Going green at Porterhouse: Small steps on becoming kinder to our planet

A photo for Earth Day 2023 featuring a frog and a statement about being green being easier that you think

 

In support of Earth Day 2023, Porterhouse Medical’s Environmental Team ran a Green Week Competition last month to encourage our teams to think about small ways to be kinder to the planet and help make a difference.

Contestants were invited to showcase their best examples of going green. Anyone could enter, with as many entries as they wanted! The Porterhouse team were then invited to vote for their favourite entry and the person with the most votes was the winner (with a £20 voucher up for grabs, as well as runner up prizes).

We are now delighted to announce the winners of the Green Week Competition

Winner: Amy Chee

Amy cares a lot about being green. As well as the Monday meat-free challenge. Amy does the following:

  • Uses a clothes rack to air dry clothes/bedding instead of using a tumble dryer. Tumble dryers will shorten the lifespan of your clothes and use unnecessary energy.
  • Uses a compost bin.
  • Montreal has a bike sharing program, so Amy gets around the city using the bixis or the metro.
  • Goes hiking. Amy says the Plain of Six Glaciers in West Canada is a stark reminder that the glaciers are disappearing.

Runner-up: Lucy Sangster

Lucy and her sister have started a clothes swap scheme so they can change their wardrobes without needing to buy new things so often.

 

 

Runner-up: Jane Rodgers

Jane saved a bay tree from a skip. It was nearly dead, but she put coffee grounds on it every day and it is very happy now. She also puts her uncooked fruit and veg waste out in the garden as fertilizer and to feed the wildlife.

Environmental Committee ideas

The environmental committee also posted daily tips and useful information on how to reduce our carbon footprints, which we are sharing below to help us all do our bit to be kinder to the planet.

Meat-free Mondays

Did you know one meat-free day a week is good for our planet? Even a slight reduction in our meat consumption can have a positive impact on our environment, so why not investigate some recipes and see what you can make?

Please take a look at the below links for more information:

Turn off Tuesday

While an easy option, standby mode on many appliances still uses energy; switching electrical appliances off at the plug not only helps save our environment, but also money (around £65 a year!) – see what you can switch off this evening (including your laptop!). Other tips to reduce energy use include:

  • Using a 30-degree cycle on your washing machine
  • Avoid using the tumble dryer as the weather gets warmer
  • Only use as much water as you need when you fill the kettle

Find out more at: Quick tips to save energy at home – Energy Saving Trust

Waste-not Wednesdays

It can often seem quite difficult to escape the high volumes of plastic in the supermarket, but there are little ways we can look to reduce waste heading to landfill, such as:

  • Making sure we sort our waste appropriately (including rinsing items for recycling)
  • Using food waste bins or composting
  • Regularly clearing out the fridge so we know we what have got and don’t overbuy perishables
  • Before we throw anything away, thinking whether we can reuse or repurpose it
  • Buying items second-hand (charity shop wanders are a favourite pastime)

To check where to recycle different items in your area (UK): Recycle an Item | Recycle Now

Travel Thursdays

Did you know?

  • Using a bike instead of a car for short trips can reduce your travel emissions by ~75%
  • Taking a train instead of a car for medium-length distances cuts your emissions by ~80%
  • Using a train instead of a domestic flight reduces your emissions by ~84%

So why not walk that 20 minutes to the shop, or message a friend to lift share next time you are heading out somewhere together?

Flourish Fridays

Green Week isn’t just about introducing new habits to help us go greener, but also about taking the time to appreciate green spaces around us.

Why not go for a walk in nature this evening, gift a “plant a tree” voucher to a friend, or even grow a plant from the veg already in your fridge!

Plant a tree with the National Trust: Plant a tree for charity with us | National Trust

Plant a tomato from tomato slices: How to Grow Tomato Plants from Tomato Slices-Part 1 – Twin Oaks Nursery (twinoaksnurseries.com)

Thank you to our Environment Team for organising  the Green Week Competition and sharing these tips on the small steps we can take to become more environmentally friendly.

Being green is easier than you think! 😊

At Porterhouse as part of our mission to improve lives, we take our responsibility to reduce our carbon footprint seriously and are proudly to have been awarded the ISO 14001 in environment management.

Read more here: Porterhouse’s environmental mission: The Porterhouse Medical Group Environmental Policy – Porterhouse Medical

#InvestInOurPlanet