Our Green Story: Everyday Changes for a Better Tomorrow
In Cambridge, areas of natural beauty and biodiversity, such as Midsummer Common and the leafy banks of the River Cam, form part of the beating heart of the city. Similarly, at Your Space we want commitment to a greener future to be fully integrated into all our day-to-day operations. While providing first-class serviced accommodation in Cambridge, we are constantly seeking to adapt and make more environmentally conscious choices. Now, we’d like to share our green story (so far) with you: our vision, successes, and goals looking forward…
Vision and Values: The Green Story Begins
A number of our eco-friendly measures have been in place for many years. However, ‘going green’ was identified as an official aim for Your Space in 2019. This recognition happened during an awayday as senior directors discussed the overall direction of the company. The COVID pandemic years presented many unexpected, urgent challenges for our organisation to address. Nevertheless, a dedication to environmental awareness remained and is now having more impact than ever on our practices.
A guiding principle on our green journey is that everyone should take steps to help the environment by making changes which can be workably integrated with their lives and goals. We offer luxury serviced apartments that Cambridge visitors can truly call home during their time with us. Therefore, our green story is all about finding ways to provide the same exceptional experience in a more sustainable manner. Our focus is on cohesive and lasting improvements which become a seamless part of ‘the way we do things.’ Furthermore, we support our guests in making greener choices through ensuring our apartments render eco-friendly actions simple and hassle-free.
A Conscious Culture: Our Green Story So Far
In line with our vision, many of the green improvements Your Space has made are simply part of the backdrop to an enjoyable stay with us. They are features of the attractive, comfortable spaces in which our guests live and work. Our chosen supplier, EDF, is the UK’s largest generator of zero carbon electricity and consciously invests in renewable energy too. So, a substantial amount of what powers our apartments comes from sustainable sources. Moreover, we now use LED lighting in all our properties and have reduced the amount of waste in our Welcome Packs.
We also provide cycle storage and can assist with arranging bike hire from a highly-recommended local company. This both helps our guests contribute to pollution reduction and enables them to avoid traffic congestion in the city centre. Additionally, resources like our ‘Your Recycling’ bags are thoughtfully designed, with international guests in mind, to provide clear, accessible instructions. Therefore, small tasks which benefit the planet can be effortlessly incorporated into guests’ busy work trips and short city breaks.
Another part of Your Space’s green story is that we take pride in spreading the cultural awareness throughout our team. When decisions, big or small, are made across the organisation, our colleagues now automatically consider sustainability. For example, when there is a need to source new furnishings or food items for our Welcome Packs, research is done into the environmental impact of the choices we make and suppliers from our local community are used wherever possible. Watching Your Space begin making progress towards achieving our green vision has been an informative and motivating experience. We have worked in partnership with Green Tourism (from whom we are awaiting accreditation) and wish to thank them for sharing invaluable advice.
The Green Story’s Next Chapter…
Of course, when it comes to preserving the planet, there are always more steps to take. Our green story continues with many goals for the future including transitioning to using 100% renewable energy. Additionally, Your Space enjoys strong working relationships with the landlords who own our properties. So, we will liaise with them— recommending energy-efficient greener options— when appliances require replacement over the years. Plus, we are excited to soon launch our exclusive ‘Your H2O’ water bottles to help guests reduce plastic waste!
Like many of you, we, here at Your Space, want to protect our wonderful natural world, in Cambridge and beyond. Thanks to awareness and commitment, our focus on going green is now becoming an integral part of all that we do. Moving forward, we hope to find further creative and impactful ways to be more eco-friendly while continuing to provide the outstanding serviced apartments our guests seek out, love and return to.
If you have any ideas or recommendations that might benefit us on our green journey please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.
