Latest update on our Eco-Champions’ Initiatives

Doing our bit for the environment is at the forefront of our agenda at Capital Space. Each of our business centres has a volunteer Eco-Champion and each quarter they meet to discuss and share ideas on how we can reduce, reuse and recycle. At their last meeting, they put together some exciting new proposals for our centres to further improve their sustainability to benefit both the planet and our customers.

New recycling measures to cut down on waste

Pallet recycling:

• Milton Keynes Business Centre has invited a representative from ‘Men in Sheds’ (a charity, not exclusively for men, which provides workshop space for members to undertake practical activities from construction to art) to discuss them recycling our pallet stock. And the centre has also recently been uploading their pallets on Freecycle, a charity where people can give away things for free to people in their town to save them ending up in landfill.
• Waterhouse Business Centre has made contact with local up-cycler, ‘The Palletman’ who recycles pallets into furniture and he has collected pallets from Chelmsford to give them a new life. Pallets have also been offered to gardeners at a local allotment.
• Loughton Seedbed Centre’s facilities handyperson has cut up unwanted pallets and removed nails from them so that our customers can use the wood for DIY projects or for burning on their wood burners in the winter months.

Waste recycling:

• Our Harlow Greenway Business Centre has recently introduced a new recycling bin in their first floor kitchen to prevent food waste and recycling being mixed up. The new bin has a green lid and is clearly labelled and there are posters up in the kitchen to encourage recycling among our customers.
• Waterhouse Business Centre has been discussing the possibility of landscapers working in Chelmsford using coffee grinds in their projects as a fertiliser – the grinds also double up as a squirrel deterrent, so it’s a win-win.

Reducing our environmental impact with conscious energy use

Our Milton Keynes centre has successfully managed to lower their energy consumption by approximately £4,000 per year with new lower-watt external lights. They have also lowered the temperature settings of the boiler which has reduced energy use by 17%. To go the extra mile, they have labelled light switches with reminders to turn them off so that lights aren’t left on when the meeting rooms are empty.

Our Churchill Square Business Centre in Kings Hill has changed its external light timers now the days are getting lighter, and they are being more vigilant when it comes to checking air conditioning units are turned off when they’re not needed.

In Chelmsford, Waterhouse Business Centre has been trialling new insulation options across three studio ceilings and monitoring the resultant heat loss. Once the trial is complete, the results will be fed back to the rest of our centres for their consideration.

Reusing batteries with a new recharging scheme

All our centres will be reviewing their battery use and consider purchasing a universal battery recharging unit and rechargeable batteries as throwing out used batteries can be incredibly harmful to the environment. Loughton is one of the first centres which has already set itself up with rechargeable batteries.

Green space landscaping initiatives update

Many of our centres have been working hard to increase wildlife and improve their surrounding environments with their green initiatives. The spring bulbs we planted last year in St George’s Business Park, Sittingbourne have started to come through and we can’t wait for them to flower and brighten up the space.

In Loughton, a birdbox has been re-sited to encourage more nesting this spring and the exterior bedding area was planted with new shrubs last autumn which will soon be in full bloom. The centre is also planning to plant lavender shrubs in spring, which sustain important pollinators such as butterflies and bees.  Churchill Square Business Centre has also acquired numerous bird boxes to install around the Kings Hill site.

Chelmsford has a new landscape contractor who will be replanting all their bedding areas with small trees, evergreen shrubs and lavenders. A wildflower meadow is being planned opposite the café with the ground currently being prepared with manure.

Our Harlow centre is selecting new areas of green space to be planted in and they are also considering wooden planters for the space around the gate entrance to add a burst of colour and attract lots of insects to boost biodiversity.

We are very excited with the ideas and initiatives our Eco-Champions have come up with and are encouraged by their commitment to improving the sustainability of our centres and reducing our environmental impact with their simple but effective measures. Keep an eye out for future initiatives as we continue to champion eco-friendly measures in our centres.

If you’re looking for high-quality business accommodation which cares for the environment get in touch.