Carbon Literacy - Understanding the impact of our choices

Carbon Literacy - Understanding the impact of our choices

In a world where climate change is no longer a distant threat but a pressing reality, the onus lies on businesses and individuals to drive the change towards a zero-carbon society. To embark on the journey towards carbon literacy, we must first understand the implications of our daily decisions. From the mode of transport we choose to the products we purchase, each aspect of our lives contribute to our carbon footprint. By adopting a mindful approach and making sustainable choices, we can pave the way for a cleaner, greener future. As part of our ongoing commitment to sustainability practices, staff at Vickers have recently taken on Carbon Literacy training.

What is Carbon Literacy?

Carbon literacy is an "awareness of the carbon costs and impacts of everyday activities and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions on an individual, community and organisational basis". This training was organised by The Carbon Literacy Project - a collaboration involving people and organisations from all walks of life, working together and contributing time, materials and funding to advance understanding and action on climate change. 

Vickers training and Carbon Literacy roll out

After successfully completing the course, our Laboratory Technician Lucy, along with the Vickers 'Green Team', have started to roll out carbon literacy throughout the organisation. The team meet regularly to discuss how we can implement sustainable actions across the business, focusing on optimising resource consumption and managing our environmental impact.

The training covered key issues such as greenhouse gases, global warming, carbon footprint values and how to make a difference, individually and within an organisation.

Part of Lucy's pledge to the Carbon Literacy project is to engage staff in helping to make the organisation greener, organising a transport survey to see where we can reduce emissions and working towards becoming a paperless business.

What we can all do

We all have a part to play in creating a sustainable future. There are many small changes we can make that contribute towards a zero-carbon society:

• Turning thermostats down to 18°C or 19°C - heating accounted for 64.1% of energy consumption in EU households
• Taking short showers instead of baths
• Eating fruit and vegetables that are in season
• Washing clothes at 30°C or 40°C and using the "Eco Mode" on washing machines
• Investing in solar panels or heat pumps
• Growing your own produce, reducing food miles and the plants will help to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere.
• Drying clothes outside rather than using a tumble dryer
• Turning off appliances instead of leaving them in standby mode

To find out more about the Carbon Literacy Project, visit: https://carbonliteracy.com/