This theme prompted our founder and director to reflect on how different generations perceive their role in sustainability, and how we talk about responsibility in this space.

My family was based near Bournville, Birmingham, and many worked at Cadbury’s, likely to be a B Corp in the day. The Cadbury family provided housing for workers, sports facilities, and apprenticeships for budding engineers. My uncles were both apprentices and played for the Cadbury football team.  I’m going to add a caveat here: the 20th century was not bliss for workers & the environment which improved partly by regulations; my reflection here is on the purpose behind some companies at that time.

My Dad, born in the early 1930’s, would have access to many ‘Gen B’ enterprises in the large city of Birmingham and led a relatively sustainable life until his retirement. In the 60 or so years, the world economy drastically changed – Cadbury is now only a brand of a global food conglomerate – and so did his lifestyle as cheap travel, new technologies and cheaper food expanded his horizons.

At around this time, my career in sustainability began, and I was often curious when in public he remarked, “I reuse my plastic bag as my son is into sustainability”.  It was somewhat dismissive of the scale of the impacts of his new lifestyle in comparison to saving a plastic bag; there was a sense that, at his age, sustainability was not the place to spend his time or energy. Over the years, I’ve heard older generations express it is for the young to make the change or build the knowledge or skills to do so, as it is their future. But we see from the thousands of companies that drive the B Corp mission on the ground that change can be driven by all generations in the workplace – that there can be an overarching sense of a shared generation of businesses for good (Gen B) that can bring us all together to create a sustainable world.

We see from the thousands of companies that drive the B Corp mission on the ground that change can be driven by all generations in the workplace.”

A story about a close friend and their young daughter helps illustrate how generations can work together. On a food shopping trip, they had a dilemma: organic carrots in plastic or non-organic carrots without packaging—what to do? My friend was troubled by the choice, but for her daughter, it was crystal clear—don’t buy carrots!  

Her mother, with the power (the money), listened, processed, and decided not to buy carrots. My friend is a lifelong advocate of sustainability and has driven amazing local change in her community; she didn’t need a lot of convincing that her daughter’s perspective was right. But far too often, there is resistance to the purpose of GEN B’s as a response to these challenges the environmental and social issues, championed by the younger generation along with many longtime campaigners too, as being part of the woke agenda.

The story of my friend illustrates the real meaning of woke – in my words: awakened to a new view of the world – which was present in the Scottish Enlightenment, born in the 1930’s Civil rights movements, even connected with Republican President Abraham Lincoln (who would have thought it!) and going further back to various spiritual and religious figures. I experienced how my father’s generation, as they moved into their 60’s, forgot the wokeness of their youth with age and as energy subsides, and I observe they generally prefer the comfort of conformity and constancy as they become set in their ways. For some, hearing the younger generation’s frustrations may have helped them to reflect on the impact of their decision in their youth or middle age in light of current knowledge – the natural cost of new knowledge.   

However, older generations at work or in retirement possess the levers to help Gen B use their new skills and abundant energy to solve the pressing social and environmental challenges. But far too often, there is resistance to the purpose of GEN B’s as a response to these challenges is seen as the woke agenda. GEN B’s see the purpose of business differently, just as my Dad did in Birmingham before the explosion of exploitative consumerism. However, it still requires the older generations, often the managers and leaders in organisations and governments, with the power, resources, and influence to make change possible. They cannot abdicate responsibility to GEN B enterprises, as my Dad alluded to, to drive the transition. We must all pull on the levers of change.

We must all pull on the levers for change.”

Working together, we can support GEN B to bring the change we hope for by who we vote for, what we buy and who from, how and where we travel, and what we eat, etc. Above all is the need to see that it is never too late to make better choices which will involve some financial trade-off and act as an ally to others as they struggle to build a better world.  In the end, we are all stewards of this precious, precarious planet. Whatever happens, we will be held accountable by those we leave behind when we are no longer on this earth. I’d rather think, we pushed ourselves to do everything possible with the knowledge we had and prioritise our resources to protect the many, not the few, for today and tomorrow.”

– Paul Adderley, Founder and Director

The post B Corp Month 2025 – A Generation for Good first appeared on Beyond Green.

We are now faced with two competing challenges: adapting to the risks (more risks than opportunities) of climate change, and mitigating further impacts by reducing emissions from fossil fuels and land-use changes. In this blog, the Beyond Green team shares how climate change shapes our lives and the organisations we work with. 

The New Norm – Extreme Weather

In recent years, Scotland has experienced a noticeable rise in extreme weather, particularly flooding events such as those brought by Storm Babet in 2023, and unpredictable temperature fluctuations. In Scotland, the annual average rainfall in the last decade (2014-2023) was 29% higher during the winter months than the 1961 to 1990 average (see Adaption Scotland), resulting in dangerous driving conditions, floods, and soil erosion leading to an increased risk of landslides. These changes not only impact the country’s infrastructure but also threaten human health, biodiversity and our delicate ecosystems.

In recent years we have experienced record breaking temperatures in the UK. In 2022 Scotland recorded a new highest temperature of 34.8C, similarly, London temperatures reached an unprecedented 40.2C, setting a new UK record. The increasing frequency and severity of these events highlights the urgent need for climate adaptation and mitigation, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Such extreme weather presents a substantial risk to human health and wellbeing, temperatures which are uncomfortable for healthy young adults can present far more  serious risks to those most vulnerable; such as older adults, people with chronic illnesses and those who are living in poverty. Improvements to energy efficiency in domestic and commercial properties is one of the many areas we can improve to adapt to our changing climate to help reduce risk to individuals who may suffer disproportionately due to our changing climate.

