Bournville staff put energy into going green

CADBURY COLLEAGUES GREG STOCK AND MATT BARDELL (L-R) GET ENERGETIC

Colleagues at Cadbury's Bournville site have been channelling their energies into going green, with the help of EDF Energy's educational roadshow.

Birmingham emits 6,807,000 tonnes of CO2 each year (based on 2004 data). If everyone saved 10% of energy then the resulting 10% CO2 emission saving (680,700) would be the equivalent of taking 734,421 cars off the road.

Over 600 colleagues took part in the Low Carbon Arcade event in March, which encouraged staff to think carefully about how energy is used both at home and at work.

The interactive day included a number of exhibits designed to encourage people to reduce their energy use both at home and at work, including:

•    The Body Zone – including two “energy bikes” where colleagues sweated it out to find out how much energy it takes to power every day office and domestic appliances;
•    Interactive computer games including a Climate Change touch screen quiz and facts and figures about how much money we waste each year simply by leaving TVs and DVD players on stand by;
•    A Superhero Game, whereby staff enter a virtual office with a mission to switch off any equipment that’s not in use. For example, switching off a computer monitor when it’s not being used can save a balloon full of CO2 every 90 minutes.

The event forms part of Cadbury’s global Purple Goes Green programme, aimed at reducing the company’s carbon footprint through energy savings. It is hoped that small changes will help the Bournville site reduce its energy use by five percent.

Matt Bardell, Environment Manager for Cadbury Britain and Ireland, said: “Bournville Place adopted a green ethos at every stage of its redevelopment, from the building's construction through to its lighting and heating. We wanted to instil the energy saving ethos in our colleagues too.

“As a company, we have a global commitment to bringing down our energy use. By getting everyone involved in a fun and interactive way, hopefully it will send the message that small, and often cost-free changes at work and at home can make a lasting difference to the environment.  For example if you leave your computer monitor on overnight, it wastes enough energy to microwave six dinners!”

Julie Allen, Energy Efficiency Manager at EDF Energy, comments: “Energy Awareness days are a great way to engage staff in the fight against climate change. We believe that learning about reducing energy usage can actually be fun, which is why we focus on providing activities that are informative and entertaining at the same time. We were really impressed with the team at Cadbury,; they threw themselves into the day and all seem determined to make a difference, so watch this space!”