In 2015 at COP21 in Paris, it was agreed and became a part of the remit for many governments, that for the next 30 years there HAS to be a reduction in global carbon emissions. 

For this to come to fruition in the future, we cannot only introduce higher rates of carbon tax, invest in public transport or simply upgrade our energy extractions to renewables.

 There is no doubt that all these actions will result in a greener economy, and I am certainly not disputing this. However there is one vital component to achieving true environmental sustainability that is missing, and that is to provide EDUCATION to all members of our society.

Imagine for a moment if you will, an Ireland in the year 2040… Our government has embedded Environmental Education into our school’s curriculum - from primary school right through to adult education, and this has been ongoing since 2021. 

The basic principles of environmental sustainability are now second nature to the current workforce. We all know how to...

We have often heard of the spread of invasive species, plant species like Japanese knotweed in Ireland, for instance. We come up with measures to remove them, so they do not wreak havoc on the local plant species and land.  Yet we have not really considered the most destructive and invasive species of them all. 

Us Humans. 

We are exhausting our freshwater supply, filling our environment with waste, exploiting natural resources to extract oil, gas and raw materials.  

Everything we ourselves need to survive; we are destroying it.  We have shown concern as our hunting and pillaging habits have brought plant and animal species to extinction globally.  Our concern is met with very little preventative action though. As a species we are the catalysts of our own demise. 

A recent article in the Guardian said that the source of the world’s food, it’s seeds, are in the control of just four companies. It also highlighted, for instance, global banana sales are controlled by one company, the ...

As defined by the European Parliament;

“The circular economy is a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible. In this way, the life cycle of products is extended.”

The drive towards a circular economy has recently seen a huge push as it is in line with governments reaching their net zero targets. We are hearing it more and more in sound bites and headlines as for the most part, globally, there is an acknowledgement that our current linear economy is simply not sustainable.

So, how is the shift for European society going from our current throwaway culture?

Digging a little deeper into waste management plans and objectives, the Netherlands popped up several times so I decided to have a look into their overall ambitions and targets. For example, their government strategy has very clearly outlined that by 2050 the transition to the circular economy must be reach...

It is a place many of us love to be on a sunny day, or on our holidays – by the sea.  Looking out on that beautiful, vast horizon I normally find my problems become minute, but how often does it enter our minds that it is being overwhelmed with plastic pollution?  I fear this problem is very much “out of sight, out of mind”. 

It is estimated that 10 million tonnes of litter enter the world’s oceans each year.  Plastic makes up 80% of this “marine litter” (IUCN, 2018). Think about that figure for a moment, 10 million tonnes of waste equates to more than 1 garbage truck load of rubbish, entering the ocean every minute. That is staggering.

Beach clean ups are great initiatives, bringing communities together, creating awareness and keeping local coastal areas clean. But it is not enough. they are not a solution to this problem, it is like putting a band aid on to a broken leg.

“It is estimated that 70% of marine litter is on the seabed, 15% is floating in the water column and 15% is wha...

Inequality amongst the human race is something that has caused a lot of pain and suffering over the centuries, and unfortunately, injustice continues in present times.

Let’s look to the past to inform our present. The foundations of many of today’s inequities are centuries old and they have remained through centuries of change.

Slavery, being one of the most insidious, with its first peak in ancient Egypt and the Roman empire.  One might think that in modern times slavery does not exist anymore, but unfortunately, in 2019 approximately 40 million people, of whom 26 percent were children, were enslaved throughout the world, despite it being illegal.   

It is shocking to me that slavery is still happening in our society. For many people across the globe the term “slavery” is something of the past, historic. It is hard to grasp this concept because we don’t see it with our own eyes, but it is a plight of our time.

So how does slavery relate to Climate Change?

With colonization and th...

 At Fifty Shades Greener, we always say that small actions do count, especially when being carried out by many. This blog series will endeavor to highlight those people or communities who are driving REAL action.  

We hope their stories inspire you, and more importantly that they spark hope. 

Our first story of hope comes from the Recycle Bike Hub, based in Winchester in the UK. 

On first hearing about what this group of volunteers do and have achieved to date, we knew we wanted to spotlight them for our first “Story of Hope” this year. 

They are achieving so much on an environmental and social scale in terms of sustainability and it’s all driven by a passion for road worthy, affordable bikes to be put back on the road, while raising funds for fantastic charities. 

We are so impressed by their commitment to a circular economy model as well as the data they have measured to date from one workshop set up 2 years ago. 

If you want to learn more about the life cycle of a bike and i...

18 months ago, the ‘Work from Home’ movement was building momentum, but for the vast majority of office workers, the concept of having a permanent full time office seemed unlikely.

The pandemic saw something we never thought we would witness in our lifetime, where industry and businesses grounded to a halt, forcing workers to remain within the confines of their homes.

Following the government’s recent announcement to ease restrictions on returning to the workplace from September 20th, we are going to see a large percentage of the workforce leave this familiar space. For some this will be a positive progression, others not so much.

Recently, one of my team members was on his way to Dublin city and rang me to say how abysmal the traffic difference was in the city centre compared to even the past weeks. The dreaded commute and traffic has finally returned.

Those who are eager to get back to socialising with work colleagues and separating their professional and personal lives will acce...

With the news that soft plastics are now recyclable in Ireland I was left with a lot of questions. 

Firstly, when is my waste company going to let me know about these changes and what I need to do to segregate properly by their guidelines?

Can I start segregating soft plastic in my home bins today? 

Also, how is it now possible and how is this plastic going to be used? 

Whilst I welcome the news, I fear that it may now be used as a license to keep using plastic rather than reducing our dependence on it. 

When I looked for more information online, I found that 83% of recyclable material collected in Ireland is currently exported, including all cardboard, paper and plastic.  We are creating way more waste than our country waste management systems can deal with – should we be ok with this?  I think not.  Reduction should be the very thing we are doing. Starting today.

In 2018 data showed that Ireland generated approximately 264,000 tonnes of plastic and only recycled 82,000.  There ...

Lockdown life was and is tough. People do what they can to get through it and one such thing for me, was watching TV in the evening. Escapism was easy and I am privileged to have access to free TV and films. 

Viewing my favourite shows however, I began to notice something that I hadn’t before. The vast majority of our TV and film productions are reflections of our own lives and reality. We see ourselves in the characters and how they live their lives and that’s often why we enjoy a show so much. The simple, daily tasks they carry out are much the same as ourselves.

Daily actions such as purchasing a takeaway coffee - how often do you see the character bring a keep cup? The storyline doesn’t have to revolve around this but for me, it should be normalised behaviour at the very least. Do they have a keep water bottle when working out on screen? Or is it a plastic bottle? Do they segregate waste as they discuss the latest local love affair in the kitchen?

Love Island for example, it may...

As an online company, a significant amount of our carbon emissions are created “online”. The internet contributes to between 2% and 3.7% of global emissions (ClimateCare),(wholegraindigital.com). A report by Gartner, estimates that PCs and monitors account for around 0.8 percent of global CO2 emissions (the Guardian).  

The difficulty for many businesses now operating online with staff working remotely, is how to effectively calculate their digital carbon emissions. The carbon emission figures for our digital footprint vary - in some cases drastically. 

This is largely due to what emissions are taken into consideration when doing the figures: direct or indirect, and whether they are under the company’s control. 

How to Calculate Digital Carbon Footprint

Scope 1 and 2 of emission calculations are such things as; our own company facilities, vehicles, electricity and heating used. For IT or consulting companies Scope 1 and 2 could be quite low, while most of their emissions fall with...