As COP29 approaches, Scotland, like many regions worldwide, must prioritise both adaptation and mitigation to safeguard communities and ecosystems. To secure a sustainable future, we need to accelerate our efforts towards achieving the SDGs and improve our resilience against the growing impacts of climate change.

Business Risks and Financial Impacts

On a smaller scale, individual businesses also need to adapt and mitigate climate risks to survive. When the ground might literally shift beneath your feet, not being prepared can make or break otherwise successful businesses. It is now more important than ever to think of your business plans in the long-term, and take into account the changing landscape around you – evaluating the risks of flooding, heat waves, storms, or disruptions to your supply chains because of any of the above.

These risks are already translating into increasing business costs from insurance premiums, procurement costs, and asset valuations. According to a 2023 report by Gallagher, a global risk management and insurance broker, “the most common effect of climate change on British business are disruption from extreme weather events, including flooding, storms and heatwaves (52%), followed by climate change related increased operating costs (47%), supply chain issues (39%) and physical damage (35%).” These impacts are likely to increase over time, and it’s crucial for businesses to mitigate risks and adapt to the changing landscape to ensure they can thrive in the long-term. 

One potential way to do so is to make use of a climate risk tool, like our client J Smart & Co (Contractors) PLC. Following on from our previous work with J Smart, we’re supporting them in identifying the best suited climate risk tool for them. This is what they had to say on the process:

“We have had the pleasure of working with Beyond Green for a couple of years now and as part of our continual strive to improve our data analysis and TCFD reporting parameters, we decided we needed a bespoke climate risk analysis platform.  Beyond Green thoroughly researched the products available on the market, arranged calls and demonstrations and then provided a clear and concise report outlining the strengths and weaknesses of each package.  We quickly settled on EarthScan and the BG team helped us with arranging onboarding of our assets and are continuing to support us with this and our ongoing sustainability journey.” 

The drive to adapt and mitigate climate change is taking hold across the procurement sector, particularly in the construction industry with the PAS2080 standard for Carbon management of infrastructure projects. This standard requires collaboration and responsibility for carbon management across the value chain, with a significant impact on commercial contracts and performance requirements. 

As climate change forces us to change the way we work as businesses, we need to find new ways to adapt and collaborate with each other.

Further reading:

• PHS adverse weather and health plan 2024–2027
• UK Climate Change Risk Assessment 2022
• Health Effects of Climate Change (HECC) in the UK: 2023 report
• Climate Change 2021 The Physical Science Basis
• What Would Cities Look Like With 3 Degrees C of Warming vs. 1.5? Far More Hazardous and Vastly Unequal

The post COP29 – Sustainability and the weather shaping our lives first appeared on Beyond Green.

International Women’s Day (IWD) is an annual global celebration on 8th March recognising the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. It also serves as a call to action for accelerating gender equality. The day has now been observed for over a century and is marked by various activities, including rallies, marches, conferences, art exhibitions, and more, and is aimed at raising awareness about women’s issues and rights worldwide. Every year International Women’s Day has a specific theme, 2024’s theme is #InspireInclusion.

How we’re Inspiring Inclusion at Beyond Green

As a small and passionate team, we are dedicated to creating a better, more efficient, sustainable, and equitable future for everyone. We are committed to addressing and challenging inequalities in all forms, and with International Women’s Day on the horizon, we have engaged in thoughtful discussions about the difficulties and experiences faced by women in society.

During these discussions, we delved deep into many issues, from workplace biases to societal expectations. We recognise the importance of creating a space where women can flourish both personally and professionally, where they feel supported and empowered to pursue their goals. To illustrate these conversations, our team collaboratively created a diagram, shared below, which highlights the areas we identified that contribute to the problem of women being excluded or underrepresented.

The text-only version of this diagram is available here.

The key themes we discussed were: lack of access to healthcare and ableism, less access to education, gender based violence, work-life balance, lack of representation, and stereotypes and biases surrounding gender identity. All of these areas tie into the broader issue of women frequently being excluded, overlooked or not feeling empowered to contribute their ideas and opinions.

Often subconscious biases drive and enable these issues to persist; these biases are deeply ingrained in our social norms and experiences, and can influence how all of us, regardless of our own gender, perceive and interact with women. These biases can manifest both in subtle and more discernible ways, such as interrupting or dismissing female colleagues in meetings and other social settings, such as when making a big purchase when accompanied by a male partner. We discussed personal examples relating to buying a car, and booking a holiday, where the salespersons ignored and excluded the woman in the conversation, automatically addressing the male, despite the women in these situations being the purchaser. Such biases are harmful, creating barriers to mutual support and hindering women’s ability to contribute and advocate for their own interests.

The stigma surrounding women’s health issues was also an interesting point of conversation. Cultural norms and taboos can discourage women from seeking care or discussing their concerns openly, and healthcare professionals are not always aware of women’s health issues due to a lack of research availability and training. If health issues are left unaddressed this can lead to further issues and social isolation; exacerbating feelings of anxiety, depression, trauma and the worsening of physical health conditions.

Promoting diversity and inclusion aligns with the core values of sustainability,  as it represents principles of equality, fairness and social justice.

In the sustainability, environment, and consulting sectors, there is a concerning trend of dominance by individuals from privileged backgrounds, leading to the exclusion of marginalised groups. This lack of diversity not only limits the range of perspectives and solutions, but also perpetuates inequalities. Marginalised women, including those from ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ communities, and economically disadvantaged backgrounds, often face additional barriers to entry and fewer opportunities for progression. 

