Environmental Sustainability
Environmentally responsible at our sites and within our operations.
PLEDGE.
BioCity is committed to the operation of environmentally responsible sites, through minimising our carbon footprint, enhancing local biodiversity and limiting waste.
In parallel, the steps we take create opportunities for our client companies to take advantage of and benefit from, enabling them to work towards the collective goal of environmental sustainability.
2019| HOW DID WE DO?
2019 Goal #1: Transform currently underutilised outdoor areas into green spaces, creating urban wildlife habitats.
Growing wild.
In 2019, we began working with a new landscaping contractor at BioCity in Glasgow who specialises in biodiverse landscapes. Working with Kene landscaping, our landscapes are now managed to ensure wildlife thrives, for example leaving certain areas to grow wild to allow habitats to go undisturbed.
Welcome to F[u]N.
Finding [urban] Nature (F[u]N) is a RHS Silver medal-winning garden designed by Eds Higgins. The garden was inspired by a brownfield ‘Island site’ just behind BioCity in Nottingham which was once a collection of wildflowers in the summer, now an asphalt-covered car park.
His medal-winning garden, celebrates the hidden charm of wasteland sites, highlighting the importance of urban spaces for wildlife. It further recognises them as valuable assets that can help improve mental health and wellbeing and build a sense of community.
Following the win at the RHS Tatton Park Flower Show in 2018, the F[u]N garden was reinstalled at BioCity as a permanent garden. Volunteers spent a number of lunchtimes planting, weeding and reinstating the garden in place. Now in its forever home, F[u]N provides a pocket of green space within the city centre, offering a home to urban wildlife and a place to enjoy the outdoors for all those at BioCity.
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2019 Goal #2: Reduce BioCity’s collective environmental impact by inspiring, encouraging and supporting client companies to reduce individual carbon footprints.
Handtowels.
Hand dryers were installed in all bathrooms, replacing the existing paper hand towels, saving an estimated 50,000 towels per year at BioCity Nottingham alone.
‘Home to the Curious’ Keep Me cups.
We designed our own reusable bamboo coffee cups for people to bring to use at our coffee houses. Everyone who chooses to bring a reusable cup (whether ours or not) is given a 20% discount.
Promoted greener travel options to our employees and client companies.
The ‘walking challenge’ undertaken by the BioCity team in Summer 2019 made a significant impact on the way people commuted to and from work during the summer months. Since the launch of HQ (BioCity extranet), societies have been created for each location to encourage car sharing among clients.
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2019 Goal #3: Transition to greener energy and reduce overall utility consumption.
Lighting.
All lighting at BioCity Nottingham is LED. At BioCity and MediCity Glasgow, we installed new Building Management Systems which control the sensor lighting in all corridors, across multiple buildings, meaning that lights come on only when in use.
2020 | WHAT WE SET OUT TO ACHIEVE
2020 Goals:
#1. To transform underutilised outdoor areas into green spaces, that provide valuable urban habitats for wildlife and peaceful areas for everyone to enjoy.
#2. To inspire client companies to reduce their carbon footprints and work together as a collective to reduce BioCity’s overall environmental impact.
#3. To reduce utility consumption and make transitions towards greener energy.
2020 Objectives:
- To work with Inspire Catering to reduce single-use plastic in ‘The Kitchen’ across all locations
- Launch the ‘Client Company Sustainability Award’ to educate client companies about reducing their energy usage
- Create an Environmental Management System Project Team
- Upgrade planted areas at BioCity Nottingham to offer more ecological diverse planting and increase biodiversity (Plough Lane)