The COVID-19 Pandemic will pale in comparison when you liken it to the Climate Crisis as the biggest challenge of our time. Not only does the Climate Crisis also directly impact on human health and the economy, but it also impacts on the stability of the natural world.
We all have a part to play when it comes to creating a more sustainable world. To reduce our impact on the Earth, we must reinvent both our business and our lives creatively.
But let us back up a bit. How can organisations like Delta Capita have an impact on sustainability?
Sustainability is something I have always been passionate about, and through the flexible and modern workplace at Delta Capita, I have been able to incorporate this value into my own work and the company's operations.
When asked to identify why the environment is such a passion of mine, I always end up coming back to two main explanations.
The first is related to my personal experience growing up outside of the busy city. I was raised on a farm in the East Sussex countryside, where our cottage was surrounded by the rolling hills of the South Downs. After school, I would either be playing football or out in the fields with my brother and our friends, letting our imaginations lead the way until nightfall. For as long as I can remember, I have always been close to nature. Over time that admiration developed into an intrinsic desire to protect it.
The second is my education. I do not mean my formal schooling; I mean my upbringing. My mother has made it her life's work to push for sustainable initiatives and help others, particularly children and young adults, foster a deeper connection with nature. She is also a very strong-willed and now successful, independent woman. I did not realize her influence and presence in the home growing up was quite so impactful until I looked back on my childhood with hindsight.
Since I started at Delta Capita, I have always been trying to identify how to combine my passion for the environment alongside my professional career, which eventually led me to initiate the introduction of the first ESG working group. The group is an action-orientated diverse collective of Delta Capita individuals who will guide the executive committee on topical issues relating to ESG, with the key areas of focus being on the Environment, Ethics, Human Rights, and Sustainable Procurement. We have also commissioned EcoVadis to help us assess our current position and priorities on sustainability.
Everyone knows how easy it is to talk the talk, but we at Delta Capita need to walk the walk and practice what we preach. We cannot be another company who greenwashes. That is not acceptable.
The pandemic has given us time to pause, reflect and subsequently reinvent aspects of our lives.
I wanted to shift to a more conscious and sustainable way of living. There are small things we can do in our personal lives to promote sustainability. For example, I now bank with Triodos. I avoid fast fashion by buying second-hand clothing online or purchasing from sustainable brands such as Rapuani, Ecoalf, or Veja. And I have also reduced my fish and meat consumption.
I can do so much more, we all can but as Anne-Marie Bonneau, the Zero Waste Chef, says "We don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly."
As the United Kingdom progresses through its roadmap for recovery and the rest of the world sees restrictions easing, we cannot afford a return to business-as-usual. We have the unique opportunity to make a difference in the way we live our lives, but that can only happen when we work together.
One step we can all take is to celebrate Earth Day. More than 1 billion people in 192 countries now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the world's largest civic observance. It provides the perfect platform to facilitate collaboration, so I urge you to be a part of Earth Day and help further climate action worldwide.
With small, meaningful, and deliberate steps towards sustainability, I believe we all have a chance to reinvent our businesses and lives for the better. I look forward to seeing more firms join us in designing the future of sustainable business.
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