From the perspective of our company, addressing this issue is vital for a number of reasons. Diversity encourages innovation and creativity and enables the development of more holistic and effective sustainability strategies. Promoting diversity and inclusion aligns with the core values of sustainability,  as it represents principles of equality, fairness and social justice. Finally, by ensuring fair representation, companies can better understand and reflect the needs of diverse stakeholders, leading to more inclusive and impactful actions. 

We recognise the importance of supporting one another, fostering an environment of inclusivity, honesty, and understanding. By emphasising the importance of learning, sharing our experiences, and challenging social biases, we aim to create a fairer society and make time for these important discussions. Nurturing a safe space for open dialogue and mutual respect, we seek to contribute to dismantling barriers that hold women back from participating, and realising their full potential. 

The Riddle

As part of our discussions we found the following riddle, why not give it a go for yourself? The answer will be revealed at the end of the blog.

A father is about to bring his son to a job interview, applying for a position at a large stock-brokers company in the city. Just as he arrives at the company’s parking lot, the son’s phone rings. He looks at his father who says “Go ahead, answer it.” The caller is the trading company’s CEO who says “Good luck son, you’ve got this!” The son ends the call and once again looks at his father, who is still next to him in the car. 

How is this possible?

Women Who Inspire Us

We would like to highlight some remarkable women in the sustainability and accessibility spaces who inspire us with their tenacity, dedication and achievements:

Jo Harvey 

Jo Harvey has made huge contributions to the community project Sustainable Wantage over the last 10 years. Just take a look at the website and you’ll see they have delivered: over 23,000 food parcels to 500 vulnerable families in the community, saved 165 tonnes of good food from landfill, and the repair cafe has rehomed 550 laptops and refurbished 50 bikes; though Jo is delivering impact faster than the website can be updated! She persists to remove unnecessary obstacles to build a better world.  

“The website cannot convey the challenges, struggles, and barriers Jo has overcome to put Sustainable Wantage on a secure footing.  Downloading those challenges has taken us up many a steep hill!  Jo drives the ethos and inspires the volunteer community to do what they can, when they can. My ask to those with influence and power is: when Jo comes to you for support, with an idea to strengthen a community’s or organisation’s resilience, be an ally! Remove those barriers for her, reduce the energy she needs to invest to succeed, and be an ally to all the other ‘Jo’s’ you come across.”  – Paul Adderley, BG Founder and Director

Jane Goodall

Jane Goodall’s work has included animal and environmental research, conservation, education and she has had a big impact on the world, leading with her compassion and love for nature and the planet. In 1994, Goodall founded the Lake Tanganyika Catchment Reforestation and Education (TACARE or “Take Care”) pilot project to protect chimpanzees’ habitat from deforestation by reforesting hills around Gombe, while simultaneously educating neighbouring communities on sustainability and agriculture training. The TACARE project also supports young girls by offering them access to reproductive health education and through scholarships to finance their college tuition. 

“My inspirational woman is Jane Goodall, she has worked on many projects in Africa, where I was born, so I have always felt connected to her. I developed an interest in conservation as a child running WWF conservation awareness groups and taking inspiration from people like her.”  – Sally, BG Business Development Specialist

Imani Barbarin 

Imani Barbarin is a disabled human rights activist who also delves into the intersections between being a woman, being disabled, and being black. Her work often involves unpicking the language and narratives used in politics, news, and general conversations, and how they justify or reinforce systemic oppression. 

Monica Bota-Moisin

Monica Bota-Moisin is an Intellectual Property Lawyer, and founder of the Intellectual Property Rights Initiative, which supports indigenous communities to protect their Traditional designs from being exploited in the fashion industry. Preserving these designs not only respects the intellectual property rights of indigenous peoples, but also helps protect and maintain their cultural identity, heritage, and economic autonomy.

Elizabeth Cripps

Elizabeth Cripps is an Edinburgh-based philosopher known for her insightful work on climate justice and ethical considerations related to environmental issues. She has become a leading voice in the field of climate ethics. In her book “What Climate Justice Means and Why We Should Care,” she explores the moral obligations that individuals and societies have in addressing climate change. Cripps combines meticulous philosophical analysis with a passionate commitment to addressing pressing global challenges. Her work inspires and empowers individuals to take meaningful action towards a more just and sustainable future; encouraging critical engagement with environmental issues and the prioritisation of justice in climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts.

Martha Nussbaum 

Martha Nussbaum has made groundbreaking contributions in the world of philosophy, her ‘capabilities approach’ to human development advocates for a more nuanced understanding of flourishing, beyond only economic indicators. As an inspirational woman, Nussbaum has fearlessly tackled complex societal issues such as justice, equality and the role of emotions in ethical reasoning. Her advocacy for the rights of women, LGBT+ individuals and people with disabilities, has had a profound impact in both academics and public policy. Her commitment to social justice and compassion continues to inspire future generations to pursue philosophical inquiry.

In addition to these inspiring women we should remember that it’s not only women who are making an impact in the wider world who deserve recognition; but our female relatives, co-workers, friends, and other women that play key roles in our personal lives. Taking a moment to appreciate the hard work, dedication and joy they bring to their families and the people around them. 

The depth of understanding that women provide to other women in their lives, through shared experiences of gendered challenges and societal pressures, fosters solidarity; providing validation, nuanced advice, and emotional support in a world shaped by gender dynamics. Whether it’s through family, friendship, mentorship, or advocacy, this bond is a powerful force for empowerment, resilience and collective progress. 

Allies also play an important role in advancing gender equality. Their support and advocacy are essential in challenging patriarchal systems and dismantling harmful stereotypes and biases. By actively listening to women’s experiences, understanding their perspectives, and amplifying their voices, allies play a key role in contributing to more inclusive and fair spaces. Not only helping to raise awareness of women’s issues, but also fostering collaboration and solidarity in the pursuit of justice and empowerment for all.

