It was a warm summer's day. The dogs were bouncing off the walls and three team members were eyeing up the last chair in the kitchen. It was that moment we knew we needed to upsize.
And, with change comes opportunity. We were moving house and it was a chance to update how we do things. Starting with how we manage our impact, warm and cool the building, and change the fuel that powers us (and we’re not just talking about the coffee).
Renovations can be carbon-intensive, so we included the project in our carbon measurement and offset its emissions.
We found our blank canvas, a run-down warehouse in South London that needed a lot of TLC. We signed the dotted line and started the renovation. Nine months later we were ready to move in.
On top of switching to a renewable energy provider, we installed a solar farm on the roof. So our new home is powered by 100% renewables, some of which is generated on-site.
We moved from gas-powered to all-electric.
By installing an air-source heat pump (stick with us, it's more exciting than it seems) we were able to move away from a gas powered boiler. Our new heat pump warms and cools our HQ using nothing but renewable energy (even if it gets as low as -15˚C outside which, luckily, doesn’t happen too often in London). Equally, our warehouse machinery is all-electric and charged on-site too.
"Solar energy is 92% more carbon efficient than gas."
We've created a new environmental management system that tracks our electric and water use, as well as how much waste we produce and recycle. These key measurements are the foundation of any improvements we make in the future.
And, we give our team on the road hybrid cars to get around.
On average, since using these hybrid cars, we’ve reduced each team member's carbon footprint by 2 tCO2 (tonne of CO2) per year. That’s the equivalent of over five trips from Amsterdam to Rome.
It's about how we look after our team too.
We made a new canteen for everyone to enjoy and meet up for after-work drinks. More fridge space for everyone's lunches. And, last but not least, a karaoke machine so our head of finance, Wes, can shine like a superstar.
We've also installed showers and bike racks so the team can cycle, run or walk into work. We help them out if they want to get a new bike, and have linked up with a local gym so it costs a little less to stay fit and healthy.
Our lovely team works so hard for us, so we have a duty to support in any way we can.
As we grow, we hope (and plan) to do even better.
But for now, we’ll continue to power our HQ the best way we know how, with good coffee and renewable energy.
