Thank you to Octopus Networks for sponsoring the Sustainability Leader Award and showing their commitment to making every moment matter. You can find out more about them on their website.
Visit their website
Our annual leadership awards are a celebration of the people who truly make every moment and lead Consensus with compassion, care and innovation. This year, the team at 46 The Grove won the Sustainability Leaders Award, recognising the people who have shown initiative, passion and dedication into making their everyday more sustainable for the environment, the people we support and our colleagues.
One of their nominations said, “The team here weave sustainability into their daily lives, focusing on the little changes as well as the bigger picture. They actively involve the people they support and empower them to be more sustainable too. Their simple but fun approach is a truly genius step in the right direction.”
With ‘sustainability ambassadors’ in both the team and the people they support, everyone has a role in keeping the house green, getting the opportunity to bring their thoughts and ideas to the table. Everyone’s abilities, interests and skills are considered to find exactly the right role for each individual – we’ve all been inspired by their creativity and commitment.
Making Sustainability Simple
Every few months, the whole team and the people they support meet and decide on a project that will be their next step towards a sustainable future – taking the lessons they’ve learned from the last one and consistently improving and growing as a service. Manager Geena said, “Having a goal offers people a sense of ownership and accomplishment along with knowing they’re doing something important. It’s helping us offer a more independent, healthier and sustainable lifestyle for the people living and working here and makes us a stronger team.”
They’re now on their third project of the year so let’s see what they’ve done so far:
Wash & Squash
It’s more than just a catchy slogan – the Wash & Squash campaign was an easy way to get everyone involved in recycling by washing out their containers, squashing them and getting them into the right bins. Everybody would get involved on squashing and flattening cardboard and plastic to make sure it all fit in recycling bins and plenty of handmade posters were created to hang near the sinks for quick easy reminders. Such a simple idea that made a massive impact on household waste.
Rewilding
Sustainability is about more than recycling – it can also be about giving back, whether that’s to your community or to the local wildlife. Many of the people living at 46 The Grove never spend time in the Garden before, but after being given ownership of their own flower patches, the garden has been transformed into a colourful paradise of blooms, which has made everyone spend more time enjoying the outdoors. Flowers were selected to help out the bees and insects, welcoming them into the garden and supporting them to thrive. Now you can often find people out watering and weeding the garden along with some little friends buzzing around them.
Starting off Small
Everyone was excited to start growing their own fruits and veggies, but as nobody had any experience they decided to start off small; growing herbs on windowsills and planters, learning how to look after plants and all about the different kinds of food they could grow and care for. Now the harvests are starting to come in and it’s time to start thinking about the new flavours and recipes that can be introduced into the kitchen.
Thank you to the team at The Grove for showing us that making sustainable changes can be simple and fun.
Thank you to Octopus Networks for sponsoring the Sustainability Leader Award and showing their commitment to making every moment matter. You can find out more about them on their website.
Visit their website
