What sustainability means to Parliament Hill? Our vision and action

As part of our sustainability launch, we asked members of the team what sustainability means to them.

Sustainable development according to our employees

• Jennifer: Finding practical solutions in your day to day life to better the environment around you.

• Andrew: Don't feel overwhelmed by the global extent of the problem. Find a way to make significant and meaningful changes on a micro level.

Starting at a micro level, we can make a genuine difference…

We will:

1. Take public transport rather than driving a car wherever possible

2. Use green energy suppliers in our offices

3. Introduce increasing numbers of ‘green’ benefits year on year

We will not:

1. Print where a soft copy can be sufficient

• Kyra: Thinking about what the future will be like for Sam, my 5-year-old son. When he asks me - “What did you do to try to make things better?”

• Stephanie: When I think of sustainability I think of being more mindful of the consequences of our actions on the environment and the importance of preserving the environment and the beauty of nature for future generations.

• Melanie: For me, as I have learnt so much about sustainability the importance and urgency of it has grown to mean so much more. Knowing the negative impacts our actions have has really made me worry about the future. However knowing that we have the power to change it for the future and for the next generation means that we can create a great world to live in and be united.

• Ellen: For me, choosing to wear and use brands that are sustainable and transparent reflects your dedication to the environment and the importance of knowing where your clothes come from.

• Rita: It's about taking personal responsibility from recycling to making smarter choices when buying products (plastic consumption). But we also need to be thinking about who we're buying from. There are loads of big companies that are responsible for waste and producing large CO2 emissions, but we're still buying from them. Smarter choices are needed.

• Josh: Keeping a natural balance between humanity and the world. As humanity takes so much, we should be doing our best to put back and look after the natural environment we do have.

• Hayley: Not really knowing too much about it and have learnt so much more since we have launched this and how every small action can help.

Someone I identify sustainability with

• Kyra

Jane Fonda - she has been outspoken about climate change for decades (before it became mainstream).

• Melanie

Andrea Biden - who is actually my cousin who is leading ocean conservation projects in Africa to help the lives of those living in there and the ocean animals.

• Ellen

Emma Watson - during the Beauty and the Beast press tour, Watson set up an Instagram account showing all of the sustainable fashion brands she wore during the film’s tour. She is a huge advocate for sustainable brands, showing that you can be a fashion icon with a small carbon footprint.

• Josh

Sir David Attenborough - he's been at the forefront of teaching the world what climate change and pollution has been doing. It’s that kind of insight that we need more of.

Learn more about our approach to sustainability and read how Parliament Hill Re-Affirms Green Mark Level 3!