Inspired by the CIEP’s Environmental Policy Working Group, I’ve been considering the environmental impact of my work editing and proofreading. After all, there is no planet B, so we need to take care and think about the future.
Energy use
Energy is key to our working life. Throughout the day, I use lighting, heating (I do live in the UK!) and plenty of electricity. I recognise the need to keep this to a minimum, using heating only when needed and setting devices into eco and power saving modes.
At the end of the day, I make sure to switch off and unplug devices to save energy and make sure that the impact of my energy use is minimised.
Printed materials
Working with books, it’s inevitable that I will have to deal with paper! However, generally speaking I don’t need to work with printed materials, working on screen instead.
When I do print, things need to be printed because they are for repeated use, on recycled and recyclable paper. Where possible, I can minimise my paper use by printing double sided and/or use multiple pages per sheet.
I need to further investigate recyclable inks and ink cartridges.
Transport and travel
I mostly work from home, so there are no daily transport considerations. However, when needed – for networking events, client meetings or editorial conferences, for example – I cycle, use public transport options or, as a last resort, share travelling with others.
Digital storage
Servers and cloud storage all come with an environmental cost. To minimise this impact, I endeavour to store as little as possible in cloud servers and send emails only when needed.
I’m am unaware of my email client and web hosting’s environmental policy and I will definitely need to explore this further.
Other considerations
There are lots to think about when running a business conscious of the environmental impact it is having. How my work intersects with others, for instance, is one thing that I need to do further work on.
- Banking and financial services
- Internet providers
- Publishers and other corporate clients
I intend to develop this policy as I complete more research and I am grateful for the work of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading’s Environmental Policy Working Group.
As I learn more, I will keep you updated. Download a PDF copy of my environmental policy here.
Nick (he/him) is an experienced professional editor and proofreader, specialising in LGBTQ+ writing.
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