local focus national voice Creating your GREEN ACTION PLAN Creating your Green Action Plan We know that climate change and rising energy costs will affect us all, but hard-pressed voluntary organisations and community groups may find it hard to prioritise work on such issues. However we need to remember there is a strong link to issues of social justice – in the UK and around the world the poorest communities are disproportionately affected by climate change. This article gives you tips and ideas for how to develop a sustainable action plan for your organisation. The case for developing an action plan ..Having a sustainable development (green) action plan is increasingly seen as good management practice for voluntary organisations and community groups. The Charity Commission includes environmental responsibility as one of its Hallmarks of an Effective Charity, http://bit.ly/cchallmarks. ..Both funders and commissioners are increasingly asking applicants about their green credentials – having a plan in place might well increase your chances of success when seeking funding or bidding for contracts. ..Reducing your use of energy and other resources saves money. Convening your green team You could start by bringing together a few committed and influential people in your organisation. Include people involved in relevant areas such as finance, admin and purchasing. We recently changed to caterers who use locally sourced, mostly organic food. Feedback has been fantastic. The upshot is that we have decreased our food waste by approximately 70%. Tanya Coutts, Operations Manager, GMCVO Getting started on your plan Look at energy, travel and other resources and in each case think about: ..how you can measure and report on how much you use ..how and where this can be reduced ..what can reasonably be achieved and over what timescale ..who will be responsible for taking each action forward. Your plan doesn’t have to be complex – don’t forget there are many ‘quick wins’ that can be achieved with little time and effort – e.g. switching to low energy light bulbs and buying recycled paper. See the 1010 website at http:// bit.ly/1010forsmi for ideas. Think about local environmental issues that affect your organisation and the groups you work with, and how you could have a positive impact. This might include opportunities to support local wildlife organisations, improve a local green space, or encouraging staff to volunteer locally. Below is a template for a simple action plan, based on one in Changing for good (see www.navca.org.uk/sustainability): Sustainable Development Action Plan Date for review ............. Theme Action By when By whom Energy Switch to green electricity supplier Travel Arrange lift shares to our agm/ conference Resources Ensure all printing is double sided You could also look at action plans developed by other organisations – NAVCA’s own plan is available via www.navca.org.uk/about/sustainability. Climate change isn’t just happening on the other side of the world – it’s here and now. Caluna Campbell, Oxfam Scotland Campaigner Involve others Share your draft plan with colleagues, trustees, members, volunteers and other stakeholders. Useful ideas and suggestions can come from anyone, and sharing your plan will increase ‘buy in’. Collect their views and feed them into a finalised and agreed action plan. Share your plan via your website, and please let NAVCA know about your plan too – we would like to share our members’ plans via the sustainability pages on our website (email jane.oconnell@navca.org.uk). Review and celebrate Bring your team together regularly to review progress and share ideas and concerns – review your plan at least annually. Don’t forget to share your successes and progress made with colleagues, in your newsletter and annual report, and on your noticeboard. Want to know more? There are lots of resources out there. See the sustainability pages on the NAVCA website www.navca.org.uk/sustainability. Don’t get overwhelmed – start with an achievable plan that will make a real difference to your organisation’s environmental impact and then build on your success as you go along. Good luck and don’t forget to celebrate! We have recently lagged our roof, using recyclable material which meets all the standards and we are so hot now we are looking to see how to cool ourselves down! We have been able to turn down our heating and save money, win win all round. Jean Roberts-Jones, Chief Executive, Surrey Community Action local focus national voice NAVCA is the national voice of local support and development organisations in England. We champion and strengthen voluntary and community action by supporting our members in their work with over 160,000 local charities and community groups. NAVCA believes that voluntary and community action is vital for vibrant and caring communities. We provide our members with networking opportunities, specialist advice, support, policy information and training. NAVCA is a vital bridge between local groups and national government. Our specialist teams take a lead on the issues that matter most to local support and development organisations. We influence national and local government policy to strengthen local voluntary and community action. Membership is open to all local support and development organisations. For more details about the full range of ways that NAVCA can help you please go to www.navca.org.uk or call us on 0114 278 6636. NAVCA The Tower 2 Furnival Square Sheffield S1 4QL Tel 0114 278 6636 Fax 0114 278 7004 Textphone 0114 278 7025 Email navca@navca.org.uk www.navca.org.uk Registered charity no. 1001635 Company limited by guarantee Registered in England no. 2575206 Registered office as above This publication can be provided in alternative formats. Please contact NAVCA for further information.