Sustainability at Alice: How we’re making environmental changes at work and at home

In February, #TeamAlice embraced a new challenge to adjust our daily and weekly routines with a focus on sustainability, exploring alternative options, refining existing habits, and making changes that can contribute to a healthier environment. As we come to the end of Earth Month - a time dedicated to raising environmental awareness and inspiring collective action - we've checked in on the small changes we’ve made over recent months.

Improving our coffee habits:

A big focus in the office was encouraging everyone to use sustainable or reusable cups when popping out for coffee. A few attention-grabbing posters in key placements reminded us to bring a reusable cup when heading out for lunch or a coffee break. As avid coffee drinkers, many of us had slipped out of this habit, so this has been a simple sustainable win. In recent weeks, there’s been significantly fewer single-use coffee cups around the office - long may this continue!

Meadbh picking up her Alice Academy for Activists travel mug to use for her takeaway coffee.

Sustainability in the digital world:

Digital sustainability is becoming increasingly important in this digital age. The team tackled our devices to declutter the countless files, images, and downloads that take up so much storage. This task of unsubscribing from newsletters and mailing lists, removing duplicate videos, photos and documents from our phones, work and personal laptops will continue. A few of us noted that a big digital clear out could save us the cost of a few more coffees (in reusable cups!) by reducing our cloud storage needs. By organising and decluttering our digital spaces, we can reduce unnecessary storage usage, save money, lower our digital footprint and contribute to a more sustainable digital world. Focusing on the devices we use, how we use them, and their impact on the digital world.

Reducing waste, with swaps in the kitchen and beyond:

We also looked at waste production from the fruit and vegetable packaging to cleaning tools at home and in the office. A few of us committed to swapping disposable kitchen towels for reusable cloths and replaced tin foil and cling film with beeswax wraps. While not all of these alternatives have been a perfect fit, we're still exploring our options. Overall, we’ve significantly reduced our use of single-use or disposable kitchen items. Additionally, a lot of processed foods come with excessive packaging and we’ve opted to pick up individual items that aren't wrapped in plastic. Many of us have made a greater effort to make homemade versions of our favourite foods. Not only does this reduce waste but it is often cheaper, healthier, and tastier .

Slow fashion and mindful consumption:

With slow fashion in mind a few of us decided to take a break from online clothes shopping and shopping fast fashion in February. Many items we buy online don’t always match our expectations in terms of fit, colour, or overall appearance. Instead, we turned to secondhand platforms like Depop, Vestiaire Collective, and Vinted. While these sites offer a great alternative to fast fashion and you can find unique and high-quality items for lower prices, we’ve learned that they come with the same challenges - items that don’t fit or look as expected. We're also mindful that even thrifting can lead to overconsumption or ‘thrifting mania’ if you’re not careful. Overall, we’re being more intentional about the materials we choose, and caring for and mending the clothes we already own.

The Bethany fruit market in Belfast where Julie has been shopping for fruit and vegetables with less plastic packaging. (Image courtesy of @bethanyfruitmarket on Instagram)

Some other key highlights from the challenge include team members cycling to work and meetings wherever possible, reducing reliance on taxis, and participating in ecological initiatives over the weekends, such as tree planting in the Wicklow Mountains and connecting with local biodiversity and cleanup groups.

Abigail planting native trees in the Wicklow Mountains to boost local biodiversity.

Sustainability at Alice, now and in the future:

At Alice, we’re always seeking new ways to prioritise sustainability, even when the most eco-friendly option isn't always obvious. Sustainability should not be an isolated issue, it needs to be embedded within the culture of every organisation. Over the past few months, our team has come together to share personal pledges, exchange helpful tips, and offer each other support. We’ve taken stock of our habits, explored alternative options and solutions, and we’re continuing to build on these habits to find what works best for us and the environment.

This commitment to the most sustainable, environmental approach extends to our work too. Over the past 12 months, our team have become Certified Sustainability Communications Professional (certification provided by ICCO, the International Communications Consultancy Organisation), and undertaken ‘Communications and Engagement for Climate Action’, delivered by Climate Actions Work, a Government initiative to support climate communications and engagement. We’re applying international best practice on communications, events and working with third party suppliers.

Want to work with us?

We’re deeply committed to working with clients and on projects that reflect our shared values. We actively pursue partnerships that align with both national and international climate goals, aiming to make a positive and lasting impact on Ireland and the wider world. We’re inspired by those who see climate challenges as opportunities to lead with purpose and drive meaningful change.

If your organisation shares this vision of delivering positive societal change through environmental stewardship, sustainability, and meaningful climate action – such as investing in renewable innovation, embracing the circular economy, and supporting biodiversity preservation – together we can deliver change that makes Ireland and the world a better place.

Don’t hesitate to get in touch!