We are sure you already know that we are in a climate crisis caused mainly by our GHG emissions. But have you ever heard about Scopes, and more specifically, about Scope 3 emissions? In this post, we explain the basics and the first steps you can take to start measuring and managing them. 

What are Scope 3 emissions? 

Most of the companies use the GHG Corporate Protocol guide to calculate their greenhouse gas emissions. According to it, the emissions are classified in Scopes 1,2,3 and are the basis for GHG reporting. 

- Scope 1 covers the direct emissions from company facilities and vehicles 

- Scope 2 covers the indirect emissions coming from purchased electricity, heat and steam 

- Scope 3 covers the rest of the indirect emissions (coming from business travel, purchased goods and services, waste disposal, use of sold products, investment, transportation and distribution…) 

In short, Scope 3 emissions are the indirect GHG emissions that...

Gone are the days when business was just ‘business’, with economics and essentially ‘making money’ at any cost, taking precedence above all. 

The bottom line was the sole focus of all shareholders, CEOs, chair people and executive managers. It was really that black and white. 

Where was the human element of business? And if it was there, where did it factor for business people? 

Businesses both large and small have a responsibility to their community, to their society, to their environment and to their team, to ultimately ‘self-regulate’ and look at their impact on those areas. Cost savings are important, financial turnover is important, however it has become increasingly apparent that when it comes to ‘business as usual’, those with tunnel vision won’t last in the competitive world of corporations and enterprise. 

Many companies believe that simply throwing money at charities or environmental projects is...

As living costs, particularly energy and heating prices continue to soar - many households as well as businesses are feeling the pressure to look at alternative ways to heat their homes and recognising the return on investment.

Changing your heating system is no easy feat and is a significant investment. It can feel like a daunting and unnecessary process.  We wanted to investigate what options and grants are available for homeowners looking to move away from oil or gas heating to a more sustainable alternative.  

The most popular choice at the moment is the air-to-water heat pump. The heat from the air is transferred to the water in your heating system, such as your radiators and your hot water tank. Unlike gas and oil boilers, heat pumps deliver heat at lower temperatures over a longer period of time. It is not a new technology; it has been used in fridges since the early 1800's. 
 
At present SEAI offer a number of different grants for homeowners,...

In today’s opinion piece we are looking at the concept of ‘Urban Gardens’.  

People are becoming more and more creative, and inventive with very little space: planting vegetable & flower gardens on rooftops, salad and herbs on balconies and windowsills.  

Growing our own food is not only a tasty and healthy option, but also empowering. Having the knowledge of where our food is coming from and what has gone into its growth, for example, knowing that no pesticides have been used. Plus, it reduces carbon emissions as it does not have to travel miles to get to your plate! 

Space is a factor for many businesses considering urban gardening as they may not have what is needed for more commercial growth.  

There are now a number of companies who have come up with solutions.  I met with Dan O’Brien from ‘Farmony’  who provides indoor vertical farms, which use hydroponics and have a range of options:...

What statement is more impactful to you? 

1. If you turn off your tap while brushing your teeth you will save water. 
2. By turning off the tap while brushing your teeth, you and your family could save 14,600 litres of water every year! Imagine if every other home did the same? 

Behavioural change is one of the most difficult things to achieve, particularly when we are trying to change a lifetime habit. More often than not, the mistake that most of us are making - is to expect a change in behaviour just because we know it is the right thing to do, without explaining it to others. 

When we teach young people about water conservation or energy management, we don’t just tell them what they should do, we demonstrate to them the environmental impact of this change in behaviour. 

If I was a teenager, I know without a doubt, that the second statement would make me think twice the next time I am brushing my teeth. 

Time and time again I see...

How many plastic bottles of water or soft drinks do you purchase every month? Or every week or every year?

There is a lot of talk about reducing plastic as it continues to end up in our oceans and rivers, but there isn’t too much talk about the possible harmful effects that plastic might have on our own health! 

We are not here to scare anyone or tread the fine line of coming across as a “conspiracy theorist". However many scientists have investigated plastic and the harmful chemicals it can release in liquids and food, so we want to take a look at the facts available to us.

A report from https://www.consumerreports.org/  states that researchers analysed 34 everyday plastic products made out of eight different types of plastic to see how common toxicity might be. 74% of the products they tested were toxic in some way or another.

Is it fair to presume that the average consumer such as ourselves presumes that if plastic is being used to package...

In today’s world of instability, there are certain parts of our daily lives both personally and in business that we feel we have SOME amount of control over. 

The COVID Climate that still shadows us daily, has reinforced the idea of personal responsibility across the globe and it came down to the simple tasks of social distancing and hygiene.

Washing your hands, cleaning down surfaces and touch points - there was and is, a real palpable fear of dropping the ball, resulting in serious consequences both for the human element and for your business. 

Within all industries, there is a need for sanitation and cleaning. Some require it more than others. But sanitation has leapt up the scale and is now a top priority.  

Something we can speak from experience with at the 50 Shades Greener office, is cleaning within the hospitality industry. It doesn’t matter the department that we worked in, there would always be an element of it involved. 

Often...

Allow us to steal 3 minutes of your time today to show you just how simple it is to reduce your hotel’s carbon footprint and even achieve carbon neutrality. 

Sustainability is a word that is thrown around constantly and in so many scenarios that it becomes an unachievable task and a blurry concept in our minds. So we want to demystify 'sustainability' and break it into actionable steps: 

Calculate your current Carbon Emissions

Once again, this is easier than you might think.

1. Firstly you need to begin to analyse and understand your utility bills for waste, water and energy. 
2. Set up a system and assign a person from your team to monitor the CO2 kg produced at your business every month – this person is going to be your Green Manager who should report to you and the rest of the time periodically. 
3. Observe your building, where and when is energy being used, where and when is water being used and where and what waste is being...

On a holiday in my beloved Spain, in the northern city of Bilbao I was delighted to see the hotel I had booked did not offer single use toiletries.. Amazing! I was thrilled. 

I know for the majority of people this might seem an insignificant or trivial thing to get excited about, but when you work in the world of environmentalism, and you see the figures I see on a weekly basis regarding discarded mini toiletries alone, this is significant.

Single use plastics in hotels are a far larger issue than most people would like to believe. To a customer, opening a mini bottle of shampoo, or an individually wrapped ketchup sachet, or a mini jam at their breakfast seems like a very small thing. It is just one item, isn’t it? What harm can it do?

The tip of the iceberg

According to STR Global (American based company that tracks global data), there are nearly 200,000 hotels in the world. This number does not include guest houses, B&B’s or hostels so the real...

In collaboration with the Confederation of Tourism & Hospitality (CTH) Fifty Shades Greener has created the first Level 4 certificate in environmental sustainability management in hospitality. 

 This is the first qualification of its kind to be regulated as an official qualification on the Ofqual framework with the first green manager awarded the qualification in April of this year!  

This is truly a pinch me moment for me, having suffered from impostor syndrome for years, to have one of my programmes validated in a framework of education is an amazing achievement.  

FSG was born out of the hospitality sector, with all people in my team having come from a background in hospitality, and our educational programmes respond to an urgent need to address the sector’s environmental impact, attract new talent and reduce cost. 

Reducing carbon emissions should be something that becomes paramount in our daily routines if we...