b'Member News November 2021 21Solving societal challengesWere committed to ensuring that as well as focusing our external activities on tackling climate change, we also operate as a sustainable organisation and do our part to minimise our own emissions.Refurbishing ourOur Venuescorporate office Were committed to ensuring that IET London: Savoy Place and IET Birmingham: Austin Court are as sustainable as theyBy train or by boat?The refurbishment of ourcan be. While its an ongoing journey, both corporate office in the UKvenues are continually reviewing currentAs both venues are in convenient city centre has sustainability at itsinitiatives and future opportunities forlocations, we encourage everyone visiting the heart and were also workingimprovement to provide as green as canbuilding to travel by public transport, whether towards bronze accreditationits getting a train into Birmingham New Street with Investors in thebe spaces for our members.or a River Boat down the Thames. Environment as we cementA big focus across IET Venues is to reduceAt Savoy Place there are Santander Cycles our commitment to reachenergy usage and recycle more: just outside of the venues and Brompton bike net-zero.Digital signage is used to guidelockers available in the venue. Austin Court is guests around the building. more accessible than ever within the city centre,The venues recycle everything theythanks to the new Westside Metro which links from Grand Central to Brindleyplace and will possibly can, such as paper, glass,soon be extended along Broad Street to cover copier cartridges and batteries, andthe major hotels too. all staff are reminded to ReduceReuseRecycle on a monthly basis. For those who do need to drive to Austin Court, Energy efficiency is at the forefront,there are two electric vehicle charging points with energy-efficient heating/coolingon-site. Also, state-of-the-art AV at the venues Nicola Birt, IET Group Procurement systems in place in rooms and LEDmean video-conferencing facilities are available and Property Development Manager Lights with motion sensors installedto reduce unnecessary travel.across large areas of the buildings.And it wont stop here, as IET Venues are always Savoy Place has a water harvestinglooking into future opportunities to reduce waste in place which collects rainwaterand plastic use as new technologies are introduced.0% of our waste fromto be used to water the plants clearing our corporateand flowers at the venues. Find out more and visit our sustainability office went to landfill;pages online: ietvenues.co.ukthe majority wasPivoting to digital with Eventsreused and we are aiming to achieveIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the switch to a virtual environment has not only provided an innovative solution in the way we plan and host events, but it has also supported our an excellent ratingcommitment in the drive towards creating a more sustainable way to live, work and collaborate. with BREEAM forWithout the need for travel, environmental impact is low. With virtual and even some hybrid our environmentallyevents, theres no need for shipping (in comparison to the scale of fully in-person events) plus sustainablewith fewer people in attendance (or none at all) it cuts out food and material waste.building design. Like the rest of the events industry in the past year, were still learning as we go. However, with the hard work, collaboration and dedication from our events team, we were able to host some incredible events, virtual and hybrid, in 2020 and 2021so far!Check out the iet.org/events and theiet.org/live for all our upcoming events.Nicola Birt, IET Group Procurement and PropertyFind out more about our commitment to sustainability and climate change and read our Development Manager official position statement: theiet.org/impact-society/sustainability-and-climate-change'