What’s the Dare?

Instead of just binning rubbish– check in can be recycled. Try and put food/general waste in the compost caddies. Other recycling, plastic, cans etc can go in recycling.

Think cans, bottles, paper and plastic. If there isn’t recycling near your office, save it and pop it in the closest bin later on.

Why Dare?

Recycling gives stuff a new lease of life. Did you know that you can recycle glass over and over again for ever ? The more we recycle the better it is for our planet and for us too.

• Around 95% less energy is used to make products from recycled materials than using raw materials;
• Recycling one drink can could save enough energy to power a TV for four hours.*

• It costs a lot more to get rid of landfill rubbish than it does recycling – that is money that can be better used elsewhere.

*Stats taken from http://www.recyclenow.com/

What is the dare?

Make a commitment to check what you’re putting into the bins so we can recycle as much as possible.

Have a look to see where your nearest recycling bin is so you don’t put recycling in general waste.

Get in touch via hello@carewithoutcarbon.org if you have any feedback on recycling at your site.

Why dare?

Reduce, reuse, recycle. We can’t avoid creating some waste, but if we can recycle as much as possible it helps to reduce our carbon footprint.

• Did you know that glass can be endlessly recycled?
• Making something from recycled materials like plastic, tin and glass saves 95% of the energy it would take to make it from the raw material.
• Did you know that the energy saved from recycling a single drink can could power TV for four hours?
• As a Trust we spend £170,000 per year removing waste that can’t be recycled. The more we recycle the more we can save, and use that money better elsewhere.

What's the dare?

Make a commitment to check what you’re putting into the bins so we can recycle as much as possible.

Why dare?

Reduce, reuse, recycle. We can’t avoid creating some waste, but if we can recycle as much as possible it helps to reduce our carbon footprint.

• Did you know that glass can be endlessly recycled?
• Making something from recycled materials like plastic, tin and glass saves 95% of the energy it would take to make it from the raw material.
• Did you know that the energy saved from recycling a single drink can could power TV for 4 hours?
• As a Trust we spend £328,340.38 per year removing waste that can’t be recycled. The more we recycle the more we can save, and use that money better elsewhere.

What’s the Dare?

If you have to travel to a meeting or an event, travel as a team, or with other colleagues in one car.

It’s that easy. One journey, one vehicle, many people.

Why dare?

The more people who travel together the fewer cars  on the road.

• Use the time travelling together to get to know colleagues better and boost team relations
• Save fuel, money and cut carbon
• Less worry about finding parking spaces
• Swap tips on eco-driving while you’re travelling.

Find more information on car sharing here.

What's the dare?

At least once in the week pledge to travel to and/or from work by foot, cycle or public transport.

Why dare?

Active travel helps reduce local air pollution.

It is great for a healthier mind and body

Plus you can save ££ on fuel and wear and tear on your vehicle.

The World Health Organisation explains how air pollution is impacting our health.

The Royal College of Physicians also produced a great report called Every Breathe we take.

What's the dare?

Turn off the lights every time you’re the last to leave a room, and your computer, monitor and electrical equipment such as printers at the end of the day.

Hibernate your computer and turn off your monitor when you go to a meeting. Look out for other things that are on when they shouldn’t be.

Why dare?

Turning off unnecessary electrics will:

• Lower our energy costs
• Reduce our environmental impact
• Create a more peaceful environment for you and your patients

More tips and ideas for how to save energy.

What’s the dare?

Think about the energy you use at work and home and take action to avoid wasting it.

Turn off lights, monitors, PCs, and other electrical items if they don’t need to be on. This includes when going to meetings, out for lunch or at the end of the day.

Turning down the thermostat on radiators and heaters will also help to reduce our energy use.

Why dare?

Energy is a big part of our carbon footprint in healthcare; we rely on it to power our buildings, and our medical equipment, and to create a pleasant environment to work in.

Only using energy when we have to will:

• Reduce our impact on the environment as both gas and electricity create carbon emissions.
• Save money on our energy bills, which we can better apply elsewhere in the Trust. Our Trust spends millions every year on gas and electricity. Every person who remembers to switch it off helps us to reduce that spend.
• Create a more comfortable and peaceful environment for us and our patients.

Did you know…

• Office lights left on overnight use enough energy in one year to heat a home for five months?
• An office computer left on overnight every day for one year creates enough CO₂ to fill a double decker bus?

