In this series of case studies, sector leaders outline some of the steps they have taken to drive climate action in their organisations. This doesn’t mean they have completed everything, but that they have picked a place to start, which unblocks fear and drives action in other areas. We hope this series gives you lots of ideas for climate action in your own organisation. If you would like to submit a case study to keep this series going, please email Maisie.hulbert@acevo.org.uk.
This week, we hear from Church House Westminster, a versatile events venue in London.
Areas of focus: water efficiency
Can you describe the actions you have taken? How did you identify the problem and implement a process?
A key area of work for us, as an events organisation, is considering how our facilities can be more eco-friendly in pursuit of our goal to become net-zero carbon by 2030. A new team member at the organisation proposed tackling the traditional urinals in our building, which needed work to fulfil our commitments to work as an eco-friendly venue. The main element of our project has been introducing waterless urinals. Our old facilities were producing 7.5 million litres of water every year as well as producing carbon dioxide in the process.
What has been successful? What would you most like to celebrate from the action you took?
Our new waterless urinals will save the water equivalent of five Olympic-sized swimming pools every year. Other benefits include:
- Reduced water bills – we’re estimating a saving of £14k per year.
- Improved bathroom hygiene – no need to touch a handle to flush, and, the lack of flushing ensures that no particles enter the air.
- Eliminating urinal odours. Big thumbs up from us.
- Reduced maintenance – due to its simple design, floods are a thing of the past and reduced blockages in turn.
- No more harmful cleaning chemicals.
- A reduction in energy consumption.
We continue to do our bit to save the environment. By installing water-efficient facilities, we are helping to reverse the scarcity of water as a resource in London, which is an increasing threat to the region. This is partly due to relatively low rainfall, aging water pipes, and the capital’s increasingly extreme climate, exacerbated by its large population using a staggering 143 litres per person per day.
What has been most challenging? Have you had to change your approach in any areas?
Work was done during lockdown, so it was relatively straightforward and without complication as the building was relatively empty. On the back of this activity, we then formed an internal ‘green committee’ which now looks at all kinds of ways we can improve the footprint of our building and events, including communications with our internal and external stakeholders, ensuring everyone knows why we are doing what we are doing and to encourage more ideas like this.
What did you learn from starting work in this area? What learning points would you most like to share with other leaders?
The first step is always the hardest but keep your goal in mind. Focus on why you are doing this and most importantly, remember that every little project or activity to lower our carbon footprint adds up, so if we all do something every day, collectively it will have a massive impact.
How could the sector more effectively collaborate or share knowledge in this space? Can ACEVO or other membership bodies support this work in ways which would have helped you?
Knowledge sharing is key. We are members of the Good Business Charter and it runs a slack channel where best practice ideas are shared by members. We have also joined the SME Climate Hub and in order to reach our net-zero commitments, it is rolling out a portal to measure members’ carbon footprint, which has been useful in identifying where and how we can lower our carbon footprint proactively.
