The new certificate from the Hamburg Environmental Partnership (UmweltPartnerschaft Hamburg) has arrived, along with a sticker for our front door. The following voluntary measures were officially recognised:

Purchasing green electricity and organic food, covering the full cost of the Deutschlandticket for our colleagues, and using motion sensors adjusted for summer and winter time.

I coordinated the renewal and was in contact with Hamburg’s Ministry for Environment, Climate, Energy and Agriculture (BUKEA). Only measures that can be documented make it onto the certificate.

Green electricity. The electricity for our oose.campus in Altona comes from renewable sources. One contract, lasting impact. Probably the simplest step of all.

Organic food. For our kitchen and seminar breaks, we choose organic products whenever possible – simply because we believe it is the right thing to do.

Deutschlandticket. We cover the full cost of the Deutschlandticket for our colleagues. Anyone who uses it to commute to work will usually also use it to travel to client appointments. That is where the real impact lies.

Motion sensors. Corridors and shared areas throughout our oose.campus are equipped with motion sensors, so the lights only come on when they are actually needed.

What you won’t find on the certificate

Seminar materials and books are increasingly provided to participants digitally. Until not too long ago, we would print, staple and hand out materials for a two-day training course – and some of them would end up in the recycling bin by the end of the week. Today, we still print materials when they serve as reference documents for certifications, for example, or for particularly extensive seminars.

In our seminars, you’ll find carafes and glasses on the tables instead of bottles: our water is filtered straight from the tap. Still or sparkling, chilled or at room temperature. Our seminars rely heavily on exercises using Metaplan boards and flipcharts, which inevitably produces a fair amount of paper waste. We separate and recycle it, of course, but before that, we make sure to use both sides of the paper wherever possible.

When travelling to our clients, we use trains and public transport instead of cars and planes.

Why the certificate isn’t the goal

The Hamburg Environmental Partnership has been around since 2003. Around 1,700 businesses are part of it, supported by Hamburg’s environmental authority, Chamber of Commerce and Chamber of Crafts. Recognition is only given to organisations that voluntarily go beyond the minimum requirements – and can prove it.

For us, environmental protection does not end with a certificate. Together with sustainability, it is firmly embedded in our company values.

If you see something in our building that you think we could do better: tell me.

Maike, Sales & Organisation at oose

More about the Hamburg Environmental Partnership: hamburg.de/umweltpartnerschaft