives us a direct and trusted route to our stakeholders, many of whom we know are keen to make their voices heard and help us on our sustainability journey. We think the mindset is finally changing across business, thank goodness!"
Martin Lett Jnr, Director of The Marstan Press, another company accredited under the SEE Companies scheme comments: "We frequently come across people who are automatically cynical about any business's environmental claims. However, being able to detail our SEE policies and practices in a simple and credible manner allows us to gain trust and a real understanding of our business. SEE issues affect everyone not just corporate bodies. Therefore the new website features are an excellent way of engaging the wider public. Through greater public awareness and support, more companies are going to be forced to improve their SEE performance, which will lead to a better living, working and trading environment for everyone."
Ethical Branding
12th March 2008
Branding can be ethical, is the message social entrepreneurs and branding specialists
Scamper Brand Strategy is giving out, as they launch their new “on demand” strategic
branding advice service.
Scamper works exclusively with ethical organisations with the ultimate goal of building a
sustainable future. Their instant branding advice scheme avoids red tape and time constraints
and gives immediate clear and professional advice via email or telephone to clients about
their brand image and strategy, with charges only made for time spent from five minutes to
several hours with fees starting at around £45 an hour. They also offer project-based quotations
for larger, more involved brands, including naming, creation of slogans, logo design,
associated guidelines, brand architecture and idea generation.
Based in Kenilworth near Coventry, Scamper has already completed several branding projects
including the Australian travel business MakeMyStay and student charity Oxford Hub
(www.oxfordhub.org), as well as their own project, the world’s first climate positive certification
scheme Climate Rehab (www.climaterehab.com).
Co-founders and brand strategists Tom Greenwood and Vineeta Mangalmurti started Scamper
in 2007, and in the same year Tom obtained a coveted Business Leader of Tomorrow award for
his exceptional skills in business strategy development. The team specialises in sustainability and
social enterprise and are experts in identity creation. They work only with ethical and
environmental organisations and are particularly interested in assisting small start-up enterprises
with their brand creation, image and brand architecture." If we are going to achieve significant social and environmental improvements, then ethical
businesses need to compete on the same level as conventional businesses. Brands are a really
important part of that, which is why we aim to make our services the most accessible on the
market so that small ethical businesses can get the help that they need, when they need it"
says Vineeta.
For more information visit www.sustainablebrandstrategy.com or telephone 0208 123 4590.
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More Th>n extends eco-car discount to all alternative fuel vehicles
Eco-motorists who own alternative fuel vehicles can now benefit from a discount of up to 15 per cent off their motor insurance.
In a further move to reward environmentally-friendly driving, MORE TH>N insurance today announced that it has reduced premiums for both new and existing customers who drive manufactured or professionally converted LPG vehicles, bi-fuel, FFV, biopower, dual-fuel and electric cars.
MORE TH>N was the first insurer to introduce an insurance discount for hybrid vehicles, in May 2006. Since then it has seen a steady increase in its number of hybrid car policies, signaling that eco-motoring is indeed an emerging market.
As well as MORE TH>N’s insurance discount, eco-motorists also benefit from a reduction in car tax announced in the budget, and exemption from the congestion charge in central London. Last week the congestion charge zone doubled in size to cover many western parts of the central city.
With petrol prices over £1 per litre research from MORE TH>N reveals that 80 per cent of drivers are concerned about fuel prices, and more than a third (36 per cent) are consciously trying to economise by limiting use of their vehicle to essential journeys only, and using public transport more often.
Aside from reducing the dent in their pockets, four in ten motorists say they would consider switching to a more eco-friendly vehicle for the environmental benefits. Almost half (48 per cent) of the motorists surveyed said they were seriously concerned about the impact that full petrol cars have on the environment.
New vehicle registrations for alternative fuel vehicles increased by 51 per cent between 2005 and 2006.
Mike Holliday-Williams, managing director of MORE TH>N, says: “The launch of our eco-car discount for all alternative fuel vehicles is another way we’re encouraging our customers to ‘go green’. In December 2006 MORE TH>N and our parent company Royal & SunAlliance became the first UK insurer to go carbon neutral, and we’re encouraging customers to do their bit for the environment by incentivising and rewarding green behaviour.”
Source - Easier Media
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