As the environment and the health of our planet get increasingly important, so does the need for sustainable practices. One young entrepreneur, who is bucking the Bean Drain, is hoping his new venture will help businesses “ascend their eco knowledge”...
Have you ever taken, considered, or even heard of Carbon Literacy training?
It’s regarded as an important action for businesses who want to embed sustainable practices into their operations, and one person who is looking to take the lead locally is George Harper.
At just 23, George founded AsndEco, a training and accreditation business that offers Carbon Literacy training to SMEs across Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.
The training is backed by The Carbon Literacy Project, who aims to “educate, motivate and supply tangible evidence” of the benefits sustainable practices can bring.
The charity defines being Carbon Literate as having an “awareness of the carbon costs and impacts of everyday activities, and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions on an individual, community and organisational basis.”
Established in November last year, AsndEco has already caught the attention of local businesses and individuals looking to brush up their sustainability knowledge, and George is already working on new courses.
A gap in the market
George always had a level of awareness and interest around sustainability, but he said it wasn’t until he was studying for his anthropology degree at Bournemouth University that he seriously considered a career in it.
“In my final year, I did my dissertation on athletes’ role in sustainability within footballing institutions,” he shared. “I spent a lot of time looking at how sustainability is implemented within culture.”
George explained that he sought out experience opportunities and internships to understand the sector more. “I realised it was the career path I wanted to go down,” he added.
One of the internships he landed was at the Government of Jersey, working on a sustainable procurement report.
“While working in the government, I was introduced to the concept of Carbon Literacy training, but its course was specifically dedicated to a government setting,” he explained.
Coming from a “family of entrepreneurs”, George said that working for himself and creating his own business had “always been of interest”.
“I saw a possible gap in the market for private teaching of Carbon Literacy training in Jersey,” he explained. “I thought about generating a course for the Crown Dependencies and went from there.”
Carbon Literacy training can differ depending on the sector, industry or audience, George said, but it covers “climate change, reducing emissions and implementing sustainable practices; largely within the workplace”.
The Carbon Literacy Project said that courses also involve making two “significant low-carbon pledges”; the first relating to reducing personal carbon footprints and the second to reduce the “collective footprint of your workplace, community or place of education”.
George said he tailored his course to SMEs in the Crown Dependencies specifically, and to be certified as a Carbon Literacy trainer, he sent his materials to The Carbon Literacy Project to be approved and accredited.
“Creating the course took a fair amount of time, but getting the course accredited took around two or three weeks,” George added.
“It was quick, because their aim is to have as many of these courses out as possible.”
“An amazing place for a start-up”
The environment in which George has established himself as a young entrepreneur cannot be ignored.
The “bean drain”, or the decline in the Island’s population of 20-to-30-year-olds, most significantly those aged between 20 to 24, is underscored by many young islanders citing limited career opportunities, high cost of living and dissatisfaction with life in Jersey as the driving forces behind leaving the island.
“It’s certainly no secret that, probably more than ever, Jersey has become less desirable for young people,” George shared. “But I also strongly believe that Jersey has got a wealth of opportunities for people’s careers.”
He believes the age in which he established AsndEco is a strength rather than a barrier: “I thought, I’m at a stage in my life where I can take a risk, so I’m going to go for it.”
George also spoke of the support he has received locally and why he believes Jersey is an “amazing place for a start-up”.
“Since founding my company, there has always been someone who can help with every aspect of the business.
“Everyone has been very welcoming of the idea, and there’s been a lot of really interesting people to speak to about it.”
Education is key
George said he hopes his new business will play a role in a wider effort to implement sustainable practices in the Island.
“Jersey tends to fall behind in many things compared to the UK,” he said. “It’s easy to push ideas or tell people what they have to do within sustainability, but you get pushback when people don’t understand why or what the benefit is.”
Sharing these benefits, George added, is key to getting individuals and business on board with adopting sustainable practices.
“Sustainability looks at social, economic and environmental positives, but people often forget that implementing sustainable measures and training can have economic benefits for themselves or their company.”
George said that his focus at AsndEco will be on “generating awareness” of the “why” for those who take his course.
“One thing I’ve learnt while getting experience within the sustainability sector is that education is at the root of actually implementing sustainable change.”