What we run on site
Every program produces a record, a report and a piece of software that keeps the record alive. The wording of each program describes the field technique; the deliverable always includes the tracking system that follows it.
Program D
Waste Audit Bays
A waste audit bay is a specially prepared sorting area, usually set up in a loading dock or a back corridor, where a full day of a facility waste is spread, weighed and recorded by hand. Our auditors work through every bag, separating recyclables, organics, paper, glass and true landfill, and log each weight on a scale calibrated before the session begins. The bay is laid out with labelled sorting stations so that a client staff member can watch the process and understand the categories rather than receiving only a summary number.
After the sort, the figures are entered into a waste ledger that separates contamination from total volume. The ledger becomes the baseline for a diversion target, and it is structured so that a monthly hauler report can be compared against the audit figure without extra calculation. Many clients discover that a large share of what they pay to send to landfill is material that could have been separated at source with clearer signage. We provide that signage design as part of the deliverable, along with a short brief for custodial staff.
Program F
Retrofit Plan Runs
A retrofit plan run is a structured walk through the envelope, mechanical rooms and lighting circuits of a building, carried out with measuring tools rather than assumptions. We record insulation depth at sample points, photograph window frames, count fixture types and note the condition of weather stripping. The run is designed to be repeatable, so the same route can be walked again after work is completed and the same points measured for comparison.
The output is a sequenced plan with cost bands attached to each measure. Measures are grouped into stages that match realistic budget cycles, and each stage shows the expected effect on heating, cooling and lighting load. The plan is delivered alongside a tracking sheet that a facilities manager can update as work proceeds, so the retrofit does not become a document that sits unread in a folder. We also flag the measures that a grant program is likely to support, which links this program directly to the grant watch reviews described below.
Program T
Community Walk Desks
A community walk desk is a pop-up station, usually a folding table at the edge of a park or a plaza, from which our staff lead small groups of residents on a short route. Walkers record litter hot spots, shade coverage, drainage problems, accessible crossings and the condition of public bins on a simple printed sheet. The route is chosen in advance with a local partner so that the walk covers places residents actually use rather than a scenic loop.
At the desk, the printed sheets are collected and entered into a mapping tool while the group is still present, so people can see their observations appear on a map within minutes. This immediate feedback is the point of the exercise: participation rises sharply when residents watch their notes become a data point. The final deliverable is a mapped route report, a prioritised list of improvements and a cleaned data set that a municipality or community association can use in its own planning. We also train two local volunteers to run the desk again without us, because a single walk changes little on its own.
Program S
Energy Check Windows
An energy check window is a fixed period, typically seven to fourteen days, during which temporary loggers record electricity demand, temperature and humidity at chosen points around a facility. The window is chosen to capture a normal operating week, avoiding holidays and unusual events, and the client is asked to note any operational exceptions in a shared diary so that later analysis does not misread them.
When the window closes, our analysts review the readings against the facility schedule and produce a load profile that shows when the building is working and when it is idle but still drawing power. The monitoring layer we design is deliberately modest: a small number of well-placed sensors and an automated monthly summary, rather than a dense installation that nobody has time to read. Clients often find a handful of overnight and weekend loads that can be scheduled away at little cost, and those are the first measures we model in the retrofit plan.
Program W
Grant Watch Reviews
Sustainability grant programs open, change and close on short cycles, and a project that misses a deadline can lose a whole year of funding opportunity. Our grant watch desk reviews the current landscape continuously and matches open programs against the client profile, the retrofit plan stage and the audit findings. Each review produces a shortlist of programs with deadlines, eligibility notes and the parts of the project that would qualify.
The deliverable is not a list of links. It is a working document that a client can hand to a finance officer, showing which stage of work should be brought forward to meet a deadline and which documents must be prepared in advance. We keep the watch active across the engagement and send dated alerts when a relevant program publishes a new call. Where a program requires a measured baseline, the waste audit or energy check already provides it, which is why grant readiness is strongest when the programs run in sequence rather than in isolation.
Program E
School Visit Sittings
A school visit sitting is a classroom session in which students run their own scaled-down audit. We bring sorting trays, a small calibrated scale and a set of tablets preloaded with a simple data entry form, and the class records the contents of the school lunchroom waste for one day. The exercise is designed to fit a single period and to be repeated each term so that the class can compare its own results over time.
The data joins the same system used by adult engagements, which means a school can hold a genuine record of its own waste stream rather than a set of worksheets that are thrown away at the end of term. Teachers receive a short guide, a repeatable lesson plan and access to a summary view. We find that the program works best when it is paired with a community walk, because students who have recorded waste in their own building are far quicker to spot litter and bin problems on the route outside.