Tagged with Sustainability

Reasons Why You Should Get Sustainable Gym Equipment

The following article was kindly written and contributed by Sally Norton.

One of the biggest issues of today is making sure that our lovely planet remains a safe environment for all living beings. People are looking for all kinds of ways to become environment-friendly, reduce their carbon footprint, and start using sustainable sources of energy. With that in mind, it is time to see how to make one of the best and healthiest activities we all can do more environmental-friendly – a workout! Eco-friendly gyms are becoming more and more popular, so let me talk you through all the reasons why you should get sustainable gym equipment!

Sustainable gym equipment – why is it so good?

With all the benefits of renewable energy, people can drastically improve their lives. When it comes to working out, multiple surveys show that more than 60% of people prefer sustainable gym equipment over the regular one. It is a great way to motivate people by showing them your goal is to become eco-friendly, and that they have a saying in that as well.

So, what makes sustainable gym equipment so good? Some of the reasons are:

  • it turns human energy into electric energy (it may sound like The Matrix, but it’s not!)
  • it helps to reduce electric energy costs
  • works as a great motivational tool
  • it pushes people to be eco-friendly in other parts of their lives as well
  • having sustainable gym equipment is an excellent advertisement for your gym

Utilizing human energyReasons Why You Should Get Sustainable Gym Equipment

A workout is an effective way to lose body fat and weight. Furthermore, it helps you stay healthy, active and energized. However, there is so much more human energy can do. Gym sustainable equipment has micro-inverters that function on the same principle as wind turbines or solar panels. They can harness more than 70% of human energy and turn it into utility-grade electricity.

Reducing electricity costs

Imagine having just a couple of people working out for an hour or two, producing electricity. If you have a large gym with many members, the numbers will only go up. Sustainable gym equipment will help you offset power consumption and consequently reduce your bills. 

Everything it takes is a little motivation

People need motivation in their lives. It helps us throughout the day and keeps us more productive. A large number of people, myself included, need the motivation to work out. Sometimes it is tough just getting out of the bed. Even though kettlebells can be your best ally, not everyone will pick them up easily and start working out right away.

Well, sustainable gym equipment may just be the motivation people need to finally start going to the gym. It is important to note that there are more ways to make your gym eco-friendly, and I will return to that a bit later. Nevertheless, having a healthy environment is an excellent motivator for almost everyone.

Advertise your gym in the right way

Sustainable gym equipment will help you advertise your gym and get more members. It is as simple as that. I talked above about the power of motivation, and if people understand the quality of your gym, it won’t take them long to sign up and start giving their contribution while working out.

It is also important to understand what other strategies you can implement to make your gym more eco-friendly!

How to make your gym eco-friendly

Now that you understand what are the reasons why you should get sustainable gym equipment, let’s see how to make the first step and start improving your workout space.

Contact sustainable gym equipment companies

Every good plan needs a partner. With that in mind, you should reach out to any companies that create sustainable gym equipment, and try to make a deal with them. It is always better for your wallet to purchase multiple items at a discounted price than to buy one at a time at full cost.

You will probably get a lot of useful advice on how to set up and maintain the equipment as well.

Use a smart thermostat

Even though you can’t really work out with it, a smart thermostat is a great addition to your environment-friendly gym. First of all, it helps reduce energy consumption. Second, it helps you to effectively use heating energy in your gym, and regulate the temperature in the best way possible.

Remove air conditions and fans – you don’t need them!

It is best to use natural airflow by opening windows. There is really no need to use air conditioning, especially if you have a smart thermostat installed already. Nevertheless, it is important to let the fresh air inside. On cold days you can open the windows between the practice sessions, and have everything fresh and ready for the next group.

Unplug equipment when not in use

Having sustainable gym equipment is one thing, but using it properly is a horse of another colour. With that in mind, understand that one of the best practices is to unplug all equipment when not in use. It draws the electric power even when turned off, so unplug everything before you leave the gym. That does not include only work out machines that run on electricity, but also your computer and any other machines you have inside.

