Hello - I run a small catering company, I often think about "waste" whilst we are doing our events but never get the time to really think about it afterwards as we're busy planning our next event. If you could give 1 or 2 bits of advice on where and how to start, what would they be?

Hi - we run a hotel and spa resort and have introduced many sustainable initiatives. I want to share the good news more regularly with all our staff as to what we are achieving, so what ways would you suggest I can do this to get the message over and engage them?

Hi E.Bode great to have you in the forum. We'll put your question to our experts and get back to you with their advice.

In the meantime, Forum Members feel free to join in with your advice and top tips. 

~ Suzanne, your sustainability forum admin

Hello Joanne Halsall 

I’ve got experience within internal communications to colleagues so I’m going to offer these pointers – hope they’re helpful and please feel free to drop me a message (see the envelope icon in the top menu) or we could arrange a meeting if you would like any more help:

• Think about in-person colleague briefings for important updates, news or when you’re changing ways of working or setting new goals. Then follow-up via email and reinforce key themes with consistent messaging, achieving visibility with reminders via posters, for example.
• Add your updates to briefings that are shared at manager level and ask leaders to cascade key information to their teams.
• Introduce a colleague email newsletter, make intranet updates with email alerts to capture attention. Try to draw attention to concise key messages and make content engaging with video interviews from across your teams – this can create good collaboration when grounds staff know what kitchen staff have been doing for instance.
  I actually know some hotels that forage wildflowers for their restaurant from their grounds – so there could be opportunity for teams to work together too.
• Consider introducing an internal messaging platform like Teams or Slack.
• Utilise TV screens and your IT network lock-screens to communicate key messages, posters or banners in colleague areas can be effective too.
• You could even create a Sustainability Ambassador Group and get colleagues from different teams to meet regularly and share news and goals.
  
  

Hi E.Bode

I’m sure our experts will get back to you about waste management in terms of recyclables.

I just wanted to share insight into a fellow Sage customer that runs a zero waste kitchen – they produce pickles and chutneys and all food waste is used in their products or for composting.

Thanks Gill

That is really good  practical advice  and I am sure really useful to other forum members. I will keep you updated as to the progress I make with this

Hi E.Bode. Think this is all about circular design. Creating events that don't have waste... re-using and re-purposing as much as possible.

Here is a nice video from a circular design advocate (Connor Hill) who looks at sustainability at a Cisco event in Amsterdam. Hopefully that provides some inspiration, or at least someone to follow for tips! 

www.linkedin.com/.../connor-hill-circular-leadership-coach-consultant_ciscoliveemea-paidpartnership-circulareconomy-activity-7029346402791014400-rNJG

Happy to help - if you need anything more specific please ask away and we'll do our best to support you and if its about sustainability we'll take it to our expert panel and share answers as soon as possible. 

Hello Experts, 

This year, we've set the goal of measuring our carbon and potentially then looking at reducing & Offsetting. Our business is quite complicated as it is a diversified farm business. I would love some practical advice as to where to start, what tools to use and which are the genuine carbon offsetting schemes. Baring in mind, being a small SME, not having the budgets to bring in consultants or take on expensive digital systems and being a one woman band. looking forward to your incite!  

I have thought often about how companies operating within more developed countries can help encourage Carbon offsetting within less prosperous countries. 

One of my and I'm sure many other peoples concerns would be the levels of deforestation occurring within South America, particularly within the Amazon region (often referred to as the lungs of the earth).

I wonder if there is a way to show the net benefits, to the globe as a whole, of maintaining these "carbon sinks" and perhaps a way to encourage more people to view these carbon offsetting tasks as not just a solo activity but more of a group venture.

Perhaps this is too big a question for this forum but it would be great to get the Experts insights!