And we’re off…. on the 100 Days of Carbon Clean Up Campaign

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My team at OC Group has joined the other 600 companies who signed up to this year’s CIBSE 100 Days of Carbon Clean Up Campaign. We are focusing on our staff awareness and behaviour, for example, encouraging people to turn equipment off when it is not being used.

Sailing is an industry which requires almost constant communication within the team, wherever they are in the world, so everyone in our team uses laptops. This is already a great energy saving measure as they use much less energy than a standard PC and monitor. All staff have been asked to ensure they do not use screen savers because, according to the Carbon Trust, screen savers can use more energy than normal operating applications, such as word processing. Instead, our laptops are set to automatically switch off when not in use for longer than 15 mins.

Our printer room will be the centre of attention as our Sustainability Manager Fiona Campbell is going to set the default to ‘OFF’ on all but the black and white printers which are in constant use! At least we already recycle print cartridges and paper and we are looking at suppliers of recycled paper.

Reuse & recycle is an important message here in Cowes because it is an island with limited space for storing waste, and over the coming months I’ll be learning more about what we can recycle and where our waste goes on the Isle of Wight and elsewhere.

For more information about the 100 Day Challenge, visit www.eonenergy.com/business and click onto the link to the 100 Days of Carbon Clean Up campaign.

16 comments have been made

  • Gema
  • 11th October, 2007

Hi Ellen, I just finished reading your book and wanted to say how cool i thought it was. I really enjoyed reading it! I am from New Zealand but have been over in Scotland studying for one year doing a masters. I got the opportunity to go sailing with 5 others from my class in July and so I learnt about sailing and what to do. It was cramped but lots of fun and the scenery around the Isle of Mull was amazing!!
So anyway just wanted to congratulate you on a really good book!
from gema

Hi Ellen
My boyfriend says he spotted you being towed in a canoe along the Macclesfield canal, then a few of our narrowboat owning friends said they’d seen you on other canals…anyway we wondered what you were up to. Some kind of training?
Best wishes for your sustainablility campaign
Val

  • Laurence
  • 16th October, 2007

Wait a second your not helping to re-act the cockleshell heroes are you ???
http://www.op-frankton.com/participants.html

Ellen!!! I’m with you all the way on this one! However, I look at the isle of Wight , a tiny Island at the bottom of the UK and OC, just one business in the billions that exist on the planet. What you’re doing is fantastic!! What we need to do right now though is to look at how we could reach the rest of the world to develop the same mentality and good habits. Laurence made a point about the throw away society and he’s right!! If we all club together though, there’re bound to be a greater result!! :0/ x

  • moos moos
  • 26th October, 2007

Ellen said: “All staff have been asked to ensure they do not use screen savers because, according to the Carbon Trust, screen savers can use more energy than normal operating applications”.

Its nice that you are trying but its all a complete waste of time. You may as well try banning your staff from breaking wind to reduce Co2, which would be an effective but unworkable method.

If you can persuade China and the US to go green then I promise to buy a solar panel for my USB mouse.

  • Louise
  • 2nd November, 2007

It´s not a waste of time! We just need to encourage more people to develop the same mentality !!!

  • moos moos
  • 2nd November, 2007

I hope you are right, but I don’t think you are. The UK produces around 2% of the worlds Co2, a tiny amount compared to China, USA and India. China for example are building a phenominal number of coal powered power stations a week, so what do you think they are going to do, shut them all down? Not a chance, it would leave the country bankrupt. I suggest you stop buying stuff from China, except you cant, because everyhing is made there and we don’t make anyhting any more.

Anyway, rant over, its 5:30 and i’m off home in my American car running on Saudi fuel, and chinese tyres. However I will be eating a locally produced meat and potato pie so we can all slepp soundly in our beds tonight. Have a good weekend.

  • Louise
  • 3rd November, 2007

Keep ranting!! Nobody disputes what you´re saying, you´re right! However, charity begins at home and everything has to start with a first step. It won´t do if everyone takes the attitude of “my contribution doesn´t count”, because it does! Someone has to care, and at least try !!

  • moos moos
  • 5th November, 2007

Just trying to make a point.

I actually agree with you. I do my bit, I have 3 bins in my garden for recycling (in fact a bin within a bin has since appeared over the weekend - not sure what the hell i’m supposed to do with that). My house is littered with those awfull energy saving light bulbs which take about a week to get bright and I even recycle toilet paper (that bit may not be true).

We should go sailing together, we could brush up on our ‘man over board’ procedure

  • Laurence
  • 6th November, 2007

Ta for that Louise ;).
Moo moo, your doing your bet and thats all you can . The point is the only person we can change is ourselves . If were lucky we influence others , and hopefully that multiplies ad nauseum (or infinitum).

Every act you do has consequences and as that old Chinese proverb goes the Wiseman knows his own steps.
Its individual responsibility we each and everyone of us has to take and to remember we can all change the world. (even Ceo’s of mega corps and Chinese bureaucrats are individuals ya know ;) )

  • moos moos
  • 7th November, 2007

Laurence said: “we can all change the world. (even Ceo’s of mega corps and Chinese bureaucrats are individuals ya know)”

Obviously everyone is going to hate me on this message board. China will never sacrifice their investments and the money they have poured into what can only be described in my mind as an industrial revolution. They are getting richer because of it and therefore there is no way they are going to tear down all those shiney new coal fired power stations and the like for a greener world. Same goes for India and the USA and so on. That said I do sense that the tide is turning in America, but they are pretty self centered and will do whatever the hell they like in the end - so who knows there.

Does anyone want to invite me to their dinner party? I really am bags of fun.

  • Louise
  • 7th November, 2007

Aye, seems we´re all sailing in the same ship with this one at the end of the day :0)
Let me know if you find out what the bin within the bin thing is all about. Cool! As for doing your bit, down here we have no choice in the matter. If you plug in too many electrical items at once, the whole valley blacks out!!! ha ha haaa x x

  • Laurence
  • 7th November, 2007

Hate you for expression a wise and intelligent observation naah !!

Its those who want to make a fast buck that are doing it (as sadly History shows only too well (Roman Empire , British Empire , East India Company etc etc)). Your cant blame them in away , but they never bother to reign themselves in , and the people “below” them seem not to want to rock the boat difference .
Promethius gave fire to all mankind , not just one person ya know ;) , and some (like Ellen for example) run with it and light overs touches along the way :D

  • moos moos (not really called moos moos)
  • 13th November, 2007

Hi Loiuse, the bin within a bin thing, it transpires, is for cans. it just hooks over the top of the inside of one of the bigger recycle bins. I used to have a life except now I spend all my free time sorting what goes into my 3 and a half bins.

Anyway must dash, I have dozen tyres to burn in the back garden

……….keep that trigger finger away from all those exclamation marks - i’m just yanking your chain ;-)

  • Louise
  • 15th November, 2007

Moo Moo, the extra responsibility should keep you out of trouble for a short period of time!!! :o)

  • Moos Trouble Moos
  • 18th November, 2007

Louise, Trouble is my middle name.

……lets be honest, that doesn’t work, does it.

Oh well, back to it. Cans, paper, glass, enriched uranium….

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This is the personal Blog of me, Ellen MacArthur. I will be posting regular updates and news on my life and passions…

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