Collaborating for positive impact: a weekend trip to visit our partners Aberdeen Football Club

As Aberdeen Football Club’s official (and first!) net zero partners, we are measuring their carbon footprint and sharing guidance to reduce their carbon emissions through a detailed Carbon Reduction Plan. Also taking their employees through Carbon Literacy Training to ensure employee engagement on their carbon reduction journey.??

The best thing about being the official net zero advisory partner for Aberdeen Football Club (AFC) is they’re a great football club, with a strong community spirit and willingness to have a positive impact on their local area and the planet.?

The worst thing is they’re 350 miles from our HQ in Manchester.?

Our destination, Pittodrie Stadium for the much-anticipated Aberdeen vs Rangers clash. The team embarked on the 6-hour drive up on Saturday night. An overnight pitstop in Carlisle meant we finished off the journey on Sunday morning, arriving at the stadium just before 2 pm.

We were lucky enough to be in hospitality, meaning a 3-course meal and a few drinks as a reward for the long journey. We were joined by one of our clients, Clan Cancer Support who are doing great things for anyone suffering from Cancer across the North-East of Scotland. Also joining us were Aberdeen Sports Village , a stone’s throw from Pittodrie Stadium and the central hub for all things sports in Aberdeen.

Walking into the atmosphere of the Aberdeen Ultras and travelling Rangers fans you could really feel the rivalry between the two teams. Despite this, the first half was slow but the Mac & Cheese Pie at half-time made up for this!?

The second half kicked off with a bang, a long-range shot by defender Liam Scales (it was definitely a cross) sparked off the atmosphere in the stadium and seemed to give Aberdeen a new lease of life which quickly led to a second being added by in form Striker Bojan Miovski 8 minutes later.?

After this point, Rangers never looked like getting back into the game which resulted in a very happy home crowd when the final whistle blew. It was also great seeing the Positive Planet ad pop up on the digital advertising board with 15 minutes to go

On Monday, it was another action-packed day for Positive Planet. We hosted another session of Carbon Literacy Training (CLT) for more AFC employees, led by Andrea W.

CLT has been a great tool for AFC on their carbon reduction journey, as it helps participants consider the opportunities we have to be part of the solution to climate change and to act sustainably through actions in the workplace and at home.?

While Andrea was training, Stephen Henry , Billy Barker and I set up in the Teddy Scott Lounge as Stephen hosted an event for the wider business community. The event was an Introduction to Net Zero and offered insight and support to those in attendance.?

Both offered a great opportunity to integrate ourselves into the local community and talk to a wide range of Aberdeen-based businesses about their experience with sustainability and ways they can take their first steps towards net-zero.?

There is a lot of engagement and commitment within Aberdeen for people and businesses to try and make sustainability a real focus in both their personal lives and business models which is, as always, really great to see.

There is a real sense of community in the North East of Scotland and it’s great to be involved with such a central part of it. Aberdeen F.C. not only has a real focus on sustainability but also lead by example through partnering with and championing numerous local businesses to support the surrounding area.

Many thanks to Aberdeen F.C. for the hospitality, and thanks to everyone who attended our Net Zero and CLT events. All in all, a very successful trip and worth the long drive up (and back!).?

If you’d like to get started on your sustainability journey but are not sure where to start, drop me a message!?