2024 in Review: Our Top Blog Posts
A roundup of the year's most popular blog posts, covering a variety of topics, from Frameworks to Climate Change, Energy, Carbon, and Sustainability.
To wrap up another busy year, we decided to curate a selection of the most popular blog posts we published in 2024, for you to dip into and read at leisure as things quieten down over the festive break. We've tried to cater to all tastes, covering a broad range of topics, from Frameworks to Climate Change, Energy, Carbon, and Sustainability. We hope you enjoy the read, and learn something new.
Let's dive in!
FRAMEWORKS
Harnessing the Power of Sustainability Software to Simplify CSRD Reporting
In 2024, the first wave of companies prepared to file under the EU’s new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which mandates extensive sustainability information – including Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in line with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol – to be published in a dedicated section of their annual reports.
Many senior executives and business professionals woke up to the realisation that their spreadsheets, data lakes, and legacy systems simply couldn't cut the mustard for comprehensive environmental impact reporting. The single biggest concern cited was the availability and quality of data (59%). Interestingly, exactly the same percentage (almost 60%) said they weren't using specialist tools or technology, although most said they planned to do so.
In this post, we show you how a fit-for-purpose sustainability management system and a dedicated support team can help alleviate the headache of data silos, data swamps, and a hodgepodge of software patches and workarounds.
Paula Gruben
Unlock Real-time Energy & Carbon Data to Boost Your GRESB Rating
Formerly known as the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark, GRESB was launched in 2009 to measure the integration of ESG (Environment, Social responsibility, and corporate Governance) into the Real Estate sector.
A high GRESB Rating holds significant weight, shaping investor decisions and driving ESG strategies. But for property managers operating large and/or geographically diverse portfolios, with utility bills that account for multiple tenants, collating all this data can be a Herculean task.
In this post, we show how sustainability software, with live monitoring and access to real-time data at asset level, can help improve your energy efficiency, reduce resource consumption, and lower operating costs… all of which directly impact your GRESB Performance Score.
Paula Gruben
How can a Sustainability Management System help you achieve B Corp Certification?
Reporting across a wide range of international protocols, initiatives, and frameworks is time-consuming and complex. An automated data analytics platform can simplify and streamline the process.
In this post, we explain what to look for in a sustainability software supplier, to help you achieve, and maintain, B Corp Certification.
Paula Gruben
CLIMATE CHANGE
Top 10 Climate Action Campaigns
Climate action campaigns bring together various stakeholders to create widespread awareness, promote behavioural shifts, influence policies and practices, and mobilise change.
In this post, we shine a light on 10 of the most impactful climate action initiatives we’ve come across to date.
EnergyElephant
Forest Elephants: Unsung heroes in the fight against climate change
A group of researchers has developed a framework for natural resource valuation that helps people better understand the monetary value of individual species in terms of their carbon sequestration services.
In this post, we explain why this innovative cost-benefit approach is key to enhancing conservation efforts, especially for Critically Endangered species, like the Forest Elephant. And we show how directing investment and enterprise along a more regenerative and sustainable path, such as debt-for-climate swaps, can realign economies toward much-needed inclusive and green growth.
Paula Gruben
Nature-based solutions to keep cities cool in a warming climate
People living in cities are increasingly exposed to heatwaves, and an increase in heat-related morbidity and mortality places an unprecedented burden on public health services. This calls for urgent targeted interventions and adaptation measures to accelerate climate action in cities.
In this post, we explain what causes the urban heat island (UHI) effect, and show how innovative architects and designers have harnessed the power of biodiversity in the built environment to help city dwellers beat the heat. We showcase two multi-award-winning urban greening projects – the first a pair of residential high-rises in Milan, the second a sprawling metropolis in Colombia – both scalable prototypes that can be adapted to local conditions, to tackle the UHI effect.
Paula Gruben
The Intersection of Cultural Heritage & Climate Change
The acceleration of climate change in recent years brings erratic weather patterns. Increasingly unpredictable heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, and floods can devastate crops and disrupt growing seasons. Compounding the threat to food security is the threat of cultural destruction, including displacement, forced migration, loss of community, and permanent damage to cultural heritage sites.
Experts have stressed the urgency of incorporating cultural heritage considerations into all policy areas and funding programmes for climate change research, monitoring, and data collection. While there are economic, environmental, and social costs associated with the multitude of actions required, the cost of inaction would be higher.
In this post, we show how environmental stewardship and cultural stewardship are two sides of the same climate action coin.
Paula Gruben
ENERGY
Create an Effective Energy Budget for Your Business
Energy costs can be one of a company's top three operating expenses.
In this post, we show you how to create an effective budget that will not only help reduce your energy consumption and costs, but also improve sustainability across your organisation.
Paula Gruben
From Gust to Grid: How wind energy powers our lives
Today, wind and solar energy are well established and readily available. And clean energy deployment is moving faster than many people realise. So while we're dealing with an acute climate crisis, we are much better prepared than we were 50 years ago. We know what we need to do, and where we need to go. That said, many misconceptions and outdated assumptions about the wind industry persist, with subjective interpretations formed on a limited factual basis.
In this post, we explore the key issues and potential solutions, including some cutting-edge climate tech, many years in the making, which is finally being brought to market.
Paula Gruben
CARBON
Top 10 Carbon Pricing Questions
In this post, we provide some simple answers to carbon pricing questions we regularly get asked.
EnergyElephant
SUSTAINABILITY
Round & Round We Go: The benefits of a circular economy
The transition to a circular economy represents a transformative approach to sustainability and economic growth. Its framework redefines how we produce, consume, and dispose of goods and services, proposing a more sustainable, regenerative cycle.
In this post, we explain how redesigning systems, rethinking production, consumption, and disposal patterns, and prioritising environmental preservation, offers a viable pathway towards a more resilient, resource-efficient, and prosperous future.
EnergyElephant
Looking ahead
At EnergyElephant, we believe that everyone can achieve great sustainability outcomes without needing to be an expert. From reducing energy waste to maximising efficiency, our software allows you to take control of your energy and carbon data and turn it into actionable insights for meaningful sustainability initiatives and carbon reductions.
We offer a free 14-day trial so you can make sure our system meets your requirements before making any significant financial commitment. Our expert support team also provides free switching/transition support to help move your organisation from any existing legacy systems over to EnergyElephant quickly and seamlessly.
Join us in leading the charge towards a net-zero future today.