Back to the Riddle

The answer:

The CEO is his mother.

This riddle is designed to reveal subconscious biases. A lot of people, ourselves included, did not successfully recognise the correct answer to this riddle. Even after all of our discussions about International Women’s Day, as a team filled with motivated, ambitious and driven women, we did not realise that his mother was the CEO! 

This riddle does a good job of revealing how deeply ingrained our own assumptions about gender roles are, even when trying to be aware and more conscious of these problems. As such, we’ll continue to challenge our own subconscious biases and assumptions. Maybe, if the answer to this riddle was a surprise to you, as it was to us, you will too. If you’d like to challenge your friends with this riddle, there’s a YouTube version of the riddle here that you can easily share.

Conclusion

In celebrating IWD, we’ve taken the time to acknowledge and reaffirm our commitment to building a world where women have equal opportunities to thrive. We have tackled many interesting and difficult conversations about the everyday challenges faced by women, and the social norms which enable these issues to persist. Our conversations have highlighted the importance of maintaining a space to discuss these barriers, to learn from one another, and raise awareness of the intersectionality within women’s experiences, so we can become better allies and recognise the assumptions we make about what we are capable of. 

Many of us will impose restrictions and limitations on what we can achieve due to internalised messages about our roles in society. Reflecting on these notions and challenging our own assumptions is key to unlocking our full potential. The only way to work towards a truly sustainable world is by collectively addressing our biases, focusing on promoting diversity and inclusion for all, at work and at home, and by recognising the value of what everyone experiences and has to contribute equally. 

Together, let’s continue to challenge norms, break down barriers, and work towards a future that is truly sustainable and inclusive for all.

Happy International Women’s Day!

The Beyond Green Team

Resources

We want to share some valuable resources with you if you are keen to learn more about IWD.

• Statistics on Gender inequality: Data Explorer: Gender Equality & Human Development
• IWD 2024 50 Ways to Fight Bias resource and training program: Ways to Fight Bias (PDF)
• Pledge cards: International Women’s Day #InspireInclusion pledge cards
• Customisable Social Media cards: Create IWD 2024 social media cards
• Email signature to use in March: Download IWD Advocacy Email Signature Blocks
• Previous blog posts from Beyond Green: Choose Challenge (2021), Women’s Inclusion in the Workplace (2022)

The post International Women’s Day: How We’re Inspiring Inclusion at Beyond Green first appeared on Beyond Green.

“What happened to my mental well-being when I turned left…

…I’m not talking politically.

What happened is that my well-being received a much-needed boost. A rush of endorphins flooded through me, my lungs filled with fresh air, and my eyes were captivated by the breathtaking views stretching from the Firth of Forth to the North Sea.

The short back story: over the dark winter months of 2023/24, I was absorbed with caring for my elderly parent, who had suddenly become unwell. Long days, coupled with many long journeys from Edinburgh to Worcestershire, the emotional labour of witnessing your parent’s abilities change daily; as well as leading Beyond Green, took its toll on my wellbeing.  I had missed getting out on my bike for my regular remote working “cycle to work” route.      

With my family safe and stable, normality began to return to life in Scotland, and I headed out on the bike, though clearly apprehensive about my lack of fitness. The circular route, which I have taken many times, is always clockwise, all right turns. On my latest outing, I stopped at a junction at the top of a hill and decided to turn left instead, to discover what was down a track. 

Amongst my apprehension, a kind voice inside counselled me: 

• Go as far as you feel comfortable
• You can always turn back
• Take your time; there is no rush, no destination
• There is no need to accomplish something today

With the freedom of not failing, my curiosity heightened. Every new turn a discovery, the vistas grew as I climbed a farm track to be welcomed by Shetland Ponies in a paddock. These ponies took me back to visiting Shetland in January 2018 with a friend, who had never seen such wee ponies. It provided the perfect photo opportunity to reconnect.

Upon getting home, I felt the overwhelming sense of joy of having been out in nature; the physical activity and discovery of small things. In over 15 years passing this ‘turn’, I had never turned left until last week. I would never have anticipated the impact such a simple turn could have on my wellbeing. 

I am now trying to take this forward in my work, so that when faced with new challenges, perhaps, I’ll turn left more often to discover the wonders I could not foresee.    

As Beyond Green’s Mental Health First Aider, I believe it is important to share wellbeing experiences to help normalise the conversation about our mental health, just as we do with our physical health, so we can attend to those little niggles and develop long term resilience. In the spirit of sharing, I am curious about what happens to others when taking a new left turn…

• If you have, what left turn did you take in your daily routine, or would you like to take?
• How did it improve your wellbeing?
• Has it encouraged you to be curious about trying new things?  

Wishing you well, 

Paul 

Founder & Director, Mental Health First Aider

The post Taking a left turn on the wellbeing journey first appeared on Beyond Green.

In the UK, we have had the government rolling back on its Net Zero ambition by extending the timelines for transition to electric vehicles and gas heating to 2035, and positioning Net Zero as something to be achieved by midnight on 2049, with the reasoning that inaction would protect the general population during the cost of living crisis.

This is compounded by the images we see of David Attenborough’s Planet Earth III,  the despair raised by Chris Packham’s documentary “Is it time to break the law?”, and the UN General Secretary warning of 3^oC warming this century. And, to top it off, the commitment of the global oil and gas sector to continue the extraction of fossil fuels that will blow Net Zero out of the water.