Other good practices for an eco-friendly gym

Next to using sustainable gym equipment and implementing these few strategies we talked about, there is so much more you can do to raise sustainability awareness in your community. You can limit paper use, install filtered water equipment, use efficient lighting and eco-friendly cleaning products, and recycle.

The possibilities are endless, all it takes is a bit of imagination and will power.

Reasons why you should get sustainable gym equipment – delivered!

I hope that these reasons why you should get sustainable gym equipment are more than enough to put you on an environmental-friendly path. Keeping our environment healthy and safe for exercising is an important task, and there is nothing that stops you from doing what you can to make it better. Stay strong, stay green, and keep practicing!

5 Ways New York City is Becoming a Sustainable City

When a person thinks about New York City, sustainability is not the first thing that comes to mind. Among all the artwork, high-end businesses, fast-paced lifestyle, endless parties, and traffic jams, you’d probably expect that sustainability is the last thing on New Yorkers’ minds. People here seem to only concerned with making money and figuring out the best ways of spending it. On the other hand, you have legislation and efforts that indicate that New York City is becoming a sustainable city at a surprising rate. So, what is the real picture? Well, let’s take a closer look.

Is New York City is becoming a sustainable city?

After reviewing all the different aspects of current NYC lifestyle trends, we can safely say that New York City is becoming a sustainable city. Even though people are working hard and don’t have much time, they don’t shy away from doing their part in order to make NYC more habitable and nicer to live in. Furthermore, both the state’s Department of Health and the NYC Department of Environmental Protection have been working hard to implement various sustainability policies. These policies should help sustain and even better the living conditions in NYC. With any luck, these sustainability measures should also help increase the life quality of the people of NYC in the long run and keep NYC nice and healthy.

Now, there are a lot of measures that the city of NYC has taken and that people of NYC utilize in order to keep New York sustainable. So, for this article, we are going to point out 5 which we feel have the biggest contribution. Mind you, these are the measures that have been taken so far. With luck, new, stronger measures and new innovations will be implemented in the future which will make NYC that much more sustainable.

Protecting the water supply

One of the more important policies you should be aware of is the management plan for protecting the state’s largest freshwater sources. The city and the state have come together and implemented sustainability measures that should ensure the quality of NYC water. Among the measures mentioned in the plan are:5 Ways New York City is Becoming a Sustainable City

  • Flood mitigation in watershed communities
  • Stabilisation of eroding stream banks
  • Using the best-management practices in agricultural work on watershed farms

These measures are aimed toward providing long-term freshwater sustainability for the people of New York. So, with luck, we should experience an increase in water quality.

Demand for green housing measures

When it comes to housing trends in NYC, there are two things that are on the rise. Smart homes and green homes. And, if you can combine the two, you should see a considerable increase in property value and demand. So, if you are looking for a way in which the people of NYC are making it more sustainable, you’ve found it. These demands are helping reduce the environmental impact of living and are making NYC an overall greener place. Besides smart energy systems and top-notch insulation, you also have monitored heating and water preservation. More and more apartments are implementing these systems. So much so that you have entire residential spaces committed to sustainability and smart housing solutions.

Lowering carbon footprint

It might be surprising to hear that New York is one of the states with the lowest carbon emissions per year. To put that into perspective, New York has 6% of the US population and only produces 3% of the nation’s greenhouse gases. Now, we can chalk this up to policies or low incentives for car transportation. But, in actuality, multiple factors have come together to help NYC have such a low carbon footprint.

The fact that driving a bike and taking the subway are the preferred ways of transport in NYC does help. But, it is the general trend of having an eco-friendly lifestyle that does most of the work. People of NYC are more than willing to drive low emission cars. They also take extra steps in order to work with businesses that implement eco-friendly measures. Therefore, if you plan on settling down in this amazing city, know that you’ll be expected to implement these measures as well.

