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At Crosby, our commitment to the environment is total. We believe in being a responsible business, and
are hoping to set a trend in the I.T. and communications field by minimising any adverse impact our
operations might have on the environment.
Working closely with customers, suppliers and partners, we are dedicated to using energy more
efficiently, and are keen to offer our experience in such matters to other small businesses.
With strict environmental policies, and the integration of wind, solar and hydrogen-based power
sources, we believe that Crosby currently occupies an unrivalled environmental status in the UK for
companies of our size.
Our aims
Crosby aims to apply the principle of sustainable development, meeting the needs of the present without
compromising future generations. When it comes to the environment, adherence to this principle should
ultimately lead to environmental sustainability.
With this goal in mind, we have developed the following regulations:
- Crosby, its directors, officers and employees, will at all times comply with all applicable
laws and regulations pertaining to the environment
- Crosby will develop, implement, and enhance policies, procedures and management systems to
assess and monitor the environmental impact of all our operations on a continuous basis.
- We will set annual targets in order to achieve continuous improvement.
- All senior management will be responsible for ensuring compliance with the Crosby policy,
including establishing programmes and reporting requirements throughout the organisation
- We will incorporate in our environmental practices the best available technology that is
economically achievable.
- We will minimise the use of all materials and energies, and not use any materials derived
from endangered species.
- We will aim to apply the principles of reduction, reuse and recycling to the management
of our products and their packaging.
- We will communicate regularly with our shareholders, staff and customers on matters
of environmental policy and practice.
What are we doing now?
The greatest impact our business has on the environment is in its consumption of power; Crosby's
data centre uses over 300 Megawatts of electricity every month.
However, by introducing renewable energy systems, we have cut total power consumption by 45% over the
past 12 months, selling the excess energy we generate back to the national grid.
Crosby's renewable energy systems:
- Windmills
We have installed a number of windmills on our data centre, which (during windy conditions)
can generate 28% of our electricity.
- Hydrogren Fuel Cells
This is a new and efficient method of generating electrical power. As the hydrogen is
separated by the fuel cell rather than burnt, the only waste products are water and heat.
The latter is recycled and used to heat our offices in winter, and during the summer,
it helps cool our server rooms through the use of a heat pump chiller.
- Solar Panels
We have installed solar panels across the entire roof of our data centre. From daylight
to nightfall, these panels supply green power to our grid.
Our goal is to have increased this figure to at least 95% during peak periods by the end
of 2007.
To demonstrate Crosby's use of resources, we have developed a real-time web page detailing
energy usage statistics for our data centre. The information provided includes our current
efficiency levels, and the amount of energy being generated by renewable sources.
Additional steps taken by Crosby
To supplement our renewable energy sources, we have also adopted the following procedures to
further reduce waste and save energy
- We are fully compliant with the EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
(WEEE) directive.
- Printed documents are only produced when absolutely necessary.
- 40% of our suppliers now communicate with us electronically, and use our
online systems to reduce waste.
- Almost 80% of our customers are now using our electronic invoices,
meaning that 80% less paper is printed.
- 100% of lamps in the office use low energy bulbs.
- We actively measure the carbon footprints of every service we operate, and
evaluate how they might be reduced on a regular basis.
- Our corridor lights only illuminate when people are present.
- A new Sun Pipe product brings in natural light from outside into corridors
and windowless areas. This negates the need to have lights on during most days.
What's Next?
At Crosby, we're constantly looking to embrace new methods and technologies that
will have a positive impact on the environment.
Our immediate aims are:
- To sort waste materials into separate categories, and ultimately recycle
95% of all waste produced.
- To donate a set amount from the sale of certain products to environmental causes.
- To become carbon neutral, using offsetting only as a last resort.
- To work with other small business and help them adopt similar environmental
polices and attitudes.
- To run campaigns and regular conferences to spread environmental awareness.
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