In 2019 we became a carbon neutral company. As we look ahead to a new decade, it is more important than ever to set the precedents, and act now as a collective, to protect the future of our planet.
We have always had an awareness and passion at Lighting Design Studio for environmental and community issues. The LDS team have looked for ways to give back because of this. Passionate to improve our practises because of the world around us.
So we felt heartened to see the ‘Architects Declare’ movement. Founded by 17 RIBA Stirling prize winning architectural practises. Among others, Foster and Partners and Zaha Hadid Architects made a stand in 2019.
They declared a climate and biodiversity emergency. To date 832 architectural practices have signed up. Structural, civil, and building services engineering firms followed suit with their own declarations. They pledged to work with a more positive impact on the world around us, and encouraged others to do the same.
Get in touch to find out how we can help you with your carbon neutral project
Astoundingly, buildings and construction account for nearly 40% of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. The lighting industry is responsible for around 6%. There have been great advances in the lighting industry with efficient LEDs and smart control systems. But in order to protect our planet and its biodiversity, a change in standards and behaviour urgently needs to be implemented.
We work with a great company called C-Level, who, in the year 2000 originated the terms ‘Carbon Footprint’ and ‘Carbon Balanced”. We work with them to calculate and offset our carbon footprint. Contributing to carefully chosen holistic carbon offsetting projects, so we put back what we take. These projects are enormously beneficial to ecosystems and communities, and are verified under the global Plan Vivo Standard.
You can find out more about one of their many amazing projects from this short film from C-Level. Hadza in the Yaeda Valley, is a highly innovative project, and has won the Equator Award this year run by the UN. It works with Hunter Gatherers in Tanzania and focuses on indigenous forest conservation.
We believe that we have a collective responsibility within the industry to do more to protect our planet. Our younger generation are looking to us. We need to set the example of how to live with as little impact as possible so that they can continue into the future on the same path. As a company, we know that we can always do more, so we are looking to ensure that all of our lighting schemes are carbon neutral and balanced for a minimum of 10 years. We will continue to strive to improve our practices because of this going into 2020.
https://www.architectsdeclare.com
https://www.structuralengineersdeclare.com
https://www.buildingservicesengineersdeclare.com
https://www.civilengineersdeclare.com