Urban gardening

Another trend that has major contributions to New York City’s sustainability is urban gardening. More and more New Yorkers are finding ways to introduce nature and gardening in places where you didn’t think it possible. From small gardens built on terraces and balconies to natural elements implemented in apartments and buildings. Not to mention the rooftop gardens, which have become almost a staple of NYC. These green measures not only promote a healthier lifestyle, but they also bring a sense of nature to this concrete jungle of a city. Even restaurants are opting for having a more natural setting.

Pushing sustainability efforts

All of the lifestyle and housing trends that we’ve mentioned are a big part of why New York City is becoming a sustainable city. But, none of them would be enough if it weren’t for sustainability efforts from the people who run it. One of the most important people for setting NYC on the sustainability path is its former mayor Mike Bloomberg. His sustainability plan was later continued by Mayor de Blasio with the OneNYC development plan. This plan also tackled post-Hurricane Sandy resiliency, which is why it didn’t have such numerous measures.

But, those two set the incentive for the later policies that were expanded by the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Now, NYC is easily one of the most sustainable big cities in the world. And, with a developed bike riding infrastructure, a decent public transport service, and an ever-increasing number of trees and parks, it is only going to continue to be so.

This article was kindly written and contributed by Sally Norton

Embracing Renewable Energy in Kuwait

The Middle East has huge potential when it comes to renewable energy. Due to the all-year-long sunshine, and flat planes, it is a suitable area for solar and wind farms. This potential must be used! Because of that fact, many companies who are in the clean energy business choose to move to Kuwait. Opportunities are endless, and everyone should start embracing renewable energy in Kuwait.

Let’s research this topic a bit more, to discover the true potential and possibilities!

Types of renewable energy sources

In order to better understand the nature of renewable energy sources in Kuwait, it is crucial to learn a bit more about its types. Today, there are seven major renewable energy sources:

  1. Solar power – Solar energy is produced by exploiting the radiant energy of the Sun. Sunlight converts into heat, hot water, or electricity. That is achieved through the help of solar cells and the PV system.
  2. Wind power – Wind energy is produced at wind farms, using turbines. There are 3 types of systems used for the production of wind power: Single wind turbines, commercial-grade systems, and utility-scale wind farms.
    • single wind turbines are most useful for pre-existing energy organisations.
    • commercial-grade systems are used to power multiple organisations
    • utility-scale wind farms are for those who want to purchase on a wholesale or a contract.
  3. Hydroelectric power – When it comes to hydroelectric energy, the most known form is a dam. The water running through the turbines is converted to electric energy.
  4. Oceans – Oceans are massive sources of energy. When it comes to oceans, they can generate thermal and mechanical renewable energy. Thermal energy comes from the warm water surface, while mechanical energy develops due to the flow of the tide.
  5. Geothermal sources – Geothermal energy comes in the form of heat trapped beneath the earth’s crust. You can see these sources in nature, they are called volcanoes and geysers. The way geothermal energy is used is through the steam that is generated at the source.
  6. Biomass – Biomass is a matter that comes from plants or organisms that died. When it is processed, it creates bio energy. A very familiar example is using wood to start a fire. So, bio energy can be created either by burning biomass, or harvesting methane when organic materials decompose.
  7. Hydrogen power – Opposite to other sources, hydrogen must be combined with other elements to produce results. It can be used both for fuel and electric energy.

Kuwait is a fertile ground for solar and wind farms. There lies huge potential, waiting to be exploited. Not only it can be used for business purposes, but also in projects that include self-sustaining homes.

Wind farm at sunset, representing renewable energy in Kuwait

Kuwait is a fantastic area for solar and wind farms, and people must begin to embrace renewable energy in Kuwait

Embracing Renewable Energy in Kuwait

Even though such potential exists, not much is done on the matter of renewable energy in Kuwait. While I do think that raising awareness about renewable energy is the best strategy, there is more to the story. Long term goals for 2030 announce that Kuwait will produce 15% of electric energy thanks to renewable sources. However, current numbers are lower than 1%.

With such potential and conditions, one might wonder why is that.

