Sustainability Statement

I wish to tread lightly on this earth!  By reviewing my work, home office and workplaces, I have considered the impact of various elements of my daily life and have made the following statements:

Travel

I will minimise travel-related emissions by working at venues within a defined time/distance – I would previously have travelled up to a 2-hour radius of my home, I will now travel up to a 1.5 hr radius of my home wherever possible.  

I will consolidate appointments and use digital tools for communication, whenever possible. 

I have recently changed my car from a 4-wheel drive diesel SUV to a 2-wheel drive petrol SUV, my long-term goal is to go electric!

Energy Conservation  

I will minimise energy consumption by utilising energy-efficient equipment (such as LED lighting), applying energy conservation settings to IT systems and turning off appliances when not in use. 

My home office is powered by 100% green renewable energy supplied by Octopus Energy.  When working from home, I will heat my work area, rather than the whole house.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle 

I will consider the environmental impact of the products I use, and use biodegradable and recyclable materials for keepsake scripts, stationery and printing.  I already use recycled photocopier paper and the ink cartridges used in my printer are returned to the manufacturer for recycling.

Spreading Awareness

I will raise awareness among my clients, suppliers and partners about the importance of sustainable choices and support them to adopt responsible practices.  As a Trustee of Coffin Club Colchester, an educational charity which aims to encourage people to understand their end-of-life celebration choices and alleviate funeral poverty, we actively encourage people to consider how in death they would want the care and sensitive disposal of their body to impact the earth and how they can make good choices now that will help their loved ones in the future e.g. burial in a natural woodland burial ground.

I myself have already bought my low carbon footprint, eco-friendly coffin, which is flat-packed for easy storage from a company called ‘Coffin in a Box’ 😊

I will educate myself and stay informed about current best practice in sustainability via the Sustainable Wedding Alliance and other related organisations.

Sustainable Initiatives 

I will promote and recommend sustainable suppliers to my clients, particularly local event businesses, meat-free catering, reusable event hire, outdoor venues and British-grown flowers. 

I have been a Lacto-Vegetarian for 46 years, I would like to give up milk from the dairy industry and have been trying some of the many alternatives on the market, at the time of writing, I am still trying!

Next Steps

I will look at resources and educate myself through the useful links of Sustainable Wedding Alliance, Green Union, The Carbon Trust, Natural Death Centre, Mindfully Wed and the Eco Funeral Network, consider planting a tree for each service that I conduct (I already support The Cinnamon Trust, Viva, Compassion in World Farming, Animals Asia and Surfers Against Sewage on a monthly basis) and will keep my small business practices under constant review.