Millions of people around the globe will be marking Earth Day on 22nd April, started in the US in 1970, the day aims to remind people of the need to take action to address climate change and environmental destruction. Unfortunately global figures show that CO emission levels are back to what they were pre-pandemic, so this year’s theme is ‘Restore Our Earth’ seems appropriate.
Here at Everyone Health we are conscious of the impact our organisation has on the planet and we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and improving sustainability across the company.
Melanie Smith, has been leading our efforts;
‘At EH we recognise that human health and planetary health are intimately connected. In December 2020 we undertook a staff engagement process in relation to sustainability. We found that concern about climate change and biodiversity loss is high amongst employees, with 72% of respondents feeling ‘very concerned’ or ‘concerned’ about the challenges that we face. Whilst climate change is a huge global issue, which can often feel over-whelming, we hope that this work will offer some tangible actions that we can take to make a positive difference. We have used the findings from the consultation to develop a ‘Green Plan’ for the organisation. This provides a roadmap for how we can reduce our environmental impact and embed sustainability in all that we doat EH. Lockdown has offered an opportunity for reflection and for a change to working practices, including reducing car use and increasing opportunities for remote working. Whilst balancing service needs and staff wellbeing, we aim to continue reduce business travel and car dependency within the organisation. We also plan to introduce mandatory training for all staff on sustainability and the links between health and climate change, to reduce energy use in offices, to develop protocols to manage resources more efficiently and ensure that sustainability is considered in procurement processes. We are also committed to ensuring that EH has a positive impact upon the communities in which we work. We will hold 2 fundraising initiatives per year and will encourage staff to engage in voluntary activities within their communities. We are in the process of working towards ISO 14001, an internationally agreed standard that sets out the requirements for an environmental management system.
For more details on Earth Day and for inspiration about pledges that you can take visit https://www.earthday.org/take-action-now/. For more information on sustainability within EH please contact Melanie Smith [email protected] , Sustainability Lead.