The Table Bay, kicked-off its Switch Off Something (SOS) Campaign to motivate and inspire its staff to start using electricity wisely on Monday, 2 February 2015. Employees enthusiastically-embraced the initiative and have committed adopting electricity-smart ways in their daily work.
The campaign aims to ignite excitement around energy saving concepts while providing employees with important information that can help them improve energy efficiency in their daily tasks. These tips and information can also be applied in their own homes โ to save money on their electricity bills and contribute to a healthier planet.
The Table Bay boasts a staff complement of 500. Every member of staff will be part of the campaign and play an intrinsic role in its success.
โThe Table Bay Hotel is acutely-cognisant of the dire state of South Africaโs electricity network, and recognizes that every South African business and individual has an obligation to save energy. We are also aware of the growing international focus on saving electricity and using precious resources such as electricity and water mindfully.To this end, and to ensure that we are able to achieve our vision of becoming a โgreenโ hotel, we are striving to inculcate a culture of resource efficiency among our staff, and implement energy saving technologies in our operations.ย Every little tactic employed to save power collaboratively has a tremendous impact. Together, we can make a difference,โ says hotelโs general manager, Sherwin Banda.
According to Banda, the campaign leverages various internal communication methods to ensure that all staff is aware and involved. The campaign was introduced to staff at a launch event where they were treated to themed cupcakes and received energy saving items such as solar powered lights to ignite excitement.
Posters, newsletters, stickers, and other top-of-mind awareness methods including a staff roadshow are also being used to build awareness.
โWe will also be staging competitions where employees will be acknowledged for their participation and support of the campaign,โ adds Banda.
The SOS Campaign forms part of the hotelโs ongoing programmes to optimise the energy and resource efficiency of its operations. Over the past few years, The Table Bay has invested in energy saving technologies such as energy efficient lighting and heat pumps
โFrom an energy saving perspective, we have cut consumption considerably in the past two years through various initiatives, including the implementation of energy saving lights and heat pumps.We know that we could be saving more electricity purely through behavioural change. We want to inculcate a culture of energy saving amongst our people and encourage them to adopt energy-wise ways of working which they can also use at home to reduce their own consumption and costs,โ says Banda.
โAll South Africans have a responsibility to save electricity. South Africa is in the throes of an energy crisis and unless we all do our bit to reduce the demand on the electricity supply, we face a dark few years ahead while our power utility brings new power stations online.Very often it is a lack of awareness and knowledge that prevents people from taking steps to reduce consumption. Through campaigns like ours, we can show people just how easy it can be to save power. This knowledge not only benefits employersโ in their efforts to reduce operational costs and carbon footprint, but also empowers employees to make positive changes at home to save costs,โ he concludes.
