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Intelligent Facility Solutions is the ‘trusted independent expert for hand dryers and washrooms supplies’. The company recently donated a generous sum to The Carbon Literacy Project (CLP) via 1% for the Planet, making it the first new organisation to become an official Bronze Partner under our newly launched Partner Scheme.

You would be forgiven for wondering: ‘What does Carbon Literacy have to do with hand dryers?’ Founder of Intelligent Facility Solutions, Andrew Cameron, provides a clear answer to this question in explaining how and why the business came to support The Carbon Literacy Project. That story, which follows below, provides a shining example of how businesses, however large or small, can use their power to drive positive change.

Discovering Carbon Literacy via 1% for the Planet

Underpinned by a ‘sense of environmental and social responsibility’, Intelligent Facility Solutions’ mission is to help companies reduce waste and become more energy efficient. Despite being a small company, it prides itself on putting people and planet before profit. As a member of 1% for the Planet, it already gives 1% of gross sales to environmental and social causes. Until now, this included Keep Britain Tidy and Moors for the Future, through which it supports local litter-picking projects and carbon capture programs.

Andrew came across The Carbon Literacy Project, another 1% for the Planet environmental partner, while looking for ways to engage the Intelligent team with the wider climate change agenda. Having struggled to communicate effectively about climate change until that point, undertaking a Carbon Literacy course seemed like a great place to start.

Completing Carbon Literacy training

Andrew was impressed by the impact the Carbon Literacy course had on him. For the first time, he felt some clarity over the actions he could take and what would make a real difference.

“I think there is a guilt attached to not doing everything possible, but if you start with measuring and understanding the big impact stuff, it stopped me feeling bad about every little thing I wasn’t doing and start focusing on meaningful incremental improvements.”

For Andrew, it also highlighted just how important it is to stop reading biased, often commercially driven information and get a proper understanding of carbon accounting.

“We cannot buy ourselves to net zero, we just have to become more mindful of what we can live without.”

Through Intelligent Facility Solutions, Andrew wanted to help us continue to deliver this education globally, which he sees as “such important work” in “changing mindsets” and “finding ways to influence others in a palatable way”.

Donating to The Carbon Literacy Project

Recognising the importance of climate education and action, it was a logical next step to encompass this through the various charities Intelligent Facility Solutions supports via 1% for the Planet. Though it is not a huge business, it felt it was important to make a contribution. A generous sum of £1,750 was donated to The Carbon Literacy Project, cementing the first year of the partnership.

Andrew wishes more organisations would get on board with ‘doing their bit’ to help tackle climate change and sees education as critically important to that. With this donation, he hopes Intelligent Facility Solutions can help facilitate that process.

“I want the Carbon Literacy course to become accessible to more and more people, because the better we all become at explaining the problem to others, the more behavioural change can happen.”

Becoming a Bronze Partner

Although unaware at the time, with this much-appreciated donation, Intelligent Facility Solutions met the criteria to become a Bronze Partner under our new tiered Partner Scheme.

Andrew and his team hope this formal recognition of their contribution shows customers and suppliers how serious they are about making a difference. Beyond this, Intelligent Facility Solutions sees the value of this badge as “bringing more awareness to the great work The Carbon Literacy Project is doing.”

“The more The Carbon Literacy Project is amplified by us and other small businesses, the more others will take a look.”

The team at Intelligent Facility Solutions are thrilled to be one of the first organisations to receive this badge, as they attempt to lead the way in being a genuinely purpose-driven SME within their industry.

“There is a lot of uneducated ‘greenwashing’ going on and the fact we are involved from the outset goes someway to showing we understand what climate action is all about.”

Andrew recommends that other organisations become Carbon Literacy Partners to “keep amplifying the message”.

“Companies can’t just offset their way to a clear conscience, they need to understand the problems that The Carbon Literacy Project brings to light and action the impactful solutions.”

He firmly believes that promoting education – inside and outside of your organisation – is the key to real change.

Want to find out more about becoming a Carbon Literacy Partner under the new Partner Scheme? Click here.