This year to mark Earth Day and its theme to “Invest in Our Planet”, our Sophos team is taking part in an employee challenge, #OurPlanetPledge, to commit to making one change in their work or home life this year that will have a positive impact on the environment. Home composters will be awarded to the overall winners of the challenge.
Sophos has also donated USD 400K to the Coalition for Rainforest Nations, which assists tropical governments, communities, and people to responsibly manage their rainforests, in turn helping to reduce deforestation and CO2 emissions.
Suggestions for the #OurPlanetPledge challenge include:
- Volunteer: There’s no better way to contribute to a cleaner and healthier community than by volunteering to tackle out-of-control waste. Sophos employees are being encourage to use the Volunteering@Sophos program, which gives all employees up to 40 hours per calendar year for volunteering activities. You can join a local Great Global Cleanup group near you or start your own.
- Swap regular light bulbs for LED bulbs: Investing in the right energy-efficient light bulbs not only use less electricity, but you will also make your home more environmentally friendly. LED bulbs are the better alternative. They last longer, are eco-friendly, and help you save money in the long run.
- Wash your clothes in cold water: Up to 90% of the energy used by a washing machine goes toward heating water. Skip the heating and just use your washing machine on the cold-water setting. This way, you reduce carbon dioxide emission, but you also keep your clothes in top condition for longer, as hot water can deteriorate the fabric and make your colorful clothes less vibrant.
- Donate unused clothes or upcycle: When we clean out our closets, we often create three piles for clothing: keep, donate, and throw away to landfill. Help reduce the landfill numbers and learn more about sustainable fashion.
- Start composting your food waste: When sent to landfill, kitchen and garden waste (organic waste) rots anaerobically. This produces methane gas, a greenhouse gas that is about 30% more potent than CO2. Read more about home composting.
- Walk and cycle: Walking or cycling helps to reduce the number of motor vehicles using the roads, which reduces air pollution, congestion, and noise pollution, as well as creates a demand for more green spaces. And it’s also better for your mental and physical wellbeing!
- Go meat-free for at least one day every week: Meat production contributes to global warming by generating high emissions (Green House Gases and CO2). The growing world population and its appetite for meat put an unsustainable strain on our planet. Meat-free days can be beneficial both for your health and the health of the planet. It can also be a lot more cost-effective.
Ready to take the first step in protecting our planet? Why not join the #OurPlanetPledge challenge too?