Of course, we could have predicted that using Warp It would bring great recognition to its top users, but what about when it came to winning one of the UK’s most prestigious professional awards?

Let’s just say we were impressed. When we found out that it was Jude Hughes from the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, who joined us for a wonderful interview earlier this year, we were not at all surprised. Jude is a natural driver of positive change and her desire to do good for the environment is inherent.

Jude Hughes

At a beautiful awards ceremony last year, Jude was recognised as the Energy Manager of the Year for her dedication to on-site excellence in energy, water and resource management, as well as driving sustainable change.

‘Successfully engaging staff at all levels’

These were the words chosen to describe Jude’s dedication to making all staff involved in better practices, so we decided to highlight some of the excellent things she’s done to make this happen, in the hope that it will inspire you to engage your colleagues!

• In her acceptance speech, Jude thanked her manager, her colleagues and everyone else at NIBSC, recognising the part they played on ‘one of the highlights’ of her career.
• Jude also stated ‘It is great to receive industry recognition for the results that have been achieved, and my passion for being green!’.
• Jude started her journey with organisational reuse when she was looking for a solution to tackle waste reduction and encourage reuse. She wanted to take waste management to the next level and formally make reduce, reuse, recycle the order in which things happened. She introduced this idea into the organisation, and people took notice.
• Jude took a hands on approach, advising and training her colleagues about ways to reduce waste volumes, which was always going to be tricky with the multitude of interesting waste streams leaving NIBSC! Share your knowledge and solve problems for others.
• Jude weighed up her options and felt that Warp It was the most engaging reuse tool for her staff and she put together a presentation to the senior management teams on the benefits of our software. Warp It’s costs were recovered in actual savings after just one week - Jude proved her business case and got people interested.
• Daniel O’Connor Warp-It Director: “When people say ‘It can’t be done’, they are really saying ‘I can’t understand how it can be done’. Jude had the vision to see how reuse could be maximised within her organisation. She had the right personable approach, the right contacts, the right influence and the can do attitude to make reuse a key behaviour in her organisation.”
• In 7 years in her role, Jude was credited with the following savings: Electricity consumption reduced by 14%, Gas consumption reduced by 20%, Cost savings on utilities of £963k, and Carbon Footprint reduced by 21%. Change doesn’t happen overnight. 
• Led by Jude, staff have worked hard to reduce their impact on the environment through numerous energy saving projects. The recent Solar PV Project included a total estimated saving of £2.7 million across the 20 year project lifecycle, with a 7 year payback.

Launching in 3, 2, 1!

Talking more specifically about the launch period of Warp It, after successfully convincing senior management and colleagues that this was the right direction to go in:

• Jude wanted a successful launch day, so she put together briefings and training sessions for key staff. The key staff targeted were seen as influencers who could take their learnings and share them with their own teams or close contacts. This included divisional managers, PAs, green champions, one representative from each department, key purchasers and notable influencers. Train the trainers!
• Jude worked with Warp It’s Daniel and asked each member of staff to come to the practical demonstration with their first item for upload, with photos and details of the item. This taught people how to use the system, how easy it was, and in the process they populated the site! Get people working without them realising it!
• The project was carefully selected for a mid-October launch, so that staff were available and it was after the summer holidays.
• Jude used the Energy Dashboard in their reception to update staff on what was happening in regards to Warp It. They also put out newsletters, posters and presentations in meetings. Jude used these as opportunities to shine a light on the green champions and top recyclers and reusers in the organisation.
• Jude used tea breaks to deliver impromptu quick-fire training sessions to her interested colleagues! Time is your best asset, use it wisely.
• Jude put her colleagues on to our website where they could find regular webinars aimed at different sectors and job types to help them with Warp It.
• Jude’s hard work in growing Warp It had also awarded her a storage area, which meant great items could be kept in stock, making staff even more interested in the system. Jude also continued to teach people how to upload their first item, meaning she was continually seeing new items and users on the system.
• Jude would present to Senior Management the actual savings and results, in terms of the effects on budgets, costs and benefits.

 Jude receiving her award from edie

Making reductions and savings

Jude was keen to change behaviour in her organisation, as she knew that with change there would be positive results, and beyond the measurable stats, which includes over £110,000 in savings, almost 12,000 tonnes of waste and over 36,000kg of carbon avoided, there have been:

• Reduced waste volumes and waste management charges
• Reduced procurement costs
• Reduced admin time
• Reduced cluttering and space wastage
• Reduced carbon emissions
• Improved staff interactions between divisions and departments
• Improved sharing on site and positive behaviour
• Improved engagement with items
• Improved attitude towards green activities
• Improved approach to building clearances

No room for a lack of effort

One of the reasons Jude won her incredible award was for her resilient persistence in improving sustainable practices at NIBSC. Jude targeted specific individuals, or key stakeholders, such as project engineers and maintenance staff, as she saw them as invaluable for listing items from site projects and refurbishments. There was a little bit of pushback from some individuals, one of whom was eventually convinced to list a Microbiological Safety Cabinet worth over £5,000 to Warp It. It remains the most valuable items they have listed to date, which the staff member is chuffed about, as it converted him to the system once it freed up over £5,000 to his project budget!

Words from Daniel, Warp It’s founder

“Jude doesn’t see the reasons why a project or new initiative can’t be done. She doesn’t see the required change in behaviour, the additional bureaucracy, the meetings, the obstructions. She focuses on the reasons why a project or initiative HAS to happen. Because of this she seems to break down the barriers and deliver in a very effective manner- focusing on the positive outcomes. This has meant that reuse in her organisation is now mainstream and a key behaviour habit of the staff. Jude and NIBSC were the first Government Department to join Warp It and her success has meant that 16 other Government Departments have now joined and are starting to see benefits. If Jude’s approach to making sustainable improvements via technology and staff behaviour change were applied across all organisations we would have a very sustainable Government Estate!”

Since winning the award

After scooping her impressive prize, Jude went on to be awarded two more national awards in the same year! Jude can be proud to have won both the Public Sector Energy Manager of the Year, and the Public Sector Energy Champion in Government of the Year, both from the Energy Managers Association.

Conclusion

Jude is now a multi-award-winning Warp It user, and it has come through sheer hard work and determination. The project has exceeded expectations and embedded sustainable decision making and Warp It into company policy. We are told that it’s common to hear ‘Let’s Warp It!’ at NIBSC!

Jude's accomplishments are impressive, let's hope she celebrated in style.

Want to celebrate your victories too?