Environmental mission statement
Make Us Visible is committed to protecting the natural environment and proactively managing its environmental impacts.
We are committed to making continuous improvements in the management of our environmental impacts. We strive to improve our understanding of environmental issues amongst our team members and disseminate good practice with other organisations.
We comply with applicable environmental legislation and regulations and where possible we go beyond the legislation to improve our ability to contribute to environmental growth and circular economies within South Lakes.
A Managing Director is responsible for ensuring that the environmental policy is implemented. However, all employees have a role to play – this Sustainability Policy outlines our individual and shared responsibilities to ensure that the aims and objectives of the policy are met.
This Sustainability Policy commits us to
Embed environmental risks into our risk identification and mitigation processes
Regularly assess our areas of environmental impacts, which includes considering current and future environmental issues
Audit our compliance with legislation and investigate all environmental incidents to prevent a recurrence
Strive for continuous improvement
Goods and materials
Where possible we will source goods and materials locally, thereby reducing emissions and positively influencing the local economy.
We will endeavour to work with the most ethical suppliers we can find and will continue to engage with them to promote environmental sustainability.
Rather than replace or dispose of broken or unused items of equipment, we will explore options for repair or repurposing them.
Culture
All staff will be encouraged to promote the ideals and attitudes herein and will be provided with the necessary training to do so.
We will encourage our staff to avoid travelling to work by (non-electric) car; where this is unavoidable, we will promote car-sharing, where it is safe to do so.
Energy, Waste and Water
The consumption of energy and water, and the creation of waste, is to be reduced wherever possible through investment in more efficient technologies and through engaging users with the appropriate use of these resources (e.g., energy guidance at offices and houses).
When new products are to be purchased, their efficiency and energy consumption will be reviewed and factored into any decisions made.
We will seek low-carbon energy suppliers where it is appropriate to do so. We will consider the proportion of energy that comes from renewable sources when selecting energy providers.
Commuting
Be the use of video meetings, we will limit the commuting time visiting clients or prospective clients to a minimum, thus reducing the carbon footprint of the business.
Maintenance
Before purchasing equipment, we will investigate whether renting or sharing equipment is possible.
We will investigate the environmental impact and provenance of any equipment to be purchased, with a view to reducing this impact where possible.
Clients, and other stakeholders
We will actively engage our staff and clients to increase their environmental awareness where it is appropriate to do so.
We will use our website and other channels to engage with, educate and inform our stakeholders about the work we do, and limit the use of paper communication to a minimum.
Strategy and performance
We will be prepared to meet any future legislative requirements by future-proofing our activities and remaining as resource-efficient and responsible as possible.
When purchasing or renting new properties, we access carbon footprint and environmental impact and consider this in decisions about property suitability
We will meet any relevant regulatory requirements so that customers/clients can be confident that they are supporting an organisation that is contributing positively to Cumbria’s environment.