Thanks so much to everyone who came along to the Go Green event on Wednesday evening.
It was so interesting to find out what all our Oxted BID and surrounding businesses could be doing in terms of reducing their carbon footprint in the race to Net Zero.
2030 is actually not that far away (!) and while businesses do not have to be Net Zero by then, you do have to show you have a green strategy in place and are well on the way to achieving your Net Zero goals.
On behalf of The Oxted BID (Love Oxted), Surrey Chambers of Commerce and Tandridge District Council, we’d like to say a huge thanks to all the truly inspirational speakers from LoCASE, Compare Your Footprint carbon footprint calculator, Impact for Good and local businesses, Elements Hair & Beauty (Oxted) and their work as part of the Green Salon Collective; and KpH Deconstruction (Caterham) with their partnership with Globechain Reuse Marketplace for Business.
It was incredibly interesting to see what some businesses have already achieved in this important area and we will be looking at all that you can do in more detail in the coming weeks and months.
What are the key areas?
- Waste is the biggest issue, so Reuse, recycle, repurpose. Avoid landfill wherever you can
- Energy consumption is also key – swapping to LED is the easiest win.
- Also look at your insulation and installing energy efficient glazing.
- If you’re considering upgrading your heating, make sure your new boiler is ’hydrogen-ready’, which means they’ll work with natural gas for now, but can also be easily modified to run on 100% hydrogen
Grants – Don’t forget, there is FREE MONEY available for eligible businesses in our area from LoCASE until APRIL 2023. Grants can help you fund up to 40% (£1000-£20,000 max) of your green strategy endeavours. The money is there for you. Apply for it!
Aside the moral benefits in terms of helping the planet; and the financial benefits in terms of reducing your energy consumption, there are also huge benefits in terms of building your business:
The companies who presented reported that their employees were now much more engaged and proud of their employer; they had also seen an increase in business because of what they are doing in developing a green strategy…
Your green endeavours for your business will make you more attractive to employees (better staff retention), and to potential customers, partners or suppliers with a green strategy / policy or who simply value businesses that are trying to make an impact.
And lastly, green changes will not also give you the edge in terms of competition, they also bring tax benefits too…
Lots more tips and details on all the above to follow.
Get on your green journey today. It’s not as hard as you think. But it will be worth it!
Thanks to Graham Tapley of Dan Jordan Publishing for the photos.
