An interview with Claire Bryant, Chief Executive of Guildford-based respite care home, Cherry Trees, for families with children with complex disabilities. Read how Cherry Trees have taken an evidence-based approach, proving that sustainability is both achievable and practicable, even for nonprofits with tight budgets and competing priorities.
In an era where sustainability is no longer a choice but a necessity, many organisations are stepping up to reduce their carbon footprints and contribute to a healthier planet. Increasingly, businesses and corporations are embracing values-driven missions, where people and planet take priority over profit.
But what about organisations where profit has never been the primary goal? Cherry Trees, a Guildford-based respite care home for families with children who have complex disabilities, is one such example. With such an important mission, it might come as a surprise that they also find time to reduce their own environmental impact – all while delivering vital care for families in Surrey. Taking a measured and thoughtful approach, they are actively working to cut their carbon footprint, recognising that even small changes can make a significant difference.
When they first started, sustainability wasn’t something that was front and centre. Their focus was on caring for children with complex disabilities and creating a safe, nurturing environment and a lifeline for families. But over time, they realised they had a responsibility not just to care for the children and their families, but for the planet too.
In an interview with SBN, CEO Claire Bryant explained that the movement really started within the team, when a small group of staff came together to form a green committee and began sharing ideas for making Cherry Trees more sustainable. At first, they started with simple changes. One of their first steps was adding an extra recycling bin, as the previous one was constantly overflowing.
Then, around 18 months ago, Claire engaged with the team at SBN, recognising that if Cherry Trees was going to get serious about sustainability, she needed to expand her knowledge and develop a strategic approach.
“For me, my biggest objectives were to really understand how we get our starting point – how we get our baseline – and then what do we do to formulate a zero carbon plan?”
From there, SBN directed Claire to attend a decarbonisation workshop run by Surrey County Council. “I was pleasantly surprised at how practical it was… it was such an engaging course.” The workshop not only gave Claire a clearer understanding of the bigger picture but also equipped Cherry Trees with the tools to make real changes. One key tool was a carbon calculator, which enabled them to establish a baseline carbon footprint and track their progress.
The data provided valuable insights into where improvements could be made, and they’ve already started making significant headway. “Let’s get our carbon footprint done, let’s see where we’re at and see how many changes that we need to measure.”
Since then, Cherry Trees has continued to find ways to reduce energy use and minimise waste. Here’s a quick rundown of the changes Cherry Trees has implemented since that first SBN workshop with Surrey County Council:
Power Conservation:
The carbon calculator helped them understand the energy impact of having so many computers turned on or on ‘standby’ all day – a measure previously considered necessary so that staff could log in remotely when working from home. “Across all our computers, we equated it was 112 hours of standby power saved every night.”·
Paperless Payslips:
Cherry Trees replaced printed payslips with electronic versions, cutting down on paper waste. This small step had a surprisingly positive impact – not only saving money on paper, ink and electricity, but also reducing monthly waste. Claire jokes that the biggest supporter of this change was probably their accountant, who no longer had to wrestle with multiple tiny payslip envelopes each month!
Optimised Efficiency:
Cherry Trees already had solar panels installed on the barn roof, but by using thermal imaging and specialist panel cleaning they were able to ensure they were operating at maximum efficiency. They also switched to energy-efficient LED lighting and improved their building insulation for better energy efficiency.
Eco-Friendly Purchasing:
Careful review of large purchases to ensure only what is necessary is bought. Before making major purchases like a new minibus, they now ask themselves: “Do we really need this?” or “Is there a greener alternative?”
Local and Sustainable Food Sourcing:
The carbon calculator also prompted Cherry Trees to look at the impact of their food. Previously, they bought everything from the nearby Tesco or Sainsbury’s, so instead they started looking at where they could source food more locally, developing good relationships with their local butchers and greengrocers. “Those relationships will stand. Our local greengrocers actually gives us free food a lot of the time – the wonky veg. We’ve also developed relationships with people from local allotments who are growing food.”
Greener Laundry Practices:
Cherry Trees also started looking into greener cleaning products and laundry practices, choosing suppliers who will send them large barrels of detergent rather than hundreds of handheld bottles – cutting down on packaging waste and allowing the team to refill their bottles by hand.
What’s most inspiring is Cherry Trees’ openness in sharing both their challenges and successes. They demonstrate that sustainability doesn’t require a massive overhaul – small, deliberate actions can drive meaningful change. In fact, they’ve found that these efforts not only benefit the environment but save money too – always a welcome outcome in the non-profit sector. For them, their next steps include publishing their zero carbon strategy publicly, so they can take others on their journey with them. Their story is a powerful reminder that mindful choices and steady progress can pave the way towards a greener future, and inspire others to do the same.
Crucially, sustainability aligns with, rather than detracts from, their core mission of providing respite care to Surrey families. Anyone who thinks otherwise is barking up the wrong (Cherry) tree!
“This case study was researched and written by Lauren Buckley, for the Sustainable Business Network (SBN). SBN is a project run by Zero Carbon Guildford which aims to support and empower Surrey businesses to adopt low-carbon behaviours and operations. Visit the SBN website to find out more and join the SBN mailing list for information on sustainability events, case studies and resources, https://www.surreysbn.org/contact-us“
