An Environment Strategy in a 100 year context – an opportunity to think differently

October Books has recently been working with students from Southampton University’s Student Innovation Programme to help us update our Environmental Strategy and Action Plan. Two teams of students worked on the project over a period to 4 or 5 weeks in October and November, one team focusing on staff training and awareness raising, waste management, our products and transportation and the other team on our internal processes, community opportunities, the buildings and green space aspects of the business. 

We had an initial meeting with each team when we told them all about the business, our philosophy and ethics, our roots and history, and we also answered questions that they had about the business. During this conversation we framed the project in terms of a 100 year plan for the business, an idea that Clare had heard about on a trip to Yeo Valley over the summer. 

The idea of the 100 year plan is not to define the business direction over the next 100 years but to reframe the context of current planning and actions. The hope was that thinking about what we need now in a longer term context will provide more creative, resilient and sustainable ideas to come to the fore. The students certainly delivered on this.

The ideas that were proposed were imaginative and forward thinking and created a future picture of an October Books which would not only deliver on current legislative requirements but also created opportunities for increasing local bio-diversity for both the environment and our community. A green roof at the back of the building, weekly veg boxes, new ethical banking provision, community outreach to schools and other organisations, waste management training for staff, volunteers and members, staff bicycle provision and more locally sourced products were a few of the ideas. 

We are in the process of combining the outcomes from both of the reports from the two teams and we hope to involve other students in taking some of these plans and actions forwards and continue this amazing collaboration with students and the university. We also hope that the idea of the 100 year context to develop an environmental strategy is taken up by other business and organisations in the city and beyond.

A huge thank you to the students Avi, Rimm, Jade, Doga, Ed from the Yellow Team and from the Blue Team Katie, Holly, Aishwarya, Sophia and Tim.