Here at Gentleman & A Van, when doing home removals and driving vans around London and beyond, we know that our activities cause a particular carbon footprint that is unavoidable. That’s why we constantly strive for new ways to reduce our negative impact on the environment. This includes investigating our operational practices to look for sound methods of improving our process.
The environment is now very much at the top of the agenda for the government and the wider business community. Words alone are often left wanting; that’s why we are putting together some practical tips that businesses and households alike can adopt; most will be more about changing mindset and habits. There will be some that will require investment. In this article, we’ll detail things to give you a helping hand in your own journey towards an eco-friendly house or business.
A Collective Effort for the Environment –
It’s no surprise that people have mixed signals and misinformation regarding climate change and global warming. Many of the world’s most frequent polluters have sown the seeds of mistrust in anyone who looks to make a difference and highlight the issues surrounding carbon emissions or pollutants.
However, the time has seemingly come to an end, and even the most ardent proponents of anti-climate change rhetoric now apparently have nowhere to hide. The best way to look at this is that we can all contribute towards something and the best place we can start is in our home or workplace. These are the spaces where we have direct influence, and no one can stop or prevent us from taking action.
And once this action is repeated, the effort and significance will be game-changing when we work together. There are always sleep obstacles in the way, and one of them might be an investment. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to improve your environmental impact without spending too much money to put things in place.
Understanding Your Carbon Footprint –
We’re going to look into this for consideration for calculating a carbon footprint to highlight ways you can make meaningful changes. Understanding your carbon footprint will have a resounding positive conclusion as a result. It might seem a bit vague when we mention environmental impact. Luckily, there’s a way to calculate it, and you can do so with a carbon footprint calculator.
Every action that we take has a consequence. By looking at some of the everyday things that you contribute towards, you’ll be able to see that level with conclusive data. By looking at these things, you’ll be able to see areas where you can make improvements. One example might be to change your mode of transport or long-distance journeys. At the moment, flying is still one of the largest carbon-emitting ways to travel. If it’s possible during travelling in the UK by train will reduce this.
Hopefully, in the future, things like combustible fuels will have a falling role. For now. We’re in a situation where these technologies and fuels aren’t available. We need to consider our options now. And wherever possible, reduce our own contribution towards unsustainable economic actions. If you run a business, you will be able to see if there’s further options for you to consider.
Our Role as a Removals Company –
One of the ways we have successfully offset our carbon footprint was to reduce the amount of paper we use dramatically. Paper is an office necessity for some essential tasks, but it has an environmental cost. Creating paper from trees requires a lot of natural resources: trees, water, and energy. And that’s not to mention the carbon emissions from transportation between several global locations.
It takes more than 1½ cups of water to make one sheet of paper, which is a typical soft drink can. More startling stats are that over 40% of wood pulp goes toward the production of paper. So, how would a business improve this? By reducing paper use, you’re subsequently lowering your contribution to greenhouse gases. Saving forty reams of paper is like 1.5 acres of forest-absorbing carbon for a year.
From 2012, we put a policy in place where we would stop all traditional receipts going out by post. Even before the most recent COP26 initiatives, we were committed to moving towards greener practices. Now, all invoices are electronically sent by email. It might seem insignificant at first but try to remember that this policy was eleven years ago. Now think of how much paper we saved. This is just another way that Gentleman & A Van has always been an environmental advocate for the removals industry in London.
Efficiency and Effective Relocations –
Gentlemen & A Van will be discussing our impact and ways in which we reduce our carbon emissions. One such method is when we visit a recycling centre, we will always try to do so on the way to one of our removals jobs, thus making one journey instead of two or three. These are also things that you can consider when partaking in your endeavours.
Now for the part where removals and storage providers play a pivotal role in sustainable business practices. By spending a lot of time assessing and evaluating, we will match our customer’s needs exactly. To limit the carbon emissions we will expend, we assign a Man & Van service for smaller jobs. That’s mainly because it suits smaller removal’s loads. Additionally, these vans are often used for situations where there are access restrictions.
For larger volumes, we will consider using a home removal’s vehicle. This is so we can get everything done in one trip. While the larger vehicles emit more carbon, reducing the number of trips will balance the overall carbon output. We never leave the engine running on our vehicles when we’re performing a relocation, and we’re always looking for ways to save energy while performing our duties.
Self Storage when Decluttering –
Now let’s consider how storage helps when organising and what methods ensure you’re doing so in an eco-friendlier way. If you are looking to sort out your home, whether before relocation or general, you need to do so in an environmentally sound manner. Previously, many people would simply throw away things that they no longer need without thinking through what happens next.
The unfortunate outcome is that a majority of these things will end up in a landfill, creating a problem further down the line. It is now possible to declutter your home in and more sustainable manner. You can start by using self storage to reduce clutter that doesn’t turn into more waste. It’s a win-win as you’re able to reclaim lost space and remove objects that absorb heat unnecessarily.
First off, if you have possessions that you no longer use but are in good condition, you can sell or donate them. This allows you to make a few quid or help a local charity out. For other items that don’t serve their original function, see if there’s a way to reuse them for a different purpose. Finally, everything else needs to head to one of London’s many recycling points.
A Premium Service at Affordable Rates –
Gentleman & A Van lead with the saying – a premium service, not a premium price. We strive to provide a high standard of customer care and service delivery. However, we don’t feel that this should price people out of the market. Therefore, we believe we found the balance of the two where value for money and customer service coexist.
We are able to do this by ensuring that we provide efficient and cost-effective removals and storage jobs wherever possible. We will always go with an option that promotes the two in addition to environmental standards. You can see this by looking at our Google Reviews and Trustpilot ratings. We encourage you to read our previous customers testimonials as well. This will give you an indication of the level of service you’ll receive by working with us.
This is something you can perform for every service you use, regardless of the reason or what industry they work in. Every industry has a set of accreditation, and we comply with the British Association of movers. Additionally, we are part of the Master Removers Group and always apply quality assurance to all the work we perform. You will always be able to speak to someone from our team, even to get quotes for an upcoming move or to discuss the benefits of storage.
Gentleman & A Van – London’s Greener Removals Company –
Leading with a greener ethos has multiple benefits to weigh up. The main one is helping the environment, which has various positive implications. But it’s also made us a better company – more efficient and more able to achieve higher standards. This then gives our customers more satisfied and saves everyone money.
It’s possible to repeat this in other areas of your home and business so you can take advantage. You can clean up your act and reduce your bills at the same time, making you a positive part of something. No matter how you look at it, this affects us all, and you’ll be staking your claim. We’re in this together – let’s get to work and enjoy the unexpected gains as well.
If you want to work with South West London’s greener moving and storage company, click here. We’ll happily provide you with a free assessment and quote, all with a focus on efficiency and low carbon output.
