#1 The Green Issue: Clever Ways to Make Your Business Greener

Welcome to the first issue of the Future Proofed newsletter! ??

Whether you're a safety expert, a site manager looking for advice on best practices, or a business owner that doesn't know where to start in fortifying their newly acquired premises, you've found your read of the week to supercharge your knowledge, so you can get back to doing what you do best.

Future-proofing is at the heart of everything we all do. Whether it's building, planning or maintaining something - it's in the hopes that it'll be there tomorrow, and fit to last.

No one actively advocates stagnation or decline, do they?

So, it's from your feedback that we realised the best way to help others future-proof isn't just by doing, but by educating and engaging to help proprietors and managers work smarter, not harder.

Remember Uncle Ben from the only Spiderman movie which made sense?

"With great power, comes great responsibility."

It's a brilliant quote, and so true.

If you're the 'Responsible Person' in your building for keeping people safe and your premises legally compliant, it can seem like a daunting experience.

And Google seems full of answers, but somehow it still leaves you scratching your head. There's no handbook anyone passes you as a 'how-to' guide of what-to-do and what-not-to-do encompassing all elements of building and safety management.

So, this is your helpful resource to give you the confidence when making due diligence decisions and embrace your position as the safety leader within your organisation.

You can expect to see topics on:

?? Saving Money in Your Business

?? Effective Site Management

? Prioritising Safety

?? Making Sense of Legislation and Regulations

???? Fire & Electrical Safety

?? Business Security Tips

(Remember to pay it forward by sharing this with anyone in your business or beyond who may benefit from what you learn from us here today.)

So, without further ado, let's get started!

#1 The Green Issue: Clever Ways to Make Your Business Greener

It's the buzzword of the moment, is it not?

Green energy. Eco-friendliness. Carbon neutral. Zero emissions.

Whatever you want to call it - right now, it's all about taking our businesses to more sustainable levels.

Over the last few months, we've heard more people ask about ways they can go greener (and reap from it at the same time) than ever before.

It's likely the energy price rises and general cost of living increases have something to do with it, too.

And it seems every time we log on to Twitter, there's a new company - be it an SME or conglomerate - that's raising the roof about their pledge to go "net zero", and either match or beat the Government's 2030 deadline for significant sustainable development.

As a local team ourselves, we know what it's like to pause for a second and wonder if you'll ever catch your breath, so for the many people out there feeling the same, remember that what you do now is either going to help you future-proof or stagnate.

There are some things you can start doing now that cost nothing, and others which take a little consideration, planning and do cost something, but offer rewards in the form of recouping, replenishing remuneration, as well as reputational wins - and not to forget the moral behind these efforts: creating a cleaner, greener planet for ourselves and future generations.

How many of these have you begun to think about?

Take just one of these options, LED lighting for example...

Have you considered these benefits?

For the full low-down on this top tip we've got a whole article answering burning questions, including insights on how much you can save by going LED - check out '10 Reasons to Transition to LED Lighting'.

You might also like to read this article on '5 Ways to Reduce Your Business's Carbon Footprint' which also talks about funding available to help you action these greener pursuits.

Now, should we talk about the elephant in the room?

(Is it me or are cars looking more like Transformers these days?)

I'm talking about electric vehicles. Whether you're for them, against them, or on the fence, savvy business owners are the ones embracing the power of electric; if not for themselves, then to cater to the growing EV community, which also gets them a few pennies in their back pocket whilst doing so!

If you're not sure what we're talking about - or the Workplace Charging Grant that's available - then you've got to get your skates over to 'Your Complete Guide to Electric Car Charging' - it'll tell you everything you need to know.

Our Contracts Manager, Scott, averages on a good week anywhere between 700 and 1,000 miles. A bad week, you don't really want to know. But he's said that his initial concern about running out of charge with his new electric Volkswagen ID.3 hasn't been a problem; although, it does help he has a charger fitted at home and at work!

The thing to focus on here is that you don't need to have gone electric yourself to actually implement this; we're seeing folks choose to install to take advantage of available grants whilst they last, and set up their premises as public stations on weekends so they can charge out for the electricity usage.

That takes the meaning of the 'green' issue to a whole other level! ??

(Except that we're not in America and our cash isn't green, and actually who even carries cash around anymore to know what colour it is - but you catch my drift.)

Wherever you are on this journey towards energy-efficiency, it's important to know what options are out there, and start planning ahead so you can make decisions wisely and transitions seamlessly when you do decide to make your move.

So, we'll finish this first issue by asking you:

What are you currently doing (or have done that you're proud of) which contributes to your business's sustainability?

Answer in the comments ??

And if you've got something to add here or a suggestion for a future topic we explore, please let us know!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Powering down for now,

Verity Stone @ WFP

Author of 'Future Proofed' | Head of Communications for 'Fire Protection Service of the Year' 2022, WFP Fire & Security