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Let’s celebrate World Environment Day with 1 Change for good

Published date: June 2020

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Today we’re celebrating World Environment Day and it’s a great chance to increase awareness about how little actions on our routine can have a huge impact on the environment. We encourage you to get involved in the 1 Change campaign promoted by Co-op Midcounties, so what’s the change that you will do to tackle climate change and environmental issues?

The current situation has had a great impact on the environment, we’ve seen a huge improvement in the air quality around the world, people are enjoying more as they go out there to get their daily exercise. According to King’s College London scientists, 60% less traffic in central London is credited with a massive drop in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels. Cities are noticing more animals, such as bees or birds in their gardens and walks. However, there are also new items that have not been disposed of properly, such as masks and gloves, or electronic waste, that have been found on beaches.
 

#1Change

Co-op Midcounties launched the #1Change campaign last year and we have made some positive impacts in tackling single-use plastic and swapping items for Fairtrade ones when shopping. Also, our followers on Facebook and Twitter shared their pledge to help to reduce their impact on our environment, and a chance to win a Fairphone, the world’s most ethical smartphone.

To help overcome the challenge, we’re continuing the 1Change initiative to reduce plastics by encouraging people to make 1Change in their daily routine to demonstrate that together we can make a collective impact. The environmental Ambassador, Cal Major began the Paddle Against Plastic campaign in 2016 and since she started her work with Co-op Midcounties, several initiatives have taken place, such as the reduction of single use plastic from stores or offices.
  

Recycling E-waste

According to a report from the World Economic Forum, e-waste is now the fastest-growing waste stream in the world and double the rate of plastic refuse. We encourage you to use your free time to tidy up that ‘tech drawer’ at home, an opportunity is waiting. When your phone or laptop stops working, if you can’t repair it, make sure you recycle it responsibly. You can find the nearest location to where you live using this link.

Besides, if you are recycling your smartphone, the Dutch social enterprise Fairphone has launched a recycling program available for any phone. Fairphone also has a modular design that makes it easier for you to repair and upgrade, extending your phone’s life further and reducing e-waste.

 

Read more about Fairphone

 

Green Energy for your Home

In recent years, environmental awareness has greatly increased, and there has been a higher demand for cleaner energy. Many people have started to invest in alternative and renewable energy, by getting solar panels or getting more involved with community groups. 

Nowadays, there’s a wide range of suppliers offering a green tariff, but it can be tricky to understand what this means, and among so many options, it may be complicated to find the one that best suits your needs. 

Purchasing Community Power from Co-op Energy will help to support local communities across the country, and you’ll contribute to an increase of cleaner energy, knowing Co-op Energy source electricity from community renewable energy projects. Community Power is the UK’s only tariff with 100% community-generated electricity and fully carbon offset gas. 

Around 80 local community owned projects generate the clean energy electricity from solar, wind and hydro energy, and you’ll be able to see where it is being generated at small scale. For instance, we purchase electricity from Southill Solar community solar farm which generates enough to power over a thousand homes, and Westmill Wind and Solar Farm powers over 4,500 homes.

People come together to support the increment of green power locally-sourced and to bring other significant opportunities in the community, such as generating jobs, helping farmers and leading the energy transition to achieve sustainability goals.

Find out more about Co-op Energy, the UK’s leading supporter of renewable community-generated energy.

Working from home

It has never been easier to work remotely, with the cloud solutions that are available to businesses and their employees. This also helps to reduce your carbon footprint as a business and helps to have a positive impact on the world we are living in; with cloud communications you can stay connected from anywhere, on any device and at anytime. 

Find out more about cloud communications and how this can help your business. 

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