What's the dare?

Think about the energy you use at work and home and take action to avoid wasting it.

Turn off lights, monitors, PCs, and other electrical items if they don’t need to be on. This includes when going to meetings, out for lunch or at the end of the day.

Turning down the thermostat on radiators and heaters will also help to reduce our energy use.

Why dare?

Energy is a big part of our carbon footprint in healthcare; we rely on it to power our buildings, and our medical equipment, and to create a pleasant environment to work in.

Only using energy when we have to will:

• Reduce our impact on the environment as both gas and electricity create carbon emissions.
• Save money on our energy bills, which we can better apply elsewhere in the Trust. SASH spends £1,840,000 every year on gas and electricity.
• Create a more comfortable and peaceful environment for us and our patients.

Did you know…

• Office lights left on overnight use enough energy in one year to heat a home for five months?
• An office computer left on overnight every day for one year creates enough CO₂ to fill a double decker bus?

What's the Dare?

Turn off the lights every time you’re the last to leave a room, and and any electrical equipment such as laptops, microwaves etc when not in use.

Look out for other things that are on when they shouldn’t be – especially things like mobile phone chargers.

Why Dare?

Turning off unnecessary electrics will:

• Lower your energy costs
• Reduce your environmental impact
• Create a more peaceful environment in your home

More tips and ideas for how to save energy.

What's the dare?

• During the pandemic many people have started to work from home more often, this dare asks people to maintain that good habit.
• Simply work from home at least once per month and make use of digital tools to enable you to do this.

Why dare?

• The less we commute the lower our carbon emissions.
• You save time in your day that you can use for you and the things you want to do.
• You’ll save money on fuel and wear and tear on your car, or public transport fares.
• It offers a better work/life balance for you to enjoy – for example people have shared they now meet colleagues who live close by for a morning walk before starting work.

What’s the Dare?

Meetings are sometimes unavoidable, we need to talk and share ideas, issues and solutions. But they don’t always need to happen in one place.

Make at least one meeting per month virtual. Use teleconferencing or video conferencing facilities rather than travelling to gather in once place.

Why dare?

As a community based trust travel is essential, but we can try to keep travel to a minimum (and travel smarter for any essential journeys). Technology makes it much easier too. By going virtual just once a month we can:

• Cut down on travel time and reduce the stress of trying to fit too much into the day.
• Reduce our carbon footprint and help reduce air pollution for a cleaner place to live and work.
• Save money on fuel that could be put to use elsewhere for our patients.

Leeds CCG introduced virtual meetings and in a year saved over £3,000 and 54 working days! What could your team achieve?

Contact the IT team to find out what is available for you.

What’s the Dare?

Cycling is a great way to get from A to B. And costs are minimal once you’ve got  a bike.*

Swap one car or public transport journey each week for pedal power and you’ll soon reap the rewards.

Why not build it into your commute to work to sneak a bit of extra exercise into your routine?

*If you don’t have a bike yet why  not see if your work offers the bike to work scheme for discounts on bikes and accessories?

Why dare?

We all need to move around more, to boost both our mind and body. Travelling by bike you will:

• Save money on fuel or train/bus fares

• Get fitter while going from A to B – and exercise is a known stress buster too
• Reduce your carbon emissions in your local area

What's the Dare?

Take one less car journey a week.

Why Dare?

Some of us need to use cars. But finding alternative ways to get around, even just some of the time, we can:

• reduce pressure on roads, car parks – and the environment
• be more active (walking or cycling)
• get a bit of time back for ourselves (reading on the train or the bus)

Did you know Sussex Community NHS Trust has a Travel Bureau that can help you make good choices about travel?

See the smarter travel tips and advice page for more information.

What’s the dare?

Once in the week swap a journey that you would make by car for walking, cycling or public transport instead. Even a car share would count!

You can do this at home or at work – every journey makes a difference.

You could commute to work in a new way, and maybe car share for getting to meetings at work.

Why dare?

Sometimes using the car is unavoidable, but there are times when finding an alternative to get around is possible and even beneficial…

• Active travel is great for your health and wellbeing.
• You’ll save money on fuel and car wear and tear.
• One less car on the roads reduces local air pollution and congestion on the roads.
• Avoid the stress (and expense) of finding a parking space.