We’re not off to the best start in the latest edition of COP,  with the UAE’s Sultan Al Jaber – the president of the conference, who also holds a position as Chief Executive of the state’s oil company, Adnoc – refuting the scientific consensus around the need to phase out fossil fuels in order to limit warming to >2°C.

So Climate Action can feel overwhelming and ineffective in light of the political inertia, vested interests, and a lot of greenwashing.  And, for those working in sustainability for over 30 years, it is hard to take – not least because the 1992 Rio Earth Summit already predicted the scenario we now find ourselves in.

From working with people across various organisations, we sense there is a growing need for a clear way for people to take meaningful action at work and in their daily lives. As COP 28 sounds like a broken record as climate records are being broken, we at Beyond Green have taken inspiration from Joanna Macy’s work on Active Hope. 

Moving to Active Hope

Active Hope covers four key steps, 1) Gratitude, 2) Acknowledging difficulties, 3) Viewing the world differently and 4) moving forward. We’ve flushed out our despondency above (step 2), so lets share some of our gratitudes from the team:  

• “I am grateful that I live in a place where I can be close to nature, and work with supportive colleagues, clients and community who are doing their best to change their organisations to make the world a better place.” 
• “Personally, I am grateful that I am able to aid the fight against climate change through my career. I am fortunate to work within Beyond Green having studied a degree in Carbon Management. This has allowed me to interact with an inspiring, diverse range of people who are trying to make the world a better place, which has filled me with hope for the future.”

Viewing the world differently 

• “It dawned on me the impact of activism by Just Stop Oil on my framing of action and how activism over the centuries, such as the suffragettes, led to societal change. I am now thinking of what can I ‘Just Stop today’, and what can I ‘Just Start today’ to support systemic change.”
•  “I have begun to think about climate change through a moral lens and question some of my behaviours. It is relatively easy for me to travel around Edinburgh by bus. so I have made plans to give up my car. Not everyone can make sweeping changes to their lifestyle, but it is important that those who can, do, in order to build momentum.”
• “I have found it helpful to focus on the joy in the changes I’d like to make to find the places where more sustainable options fit into my life. I think of eating more vegetarian or vegan meals as an opportunity to experiment and to find new favourites to fall in love with.”

Moving forward – actions we can take 

• “I think I can become more vocal in the communities I work with to help open up people’s thinking about sustainability as the outcomes of a system we can change for the better. This change is driven not by individual action, but by a community of collaborators in the workplace, in the supply chain and in the neighbourhood.”
• “Ask questions. As an employee, ask your leadership about their plans for a more sustainable future. As a leader, think about how you can make structural or strategic changes to your work. Starting the conversation can be the first step.”
• ”Collective action is required to deliver the systemic changes that we need to tackle climate change. The wholesale changes we need will be driven by people, like you, who have taken the time to read our blog. History suggests that once a critical mass of a quarter of a population is committed to a change, it will filter through the rest of society. The more of us that lead low-carbon lifestyles, the more it normalises them amongst our peers.”

Businesses – the interface between Personal Action and Systemic Change

Businesses, and organisations more widely, are an important interface between personal values and changing working practices and strategies, as we have seen in the J Smart case study. Through collective collaborative conversations, we can be a catalyst to influence organisation decisions that will have a meaningful and long-term impact. We recently had discussions with clients around shifting the menu from predominantly meat-based to plant based options, around shifting to online delivery of services, and having a fundamental rethink about powering construction sites to reduce energy consumption and emissions. 

Other clients are working on more sustainable travel choices through operating a car club or investing in electric fleet; or going deeper into their “business as usual” by assessing the carbon intensity of their investments and questioning the integrity of their supply chain. 

The interface needs to include a diverse mix of individuals across the organisation and beyond to reflect different generations, genders, experiences and backgrounds. An inclusive process will allow hidden competencies to shine and provide space to create new skills.    

We don’t need to listen to the broken record of climate change inaction, we can change the tune. As an individual, what are some of the actions you’d like to take in the new year? As a business leaders, how could you empower your teams to influence your organisation’s sustainability journey? 

The post Climate Change despondency around COP28 first appeared on Beyond Green.

Aberdeen Performing Arts is a charitable trust founded in 2004. Their vision is to create a vibrant, cultural hub at the heart of city life – inspiring, exploring and engaging through live performance and creative projects.

Aberdeen Performing Arts (APA) manages three iconic Aberdeen city-centre venues, His Majesty’s Theatre, The Music Hall and the Lemon Tree. In addition to the spaces within those venues, they run over five festivals a year, and a production company, with over 1,000,000 visits to our venues annually. Their small and ambitious team are working towards achieving Green Tourism Awards for all their venues, and they are a proud member of the Green Arts Initiative run by Creative Carbon Scotland. In November 2019, they were one of the first arts organisations to win the VIBES Award for Environmental Management and have been recently shortlisted under the Climate Action category within the North of Scotland Thistle Awards. 

Beginnings 

The Beyond Green team became involved with APA back in 2016 through a Zero Waste Scotland project with one of our long-term clients – Castle Group Scotland. Castle Group Scotland was a key contractor on the refurbishment of the Music Hall, and Beyond Green worked collaboratively with them to explore reuse opportunities for the hall’s plaque flooring, lifts and timber supports.  

After this engagement, we remained in touch, and in early 2019 we began supporting APA with their regulatory compliance with the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS).  In December 2019, with a successful submission sent in, life for APA, like for all of us, was soon about to change significantly with the onset of the pandemic. Like many organisations, it was all hands on deck to navigate these uncharted waters.    

