Earth Day: How we’re investing in our planet

By Victoria Richards

Today on Earth Day, we’re taking the opportunity to share how we’re investing in our planet. Here at Launch, our Sustainability Committee has taken steps to help the wider team become more aware of our environmental impact and share different ways we can all be more accountable.

Our digital footprint

As a primarily digital business, our first stop was to consider how we can reduce the impact of our online activity. Often, we think of digital as being the more environmentally friendly option – but it still comes with a price.

Every email sent and received, every image uploaded, every webpage refreshed amounts to energy used and carbon generated. Here are some ways we’ve lessened the load:

• Creating a ‘lighter’, GIF-free version of our email signature for replies and forwards
• Measuring the carbon footprint of our website and optimising pages – have a look at yours here: https://www.websitecarbon.com/
• Abandoning video headers on our website to reduce load
• Unsubscribing from newsletters, software notifications and email updates that don’t serve us – and in turn, being mindful of those we send
• Linking to documents in emails rather than attaching them

Lots of these actions are really simple changes that just require a bit of a step-change in thinking, but come with added efficiency benefits, so we highly recommend looking into it!

Our remote and in-person offices

Here at Launch we operate a hybrid working model, with half our team based in Exeter and the remainder dotted about the UK. With that in mind, it’s important to consider our actions both in the office and at home:

• Shut down machines, avoid leaving them on ‘sleep’
• Carpool, use public transport, or cycle when visiting the office
• Call instead of emailing, where appropriate
• Use lights, radiators and kettles mindfully

Taking the WWF quiz is a great way to assess our individual carbon footprints and see where we can improve. Again, these are small steps, but all present opportunities to be more efficient, save money or facilitate stronger connections. And who doesn’t want that?

Today on Earth Day

We’re sharing the ways our individual Lollers are helping to bring about positive changes with a more mindful approach to the environment – check out our social channels, or see our gallery below!

While we recognise all of these small actions add up to a bigger whole, our ultimate aim is to become B Corp certified to really demonstrate our commitment to becoming an eco-conscious, modern business. We know it won’t be easy, but that hasn’t stopped us before!

If you want some ideas for ways you can invest in our planet, EarthDay.org has 52 of them! Have a look and get inspired: https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-tips/