22nd April (last Sunday) was Earth Day. Earth Day is a day where people across the globe focus on helping our planet in a variety of ways. Beginning in 1970, Earth Day has grown exponentially as a movement and now has an estimated 1 billion participants worldwide. We decided that this year Penn Elcom employees would also get involved, and do something to reduce our carbon footprints. The 2018 focus of Earth Day was to end plastic pollution, so we decided to see what we could do to change our plastic-dependent habits.
What did we do?
Name: Connie Suggitt
Location: Hastings
Position at Penn Elcom: Content Creator
What they did: Went Plastic Free for Two Days
How did it go?
“Luckily, going plastic-free for me was slightly easier as I work from home, so I didn’t need to worry about buying things on the go. My biggest challenge was finding clothes that didn’t contain plastic! Mostly all my clothing items contain nylon, polyester, viscose, or other materials derived from plastic. However, I was able to eventually cobble together two fully cotton outfits.”
Why did you get involved?
“I participated in Earth Day because climate change is a serious threat to us. We need to try and rectify the damage that has been done, and teach all generations to live in a more sustainable and environmentally friendly way.”
What did you learn?
“Researching the impact plastic has had on the environment, and how we use plastic as a material for most things, has really opened my eyes to how much I am reliant on it for most parts of my everyday life, especially clothing! I didn’t realise the plastics in your clothes wash out as micro fibres, polluting the ocean. I will be taking steps to reduce my plastic intake, and will try to source clothing from natural materials in the future.”
Name: Rob Platt
Location: Hastings
Position at Penn Elcom: Marketing and eCommerce Director
What they did: Swapped plastic milk bottles for reusable glass bottles
Why did you get involved?
“After hearing that Earth Day was focusing on tackling plastic pollution, I decided to cut down my plastic by swapping plastic milk bottles for refillable glass ones.
What did you learn?
“By swapping, I’ve stopped buying two plastic milk bottles per week - that’s a saving of 104 bottles a year! It goes to show that even small changes can have a big difference over time.”
Name: David-John Tulleken
Location: Hastings
Position at Penn Elcom: eCommerce Manager
What they did: Carpooled for a week
How did it go?
“Carpooling was more difficult for my partner, as we don’t live near public transport links, so she had to be ready to leave at the same time as me every morning in order to make it to university. We’re planning to move a little closer to civilization in the near future, so this was a good dry run for us as we’re aiming to reduce the number of cars we’re running.”
Why did you get involved?
“I did a carbon footprint test online and found that my lifestyle equates to 114% of my share. Of my carbon breakdown, travel makes up the biggest proportion at 41%, so carpooling seemed like a good way to do some damage control!”
What did you learn?
“Apart from reducing my carbon footprint by 20%, in real terms, I could reduce my CO2 emissions by 1750 kg a year if I were to continue carpooling. More importantly, this is just one small change I made, which makes a big difference. I’ve learnt that there’s many more things that I could do in terms of sourcing local products, recycling, buying second hand and implementing energy-saving measures in my home.”
Name: Penn Elcom Marketing Team
Location: Hastings
What they did: Bought reusable plastic bottles to use in the office
Why did you get involved?
“We decided as a team to cut down on plastic pollution by swapping out our one-use plastic bottles for reusable ones.”
What did you learn?
“We learnt that it’s better to invest in more durable and economical ways of drinking, eating and living. We are going to look at other ways we can cut down our personal plastic consumption.”
