Earth Day 2021 How to support the environment at work.

Earth Day 2021: what can you do to protect the environment?

On the 22nd of April every year we celebrate Earth Day. This practice was started in 1970 by Senator Gaylord Nelson[1], who wanted to raise awareness of ecological crises. What prompted the event was the largest oil spill in the US at that time – the 1969 Santa Barbara (California) oil spill, an environmental catastrophe. Since then, for the last 50 years, scientists and environmentalists around the globe have used the day to tackle ecological issues like climate change, air and water pollution, species endangerment, etc. People from different countries also celebrate the 22nd of April, by partaking in different activities - some try to lessen their air and light pollution by walking to work instead of using public or private transport or by saving electricity, others recycle and partake in organized public place clean-ups.

However, even though many have taken action to raise awareness and lessen the human footprint, the environment around us continues to suffer daily. WWF found that between 1970 and 2016, the population sizes of animals (mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, amphibians) have experienced a 68% decline[2], which clearly illustrates how even if there have been some improvements from 1969 onwards, it is still not enough. Kathleen Rogers agitates governments and corporations to be part of the environmental change and “commit to net-zero emissions”, as the numerous environmental crises continue to “envelop our planet”[3]. Other experts have expressed similar concerns, believing that the crisis is a result of market failures and that governments must “increase funding for green innovation” and “adopt a range of other policies that address each of the other market failures”[4].

The protection of ecology is of utmost importance as without nature humans would not be able to persist. At Crowberry Consulting preserving the environment has always been a top priority. How the company strives to achieve this is by providing different-sized businesses with sustainability solutions, advice, and inspiration. If you are interested in improving the sustainability performance of your company and you require consulting, auditing, and training in energy and environmental management, visit https://www.crowberryconsulting.com/. Crowberry Consulting offers six core environmental management systems (ISO 14001, ISO 50001, ISO 20121, ISO 26000, Ethical Management, and PAS2060 Carbon Footprints), which will not only help you meet legal responsibilities, but they will also strengthen the relationship with your customers and bring us a step closer to saving our environment.

The implementation of ISO 14001 (International Standard for Environmental Management) is beneficial for your business not only because it will improve your environmental performance, but it will also give you a competitive advantage, by opening the doors for new markets where environmental responsibility is a key requirement. It will help you achieve an essential balance between the environment, society, and the economy.

ISO 50001 is designed to help you carefully manage the usage of energy, which will not only help our planet but will also identify cost-saving opportunities. Through ISO 50001, Crowberry Consulting will help you evaluate and prioritise new energy-efficient technologies by providing you with internal audit support, energy compliance register updates, training on audits and implementation, as well as Gap Analysis.

If you are an events organisation and you are looking to lessen your carbon footprint and improve your sustainability, Crowberry Consulting Ltd has over 10 years of experience with the ISO 20121 standard. This standard has 29 clauses (including leadership, supply chain management, event sustainability objectives, and sustainable development principles). Crowberry can offer you a one-day introduction course to ISO 20121 and how it can benefit your organisation (available on Teachable).

Social responsibility is an integral part of any business, and if you are looking to make your organisation more socially responsible, Crowberry Consulting can provide you with ISO 26000 regardless of your business’s size or location. The seven principles of social responsibility are accountability, transparency, ethical behaviour, respect for stakeholder’s interests, respect for the rule of law, respect for international norms of behaviour, and most importantly respect for human rights. This is not a standard that you can achieve a certificate for, however, the principles and core modules can provide a great starting point to demonstrate compliance and ethical practice.

On that note, the demand for ethical management systems has grown immensely as the global supply chains increase. Businesses now insist that potential suppliers undertake an Ethical Audit or Social Systems audit, to demonstrate good practice to their workers and to show prevention of labour exploitation. An Ethical Audit covers Labour Rights, Human Rights, Labour Conditions, Business Ethics, Community Impact, Environmental Management, Health and Safety, etc. Crowberry Consulting can support your business to plan and prepare for such an audit with a Gap Analysis, or they can provide the audit itself.

Lastly, PAS 2060 is the standard that allows you to calculate your carbon footprint and specifies the requirements to show carbon neutrality. It is split into several sections allowing the user to understand what a carbon footprint is, how to calculate greenhouse gas emissions, how to show a reduction in these emissions, and how to offset residual gas emissions. It goes further allowing the reader to understand how to maintain a carbon-neutral status. The PAS2060 has four annexes with further useful information to support carbon management in business.

Aiming at protecting the environment, Crowberry Consulting can provide lead auditors and highly trained consultants to these standards, supporting your journey to demonstrate great practice towards human rights, environmental management, community engagement, consumer issues, etc. Restore your business’s sustainability to restore our Earth.

To find out visit our sustainability podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/sustainability-street/id1547692465

To learn more about our training course please visit:

https://www.crowberryconsulting.com/

Or call us on 01257 231171 for a quote today!

[1] https://nelsonearthday.net/earth-day/index.php

[2] https://earth.org/68-decline-in-species-population-sizes/

[3] https://www.earthday.org/

[4] https://earth.org/the-biggest-environmental-problems-of-our-lifetime/