Twelve staff at Friends Provident International in Castletown received Global Action Plan certificates dramatically reducing the company's carbon footprint.
The Global Action Plan champions highlighted that simple changes in the workplace could have a big impact on reducing energy consumption.
The scheme had also led staff to think about making changes in their lifestyles outside of work and introduce ways to save energy in their own homes.
Jonathan Hall, Director and General manager at Friends Provident International, was impressed with the positive example set by the champions.
He said, "All of our champions are volunteers and I've found the work they have done to be inspirational because of the passion they have shown for the project.
"They came up with lots of good, new ideas. They have become thought leaders and demonstrated behaviours that others can follow, not just as a company but also at an individual level.
"The champions have set a great example for others to follow and I was delighted to present all of them with certificates to commemorate their achievements."
Global Action Plan champion Jolinda De Beer, Software Engineer at Friends Provident International, was really pleased to have been given the opportunity to volunteer some of her time to the initiative:
"It allowed me to work with a variety of people not only in the Isle of Man office but also in the Friends Provident group, local businesses and local government.
"Above all, I learned a lot about environmental issues, which is something I have a real interest in."
The firm's champions have helped to reduce the company's CO2 emissions by 41.9 tonnes per year. That figure has been corroborated by The Carbon Trust, the UK's leading promoter of the low carbon society.
Installing low energy lightbulbs, reducing the use of paper, recycling more waste paper and encouraging all staff to make sure that their PCs and monitors are switched off when not in use are just some of the ways the champions have helped to reduce FPI's carbon footprint.
Statistics used to measure the project's success have shown that the company is now using 16.7% less electricity than prior to the scheme.
The Global Action Plan project began in July 2009 with an environmental awareness day focusing on reducing energy consumption. Local organisations involved in energy efficiency programmes came into the office to improve employees' understanding of climate change and highlight the need to reduce energy consumption.
The company then staged an 'energy month' and a survey carried out by the champions found that initially few staff believed that turning off power to electrical equipment made a significant difference.
In the first audit, only 30% of employees switched off their PCs and monitors. However, after raising awareness of the unnecessary waste, more than 90% of staff now switch-off their PCs, resulting in dramatic reductions in electricity use.
However, these savings are only the beginning as the champions continue to identify ways of saving energy and achieving further reductions in the company's carbon footprint.
Pictured: (back row, l-r) Jonathan Hall, Director and General Manager at Friends Provident International, with Global Action Plan award winners Pam Corkish, Nick White, Jean Lynch, Claire Wells and Jolinda De Beer; (front row, l-r) GAP award winners Matthew Halpin, Ian Godby, Rebecca Quirk and John Owen.