It’s all about the oil

Let’s face it, Kuwait currently runs on burning fuel oil and imported gas. The volume of oil reserves is massive, and they export around 2m barrels per day. Furthermore, there are plenty of unexploited resources waiting in the background. With such a strong economy, the numbers are looking good. The production cost is also lowered, thanks to demand. Currently, it is just not that important to shift the focus toward renewable energy in Kuwait.

Nevertheless, there is a word of caution in this tale. As with everything else on our planet, oil and gas reserves are limited. That is something that must be taken into consideration. Embracing renewable energy in Kuwait is the strategy for the future! There are plenty of benefits of renewable energy, and that is an opportunity that must not be missed.

Important numbers to look at

Let’s talk a little bit about the situation with renewable energy around the world. Due to the potential benefits, all major countries are trying their best to improve in this area. Due to the demand, the production cost for solar power dropped by a whopping 90%! Even better, it is still declining, and it will continue to do so as long as possible.

On another note, the demand for electricity in Kuwait is becoming larger and larger on a daily basis. Due to the rising population and increased consumption of electric energy, it is essential to look for new, renewable energy sources.

Not only that the renewable energy could help Kuwait on a grand scale, but it would also power neighbouring countries. The potential is big, and the production cost is low.

Moving your business to Kuwait

Thanks to the potential of the market, a lot of companies are choosing to move their offices to Kuwait. Especially those companies that are in the renewable energy business. Since the awareness is still low, whoever uses the chance has the possibility of becoming a pioneer and tightly grab the opportunities on the market.

If you are thinking about moving your offices, you should know that transporting office supplies to your new address is now easier than ever. It is important not to lose any time, the sooner you start with the process, the better.

The future of renewable energy in Kuwait

With all that has been said, I can say that Kuwait has a bright future when it comes to renewable energy. However, it is crucial to raise awareness. Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research is working on many future projects. One worth mentioning is the development of solar plants, located at Shagaya Renewable Energy Park. Nevertheless, it is crucial to raise awareness among people, and help them embrace renewable energy in Kuwait. Nothing is possible without the demand!

This article was kindly written and contributed by Sally Norton.

Uni Student Starts Sustainable Business From his Flat

Starting a business can be hard, especially when you’re in your first year of an Economics degree.

With the determination to rid the world of plastic, that’s exactly what British student Tom Benford did in 2018. With a growing business and a prestigious Chamber of Commerce award under his belt, at just 21 years old Tom is on track to make waves in the global sustainable business market.

Tom had always had an affinity for entrepreneurship and jokes that when he was 11, he bought cheap supermarket branded custard creams to sell on to his fellow classmates, undercutting the school canteen. Fast-forward 8 years to the morning after a uni house party where Tom awoke to what can only be described as a plastic hangover in his kitchen, and where he witnessed a friend rinsing out a plastic straw to reuse it. That’s when inspiration hit.

Knowing that there must have been a more sustainable option than reusing a plastic straw, Tom started researching suppliers of reusable metal straws, which could be washed and reused again and again.

With a first shipment of stainless-steel straws and cleaning brushes coming in, aptly named Plastic Phobia was ready to launch its online shop. The first sale was made on the very first day to a family friend, which came to £2.54. It wasn’t long before Tom started getting requests to take wholesale orders, as at this time zero waste products were hard to come by. Plastic Phobia now supplies over 250 stores in the UK, Europe, and Beyond. When Tom’s spare room was filled to the brim with boxes of products, it became clear that Plastic Phobia had to move into a more size appropriate location and is now based at Alison Business Centre in Sheffield.

Before

After

After taking a year out from his studies to focus on the business, Tom formally withdrew from university in 2019 because Plastic Phobia had grown to a level that far exceeded expectations and it was not possible to study and work on the business at the same time. Although the company has enjoyed great success, it hasn’t always been easy. Tom recalls that the hardest challenge he’s had to face was getting traction initially, “Putting the business together piece by piece was difficult. Then growing your start up is difficult. It’s not easy!” Over the last few months Plastic Phobia has expanded to hire Marketing Coordinator Shelby Storey and Sales Coordinator Abi Baker (who spent a large part of her Childhood living in Melbourne), and the team is excited to see the company continue to grow. In October 2019 Tom won the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce President’s Young Entrepreneur 2019 Award, which is an achievement the whole Plastic Phobia team is immensely proud of. He was invited to the dinner in person by the president himself and was surprised with the award on the night.

