Environmental Policy

A surprising 2007 report by a world leading IT Research company reports that 2% of global CO2 emissions come from the ICT (Information & Communications technology) industry.

This figure does include all computers, industrial servers, the hardware needed to make them run, and the telecoms industry, but it is the same as the aviation industry!

There’s no doubt that each web search, social networking site update, and SMS we send has an impact.

Creating Causes aims to acknowledge this impact, and mitigate it with sensible policies working towards becoming a carbon neutral company by the end of 2009.

Creating Causes Office

• The Creating Causes office is within walking distance of Plymouth City Centre, resulting in an emissions free commute.
• The office is within a larger office shared with a number of other local business, sharing lighting, hardware, heating and electricity resources.
• Hardware purchases are always made with the environment in mind. If new hardware is required, low energy rated products are always sought.
• Printed publicity is kept to a minimum, where printing is required, recycled paper / card is used.

Website hosting

• Our company website is hosted with Affordable Internet Solutions based in California. Their servers and operations are all powered by 100% solar energy. See their website here www.aiso.net
• I have re-seller accounts with green web hosts and always offer this as a preferred option to potential new clients, offering the discounted re-seller rate to them at cost to offset the ‘premium’ one is expected to pay for green web hosting.

Promotion of green & ethical causes

For many years Roger Hyde, Managing Director of Creating Causes worked for non-profits largely as a volunteer – here’s some of the projects he’s assisted with:

• As a teenager working as a volunteer with The British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) planting trees / hedgerows, creating wetlands, clearing ponds etc
• Helped construct a community centre in Kaazi, Uganda aged 17 complete with solar panels and a battery house to provide power for refrigeration of immunisation medicine.
• Since 1995 I have worked as a volunteer for the New Kadampa Tradition – a Buddhist charity helping establish meditation centres dedicated to world peace throughout the world. I have worked in the capacity of IT / Web designer, administrator and photographer.
• Established the environmental information and news portal Du La Bab with a business partner in North Carolina USA – it’s still being developd, but it is intended to be a major online resource for down to earth environmental information and news.
• Working with a business partner in Western Canada on a project with the working title Educate 2 Inspire intended to bring engaging and inspiring environmental information to high school class curriculums starting in British Columbia, with a view to the course spreading nationally in Canada, throughout the USA and to Europe.  The launch date for this is early 2010.
• Working as a volunteer Multimedia Manager for the global search and rescue non-profit organization Rescue Global – which launched in January 2010.

Becoming carbon neutral

• A suitable method for calculating the company carbon footprint, then subsequently offsetting this is currently being investigated.
• The aim is to ensure that the company’s operations are carbon neutral by early 2010.