BT has today launched The BT Big Sofa Summit in a bid to get the UK talking about the environment and to demonstrate how small lifestyle changes and smart tech can be used to help aid the fight against climate change at home.
The BT Big Sofa Summit will provide the nation with free, practical advice, tips and resources on the small steps everyone can take to cut household emissions, showing that you don’t need to be a world leader to play your part in the fight against climate change. The campaign invites people from across the county to host their own Big Sofa Summit and spark the conversation about how they and their home could be greener with the help of technology, while encouraging households to make small climate change resolutions that will make a big difference.
To launch The BT Big Sofa Summit, BT has teamed up with presenter, actress and singer Kimberley Walsh and Diversity duo Jordan Banjo and Perri Kiely, who have held their own summits to talk about what they can do to be greener at home, from saving energy through shorter showers to installing LED smart lighting. This content will sit alongside other expert-led tools and resources suitable for renters, homeowners and even those still living at home. Furthermore, Walsh, as owner of clothing brand Kimba Kids, will also offer advice to small businesses on how they can be greener and more sustainable.
Check out the celebrities’ Big Sofa Summits, and find out more about The BT Big Sofa Summit, here: www.bt.com/BigSofaSummit.
Research of UK parents conducted by BT has shown that it is their children taking the lead in the fight against climate change, with 52% admitting that their children care more about climate change than they do. Furthermore, more than half (55%) of parents have been taught something about sustainability by their children while a similar number (51%) has been called out by their children for doing something harmful to the environment, such as leaving appliances on standby or leaving lights turned on.
This is, in no small part, thanks to the recent rise-to-fame of young environmentalists like Greta Thunberg: 64% of those surveyed would like their children to follow in the footsteps of Thunberg and be passionate about the environment, with 70% seeing her as a positive role model.
Presenter, actress and singer, Kimberley Walsh, said:
“Every time you turn on the news, there’s always a story about the doom and gloom of climate change so it can be very easy to get overwhelmed by it all. That’s why it’s great BT has given us an easy way to start talking about the problem and is showing us how helpful tech can be for the environment. The BT Big Sofa Summit is a simple, positive way of figuring out the small steps you can take as a family to make your home greener. My kids absolutely loved it: they want us to install a smart thermostat so that they can turn the heating down when I have it too high!”
Diversity dancer, TV presenter and Kiss FM Breakfast presenter, Jordan Banjo, added:
“It can be very easy to forget that the small things add up to make a big difference when fighting climate change and that we all have a part to play. The BT Big Sofa Summit will get the country talking about the small steps we can all take to help the environment. It really makes you re-evaluate what you do on a daily basis and helps you come up with new ways of addressing the problem that you’d probably never thought about before, all from the comfort of your living room.”
Diversity Dancer and Kiss FM Breakfast presenter, Perri Kiley, said:
“We’re past the point of sitting back and hoping someone else will fight climate change for us: it’s not all up to world leaders and politicians! That’s why The BT Big Sofa Summit is so important – talking to each other and encouraging those around us to do the same and look at the small things you can do is a big first step towards being greener. For me, it’s making sure I turn the lights off!”
BT has led on climate action for three decades and recently announced plans to bring forward its net zero target from 2045 to 2030 for its own operational emissions and 2040 for its supply chain and customer emissions.
In 2020, BT completed the switch to 100% renewable electricity worldwide, which means that anyone who buys mobile or broadband from EE, BT or Plusnet are now supplied by networks that are powered by 100% clean power.The company also pledged to move the majority of its 33,000 vehicles over to electric or zero carbon emissions by 2030.
BT’s commitment to reducing emissions will help the UK Government meet its target of net zero emissions by 2050. The company is calling on other businesses to take similar steps by setting their own net zero targets and by engaging with their customers, colleagues and supply chains about climate change, what it means for them and what they can do to make a difference.
To find out more about the BT Big Sofa Summit and to see how you can host your own visit: www.bt.com/BigSofaSummit
You can share your Big Sofa Summit resolutions on social media using #BTBigSofaSummit.
