THE SIGNS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ARE INESCAPABLE. TALK IS NOT ENOUGH. ACTION IS NEEDED TO COMBAT ITS EFFECTS

Here at Rufus Leonard, we take climate change seriously. In 2006, we set up ‘The Green Team’ – an internal group that researches and implements new approaches to our day-to-day activities and business operations aimed at reducing our impact on the environment.

To support our environmental policy, we have introduced and improved on many initiatives. The list below shows some of the activities we’ve undertaken during the past 12 months.

Baseline activities – quick and easy to implement
We started off with small changes that were easy to make but had a significant impact:

- There are over 200 light fittings in the Rufus Leonard studio that are fitted with energy efficient bulbs

- We turn off lights, printers and photocopiers every evening. Just turning off the lights saves enough energy to make 1,000 cups of tea (The Carbon Trust)

- Our recycling programme has been developed to include paper, card, polyboard, plastics, glass, tin, photocopy cartridges, old computers, telephones, printers – the list goes on and on…

Last year’s we recycled:
- Paper – 200 kilos a week, 9.6 tonnes per year
- Card and polyboard – 80 kilos a week, 3.84 tonnes per year
- Cans – 5 kilos on average a week, 0.25 tonnes per year
(Source: Foremost Recycling Ltd)

Taking it to the next level
We then reviewed what we could do in terms of changing suppliers and equipment, as well as adding in some bonus incentives for our employees:

- Better energy
We recently switched our energy supply to Good Energy, which provides 100% renewable electricity. That doesn’t mean they offset the use of electricity, it means they solely supply 100% renewable electricity

- Cycle to work scheme 
During the past year, 10% of our full time staff have taken the opportunity to buy a new bike using our cycle scheme. We’ve got a shower room and plenty of bike parking space, so there’s really no excuse

- Checking suppliers’ green credentials 
We always ask about our suppliers’ green policies and their answers play a large part of the decision making process

- Printing facilities 
We’ve recently installed new, energy efficient printers that have been set to print double-sided as a default  

- Clean green
The cleaning products used by our cleaning team have been changed to ensure they are all environmentally friendly

- Teleconferencing 
In the last 12 months, the number of teleconferences that Rufus Leonard staff have organised has gone up by 40%

Pushing the boundaries of expectation
Over the next 12 months our Green Team will be looking for new and exciting ways to help each and every employee improve their carbon footprint, both in and out of work.

We’ll continue to monitor and improve our green policies, but we will also be introducing new policies so we can continue to reduce our impact inside and outside of our studio.

For more information on our environmental policy, or to organise a time to come in and discuss yours, please contact us.