The UN Climate Change Conference 2021, aka COP 26, is happening in November in Glasgow and, although we were passionate about saving the planet beforehand, this has certainly spurred us on to make a real commitment to sustainability both at work, at OfficeTribe, and in our home lives … and guess what?  We’d love to spur you, our tribe, on too.

It’s hard to believe there was once a time when we didn’t recycle everyday products at home but saving the planet has moved on quite dramatically since then.  Many of us are much more considered when it comes to our purchases and day-to-day habits but there is always more that can be done. 

Most of the COP 26 goals may be quite ambitious for a Tunbridge Wells based business to take on but there is one that resonates with us: ‘We can only rise to the challenges of the climate crisis by working together.’  Just think of the impact we would have if we all started doing one thing towards the future of the planet – it’s humbling to think of the difference we could mak

Sustainability at OfficeTribe – the story so far

Both of our offices in Tunbridge Wells are old and so it isn’t easy to make them 100% climate friendly, as much as we would like to.  However, we have taken some steps to help reduce our carbon footprint.

·       We have installed LED bulbs in both offices.  LED lights consume about 90% less energy and last approximately 50,000 hours!  Despite these staggering numbers, please do still switch off lights when you leave a room – obviously not if someone’s working!

·       You could call us trendsetters given we’ve already started to use an Air-source heat pump at one of our offices.  The government wants each and every UK household to replace their existing boiler with one of these and will be offering subsidies from next year to achieve its goal.  We are closely monitoring our energy consumption in general so that we can identify other climate saving opportunities too.

·       We know you love the offices’ décor, but did you know that much of it is second hand?  Julia is a fantastic magpie and can spy gems on eBay and other second-hand sites – she loves it!  We have also built furniture from old scaffolding and sourced vintage pieces.  Upcycling is a real trend now and there is so much inspiration to be found on social media!

We are also travelling to work by foot or by bike when we can and as you know from the treats that sometimes grace the kitchens, we love supporting local suppliers.

How you can support us achieve our climate pledge – in the office

There are a number of actions that we can all take to help OfficeTribe help the planet.  We would love it if you could walk or cycle to work and if that isn’t possible, then take public transport – let’s face it, parking in Tunbridge Wells is a nightmare anyway! If you have to drive to manage school drop-off and pick-up, we understand, but perhaps you could offset that elsewhere or change another journey that you normally take in the car?

Think about business meetings too: could you meet at OfficeTribe or somewhere that both parties can walk to?  We know that swapping one journey may seem insignificant and like a real ‘drop in the ocean’ but it’s also about changing habits. 

We love our local coffee suppliers as much as you all do but do you always take a disposable cup?  Likewise, rather than buying a bottle of water, can you use one of our glasses and some good ol’ water from the tap or bring in your own from home?  We seem to have an endless supply of reusable bottles and cups at home!  Dig yours out and use it!

How you can support the planet at home

By all means, copy all our ideas!  LED bulbs, air-source heat pump (government grant incoming in 2022 but apparently there’s already a huge waiting list so maybe start the process now?), watching energy consumption (this seems especially important at the moment with the number of gas companies going into administration) and upcycling – it’s lots of fun! 

Other suggestions are:

Shopping

·       Take reusable containers when shopping at your local butcher or fishmonger such as washed-out plastic takeaway containers.  And of course, bring a bag (plastic or otherwise) from home.

·       When shopping in the supermarket, think about how far food has travelled.  The more local, the better and if possible, use your greengrocer!

·       Start shopping in somewhere like The Zero Waste Company on the Pantiles – if you don’t have enough containers, you can buy them there and keep them for future shopping trips.

·       Milk delivered to your door!  The milk person and their floats are alive and well and doing a roaring trade as people realise that they can reduce their plastic consumption, use recycled glass bottles and support British farms at the same time!  And there’s always milk for brekkie so no early morning dash to the corner shop!

At home

·       If your house isn’t already insulated, then definitely consider it if you can. There are government grants available for this too.  Double glazing really helps as well – it’s a big undertaking and with some older properties, it may be quite tricky but it’s worth investigating.

·       Install a smart meter – these are fascinating!  You can actually see how much energy you’re using and how it spikes when the kettle boils or the bath water is running.  Best not to become obsessive with it as you’ll really upset the rest of the family or house mates but it’s a sensible addition to the home if you’re hot on climate change.

Christmas

Christmas is a time for consumerism but we can all make small changes to minimise the impact of the festive season on, well, all the seasons.  Here are a few ideas….

·       Shop local – support your local, independent retailers.  The carbon footprint of these gifts will be much less than your Amazon purchases.

·       Find local turkeys from your local butcher, likewise with your festive veg and Christmas spirits!  We’re so lucky in Kent to have fantastic vineyards and spirits’ producers on our doorstep.

·       Wrap gifts in fabric with pretty ribbon that can be used year after year or use brown paper and decorate it yourself – brown paper can go in your paper recycling whereas fancy, sparkly paper cannot.

Solving this big challenge starts with small changes from people like us and you.  Join us in making a real commitment.  We’d love to hear what you plan to do or your suggestions of what more we could be doing so let Hattie, Julia or Tom know.  We’re in this together, like it or not.