SASH spends£145,000 on mileage expenses every year. Savings made on this could be used to improve our patient care.

What's the Dare?

Make one less car journey a week.

Why Dare?

Some of us need to use cars. But finding alternative ways to get around, even just some of the time, we can:

• reduce pressure on roads, car parks – and the environment
• be more active (walking or cycling)
• get a bit of time back for ourselves (reading on the train or the bus)

What's the Dare?

Reduce your use of single use plastic one item at a time.

Whether you choose to invest in a reusable water bottle or coffee cup,opt for a bamboo toothbrush, or even source a plastic free alternative for an item you use at work, every little change you make helps to reduce the waste we produce.

Why Dare?

Plastic is a growing problem as we continue to consume single use items that immediately end up in landfill – and as David Attenborough highlighted, in our oceans and natural environments.

We need oil to make plastic, and with limited reserves it is vital we use it for the products that matter most.

Reducing your single use plastic use will:

• Help you enjoy a cleaner natural environment
• Support the NHS in its journey to become more sustainable
• Save money in the longer term as you don’t need to repeat purchase
• Save the NHS money through recycling or less incineration
• Help you feel better knowing you are doing your bit to make a positive difference

In the UK 38.5m plastic bottles are used every day – only just over half make it to recycling, while more than 16m are put into landfill, burnt or leak into the environment and oceans each day.

NHS trusts in England have purchased 609,830,335 disposable cups since 2013.

100,000 marine mammals and turtles and 1 million sea birds are killed by marine plastic pollution annually.

Good source of info –

Plastic Pollution – Facts and Figures

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/28/a-million-a-minute-worlds-plastic-bottle-binge-as-dangerous-as-climate-change

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/11/nhs-returns-china-cups-saucers-war-disposable-cups/

What's the dare?

Take an extra 15-minute walk, at least once a week.

Whatever it takes to get you away from your desk or workplace for a little while – plan it into your lunchtime routine, agree to walk with colleagues, take a walking meeting.

Why dare?

Many of us sit for long periods in our work. Taking a brief walk is proven to be good for us. It

• enables us to think more clearly
• give us some gentle exercise
• means a change of scene and the chance to see what’s happening around us.

See more tips and advice on healthy living.

What’s the dare?

Make sure you get at least 10 minutes extra walking into your working week.

You could plan to make a walk part of your lunch break, maybe get together with colleagues for some social walking, even make your next one-to-one meeting a walking meeting.

Next time you go to email a colleague in the same building, walk to their workspace instead and have a conversation.

Why dare?

Many jobs involve long periods sitting down in one position. We’re designed to move more than we do, and a brief walk is proven to boost wellbeing in mind and body.

Taking just 10 minutes to walk each day can:

• Boost our concentration and ability to think on our feet (literally!)
• Build in regular gentle exercise that is good for our overall health.
• Give us a chance to explore our surroundings, and better appreciate our local environment.
• Help prevent long term conditions such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease.
• Save you money on your commute if you choose to walk to work!

Check out Public Health England’s ‘Active 10’ app to help you stay motivated.

What's the dare?

Make sure you get at least 10 minutes extra walking into your working week.

You could plan to make a walk part of your lunch break, maybe get together with colleagues for some social walking, even make your next one-to-one meeting a walking meeting.

Next time you go to email a colleague in the same building, walk to their workspace instead and have a conversation.

Why dare?

Many jobs involve long periods sitting down in one position. We’re designed to move more than we do, and a brief walk is proven to boost wellbeing in mind and body.

Even if you have an active job, getting out for some fresh air can be rejuvenating.

Talking just 10 minutes to walk each day can:

• Boost our concentration and ability to think on our feet (literally!)
• Builds in regular gentle exercise that is good for our overall health.
• Gives us a chance to explore our surroundings, and better appreciate our local environment.
• Help prevent long term conditions such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease.
• Save you money on your commute if you choose to walk to work!

Check out Public Health England’s ‘Active 10’ app to help you stay motivated.

What's the Dare?

Take an extra 15-minute walk, at least once a week.

Whether it is getting off a stop earlier on the bus to work or home, or popping out to the shops, build walking into your weekly routine.

Why Dare?

Many of us sit for long periods during the day.

