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From creating an ‘uber tracker’ spreadsheet to Waste Captain duties, being part of Blue Cabin’s Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a varied role! Blue Cabin’s EWG members – Jenny Young, Dotty Ellis, Sedil Kilic and Emma Pybus – share an update on what they’ve each been working on since the start of 2026.
As the resident EWG Waste Captain, you will often find me hovering around the bins. That’s because it’s my job to monitor the amounts of general and recyclable waste Blue Cabin’s workshops create. As we all work from home and only come together for our artistic workshops or team away days, we are prioritising measuring waste generated on these days.
We have a very sophisticated process of having two recyclable black bin liners – one for general waste and one for recyclable materials. And at the end of the day I have my picture taken with said bags and use that as evidence of the waste we produce.
Also in the capacity of my day job as administrator, I am the person who takes the minutes of our monthly EWG meetings, books train travel, and deals with fuel expenses. Therefore it’s my job to compile all this travel and transport data to enter into our Carbon Calculator at the end of the year. I also book accommodation for any overnight stays needed around the country. To find hotels I use IMPT, which lists ‘green hotels’, and whose mission is to “make a significant impact on climate change by empowering individuals and businesses to reduce their carbon footprint”.
I was also set the task of collating all the online meetings we have each month to try and calculate carbon saved by not meeting in person. But after a couple of months of collating it was decided that it would be almost impossible to offset this against any in-house meetings we would have had if we were all in an office together. So that was put on hold. Thankfully, as we have lots of meetings! Instead, we will gather data showing how many times we meet in person and how many activities we deliver.
I’m also part of the Operations team, which deals with any Blue Cabin equipment that’s no longer needed. We have a recycling policy which we follow to determine what to do with each item, and I’ve found a local charity that recycles IT equipment, which I intend to use when I get anything recyclable which has no use to any other member of the team.
I joined the environmental working group in November and am the newest member, so I spent a bit of time catching up with the work that’s already been done and reading the huge uber-spreadsheet that tracks all of Blue Cabin’s sustainability work in one place.
I manage Blue Cabin’s marketing, so being part of the EWG means that it’s easier for me to communicate what we’re doing externally. This includes sharing what we’ve learnt, and what’s worked or not worked. I know from my Blue Cabin comms role that the road towards Investors in the Environment accreditation wasn’t completely smooth, and the EWG team found that there were challenges to overcome – for example, when figuring out how to measure Blue Cabin’s carbon footprint, when we’re a relatively small, home-working organisation. Post-pandemic, this kind of set-up is more common, so hopefully some of what we learnt will be helpful to other organisations.
In January, we issued our first internal newsletter focused solely on sustainability which aims to keep our core team updated, and to share easy ways we can all make small changes that help the environment.
This year I’ve also looked at the environmental impact of our websites (not just the Blue Cabin site but also our Creative Life Story Work website). We used the Website Carbon Calculator and I talked to our web developers, Supanaught, to make sure we’re doing what we can to reduce the impact of our websites. So things like having a plugin to optimise image size – avoiding overly-large file sizes which can slow page loading and therefore increase energy usage. Our web hosting is via a provider (SiteGround) which uses 100% renewable energy and has a green policy, and we carry out regular audits to remove outdated or unnecessary content.
Already, being part of the EWG has had an impact on decisions I make in my professional and personal life. I now look at hotels’ sustainability credentials before booking, I have reviewed the hosting of my own website, and I’m going to work on a sustainability policy for my freelance business.
Since stepping into the role of Chair of the EWG at the start of 2026, I’ve been focusing on building on the strong foundations already in place and helping bring even more structure and visibility to the work we’re doing. Having Emma join the EWG felt like a really important part of this process.
A big part of this has been diving into the wealth of EWG activity that’s come before. It’s been a great opportunity to really understand how much has already been achieved, as well as where we can continue to grow. Through this, we’ve developed a clearer picture of the Investors in the Environment audit and what we’re working towards as an organisation, which has been really helpful in shaping our next steps.
On a practical level, I’ve worked with the team to introduce a central ‘uber tracker’ to bring everything together in one place. This has already made it easier to see progress, spot opportunities, and stay aligned. We’ve also introduced a more consistent structure for our monthly meetings, which has helped shape focused conversations.
I’ve also been spending time with the team reviewing our policies and protocols to make sure they reflect both where we are now and where we want to go. Ongoing conversations with Jo at Genee have been a really valuable sounding board and have helped keep things moving forward.
More recently, I’ve started reaching out to providers to request their environmental policies. This feels like a positive step in strengthening how we work with partners and understanding the wider impact of our supply chain.
One thing I’ve really learnt so far is how much clarity and momentum can come from small changes in structure. There’s already so much good work happening — it’s about connecting it, building on it, and making it even more impactful.
Since the start of 2026, I’ve been focusing on how I can best support the EWG at Blue Cabin. I’m not the main person driving the group’s work, but as a trustee I play a helpful role in the background – making sure the board understands what the team is doing and helping things run smoothly.
One of my key tasks has been reporting back to the board during our meetings. I share updates from the group, highlight any progress, and raise anything that needs a decision. I’ve found that giving simple, real examples helps the board stay connected to the work without overwhelming them with detail.
I’ve also been helping with checking and signing off policies. This is one of those quiet but important jobs. I’ve learned that policies only work when they’re clear and practical.
Another way I’ve been supporting the group is by bringing in my experience from my transport modelling job. I’ve been helping the team look at how we travel at Blue Cabin and what that means for our environmental impact. We’ve noticed some patterns and this has opened up useful conversations about small changes we could make. Nothing dramatic, just thoughtful tweaks that could add up over time.
What I’ve learned this year is that supporting environmental work doesn’t always mean leading big projects. Sometimes it’s about steady, behind‑the‑scenes help: sharing information clearly, asking good questions, checking documents, and offering a different perspective when it’s useful. Some things have worked well straight away, and others have needed a rethink, but each step has helped us move forward.
Thank you Dotty, Emma, Jenny and Sedil!
