ANS – Powered by Ecotricity

What prompted you to switch to green energy?

“We have a corporate social responsibility team at ANS, who are passionate about helping to protect the environment and we were keen to explore new ways to reduce our carbon footprint. A bit of research and some maths calculations later, we knew that switching to Ecotricity was the right direction to be heading in. With some of our offices in Manchester, it’s important to us that we’re supporting Manchester City Council’s pledge of a 41% reduction of CO2 levels by 2020, from 2005 levels.”

What makes Ecotricity stand out compared to other green providers?

“We wanted to build a relationship with a trusted provider. As Ecotricity is the most experienced green energy supplier in the UK, we felt we could rely on them to provide a great service.What particularly appealed to us was that Ecotricity generate a large portion of the green energy themselves through their own wind turbines.”

How do you encourage staff to be sustainable?

“We’ve got loads of initiatives in place to encourage staff to be more sustainable, from promoting the use of video conferencing to reduce travel, to encouraging working from home and use of public transport. We also have a cycle to work scheme and take part in national campaigns to raise awareness of our environmental actions – from clean air day to cycle to work day.”

What advice would you give to other businesses looking to become greener?

“Becoming green is not necessarily going to be the top priority for any organisation. But it’s crucial that we all take responsibility, whether you employ 100,000 people or 10 people. Start by taking small steps, from introducing recycling bins to reducing printing and before you know it, you’ll be switching to green energy suppliers and buying electric company cars. You might also end up saving money and time – and what business wouldn’t want to do that?”