I am passionate about helping tackle climate change and contribute to a ‘greener and cleaner’ future in my own personal life so it’s no surprise that this is top of the agenda within my business too. At LJM VA Services we have adapted our own procedures to ensure we provide our services in an eco-friendly environment.
Being a virtual assistant means we work from our own home and therefore do not need to travel to and from the office every day, thus saving on CO2 emissions. We also work 100% online and never print a document unless completely necessary so we are not wasting a single piece of paper. When we go out for coffee meetings we always take along our branded reusable coffee cups (which all of our clients love!).
We support various initiatives set up to raise awareness and change behaviours to protect the environment. One of our favourite campaigns is Plastic Free July, a global initiative which asks people to cut their consumption on the type of plastic which causes untold harm to our oceans and animals throughout the month of July.
Small changes as little as refusing a plastic bag or the handful of napkins thrown into your take away lunch can help dramatically towards the future.
Not only will these little changes in day to day activities help reduce plastic waste, you can apply this with how you work!
🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍
Another favourite is Sustainable September, a lot like Plastic Free July, Sustainable September is aimed at trying to change our daily habits to maintain a sustainable future.
Making little changes such as Meat Free Monday or reducing plastic use within the household can have a huge impact for our future generations.
Charity shops are involved by running Second Hand September. This is an event that encourages the reuse and upcycle of clothes and not buying anything new for 30 days, thus helping reduce landfill, plastic bag use and encouraging sustainable fashion.
Of course it is important to try and implement and support these changes every month of the year but the campaigns themselves are helpful for raising awareness and providing us with tips that we can easily apply to our everyday lives.
But how can we apply this to how we work? Very simply, by working with a virtual assistant you can:
- reduce CO2 emissions by avoiding travel to your offices for work that can be completed remotely
- improve efficiency and use time effectively through online meetings and conference calls
- reduce printing – we work paperless as standard
- reduce the demand on your office and kitchen supplies
And of course the main outcome of all of this is that it will save you time and money £!
If you are a small business owner looking for virtual assistant services in Edinburgh or throughout the UK, please get in touch to discuss how we can have a positive impact on your business, both environmentally and financially.
Lauren McAlpine, LJM VA Services
