We’re on a mission to reduce CO2 emissions

From eating less cheese to installing energy-efficient lightbulbs, the City Dynamics team are dedicated to reducing their carbon footprint at work and at home.

Greenr App Launch

This month, City Dynamics launched the Greenr app, encouraging all employees to make do-able pledges that will reduce CO2 emissions, such as:

Use the kettle instead of the hob

Walk or take public transport to work

Reuse shopping bags

Avoid cheese and red meat

Buy second-hand or refurbished goods

Use soap not plastic bottles of shower-gel

The idea of the Greenr app is simple. The more pledges you make (and keep), the more CO2 emissions you reduce, and the more points you score. As well as three key areas – Home, Food, Lifestyle – there’s a ‘Voice’ element in the app, which is all about keeping up to date on things like climate news.

Ultimately, by becoming more knowledgeable about sustainability issues, the City Dynamics team can make better choices for the planet

The app can be used throughout the entire day. For many of our team, the first entry is what they had for breakfast. Clearly, a bowl of porridge with locally sourced berries generates lower emissions than, say, a Danish bacon sandwich, and the app takes all this info into account.

Opening up sustainability dialogues

It’s certainly sparking a lot of interesting conversation in the office. For instance, did you know the production of certain types of tofu generates much higher carbon emissions than other brands? There’s another debate around which plant-based milk is most CO2 favourable. Team members have also been discussing how to cook sustainably and even the best way to wash dishes – surprisingly, a dishwasher produces the lowest carbon emissions!

The really important thing is the app is increasing awareness, which is a major part of the
battle to reduce emissions.

“We’re not expecting people to make all the changes at once,” explains Amita Sanghrajka, City Dynamics Director. “It’s great that the team are thinking about how they can make a difference and what the impact on the planet will be if they don’t. In this way, the Greenr app is changing mindsets.”

Keeping things competitive

To add a competitive element to our sustainability efforts, we now have 2 teams called God Save the Green and Town Wharf, with captains to encourage everybody to log as much as possible on the Greenr app.

Here are the results from week 1:

Greenr App Launch
Greenr App Launch

The Greenr app is promoting behaviours that are better for the environment. Now everybody in City Dynamics is choosing to make lifestyle changes that will reduce CO2 emissions.

“We can’t just rely on huge government interventions to save the planet. It’s our responsibility as individuals to make a difference. The Greenr app is empowering our people to take ownership of their carbon footprint and take measures to reduce it.”
Greenr App Launch
Amita Sanghrajka
City Dynamics Director

Offsetting CO2

While the team are busy using the app, City Dynamics have also donated money to certified carbon offset projects. The two projects Greenr selected are Amazon rainforest protection in Brazil and a geothermal power plant in El Salvador, which are both accredited by Gold Standard or Verra. These charities have been around for decades and guarantee the projects receiving their certification avoid carbon dioxide from being added to our atmosphere.

By supporting these carbon offset projects, City Dynamics has become carbon neutral. We could, in theory, simply continue to offset our annual carbon footprint. But that’s not the most sustainable approach and if every organisation decided to do that there would be no carbon offset projects left! That’s why we’re using the Greenr app to find ways to easily reduce carbon by changing our dietary, travel and lifestyle habits and making them less carbon intensive. The long term goal is to become carbon positive.

“We intentionally chose not to go carbon positive through offsetting. I want to see how we can do it as an organisation ourselves,” says Amita. “It’s important for people to understand what a difference they’re making and feel proud of their achievements.”

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