Now 

It is a testament to the resilience and creativity of the APA team to have come through the pandemic with all its challenges to the creative and events sector. Our founder Paul was delighted in October 2022 to receive an email from the Head of Finance and Sustainability, Matt Godfrey, wishing to continue our partnership with their important strategic objective to develop a Net Zero roadmap.   

It was clear from Paul and Matt’s conversation that both organisations had built on their strong shared values around  Optimism, Curiosity and Teamwork, all crucial to working towards Net Zero.  They also had a personal shared connection, as two accountants working in sustainability; Paul commented to Matt during their first conversation how uplifted he felt seeing the title of Matt’s role and that he was leading APA’s Net Zero project.  

Through an interactive session using collaborative tools like Miro, the ambitious team included 11 carbon emission categories in their baseline, including many challenging ones such as Audience travel, purchases of goods and services, employee commuting and homeworking!  Once we all knew what was going to be in our Carbon Pie, it was time to gather data and crunch some numbers. We found the emissions relating to production of programmes by third-party promoters particularly difficult, given data availability, and investigated how to apportion the emissions from a tour going to many UK venues. We decided to exclude them this time, and revisit them in the future when there is more data available. 

So in December 2022, we started out on our 5 steps to Net Zero Roadmap project, with an initial briefing about Net Zero over Microsoft Teams which serves to ensure that everyone is on the same page given the raft of confusing terminology and greenwashing out there. APA wanted to ensure they expanded their current carbon reporting to be in line with best practices, so we also covered what is included in a carbon footprint for Net Zero to create a shared knowledge base for the project team. 

With the Net Zero carbon baseline (31 March 2020) and analysis completed, it was on to the challenge of identifying ambitious actions to reduce the baseline by 42% by 2030, an interim target in line with Science Based Targets (SBTs). But the plan also needed to be pragmatic, practical and financially viable for a small organisation with huge demands on its resources. APA wished to gather as much input from across the organisation as possible, as Net Zero is not a stand-alone project delivered by a few, but requires everyone to be involved to be successful.  To support this, we adapted our Carbon Reduction Ideas session in Miro to enable asynchronous contributions from the APA team, along with a short video introducing the session. In effect, we created a hybrid method to deliver the workshop, allowing in-person and offline contributions to low-carbon ideas.   

With over 50 carbon reduction ideas covering energy, travel, and procurement, we had the interesting task of identifying and prioritising the top 15 to model into a 10-year road map. Using the Miro voting function, a priority matrix and a timeline, we could easily visualise the decision process so everyone could understand how we arrived at the final list of ideas.       

The final stage was to quantify the expected reduction in carbon emissions from the priority ideas until  2030. Again, we needed to be pragmatic and use project resources (budget and people’s time) wisely, so with a balance of good data and assumptions we identified a significant reduction emissions from the priority carbon reduction actions for the current carbon boundary.    

It is usual for the first Net Zero roadmap to identify a shortfall against the SBT for 2030. For APA this is more challenging, as options to reduce energy use are limited due to old stone buildings. Although APA is investigating opportunities for saving more energy, they are not going to be relocating their 1800’s Music Hall to a new BREEAM office! Another challenge is that a high proportion (75%) of emissions, like for many SMEs, are out of their control, in particular audience travel which is highly dependent on individual choice and the availability of public transport.  

Matt Godfrey, Head of Finance and Sustainability said “We are delighted to be working with Paul and the team at Beyond Green on our next stage towards our net zero journey. The pandemic posed a significant challenge for Aberdeen Performing Arts and the arts sector as a whole and we were fortunate to come through this with the support of our audience and partners. Despite the challenges it posed it did offer us an opportunity to reset and revisit our Sustainability plans and strategies.

Sustainability is at the core of everything we do within Aberdeen Performing Arts, and to ensure that any plans were understood and embedded within our organisation we wanted to undertake a baseline assessment and planning process that was truly collaborative. The facilitation, support and expertise offered by Beyond Green throughout this project encapsulated this collaborative ethos, ensuring that we were able to have meaningful discussion and idea generation that could be harnessed into a working plan and roadmap.

At all stages of this process from initial scoping, through to the data collection and ESOS work Paul has guided and supported us, ensuring that we can take a pragmatic view and output that reflects our capabilities. We hope to develop this strong working relationship through the next delivery stages of our journey.” 

Future 

In the last 9 months, Aberdeen Performing Arts’s Green Team, led by Matt as Head of Finance and Sustainability, have engaged the wider team to generate ideas and prepared their initial Net Zero roadmap to guide them over the next 5 years or so; no small feat for a small team. Their dedication and ambition are impressive and they work pragmatically to overcome the challenges.   

Aberdeen Performing Arts with the support of Beyond Green are now conducting the ESOS 2023 work to calculate more detailed cost and carbon savings from energy use, which will feed into the next iteration of the Net Zero roadmap in late 2023. In addition, we are working together to build a carbon reporting tool to help them understand progress against their Net Zero roadmap. This tool will help Matt provide different levels of detail to APA’s board, wider stakeholders and the Green team so all parties can make informed decisions.   

Furthermore, Aberdeen Performing Arts will continue to work on improving data collection, often a challenging area for emissions that are outwith their direct control (Scope 3 emissions).  They are already making headway by looking at streamlining data gathering for audience travel through their booking system and formalising the data captured from visiting companies in terms of freight.  

And all the great progress made this year has already gained recognition, as Aberdeen Performing Arts is shortlisted in the Climate Action category at the Aberdeen City & Shire Thistle Awards 2023, the first year of this category within the awards. 

Looking for more case studies? You can find our other case studies here.

The post Aberdeen Performing Arts Case Study first appeared on Beyond Green.

Can you describe the work you do in a few sentences?