Taking a brief walk is proven to be good for us. It

• enables us to think more clearly
• give us some gentle exercise
• means a change of scene and the chance to see what’s happening around us.

See more tips and advice on healthy living.

What's the dare?

It is difficult to avoid driving when you work in the community. But there are ways we can reduce our impact on the environment and save some money too.

Driving differently, eco-driving, is proven to save up to 15% on fuel costs.

When you drive, follow a few simple steps to reduce the amount of fuel you use:

• accelerate and brake gently (when safe to do so!)
• remove any excess weight from your vehicle (items in the boot you don’t need, roof rack in the winter)
• ensure your tyres are the right pressure

There is more advice from the AA on how you can become an eco-driver – read it here.

Or watch this video with eco-driving tips by Which?

Why dare?

Driving might be unavoidable but we can do it differently to help to reduce local air pollution so we can all breathe more easily.

Eco-driving also reduces fuel use, so if you practice it every time you drive, whether at work or at home you will save money on fuel and wear and tear on your vehicle.

Plus, eco-driving is a gentler way to drive, reducing road-stress to make your day a little easier.

For more information, ideas and advice on travel, see our smarter travel page.

What's the Dare?

Cut out meat from your diet every Monday – easy. Ditch the meat and fish for cleaner greener vegetables, pulses and beans.

Why Dare?

Too much meat isn’t good for us or the planet. By cutting down the amount of meat we eat and replacing with other proteins we can:

• improve our own health
• save money
• reduce our impact on the environment

See more tips and advice on healthy living or visit the Meat Free Monday website.

What is the dare?

Cut meat from your diet every Monday – easy.  Stick to vegetable, pulse and bean based meals for one day per week.

Choose the meat free option from our restaurant or bring in your own lunch. You could even get together as a team for a meat free team lunch monthly!

Why dare?

Too much red meat is bad for our health and bad for the planet. Replacing meat in your diet with other proteins can:

• Save money on the weekly shopping bill.
• Reduce your impact on the environment, as meat production contributes to our carbon footprint.
• Improve our digestive and cardiovascular health.

Check out this article for 10 reasons for giving up meat, and visit the ‘Meat Free Monday’ website for some recipe ideas to help you on your way.

The NHS also offers some good advice on meat in your diet.

What's the dare?

• We all use plastic based items that we could source an alternative for from shampoo to cleaning products and from cups to cutlery.
• Simply select something each month and make a swap so over the course of a year you could become mostly plastic free!

Why dare?

• Plastic pollution is a growing problem that it takes collective action to tackle. Every person doing something differently will make a difference.
• Less plastic creates less waste which means less carbon emissions.
• Greater demand for plastic free products will result in more choice and affordability.

What's the dare?

• This dare asks people to make an effort to look after the green spaces around them, this could watering a potted plant to litter picking or weeding in a garden.
• It could be joining a local conservation group to improve local green spaces and promote biodiversity.
• It is about giving a bit of your time to help our green spaces thrive.

Why dare?

• Green spaces are good for our wellbeing – check out the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare for more info.
• It builds a sense of responsibility for the green spaces we share with others.
• Cultivating plants and green spaces helps to reduce our carbon footprint.

What's the dare?

• This dare asks people to pledge to get outside and discover the nature around them whether a local park, a garden or somewhere like the beach or South Downs.
• We might think we do this anyway but how often do you make an excuse not to do this? This dare is about making the effort when it feels harder to do.
• It is a chance to connect with outdoors and our wider environment.

Why dare?

• Spending time in nature is proven to boost mental health and wellbeing.
• With lots of green spaces on our doorstep it a free activity that all can enjoy.
• Walking in nature is a carbon free activity and the more time we spend in our natural environments the more we appreciate them and take care of them.

What's the Dare?

Cut down on paper use.

We can reduce our impact on the environment by choosing to print less at work (you could also do this at home); there are several ways you can do this:

• only print when you need to – could you take a laptop to meetings?
• make it double-sided when you do print
• use recycled paper for all your printing to reduce your impact on the environment
• print in black and white to reduce the inks used
• Save used paper for note-books to jot down info

Why Dare?

Paper has a big impact on the environment, and on our bills.