Plastic Phobia is a forward-thinking company; each day brings a new idea and a stronger strategy. The company recently opened an online B2B ordering platform, which has seen a huge uplift in customer orders and proves that there really is a strong demand for sustainable products. It’s clear that accessibility is key when running any business, but especially when running a sustainable business, as people might often go with convenience over conscience. It’s Plastic Phobia’s mission to provide friendly and efficient customer service, and to ensure that zero waste products are accessible to all.

It’s no secret that Plastic Pollution is a serious problem, It’s estimated that each year the average Australian throws away 130kg of plastic, and the UK collectively bins 295bn pieces of plastic. Reducing waste had always been important to Tom and starting a sustainable business, though not always easy, was an easy decision to make. The company now has an extensive range of zero waste products including Bamboo Toothbrushes, Denttabs Toothpaste Tablets, and Coconut Bowls. While there are efforts being made to remove plastic waste from the oceans, it’s more important than ever that we stop adding to the problem or else we risk being guilty of grabbing the mop before turning off the tap, as the adage would have it.

Thankfully, consumer habits are quickly moving towards sustainability, as customers actively seek out eco-friendly products for themselves and to give as gifts. In the UK there seem to be endless zero waste shops opening on high streets, in markets, and online. This trend is one making ripples globally, with Germany appearing to have the strongest established market for zero waste products.

Australian consumers are ever more conscious of their buying habits, and as the home to the Great Barrier Reef and distinguished coastlines it’s no surprise that people want to make Australia greener.

From the UK, to Germany, to Australia and the rest of the world, one thing that stands out is the community attitude of sustainable businesses. Time and time again we hear about our customers making friends with other local sustainable businesses and opting to combine shipments to minimise the environmental impact from deliveries. At Plastic Phobia we have an open communication with all our customers to find out what is and isn’t working and act accordingly. It is our aim to start a Zero Waste Support group and offer advice to those just starting out who might need help with starting a sustainable business.

Evolving from an idea the morning after a student party into a successful sustainable business trading globally, Plastic Phobia is proof that taking a business idea from dream into reality is a very real possibility. Talking to those who are already running sustainable businesses and sharing ideas for environmental progression means that hopefully together we can work towards a more liveable future.

My Two Decades of Professional Life Was a Fraud

The following article was kindly written and contributed by Mr Gilbert Guaring, Head of Marketing and Communications, UAP (Urban Art Projects | uapcompany.com) and Founder and Chief Executive at Be Extraordinary! (be-extraordinary.co)

At the end of last year, I was fortunate to be a finalist at Griffith University and Queensland Business Monthly’s Responsible Leadership MBA Scholarship. Even though I didn’t get the main prize, I was awarded a scholarship to the value of three courses enabling me to set in motion my dreams of graduate school. I said to myself, “what can go wrong?”

11th of February 2019 – my first day at grad school, I had a feeling that I will be the oldest person in the class, but I was still very confident and in my usual stubbornly optimistic spirits. I have to tell you; I was a geek back in secondary school and at university. My favourite subject includes Arts, Mathematics, Physics and Sports. With this understanding, I’m pretty sure I will be fine and I question myself again, “what can go wrong?” I feel my confidence building up.

Not until Professor Nick Barter entered the room, the course he teaches – Sustainability and Systems Thinking. And to be clear, our definition of sustainability isn’t only about the environment but everything under United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals. And on the other hand, systems thinking is our awareness to see the connections and relationships between parts and wholes rather than looking at discrete and isolated parts. The course profile is pretty straight-forward; it teaches students sustainable business practices and why it is an integral element in creating organisations that will not only succeed but thrive in the 21st century. Very unambiguous, simple, and I assume with my work background and professional experience with top multinational companies, how and where can I possibly go wrong? Well, I think my professional experience is the crux of my problem.