“We provide refills for non-consumables for the household such as toiletries and cleaning products, that are as ethical and natural as possible, as well as environmentally friendly. We also sell locally made gifts and household products from local makers and small businesses in Fife and Perthshire.”

Why did you get into this type of work?

“Some local women in the area came together during covid with a shared interest in creating a shop like Juniper to provide refills and eco products within our community. The premise on Newburgh High street owned by local woman Ruth Reid, who also runs craft shop Minerva Blue, was perfect as a prospect for the shop so Carina and Hanah joined her to form a collective and create a community space which could provide the rural area they live in with access to refill products and locally made gifts. They wanted to provide the local community with the chance to make sustainable purchase choices. This also felt like something that could strengthen the community and bring people together as there isn’t anything else like it available without having to drive to large towns and cities.”

What is the biggest challenge you see for people reducing waste?

“Convenience seems to be one of the biggest barriers to reducing waste. Also mindset plays a part. Some people believe eco products aren’t as effective or are more expensive. We test all the products we sell to make sure they are high quality. People need to develop new habits which will take time as ultimately a cultural shift is needed. Hopefully our customers will realise that visiting the shop to do their refills is just as convenient and a lot more sustainable than using their cars to travel to bigger shops or continuously buying single use plastic products for their household.

Juniper ensures the ethical and sustainable rating of the products that they stock by using the ‘Ethical Consumer Guide’ for trustworthy guidance and information as a buying resource. We asked the local community when starting out, what kind of products they would like to have access to in Juniper and were told that tea and coffee refills would be useful as well as many of the household products we now stock. We also put in a tea and coffee machine as well and a table for customers to be able to sit and have a warm cuppa and use the store as a meeting place. The shop is also popular with children who like to bring their own reusable containers to buy chocolate raisins or other treats by weight, making the Zero Waste experience something fun to look forward to, as well as educational.“

What are some of the challenges you are facing as a business?

“We have great regular customers who love supporting the store and coming in for their eco-friendly purchases. The biggest challenge of course is covering costs. Income from the project goes back into purchasing stock and the staff are a team of wonderful local volunteers who are passionate about the ethos of Juniper and creating a Zero Waste initiative in their small rural community. We expect to have a good period in the run up to Christmas with gift purchases and locals coming in for gift vouchers/locally made goodies for stocking fillers and festive cards and decorations. January and February are likely to be quieter and therefore present challenges for small businesses and local shops like us especially with the cost of living crisis. Juniper has a fantastic team of volunteers keeping us running and we could look into the possibility of applying for community interest funding as a way of moving the project forward, as well as potentially holding events or educational chats around Zero Waste and sustainability in store. “

How do you feel about Zero Waste week?

“We were aware that it was Zero Waste week but we are also limited in the time that we can put into social media at the moment as everybody involved in running the shop also has other work and family commitments. We do our best wherever we can when possible. Perhaps we might look into seeking a social media volunteer to help out with our communications as it can be such a useful platform for small shops like us.”

We are a planet conscious small business trying to change the world, one refill at a time!“

How do you feel about sustainability in Scotland?

“People can only do the best with the information that they have available. Maybe there is not enough awareness yet, and we could do better in many ways with regards to sustainability in Scotland, however it starts with awareness and recognition of the bigger picture. There is a lot of greenwashing especially in large organizations who want to be seen to be being sustainable, and whilst it may be well intended, there are many layers to sustainability and this can be confusing for consumers. It can sometimes be misleading with lack of transparency in packaging and product messages, which is why Juniper can help by doing that investigative work ourselves to make sure everything we sell is as ethical, sustainable and as transparent as possible about where it comes from.”

Where can people find out more about you?

“You can find out more about the shop on the Juniper Newburgh Facebook page or on instagram at @juniper_newburgh.

The team at Juniper consists of the founders ; Ruth Reid, Carina Birrell and Hanna Gell. With support from the wonderful volunteers; Elle Moss, Christina Branton, Jeanie Hill, Lynsey Scotland, Claudia Fleck and Melanie Garland.”

It is clear that like for many small businesses and community organisations in the current economic climate, there are many challenges to survival for the store. We really love the positive energy that you feel when you walk into Juniper, not to mention the delightful aromas from all the essential oils and fragrant products. The passion and hopefulness about creating a better world is tangible and the spark for creating something new and progressive such as a Zero Waste store in a traditional rural setting comes directly from the collective of women who created it and who volunteer their time and energy to the project. 

If you’ve enjoyed reading about Juniper, why not give them a follow – or search for local refillery services in your area to support.

The post An Interview With Juniper – A Rural Zero Waste Community Project first appeared on Beyond Green.

McKenna (BG team member) outlines her experience co-organising She is Sustainable below.

She is Sustainable (SiS) is an event that was initially held in London (then Cambridge, Lancaster, Oxford, London again, Dublin, and most recently the She is Still Sustainable event in London!), to connect women starting out in their sustainability careers. I was lucky enough to co-host Scotland’s first SiS on April 20th, with over 10 speakers coming from all over Scotland and England. The one-day interactive workshop offered the women attending a forum to share insights and discuss some of the many challenges faced in the workplace. From the gender pay gap to recent equality movements such as Time’s Up, Me Too, and Mentor Her, She is Sustainable aimed to create a positive and an informal environment to ask tough questions.

The workshop drew women from all sectors in Scotland and even Liverpool, who are interested in developing their careers in sustainability. Initially the day started off focusing on the facts and figures regarding the gender pay gap, and women in the workplace today. It was a fantastic start to the day’s discussions, lead by Becky Willis (one of the SiS founders). Sonia Oladoyin then gave the first ‘life-story’ of the day, which highlighted her experience in a male dominated engineering world and time as a board shadow for SEPA.

