Spenbeck and Sustainability
Spenbeck and Sustainability
This series of the podcast is focussing on the topic of sustainability and one of my aims is for you to hear from family businesses who have embedded sustainability at the core of what they do. Spenbeck are an example of this and so I am really pleased to be able to bring you this interview with Becky Valentine who is Lead – Sustainability, wellbeing and building health.
We hear how they got started and what they use to measure their progress against their goals.
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Listen to the episode here:
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What are the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals?
Becky mentions in this episode, and you may have heard mentioned in other episodes in this series, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The below is taken from the UN’s own site, which I recommend you look at for more information on these.
“The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership.
They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.”
You can visit the UN site by clicking on this link.
Start Where You Are
We have mentioned in previous shows about how intimidating it can be to start embedding sustainability into your day to day operations and knowing how or where to start can be confusing. In this episode Becky speaks about their realisation that actually what they were already doing was aligned to sustainability but hadn’t been deliberately ‘labelled’ as such.
By understanding what was already happening within the business and measuring against the UN goals, Spenbeck could see where they are in comparison to where they want to be.
We speak a lot in this episode about progress over perfection and I think that is a really key element to achieving what you want to achieve in this area.
Understanding where you are and knowing what you need to do to progress towards it are big steps, but they don’t have to be complicated.
Find a measure that works for you, that resonates with your values or your mission as a family and then start from there.
If you need help in gaining clarity as a family on what your mission is, I am here to help.
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Russ Haworth
I am a specialist family business adviser. I work with family businesses to help them to navigate the complexities that come from being in business together.
Whether it is governance, succession planning, family dynamics or any of the other challenges you may be facing, please get in touch. I can help
About Spenbeck
Spenbeck is an award-winning family business specialising in providing bespoke, sustainable and inclusive creative space in Nottingham’s Creative Quarter.
With 40 years of experience in delivering working environments that help companies thrive, their lease terms can support either short-term flexibility or long-term security, ensuring that their personalised multi-functional spaces meet tenants’ exact needs.
Their creative spaces have environmental sustainability at their core. They work closely with their tenants to develop their Environmental Management System requirements, helping them achieve and maintain their ISO 14001 certification.
They are:
– Committed to meeting Nottingham City Council’s Carbon Neutral 2028 Pledge
– Contributing to 10 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals
– A committed participant in the UN Global Compact
They are also working with key partners to ensure that their creative spaces are as widely accessible as possible, ensuring that tenants can recruit and retain the very best employees.
Their bespoke designs pay particular attention to neurodiversity, and they consider both mental and physical health aspect of designs to optimise the beneficial effects their creative space has on productivity and wellbeing.
Spenbeck’s building health consultancy enables companies to take a holistic approach to their wellbeing strategies. By optimising the office physical environment through improvements to such components as indoor air quality, thermal comfort and lighting,
Becky helps to maximise employee health and wellbeing. Feel free to get in touch with her for further details.
About Becky Valentine
Becky is the Co-owner and Lead, Sustainability, Wellbeing and Building Health at Spenbeck, an award-winning family business specialising in providing bespoke, sustainable and inclusive creative space in Nottingham’s The Lace Market.
With over 10 years’ experience in leading and managing an award-winning SME, complemented by several years in teaching, my areas of expertise include strategic planning, analysis and change management, embedding sustainability, wellbeing and building health, project and property management, keynote and public speaking.
Becky is also the author and curator of Spenbeck’s online archive (www.thebirkinbuilding.co.uk), celebrating and promoting the cultural importance of our flagship commercial property The Birkin Building, situated in the heart of Nottingham’s Lace Market; a significant contributor to the city’s industrial and architectural heritage.
You can connect with Becky on Linked In by following this link
You can also follow her on Twitter: @spenbeck1981 / @bec_valentine11
