February 2025: Harwich Haven Authority hosts an annual innovative internal Sustainability Week with the aim to engage, educate and empower the Authority’s employees and demonstrate that the Authority is taking positive action and is committed to ongoing future improvements.
The focus of the week involves informal interactive workshop sessions with small groups of employees in locations where they feel comfortable to encourage participation and interaction. The sessions include a game on one or more key environmental topics and focus on issues relevant to the Authority and the participants’ department. Themes covered to date, include embodied carbon, environmental ISO 14001 aspects, UNSDGs, shorepower & alternative fuels, as well as updates on implementation of initiatives suggested during the week. The week also includes biodiversity themed lunchtime workshops, a litter pick and a competition to win a sustainable prize. One year this involved calculating the carbon footprint of a ‘day in a life of a Harwich Haven Authority employee’.
The success of Sustainability Week can be seen through increased enthusiasm for sustainability initiatives including large uptake in employees supporting corporate volunteer days with the local wildlife trusts, the formation of an Environmental Champions group and teams leading their own initiatives to reduce the environmental impact of their own department activities. Discussions amongst employees highlight the positive impact of Sustainability Week not only at work but also in employees’ home lives.