Last month our head office, Explorer House, went green for the day as we celebrated eco-Friday.

Events and activities to encourage everyone to think about the environment and how we can reduce our carbon footprint took place throughout the day. There was something for everyone, from bike maintenance demos to woodland tours and discovering alternative ways to travel to work – it was great to see colleagues outside in the sunshine trying out electric bikes. Our restaurant team also joined in promoting local food suppliers and producers with delicious samples on offer.

The day was also a fun way for everyone to find out more about the environmental features of Explorer House…and the timing couldn’t have been better, as the week before we were delighted to have won a Sustainable Achievement Award from The Office Agents Society (OAS) Development Awards.

Through tours of the building on the day people discovered that:

• Rainwater is collected from the roofs and stored in an underground tank, which is buried under the lawn at the back of the building. In 2011-12 the harvester provided us with 812 000 litres of water, roughly the equivalent of two months of our mains water supply.
• Food waste is put into our onsite composter. Our A700 Rocket converts food waste from across the building into good quality compost in just 14 days.
• Explorer House is heated and cooled by one of the largest ground source heat pumps (GSHP) in the country. Our data centre is the only one in the country to be cooled by GSHP.
• We are also keen to encourage wildlife in the area surrounding the building, leaving areas of grass uncut to create a wildlife habit. Some people on the woodland tours were lucky enough to see a fox and a deer within a few metres of the building.
• The woodland is also home to a kestrel who does a great job keeping the local pigeons from roosting on our roof.

The move to Explorer House has cut our carbon emissions by 60%. However, our next challenge will be to make sure we keep up the good work – after all, there’s no point having an energy-efficient building if we’re using it in an inefficient way. People could sign up on the day to eco-pledges – from printing only what is needed, turning off monitors every night and travelling to work in different ways.

2 Responses to “Sharing our green credentials”

1. Andrew says:

   8, June, 2012 at 8:33 am

   Congratulations on your Sustainable Achievement Award, although I’m surprised that the pictures don’t include a grass roof or similar.

   I was privileged to do some work for Ordnance Survey a few years ago, while you were still located in your old building, but I’ve never had the pleasure of visiting Explorer House. I well remember the wind whistling through the corner meeting rooms in that old building, so I’m sure the new one is a huge improvement.

   I recall that many staff lived close enough (at least to the old site) to walk to work. I wonder if this is still the case in your new location, or whether the need for transport has now increased?

   Regardless of this I know that many were forced to drive in because of the distance they lived away from site, but also that in many cases much of their work could have been done remotely with a little investment in technology. I do wonder therefore if Ordnance Survey’s green credentials could be further improved by reducing the need for staff to physically attend site 5 days each week, and whether not only the green benefits but also the potential cost savings (e.g. desk sharing) of this have been considered.

   On a different note, we’re currently installing a rainwater harvesting system at home and look forward to using it to keep our fruit and veg looking great even when it has stopped raining.

   Reply
   • Gemma says:

     8, June, 2012 at 11:20 am

     Hi Andrew
     I hope your own rainwater harvesting system is soon up and running and watering the garden – although it’s probably not needed with the weather we’ve had this week!

     The new head office is only a mile or so down the road from the new one and we worked with the local bus company to have a bus route amended to call at Adanac Park, giving us a direct link into the city centre and rail station – and there are discounted season tickets available. Of course, not everyone can get the bus, so we also have an excellent secure bike store and shower and changing facilities on site for cyclists, runners and walkers. For those that need to use a car, we also encourage car sharing and our database allows people to plot their route to work and register as new car sharers. This is a great way to keep the convenience of car travel, but share travel costs. Of course, where it’s appropriate for their role, some people also choose to work from home to reduce the number of days they need to travel.

     And you’re right – it’s a huge improvement on our old head office. It had become far too large and draughty for us since it was built in the 1960s.
     Thanks, Gemma

     Reply