UK building society Nationwide is working with the Carbon Trust to develop a online tool to help its 15,000 employees become more energy efficient.
The Carbon Trust will develop a bespoke version of its ‘Empower’ behavior-change tool, which will feature virtual versions of familiar locations like retail branches and administration centres with energy saving tips and advice.
Nationwide’s version of Empower will also offer transport options for employees getting to and from work, information on teleconferencing instead of travelling, and tips to try at home.
Employees will be invited to pledge to make carbon savings and given learning tools like quizzes and ‘myth busters’.
The building society, which is the world’s biggest, says it is confident it will make significant annual financial and carbon savings with the initiative.
Currently, the organisation uses most of its energy in its branches, administration centres and data centres, with branches accounting for the largest single proportion.
“Our employees’ support is vital for us to achieve our environmental targets and environmental sustainability must be embedded into the hearts and minds of everyone within the organisation for our strategy to be truly successful,” says Nationwide’s sustainability manager Lynn Forrester. “We are confident ‘Empower’ will help actively engage and inspire our employees on our journey towards a lower carbon future.”
The Carbon Trust’s director of programmes Richard Rugg says Nationwide has shown “pioneering commitment” by aiming to reduce its carbon footprint through people as well as technical changes and new equipment.
“We expect that by helping their employees work in a more environmentally-friendly way Nationwide will reap both financial and social benefits,” he said. “We hope to see staff carry that behaviour into other areas of their lives.”
For further information:
www.nationwide.co.uk/
www.carbontrust.com/
Related stories:
Carbon Trust to develop carbon management software (3-Aug)
WWF corporate ‘climate savers’ cut 100 million tonnes of emissions (11-May)
Article source: http://www.energyefficiencynews.com/i/5338/