By using less of it, and making the most of the paper we do use, we can:

• cut costs – using less ink and  less paper, saving  money we can better use elsewhere
• cut energy costs and therefore less carbon too!
• reduce waste – if we’re not printing off confidential info we are creating less confidential waste too which is more expensive to get rid of than recycling!

See the waste tips and advice page for more information.

Did you know that it takes between 7 and 17 gallons of water to create one ream of office paper, depending on the paper mill process?

What's the dare?

Cut down on paper use.

We can reduce our impact on the environment by choosing to print less at work (you could also do this at home); there are several ways you can do this:

• only print when you need to – could you take a laptop to meetings?
• make it double-sided when you do print
• use recycled paper for all your printing to reduce your impact on the environment
• print in black and white to reduce the inks used
• Save used paper for note-books to jot down info

Why dare?

Paper has a big impact on the environment, and on our bills – read this interview with Sussex Partnership’s Chief Digital and Information officer on the HUGE number of trees paper use at the Trust involves…

By using less of it, and making the most of the paper we do use, we can:

• cut costs – using less ink and  less paper, saving  money we can better use elsewhere
• cut energy costs and therefore less carbon too!
• reduce waste – if we’re not printing off confidential info we are creating less confidential waste too which is more expensive to get rid of than recycling!

See the waste tips and advice page for more information.

Did you know that it takes between 7 and 17 gallons of water to create one ream of office paper, depending on the paper mill process?

What's the Dare?

Bring your own! From coffee cups to breakfast, lunch, or dinner bring in your own to save money and waste.

Take away coffee and meals add up each week – financially and in the waste bin. Pledge to bring in your own and reap the rewards!

Make it a team event!

Bring in your meal(s) for the day, or a dish to share with your team and get together with colleagues.

Why Dare?

It can be expensive to buy in coffee and meals every day, plus take away food isn’t always the healthiest choice and you’re left with packaging to get rid of at the end. Bring in your own and you can:

• Save money each week
• Reduce waste and recycling and the cost of dealing with them
• If you bring in leftovers you are reducing food waste too – food waste is actually worse for the climate than plastic!
• Create your own healthier options from a herbal cuppa to a Tupperware salad
• And if you source seasonal, local or even vegetarian ingredients you’re making more planet friendly choices too.

What's the dare?

Drink at least 2 litres of water every day. Fill up a bottle to take to your desk. And while you’re there, if you see a tap dripping give it a tweak to turn it off – or report it to your local maintenance team if that doesn’t work.

Why dare?

Water is the stuff of life, and we need to cherish every drop as changing weather patterns reduce our supplies. Being water-wise will:

• Keep us hydrated and healthy
• Reduce our water wastage and save money
• Preserve supplies in times of drought

For more information on saving water at work and at home, check out our tips and advice page. Or for advice on keeping hydrated, see NHS UK.

What's the Dare?

Drink at least 2 litres of water every day. Fill up a bottle to take out and about whether at work or home. And while you’re there, if you see a tap dripping give it a tweak to turn it off.

Why Dare?

Water is the stuff of life, and we need to cherish every drop as changing weather patterns reduce our supplies. Being water-wise will:

• Keep us hydrated and healthy
• Reduce our water wastage and save money
• Preserve supplies in times of drought

For more information on saving water at work and at home, check out our tips and advice page. Or for advice on keeping hydrated, see NHS UK.

What’s the Dare?

Sugar hides in unexpected places from pasta sauces to peanut butter as well as in the more obvious temptations like fizzy drinks and biscuits.

Try swapping sugar-packed options for something a bit kinder to your body. Start with drinks and aim to swap at least one drink per day for something sugar free*.

Say, swap a can of coke for a cup of tea. Or a snack bar for some carrot and hummus.

*remember that sugar free is not the same as no added sugar

Why Dare?

Everyone from children to grown-ups is eating too much sugar – on average we all need to halve what we have each day to protect ourselves against future health problems.

Plus sugar production has a real impact on our environment; in the EU alone 3 million tonnes of soil is lost each year through beet farming.

• Save on sugar and save on  pounds – both money and weight !
• Diseases like obesity, heart disease and diabetes cost the NHS millions each year – money which could be saved if more people take actions now to improve their future health.
• Sugar crops have a big impact on our environment, if we use less we can grow it more sustainably.

And for more information on about how to swap out sugar, and what we mean by sugar free, check this website.

Or there is more info here too…