If you haven’t done this course or something similar, I encourage you to do it. Sustainability and Systems Thinking course is confronting, challenging, inspiring and empowering. The learning you get and apply can make or break companies of all sizes. Sustainability and Systems Thinking challenges convention and encourage critical thinking. Now, I have to be very clear; I wasn’t told by Griffith Business School to talk about their sustainability class or their MBA. After every session with Professor Barter, I’m reminded that the business strategies of the past were fundamentally flawed, and marketing and communication was the “propaganda” enabling businesses to misuse our resources, resulting in our current environmental and societal issues.

Yes, I am upset.

Here I am, managing influential brands that connect with people. Here I am, developing brand strategies to deliver world-class creative output for brand engagement and progress. Here I am, mentoring young and driven “executives” concepts of business, marketing and communications that were all derived from thinking without any connection to sustainability or most importantly systems approach.

Barry Commoner’s Law of Ecology says it all:

  • Everything is connected to everything else. There is one ecosphere for all living organisms and what affects one, affects all.
  • Everything must go somewhere. There is no “waste” in nature, and there is no “away” to which things can be thrown.
  • Nature knows best. Humankind has fashioned technology to improve upon nature, but such change in a natural system is, says Commoner, “likely to be detrimental to that system.”
  • There is no such thing as a free lunch. The exploitation of nature will inevitably involve the conversion of resources from useful to useless forms.

In 1971, Commoner suggested that the American economy should be reconstructed to the unbending laws of ecology. You can read more about it and either you believe these laws or not, but with what’s happening to our planet now I am pretty sure Commoner is looking at us and chuckling, “I told you so!”

Now you can see why I am agitated.

If we stop treating these sciences – marketing, ecology, sustainability, accounting, economics and business, in silos and make them “talk to one another”; treat them like one living, symbiotic organisation then there will be no wrong and misleading concepts that we have now been teaching countless generations of students and professionals.

For example, Compounded Annual Growth Rate (my clients love concepts of double-digit CAGR!) is a lie because our resources are not limitless. Earth is a tiny blue dot, a closed system. There are limits, so it isn’t sustainable or sensible to grow your business year on year. The antiquated concepts of business growth, market share, stakeholder, effectiveness and even supply and demand (and more) should be removed from our lexicon.

How about brand performance metrics? The last I checked, most of our influential and profitable brands do not have sustainability and systems thinking as part of their success criteria. Most of them self-regulates via other CSR programs hoping it “cancels” out the negative impact that they do. The success of businesses are still heavily measured on financial achievements, and without any weight on sustainability. These are businesses we put on a pedestal. They are supposed to be business leaders some of them are even treated as heroes by small and medium-sized enterprises. But how are we also defining heroes and leaders nowadays?

So, rather than go on and on with my meltdown, I want to end this rant with three things:

  1. To my ex-colleagues, whom I have mentored, and they are too many to mention – I am sorry. I taught you the wrong approach to business. I ask you to wake-up, remove antiquated business concepts and be responsible business leaders. You must consider sustainability the next time you author your future marketing and communications strategy, talk to your Managing Director or present to your Board of Directors. As business leaders of the 21st century, we must have systematic thinking to problem-solving so that we create strong links between marketing, accounting, economics, sustainability, ethics and governance.
  2. A call to all marketers – we need to change this. We were part of the problem, and this is now our issue to solve. There’s no need for consumers to buy more or spend more. There’s no
    need to create artificial psychological value to products to confuse buyers. Businesses need to work together and stop treating each other as competitors. Remember, there are limited
    resources so everyone will need to learn to share, collaborate and exist harmoniously.
  3. Lastly, a call to the scholars and academics – can we move past the theories of yesteryear and create a new truth that celebrates and embeds sustainability in contemporary business practices. Moreover, if we are teaching old methods, we must frame them within the context of that time. Professor Barter would say, “Treat these concepts as stories… treat it as versions of truth at that time… understand the context…”