The SiS event programme then moved onto the idea of success, and how being successful can be different for women. The panel discussion consisted of Becky, Sonia, Fran van Dijk (One Stone Advisors), Rebecca McLean (Sweco), and Fleur Ruckley (Wood). It was inspiring to see so many women from different areas of sustainability coming together to identify similar themes of success.

After lunch, Dr Sarah Ivory brought her daughter to SiS to highlight the pros and cons of working with or without children. By bringing her daughter into the session, attendees were challenged to think about tough questions such as “if women chose not to have children to advance their career, is it fair to judge her against a women who does have children for the same position?”. These questions were not meant to be answered, but rather to invoke a deeper thought process around working when having children.

Finally the day ended with our very own BG Managing Director, Paul Adderley, talking on a panel about unconscious bias and mentoring with Michelle Brown (University of Edinburgh Head of Social Responsibility and Sustainability programmes). The attendees were pleased to see that a man was involved in the important discussions around bias and mentoring.

Capping off the event was the dinner, where Professor Lesley Sawers OBE gave a keynote speech. Lesley’s speech touched on the need to make room for the women that are coming up behind us. By explaining the challenges her generation had to go through, she was thrilled that it allowed for events like She is Sustainable to exist.

The structure of the day was meant to be informal, allowing the attendees to interact in a meaningful way. During the day people were encouraged to network, and the dinner demonstrated how well people had gotten to know one another. With the speakers sitting in-between the attendees, the dinner was the final place for attendees to ask questions and connect.

I’d like to give a massive thank you to my Directors at Beyond Green for allowing me to take volunteering time to organise She is Sustainable. Without their support and flexibility, the event wouldn’t have been able to happen.

If you’re interested in finding out more about She is Sustainable, or want to join us for a future event please go to https://sheissustainable.org/ or keep an eye out on the BG news page!

The post She is Sustainable first appeared on Beyond Green.

Starting in 2016, the Scottish Government encouraged organisations from all sectors to host climate change awareness events as part of a National Climate Week. The inaugural Climate Week was a success with over 60 organisations taking part all over Scotland. This year over 130 organisations registered to host events!

For the 2017 National Climate Week, Beyond Green was thrilled to run a climate conversation in coordination with Castle Group Scotland and Kier. Both Castle Group Scotland and Kier are currently restoring the fire-damaged Glasgow School of Art and agreed to take some time out of their schedules to hold a Climate Week event.

Climate conversations were created by the Scottish Government to engage different sectors and industries all around Scotland in new ways of thinking about climate change. These conversations are important to undertake, involving everyone in the significance of reducing Scotland’s emissions and adapting to the changing climate.
To begin the conversation, Castle Group Scotland and Kier were shown pictures from Scotland and asked to choose one that relates the strongest to them. The images were then discussed in detail, outlining how climate change might impact the participant’s view of the picture in the future. The participants frequently discussed the potential decline in Scotland’s natural beauty, and how the hills and seaside towns might negatively change in the next fifteen years.

Climate conversations are open-ended and meant to provoke questions and allow the participants to voice their opinions. An excellent example of this that arose at the Glasgow School of Art, surrounded the politicized nature of climate change. A participant brought up the topic of Donald Trump questioning the validity of climate change, and how other world leaders weren’t. Allowing participants to lead the conversation, subjects like the political nature of climate change feel organic and offer further discussion points.

It was a great topic of conversation - which brought all trades from the project together to discuss one common theme. Some of the general contractors weren't aware of the environmental impact from the construction industry out with the trade they are involved in. It introduced a topic of conversation which some of our subcontractors had never really thought about and it increased their knowledge and awareness in a relaxed environment. This is something we would like to participate in again next Climate Week.Summary of the conversation from the site team

Finally, the on-site team were shown predictions of what the Scottish government hopes Scotland might look like in 2030. These predictions included how Scotland might procure local food in the future, or how travelling might be easier thanks to low-carbon technologies. Working in teams, Castle Group Scotland along with Kier ranked their favourite predictions, which included ideas such as “future generations” where children learn about climate change in schools, and “working life” which highlighted flexible working.

Using the climate conversation, Castle Group Scotland and Kier were able to think critically about how climate change might affect their personal and professional lives in the future. More importantly, the climate conversation allowed topics to be discussed in an environment where climate change is not often debated.

“Participating in the Climate conversation at the GSA was a great way to think about the effects of climate change and what we can do within the industry to help reduce our impact on the environment. The open forum allowed for an inclusive and diverse conversation to be held to the benefit of everyone involved. Thanks to Beyond Green for arranging this for us!”Michael Fell - Contracts Manager

Working in the environmental industry, it’s an easy assumption that climate change is in agreement. Hosting the climate conversation was a wonderful opportunity to hear what people from other industries conclude, and what they are hesitant about. For construction companies, new demands on engineering and design that materialize from climate change are becoming challenges. Climate change induced material scarcity and changing environmental requirements for buildings are also taking effect for the construction industry. These particular discussions that really showed the engagement and awareness from Castle Group Scotland and Kier around how climate change will affect the construction industry.
We would like to extend a massive thank you to Castle Group Scotland and Kier for participating, and taking time to talk about crafting a sustainable future for us all. Hopefully, this climate conversation sparked ideas that will continue to be chatted about at the Glasgow School of Art construction site.

Hosting open-ended climate conversations are a great way to get everyone engaged! If you think your organisation would benefit from a climate conversation, please feel free to get in touch.

The post 2017 National Climate Week with Castle Group Scotland and Kier first appeared on Beyond Green.