Why it is important that York businesses start reporting their emissions now - Suhail Ahmed
When I was growing up in Sudan, energy security had a day-to-day impact on our lives. Only 30 per cent of the population had reliable access to energy and we had long hours of blackouts because the demand was very high with a growing population and generation wasn't keeping up.
That inspired me to choose a career in sustainability, starting out encouraging people in rural areas in Sudan to install solar panels and promote sustainable development.
My memories of these experiences are still with me in my current role as a sustainability and net zero consultant for Green Economy.
We’re calling on York businesses to sign up in time for our free carbon reduction scheme, run in partnership with City of York Council, which offers a package of free tailored support to help businesses reduce energy costs and boost their green credentials as they transition to net zero and sustainably develop.
More than 35 businesses have signed up since its launch in September 2023 and a whopping 587 tonnes of CO2 savings have already been identified - equivalent to taking 214 petrol cars off the road for a year.
The first step is making sure they are aware of their environmental impact to establish a baseline of their emissions.
From that level of awareness and understanding, we can work on finding ways to improve efficiencies and reduce their emissions.
This is so important for several reasons. We live and work in a country where sustainability matters, especially at a government level, so it’s important that businesses get ahead of any upcoming legislation and start reporting their emissions now.
Sustainability is a growing factor when it comes to customers and sales opportunities.
If your business isn’t able to report upon and shout about your environmental efforts, you could miss out on business to competitors with a more compelling green narrative.
Another benefit of working with us to understand your carbon emissions is the opportunity to find new ways to save money both in the short term and long term with more efficient energy sources and supply chains.
While the UK has targets for getting to net zero by 2050 – City of York Council has an ambition for York to be a net-zero carbon city by 2030.
And that simply won’t happen without the involvement of small businesses across the country.
Businesses reporting their emissions can help create a butterfly effect by inspiring others to get involved.
If we can create a cluster of businesses in York innovating and changing for the better, that will spread and make a real difference.
One York business I’ve worked with have been able to identify savings of 5.9 tonnes of CO2 and financial savings of £4,600 a year by implementing changes to how they work.
This scheme can only accept applications until January, so why not do your part and get in touch today?
Businesses can sign up at https://www.greeneconomy.co.uk/york.
Suhail Ahmed is a sustainability and net zero consultant at Green Economy.