We Made our Office Climate Neutral. And So Can You.
We’ve lived a paradoxical life over the last few months here at APX. While we were busy fine-tuning the last few details of our brand new future-proof office, we simultaneously retracted into our home offices. Our company went full digital, with no clear idea if, how, and when the vibrant office life and event space we envisioned would manifest.
One thing that has remained constant — office occupancy or not — is our determination to become a climate-neutral company and make the right choices for our new office, as well as for the future. This comes to fruition at a time where there really is no avoiding in recognizing the complex interconnections among the health of people, animals, plants, and our shared environment.
I’ve felt extremely privileged to wear a few hats here at APX, notably the ones of Sustainability Officer and Project Lead for our new office concept. And with the support and trust of incredibly open-minded and environmentally-geared Managing Directors, we set off to create a bigger and greener APX of the future.
Sowing the Seed of the Future Starts Small
In order to attract and invest in sustainable businesses, we must first become one ourselves. And as a stakeholder able to shape a brighter future, we at APX reject a return to business-as-before. We are fully committed to a new normal that involves less travel, complete climate-neutrality, conscious energy consumption, employee engagement in climate action, and a sustainable office. There’s a small window of opportunity to avoid another catastrophe that lies in the way we deal with our living environment and do business, and I believe every tiny step along the way is a small particle compounding to a greener future. And if we unite in this, we can be the change.
Beyond our shift to digital, here are some initiatives we’ve implemented at our new office so far:
Sustainable Design Choices
We’ve partnered with the Berlin-based design firm anOther Architect to rethink our new APX office. Their focus on sustainable design solutions in the built environment meant that we kept the waste hierarchy in mind in every step of the design process. Together, we co-developed an interior brimming with environmentally-friendly materials and beautiful design. The result — albeit not fully complete at the time of writing –combines organic shapes, bright accents, natural fibers and materials, and timeless and durable designs. We prioritized sourcing plastic-free materials — metal, terrazzo, and natural fabric reign the open space. Plants are soon to take over every nook and cranny. We donated or sold everything that wasn’t reused from the old office. We repurposed the old APX walls into artwork and even a ceiling art piece. Everything else that needed to be discarded was recycled when possible.
Finding Alternative Solutions for Climate Control
Summers have been hot in Berlin, but we reject the use of air conditioning because of its environmental impact. Our aim is to balance indoor air quality, energy performance, and carbon footprint. We considered climate control methods such as mist spraying, painting the rooftop white, and smart window blinds operated by a weather station that reacts to sun, heat, and wind conditions. The final solution is a “hybrid ventilation system”, where we combine mechanical ventilation with smart blinds and manual window operation.
Automated sun protection combined with night ventilation is our solution to finding comfort in the heat of summer. Good for us, good for the planet, and good for our plant jungle.
Making the Office Plant-Based and Sustainability-Driven
You better believe that a startup accelerator fuels on A LOT of caffeine. Starting small (and recognizing a natural preference for oat milk in the office) meant that we could ween off dairy milk. While this might seem small, dairy produces almost three times more greenhouse gas than any other plant-based milk. Our next line of action was to source plant-based caterers for all our events. When provided with really great (and free) food, our office has had little to complain about. After all, good food is good food.
Other small actions we have incorporated in our day-to-day office life include proper waste separation, reduced printing policy, eco-friendly office supply and cleaning products, minimal swag giveaway, encouraging everyone to switch to Ecosia as their search engine, and minimal plastic waste. When added up, these initiatives really do compound to having a huge longterm impact.
Offsetting Past Emissions
I mention this last as this should never be the first line of action, nor something to brag about. Perhaps more of a band-aid solution, if you will. I’m confident all the measures listed above will contribute to a drastically reduced carbon footprint as the years go. Now more than ever, we recognize that every unsustainable action costs both our company and our planet — and therefore must be offset.
To this date, we’ve offset 100% of our past business activities’ emissions through carbon offset projects. With the help of Leaders for Climate Actions and ClimatePartner, we identified our company’s relevant CO2 emission sources and let them crunch our numbers. The analysis and annual update of our balance enabled the implementation and monitoring of measures to continue avoiding and reducing CO2. See how we did here.
We’re at the cusp of a radical new future and believe we can play a huge role in it. The best way forward for a more sustainable and inclusive future requires a shift in mindset and behavior at the individual, institutional, and industry levels. And we’re ready for it. Are you?
About APX
APX is the leading pre-seed VC and accelerator program for very early-stage startups in Europe. Based in Berlin, we invest across industries in teams building digital, user-centric businesses — often as their first investor — and support each team with an investment of EUR 50K, access to an extensive network, and a tailor-made growth program to secure follow-on financing.
Send us your pitch deck today.
