I’m incredibly proud to share that Cooper Associates Group is now a carbon neutral organisation.
Working with Carbon Neutral Britain, we calculated the carbon footprint of the business and our employees. We did this by gathering data on our:
• Gas and electricity usage
• Company fuel/mileage
• Refuse collections and waste production
• Water usage
• Staff numbers
• Laptop/computer numbers
• Working from home percentage
I was quite shocked to discover that this amounted to over 66 tonnes of carbon per year. It’s not currently possible to eliminate the carbon we generate, but it is possible for us to offset it.
Carbon Neutral Britain turned our carbon total into cash and shared with us a list of eco projects around the world we could help fund. Through carbon offsetting we are supporting hydro power in Chile, rice husk power in Cambodia and wind farms in China. In July 2022, we offset 66.52 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
Of course, I know there is much more that we can be doing as a business to help fight the climate crisis and reduce our impact on the planet. I’m proud to say that we have a ‘Green Community’, championed by Victoria Tremear, our Senior HR Adviser. This group meets monthly to arrange and encourage green initiatives within the workplace. So far, they have:
• Increased recycling facilities within the building
• Carried out bi-monthly litter picks and joined in with other local litter picks
• Introduced ‘Green Day’ where people bring in old clothes and toiletries to be donated to local
refuges
• Attended the Somerset Climate Convention to learn more about how we can be greener
So, while we might have a long way to go, I’m proud of how far we’ve come and the collective effort the business has made to reduce our environmental impact.
Thank you to everyone who has been involved so far, and if you have any further ideas we could consider, please let us know.
Samantha Jackson
Chief Executive
Cooper Associates Group
