Has 10:10 has inspired you to turn your organisation into low-carbon paradise but you’re not quite sure where to start? Or perhaps you’ve dreamed up an awesome carbon-cutting project and would like to consult with people who’ve already done something similar? Rejoice – the Carbon Trust has it covered!

They came up with two interactive platforms for organisations to become more carbon-smart and share positive practical experience.

Empower

Empower is an interactive tool that allows you to check which actions you and your colleagues can take to cut carbon in the office, and explains about how these changes will contribute towards the carbon and energy savings.

In the tutorial section there’s an enlightening carbon comparison tool that demonstrates how carbon cuts multiply when more people get involved. For example, if one person switched off unused computers and monitors, it would save enough carbon each year to make 50 cups of tea. If everyone in the office picked up the habit, the amount of carbon emissions saved would be equal to 1 year of washing machine loads (although it sounds impressive, it would still be nice to know how many cups of tea fit into a washing machine load!). 

The myths section corrects some common misconceptions people have regarding carbon emissions. Each myth is accompanied by an explanation and the right answer. There’s also a personal action plan that employees can draft for themselves after taking the quiz and the tour and then also suggest carbon-cutting actions to their manager to encourage group action and address things like heating technology that might be outside their direct control.

To see how much carbon your organisation can save, you can plug your annual energy bill or employee numbers into Empower’s easy savings calculator, which can show results as both financial and carbon savings.

SME network

The new SME Network is the place to ask (and answer) carbon-cutting questions using a classic messageboard system. Questions are answered by Carbon Trust itself, or by people who’ve successfully done something similar in their own workplace. It is also a place for organisations to share tips and success stories of how they reached their targets.

The forum is divided into sectors, regions and organisations and has a variety of topics to choose from. Some of the features include Hackney Council’s guide to reducing waste and some detailed advice on what to do after you’ve calculated your organisation’s carbon footprint and how to get it certified.

All-in-all, the two platforms are very useful and well worth the two minutes you’ll have to spend on creating a login to use their tools.