As we are so deeply embedded in the countryside, it’s second nature to notice the natural world, but we’re trying a bit harder to make sure that our activities sit more lightly on the planet, and make a few changes to make us that bit greener.

Reduce, reuse, recycle is a brilliant mantra to keep it simple. We reduce our packaging, both in & out, wherever possible, and reuse an awful lots of cardboard boxes, packing materials and bubble wrap. In fact, our friends give us so much, we never have to buy bubble wrap!

Our jewellery arrives to us in little plastic bags - these are incredibly useful, and get used for storing jewellery in the office (plastic bags are actually a brilliant way to keep jewellery in good condition), and are used again and again. Deliveries from India come in wonderful aluminium boxes, sometimes with a little padlock! We fight over these as they are very cool for storage, and are easily customised to make brilliantly quirky containers. All correspondence is shredded, and makes lovely cosy bedding for Caroline’s chickens (who were a Christmas present from the girls in the office, her previous bunch having met a sorry end with a marauding dog just before Christmas).

Our building is a very old converted forge, built into the hill below the gardens, so it could be cold & damp, but we are very lucky to have biomass heating provided by a system that warms the whole of Forde Abbey, using wood taken from maintenance done on the estate. We used to wear woolly hats in the office, but not these days!

Even getting to & from the office is getting greener - we all live locally, and Heath often walks down with Smudge the dog, and our newest recruit plans to walk along the valley through the water meadows in the summer. For our accounts lady, it’s literally about 50ft door to door! 

There is much more we can all do, but we’re taking it on bit by bit, and hopefully it will all add up to make a real difference. We are always looking for new ideas, so if there’s something you are doing to make your workplace greener, we’d love to hear about it!