Our Environmental Policy

MyKnowledgeMap recognises that all our activities have an environmental impact. Our organisation has a role to play in protecting the environment and can make a difference.

Our staff will consider the effects of all our activities on the local and global environment.  We will develop action plans to promote the policy and will train our own staff to move towards a more environmentally sustainable way of life.

We aim to:

Waste

• Remember the “three Rs” of waste reduction: Reduce the amount of waste we produce, reuse what we can and recycle the rest if possible
• Increase our use of email and resist the temptation to print off messages
• Reduce the amount of paper mailed out
• Photocopy double sided where possible and encourage other organisations to do so
• Avoid products with unnecessary packaging
• Buy recycled and chlorine-free paper products if possible
• Provide reuse labels for reusing suitable envelopes
• Look for opportunities to start recycling our waste, particularly paper

Energy

• Turn off lights and other electrical appliances, including computers, when not in use
• Support the use of renewable energy

Transport

• Minimise the need to travel and use the least polluting form of transport appropriate to each journey. This may include working from home where appropriate
• Organise meetings and courses in locations which can be reached without using a car. If giving directions or providing location maps, we won’t assume others will  arrive by car. We will give details of public transport and time meetings to fit in with public transport
• Ensure out of office travel will be by public transport unless there is a valid reason why it should be by car

Purchasing

• Take into account the environmental and social impact of all our purchases including locally produced products where possible
• Purchase environmentally friendly products whenever possible.  This includes those which are recycled, recyclable, made from renewable materials, are reusable, made from non-hazardous materials or are energy efficient
• Invest our funds ethically

A Better Environment

• Encourage the use of plants, to clean the office air and absorb emissions
• Encourage environmental action by employees

Monitoring

We are committed to implementing this as a practical, working policy.  Our progress will be reviewed annually with annual action plans.