Business Hub Administrator Julie Taylor explains how her team has embraced our Green Impact scheme.

Julie Taylor
Why did you want to get involved in the Green Impact scheme?
I joined the Southend Campus Green Impact Team as the representative from the Business Hub to see how we could support the scheme.
What have you achieved so far?
In the Business Hub we’ve been working with the tenants on a number of green initiatives.
- We have phased out the use of plastic cups for water and we provide coffee mugs to encourage tenants to use the kitchen rather than go to a nearby coffee shop
- Unwanted furniture is offered to other tenants and there is a recycling area in the post room for smaller unwanted office items such as stationery and electrical cables
- We are always promoting cycling and using the train when tenants ask or complain about the local parking. Five of our tenants now regularly cycle and two use skateboards!
In the Business Hub office we’ve made a conscious effort to cut down on the amount of printing we do, and we are now archiving electronically. This has freed up space and also made searching for historical information easier.
What would be the next step you would like to take?
In the new academic year we are planning to encourage the tenants to get even more involved with green impact. We have our own thoughts about things they can do, but we want to see what ideas they have. We hold regular tenant networking events so we will use one of these to get the word out.
How do you approach sustainability at home?
I gave up driving about 20 years ago. My husband never learnt to drive so we don’t own a car (just imagine, 20 years of no tax and car insurance, no petrol money, and no car related bills!). I would love to say it’s because we are a super serious eco family, but for us it was purely a practical decision. Southend is so congested already, I wouldn’t even be able to get parked in my road after 8:00pm and its often quicker and less stressful to walk or ride to where we need to go. There is the added bonus that it keeps us fit and active so we save on gym membership too. My two daughters aged 15 and 10 don’t know any different so they embrace cycling and walking as part of their life.
We also get the milk delivered in bottles. It’s because I love the nostalgic sound of the glass bottles chinking in the morning but there is also an eco aspect.
What’s the easiest thing everyone can do to help our environment?
One of the things I think we are all guilty of is being attracted to convenience. Whether it be a takeaway coffee, quick drive to a shop, or food already in weighed out portions. It’s easy to challenge our view of choosing convenience and to make changes.
Has anything you have learnt through the Green Impact process surprised you?
I talk to people about Green Impact and they all think it a great idea. But they lack the confidence to sign up and get involved. They assume it’s all about the big ideas, whereas I share the thought that it’s the little things that make the difference and that people should be proud of what they can do.