You can reduce your carbon footprint

Switch off all your lights and appliances each time you leave your office, that is one way to cut your carbon footprint and save money according to Alison Wood, programme manager of Climate Springboard, Edinburgh Climate Change Institute.

She told attendees at the Midlothian and East Lothian Chamber Expo at Eskmills in Musselburgh that her role was to encourage businesses to become more carbon friendly.

Wood (pictured) added: “Carbon Springboard is a training programme that is all about helping businesses understand what is their carbon footprint at the moment, what impact are they making and to find out and what they can do about it.

“We try to make it nice and simple and doable so we can work up to the big stuff but lets start by ensuring that the basics are in place.”

She said that anybody in a small business unit can do a number of things. “Starting with the basics, make sure when you leave the unit at night that everything is off, heating is off and lights are off, and generally the starting point is looking at what you control and how can you ensure that you are doing everything possible. 

For example, do you have old machines and is there anything you can do to improve. Then start to think about building fabric. We live in Scotland, it is cold, so how can we ensure that you are not sitting too near a window.

“That we have got double glazing if you can or temporary double glazing if that is not an option and start to improve the warmth and therefore you will use less gas which is better for the planet and make you warmer for less money.”

She added: “You can save money. So much of the basics steps of climate is reducing your electricity or gas use and reduces carbon but it also saves you money. It is not about being cold, it is about being warmer because the building is less draughty.

“People should consider what they can do to reduce their consumption. Switch off appliances and lights and get them on timers and make sure that your heating is alright.”