THINK BEFORE YOU FLY

For the month of February, staff working for Sure in the Channel Islands and Isle of Man are being asked to ‘think before they fly’ as an initiative to cut down on business travel and reduce carbon emissions.

Sure has an in-house environment committee, made up from a group of staff who consider ways to make the business more environmentally friendly and then report initiatives directly back to its senior management team.

Currently, staff are being asked to think twice before they book a flight and consider holding a teleconference or videoconference instead of meeting in person.

Geoff Chow, Chairman of the environment committee, explained:

“Given the nature and structure of our business, we cannot completely avoid senior staff flying to and from meetings. However, by seeking alternative arrangements, we can reduce the carbon emissions generated by our activities during February, with the aim of getting staff to think of alternatives every time they go to book a flight.”

Mr Chow added;

“It’s now easier than ever to hold virtual meetings. We have recently invested £75,000 to create a new on-demand audio-conferencing service available to both staff and local businesses in the Channel Islands & Isle of Man. That means all staff now have the option of booking a videoconference or organising an audio-conference whenever a meeting is needed.”

Other environmental initiatives introduced by the company include recycling schemes for waste paper and mobile phones and the move to online bills for all Sure customers rather than paper ones.

Mr Chow concluded;

“We are committed to the protection of the environment and we aim to meet the requirements of our customers whilst respecting the needs of current and future generations.”